Stocky Taco
New member
Several people have asked about our camping system in the back of the Tacoma, so here’s the details of what I’ve done so far.
The Gen 2 Tacomas have these wonderful cutout and ledge on the bed’s sidewalls to install an elevated deck very easily. They’re designed for a 1×6 support under a plywood deck, but I wanted something a little beefier, so I went with 2x8s and dato’ed the ends to make them fit.
Then it’s simply 3/4″ plywood covered with the cheapest outdoor carpet at Lowes.
Now the catch is the 5′ bed and me being 6’2″. This is where the “foot shelf” comes in. I built a separate 18″x48″ shelf that goes over the tailgate and connects to the sleeping deck to create a queen sized bed in a 5′ short bed pickup. In the morning the foot shelf easily moves out of the way to free up the tailgate for fixing breakfast, etc.
Of course this means your feet are out in the open, and in bad weather that can be a bad thing. For that we’ve gone with an EZ-Up awning that we setup over the tailgate to provide a sheltered living area for privacy and protection from the weather. The walls are quite versatile, allowing us to obtain just the right balance of protection and views.
The Gen 2 Tacomas have these wonderful cutout and ledge on the bed’s sidewalls to install an elevated deck very easily. They’re designed for a 1×6 support under a plywood deck, but I wanted something a little beefier, so I went with 2x8s and dato’ed the ends to make them fit.
Then it’s simply 3/4″ plywood covered with the cheapest outdoor carpet at Lowes.
Now the catch is the 5′ bed and me being 6’2″. This is where the “foot shelf” comes in. I built a separate 18″x48″ shelf that goes over the tailgate and connects to the sleeping deck to create a queen sized bed in a 5′ short bed pickup. In the morning the foot shelf easily moves out of the way to free up the tailgate for fixing breakfast, etc.
Of course this means your feet are out in the open, and in bad weather that can be a bad thing. For that we’ve gone with an EZ-Up awning that we setup over the tailgate to provide a sheltered living area for privacy and protection from the weather. The walls are quite versatile, allowing us to obtain just the right balance of protection and views.
