Pop-top truck camper people, how is your floor?

goffredo

Member
So you pop up tent guys who use the bed of the truck as a camping / cooking / chill area, what kind of floor do you have? Do you love it, hate it, what are some pros and cons? I'm planning to get a lightweight pop-top tent camper, such as in the GoFastCamper or Vagabond Drifter style. I'm trying to plan what to do as the floor.

A bedrug looks kind of cool, but as a neat freak I worry that any kind of carpet-like material would retain food / dog odors, and could present with mildew problems. Then there's the old plastic drop-in bed liner, which I've always felt isn't the best use of space and which tends to scratch against the bed metal and can promote unseen rust problems. Right now, I just have a stock, bare metal, uncovered truck bed. Which is quickly becoming scratched up and I'm afraid it's going to rust before I can save up enough $ to get a top to keep the elements out, so I'm thinking of getting a spray-in bed liner from LineX or Full Metal Jacket, as a start.

A proper insulative underlayment and laminate flooring would be kind of fun, especially since I camp most often where morning temps are 10-40F degrees. But I'm not sure I'm willing to commit to a full-time camper yet, and I'd be worried about warping due to moisture and hot/cold exposure.

So what do you guys have for a floor? Would you do it again? I'd love to hear pros and cons.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
The heavy black bedmats work real well.
In addition you can use the mat as a pattern for some indoor/outdoor cheap carpeting. When it gets beyond gross,chuck it.
 

goffredo

Member
Bedmats sound like a good idea, thanks! I'll probably do a spray-in liner to protect the bed from rust, and then experiment with bedmats or some other kind of thick material that can provide a little cushion and insulation. I like the removable aspect of bedmats so they can be cleaned out at the end of the summer season, and so a thicker material can be put in place for cold winter camping.
 

huruta

New member
We have a drifter on order. Will probably get a bed rug. We have two dogs. Our understanding is that they can velcro in so they can be "ripped" out for cleaning / drying. Some models are waterproof (we live in Seattle) so even if water gets in they shouldn't get moldy if they are cared for properly. Dog hair will still get in, but we have chilewich rugs in our house and I *think* they'll look like those. We have yet to see one, but plan to before we buy.
 

kerry

Expedition Leader
Our Northstar TS1000 came with vinyl flooring. A previous owner fitted indoor outdoor carpet on top. Hard to keep clean. I installed Sam's Club Amber Oak laminate flooring on top of that. Much easier to keep clean. Very water resistant. Damn tough stuff. (I've used it in rental properties) Cold on bare feet in cold weather. I keep a pair of slippers in the camper to resolve that problem.
 

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