Sleeping under campershell?
- Thread starter Rotorgeek
- Start date
Clutch
<---Pass
You have good taste in trucks!
Rotorgeek
Adventurer
Louisd75, thanks for the reply that's real close to what I have thought of doing.
Bat, do you have a platform in there or just sleep in the bed? I hadn't thought of adding the SUV tent, it would be nice to have a little more mosquito free area to dress or just relax.
Ywen, awesome night pic, and made me think of ideas on making it fold to open one side.
Thanks for all the replies guys, keep'em coming. You're making me revise my plan with all the awesome things you guys have come up with.
Bat, do you have a platform in there or just sleep in the bed? I hadn't thought of adding the SUV tent, it would be nice to have a little more mosquito free area to dress or just relax.
Ywen, awesome night pic, and made me think of ideas on making it fold to open one side.
Thanks for all the replies guys, keep'em coming. You're making me revise my plan with all the awesome things you guys have come up with.
HillbillyfromAL
Explorer
I'd have to suggest that you get a soft lining. It provides a good insulating layer, and the weather isn't going to affect it. My personal favorites are the big back Leer toppers. The One on my old 04 Super Duty never leaked at all. it was great because it had plenty of room to sit up in on a stool. I probably spent two months camping out in it just going on the weekends with my little boy.
I really like this idea and thought about doing one with tent material enclosing the sides and rear with a zippered door. You could leave the cover open creating a roomy tent. When you're ready to move on just close the lid, leave your bedding in place and go.
cnynrat
Expedition Leader
I used to camp that way all the time. I had a Dodge Ram-50 with a shell and what we used to call a "carpet kit" which is just a fancy foam and carpet covered platform with some storage cabinets along the sides. I eventually moved to an F150 with a similar setup.
One major advantage was the ability for stealth camping. This was back in the days when I did a lot of backpacking, and the standard routine for us was to drive up to the trail head the night before and just camp there.
The drawback can be that you might be carrying some of your gear where you are sleeping, so you may need to find a way to deal with that.
One major advantage was the ability for stealth camping. This was back in the days when I did a lot of backpacking, and the standard routine for us was to drive up to the trail head the night before and just camp there.
The drawback can be that you might be carrying some of your gear where you are sleeping, so you may need to find a way to deal with that.
cowens
New member
not a problem
I have an ARE topper. With a sleeping platform in it. I've been traveling the US for the past five months in it with my pit. Spent some time in Colorado when it was 20 at most at night.I had no problems.I keep a Mr. Heaterbuddy. I'll send you a link to my build and website on it.
I have an ARE topper. With a sleeping platform in it. I've been traveling the US for the past five months in it with my pit. Spent some time in Colorado when it was 20 at most at night.I had no problems.I keep a Mr. Heaterbuddy. I'll send you a link to my build and website on it.
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
I have thought about how to do this for awhile. It would look like a Maggiolina RTT. It would have sides and a zippered door on the tailgate end. If the tailgate were left down the tent could actually rap around the tailgate and then zip to the sides. This would give you a nice snug fit, and much more interior room.
I slept under a Snugtop Rebel. It was fine till it rained. I had leaks everywhere. Miserable soggy trips. Dealer sent it back to Snugtop for sealing. It sat there a month and a half and it still leaked when I got it back from California. So, I returned it and bought an Undercover Elite. Now, I will be sleeping under a bed cover on these trips. Anyway, I looked around and most any truck cap can/will leak. Its a crap shoot. The difference is how the manufacturer treats you. I almost bought an ARE truck cap but decided I'd save some money and buy something I can drag around behind my truck. I looked at truck campers too but they are just too expensive for me and I'd loose storage/payload. Thinking of a 5x8 enclosed trailer with some mods. Also thinking of a used old capri cowboy ... truck cap on steroids. Jealous of all you guys with dry truck caps.
xlcaferacer
Adventurer
I loved sleeping in the back of my truck in the canopy. I miss it. Mine was a Leer commercial topper that I build a bed platform in. It was the higher version so I had a bunch of headroom. It had full side doors that opened up that I added windows to. I also insulated it. It worked great.
