Truck Bed Tents

What makes a truck bed tent different

A regular tent needs a patch of good ground. A truck bed tent brings its own: the pickup bed. The tent wraps the bed, straps to the truck, and opens over the tailgate. You sleep a couple of feet above the dirt, away from rocks, roots and the puddle that forms at 3 a.m. right where you pitched.

That's the upside. The catch is that the tent has to fit one specific shape, your bed, and the truck is now part of the shelter. You can't move camp without packing up, and the bed can't haul anything while you sleep in it.

The table on this page lists tents made to pitch in a pickup bed, and you should check the stated bed length against your truck. It shows the specs the maker states, or the Amazon listing where the maker is silent (marked as listing values; weight is the maker's alone): capacity, center height, fabric, waterproof rating, poles, rainfly, weight and the maker's setup time. A dash means neither states it. The waterproof rating is the maker's figure only. The shared basics of tents (seasons, rainfly, waterproof ratings) are on the camping tent page, so this page sticks to what's different about a tent that lives in a truck.

Measure the bed before anything else

My one opinion on this page: measure your bed before you read a single other spec. The reason is how these tents are sold. Makers size them by bed length, not by cab size or truck name, and the size ranges are narrow. A tent made for one bed length doesn't stretch to the next.

How to measure, from one maker's instructions:

1. Close the tailgate. That maker measures with the tailgate closed.
2. Run the tape inside the bed in a straight line from the front wall by the cab to the tailgate.
3. Measure the width wall to wall.
4. Match both numbers to the maker's size chart, not to a forum post about "the same truck."

Makers word this step differently, so follow your own maker's instructions on the tailgate. If you land right at the edge between two sizes, call the maker. It's a two-minute call, and it beats a return.

Compact or full-size, short or long bed

Truck tents come in size families. One maker's size list for one of its lines reads like this:

• Full-size long bed: 8 ft to 8 ft 2 in
• Full-size regular bed: 6 ft 4 in to 6 ft 7 in
• Full-size short bed: 5 ft 5 in to 5 ft 8 in
• Compact regular bed: 6 ft to 6 ft 3 in
• Compact short bed: 5 ft to 5 ft 2 in

Notice the gaps. A 6 ft 4 in full-size bed and a 6 ft 3 in compact bed are an inch apart, and they take different tents. Length alone doesn't settle it, which is why the maker's chart and your width measurement both matter.

Other makers draw their lines in other places, so treat this as an example of how tight the fit is, not a chart for your truck.

What to look at when you pick a truck bed tent

Setup type and the stated bed length

The setup column says "truck bed" for every tent on this page; that's the selection rule. The detail that matters is the bed length the maker states for each size. If the listing doesn't say which bed it fits, find the maker's chart before you buy.

Sleeps: plan on two

Both lines from one truck-tent maker list a capacity of two people. The limit is the bed itself: the floor is only as wide as the space between the bed walls, and the wheel wells bulge in. Two adults on pads, or one mattress sized for the bed, is the normal load.

Center height decides sitting versus kneeling

Truck tents add height above the bed rails. One maker lists a 5-foot center height on one line and 5 ft 7 in on its larger line. Add the height of the bed above the ground and you're climbing in, not walking in. One maker notes a lifted truck doesn't change the fit but makes getting in harder, and suggests a step stool. (At my age, the step stool is the most important accessory. I'll defend that in writing.)

Floor and fabric

The tents we've read specs for have sewn-in floors that lie on the bed. One maker uses a polyethylene floor on one line and a polyester oxford floor on the other. The floor keeps bed grit, old sawdust and whatever leaked out of last season's cooler away from your sleeping bag.

Waterproof rating and rainfly

That same maker lists a 1,500 mm coating on one line and 2,000 mm on the other, both with taped seams on the fly and floor. Higher holds back more water pressure, but seams and pitch matter just as much. The maker's FAQ makes a point worth repeating: a few drips through needle holes along seams can be normal, not a defect. It suggests seam sealer and waterproofing spray every 12 to 24 months for frequent campers.

Poles, weight and setup time

The truck tents we've read specs for use shock-corded fiberglass poles, color-coded so you know which goes where. Weight runs from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties in pounds across one maker's two lines. That's light for a tent that sleeps two off the ground, and heavy for one you'd carry anywhere.

Setup time is the maker's claim. One maker says its first setup takes about 15 minutes and later ones about 10. Write your own time in the logbook the first night. Then don't tell anyone.

Awnings and cab access

Some truck tents add a small awning over the tailgate, or a panel at the front that opens toward the cab so you can reach inside for gear or a charger. Nice to have. They're features, not fit, so read them after the bed length checks out.

Caps, tonneau covers, toolboxes and racks

Truck accessories decide whether the tent goes on at all. From one maker's FAQ:

• Camper shell or cap: most truck tents can't be used with one installed. A few models are made for trucks with caps, with a stated maximum cap height.
• Retractable tonneau cover: the tent can be set up.
• Folding or hinged tonneau: remove it first.
• Roll-up tonneau: fine if it sits less than 6 inches high.
• Bed toolbox: put the tent over it, cover its corners so they don't tear the fabric, and accept that you lose that space.

Racks and other bed accessories vary. Ask the maker before you buy if your bed isn't empty.

Setting it up on the truck

The truck tents we've read instructions for go up in roughly this order: tent into the bed, align it, straps on, poles in, fly over. Four habits keep it from fighting you:

1. Park level. A bed that tilts sends you downhill all night. If you can't get it flat, the National Park Service rule for any tent applies: head on the uphill side.
2. Tailgate down. One maker says its truck tents are designed to be used with the tailgate open.
3. Align before you tighten. Square the tent to the bed first, then snug the straps.
4. Don't force a pole. If it won't seat, something's twisted. One maker also says to set the vestibule pole outside the tailgate cable to avoid extra tension.

Then the paint. One maker says its tents attach without damaging the truck when installed as directed, and to avoid overtightening straps and to clean grit off the tent before it touches the truck. Strap sleeves give extra protection where straps cross paint. Rule of thumb: snug is a measurement, tight is an opinion.

Where to park the truck for the night

A truck bed tent skips the hunt for flat ground under your back, but the parking spot still matters. The usual campsite advice carries over almost word for word:

• Look up. The National Park Service says to avoid dead trees, and a dead limb doesn't care that you're in a truck.
• Stay out of low spots. Sunken ground gets very wet in rain, and a soft spot can hold a truck as well as a puddle.
• Keep clear of the fire ring. Sparks can melt or ignite tent fabric, and the tent is now on your vehicle.
• Stay back from water. The Bureau of Land Management suggests about 200 feet from the water's edge, for flash floods and to keep the water clean.
• Point the tailgate away from traffic, so you aren't stepping down into a campground road at night.

Park, set the brake, and do your leveling before the tent goes up, not after. Moving a pitched truck tent is a short trip with a long cleanup.

Carbon monoxide and the truck

Don't run the engine to warm up while anyone is in the tent. The CDC warns that with only the tailgate open, exhaust carbon monoxide gets pulled into a vehicle. The CPSC adds: no fuel-burning heaters or lanterns while sleeping in tents or vehicles. Use warmer bedding and a battery light; tent lights have their own page.

Care: dry it before it goes back in the box

A truck tent gets wet from the bottom as well as the top, because water pools in the bed. Take it down, open it up and dry it fully at home if it came off wet. Mildew doesn't wait for the weekend: one tent maker gives it roughly a day on a wadded-up wet tent. Store it loose, cool and dry. Brush the bed out before the next trip, since anything left in the bed ends up under your back.

Who should buy a truck bed tent, and who should skip it

A truck bed tent suits:

• Pickup owners who camp where the ground is bad: rocky pull-offs, wet fields, gravel lots
• Two people who want to sleep off the ground without a cot
• Quick overnights where the truck parks right where you sleep

Skip it if:

• Your truck wears a cap and you aren't taking it off. Look at a regular car camping tent.
• You camp with more than two, unless the rest sleep in another tent.
• You need the truck during the trip. Every drive means breaking camp.
• The bed has a job at night. At deer camp, the bed might be holding a deer. It's hard to argue with a deer about who was there first.

Measure the bed, match the chart, check your accessories, and park level. Do those four and a truck bed tent is the simplest bedroom you'll ever own: it comes with its own driveway.