Camping in a 5’ Bed (with dogs)

[TheBandit]

Some friends were going up to the mountains for an overnight Memorial Day weekend trip and shot me an invite. Since I went from a 6’+ bed T100 with an ARE cap to a soft-top on the 5’ bed Tacoma, I wasn’t really sure how it was gonna go.

Went and looked at tent attachments for soft tops, but the one I really wanted isn’t shipping till June, and it’s pretty pricey. I figured “hell, I can get some tent scraps and make my own”, so I spent the last week or so just cobbling together a prototype out of the pieces I could find, and voila

I definitely will be investing in a truck bed specific air mattress because sharing a twin bed with two huskies becomes very crowded very quickly.

I also think I’m going to make the next version Black to go with all the other black accessories on the truck. I have more black pieces of tent, but I don’t really know how waterproof they really are, so I may buy a cheap, black rain fly and make the next iteration from that. Overall, it was a great trip and I’m stoked I could bring my dogs along for the adventure

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[gofastdan]

Some friends were going up to the mountains for an overnight Memorial Day weekend trip and shot me an invite. Since I went from a 6’+ bed T100 with an ARE cap to a soft-top on the 5’ bed Tacoma, I wasn’t really sure how it was gonna go.

Went and looked at tent attachments for soft tops, but the one I really wanted isn’t shipping till June, and it’s pretty pricey. I figured “hell, I can get some tent scraps and make my own”, so I spent the last week or so just cobbling together a prototype out of the pieces I could find, and voila

I definitely will be investing in a truck bed specific air mattress because sharing a twin bed with two huskies becomes very crowded very quickly.

I also think I’m going to make the next version Black to go with all the other black accessories on the truck. I have more black pieces of tent, but I don’t really know how waterproof they really are, so I may buy a cheap, black rain fly and make the next iteration from that. Overall, it was a great trip and I’m stoked I could bring my dogs along for the adventure

Nicely done~! You could also fairly easily use a couple of poles and make more headroom over the tailgate area, similar to what Harker does with their EDC camper.

What would you recommend for cheap fly material? I'd like to make some walls for my 270 awning. Tuff Stuff has raised the price on their walls by 1/3 in the past month but, even if I were willing to pay, they've been out of stock as long as I can remember.

The fabric options are endless. I'd normally buy from Seattle Fabrics or RSBTR but even then there are more options than I can fathom and nothing is cheap. I could just cut up cheap HF tarps but I want something lighter and packs smaller than bulky tarp material.

 

[Wife bought my 24 TRD]

Some friends were going up to the mountains for an overnight Memorial Day weekend trip and shot me an invite. Since I went from a 6’+ bed T100 with an ARE cap to a soft-top on the 5’ bed Tacoma, I wasn’t really sure how it was gonna go.

Went and looked at tent attachments for soft tops, but the one I really wanted isn’t shipping till June, and it’s pretty pricey. I figured “hell, I can get some tent scraps and make my own”, so I spent the last week or so just cobbling together a prototype out of the pieces I could find, and voila

I definitely will be investing in a truck bed specific air mattress because sharing a twin bed with two huskies becomes very crowded very quickly.

I also think I’m going to make the next version Black to go with all the other black accessories on the truck. I have more black pieces of tent, but I don’t really know how waterproof they really are, so I may buy a cheap, black rain fly and make the next iteration from that. Overall, it was a great trip and I’m stoked I could bring my dogs along for the adventure

I love your spirit. I built mine the commercial way, lol

 

[Nelly12]

What model rooftop tent is that? Do you like it and does it fit you and the dog? Looking to build the same. Just got my shell and looking for a good tent for me and my 70 lb German shepherd/husky mix.

 

[SilverSurfer]

Those aren’t dogs, they are Huskies…They are psycho-canines! I have a half husky half German shepherd and we’re so grateful the German shepherd moderates his …..huskiness…lol. He’s loveable and quirky. Enjoyed your post.

I’m currently raising a 3.5 month old copilot. He’s got lots of room in the back seat…for the moment.

 

[MTTH24]

Some friends were going up to the mountains for an overnight Memorial Day weekend trip and shot me an invite. Since I went from a 6’+ bed T100 with an ARE cap to a soft-top on the 5’ bed Tacoma, I wasn’t really sure how it was gonna go.

Went and looked at tent attachments for soft tops, but the one I really wanted isn’t shipping till June, and it’s pretty pricey. I figured “hell, I can get some tent scraps and make my own”, so I spent the last week or so just cobbling together a prototype out of the pieces I could find, and voila

I definitely will be investing in a truck bed specific air mattress because sharing a twin bed with two huskies becomes very crowded very quickly.

I also think I’m going to make the next version Black to go with all the other black accessories on the truck. I have more black pieces of tent, but I don’t really know how waterproof they really are, so I may buy a cheap, black rain fly and make the next iteration from that. Overall, it was a great trip and I’m stoked I could bring my dogs along for the adventure

 

[MTTH24]

Kelty Waypoint tarp works wonders with SmartCap.

 

[Nelly12]

Same here, same mix. Just wait until he gets 2 and thinks he runs the world

 

[TheBandit]

Nicely done~! You could also fairly easily use a couple of poles and make more headroom over the tailgate area, similar to what Harker does with their EDC camper.

What would you recommend for cheap fly material? I'd like to make some walls for my 270 awning. Tuff Stuff has raised the price on their walls by 1/3 in the past month but, even if I were willing to pay, they've been out of stock as long as I can remember.

The fabric options are endless. I'd normally buy from Seattle Fabrics or RSBTR but even then there are more options than I can fathom and nothing is cheap. I could just cut up cheap HF tarps but I want something lighter and packs smaller than bulky tarp material.

I personally like the lean-to look of the tilted tent, but I can definitely see someone making something similar with the extended topper.

To keep it in the spirit of the “leave no trace”, I just went down to my local thrift shop and got some lightly used tents and cut them to size for this model. I currently have some solid color tent material, but it’s not as waterproof as I’d like. My thought is I’ll probably end up just buying a cheap rain fly from amazon (I know, I know), but I can get a 10’x10’ rain fly for like <$30. I’m most likely to get the one that’s 210T polyester tiptop PU2000mm

 

[TheBandit]

Those aren’t dogs, they are Huskies…They are psycho-canines! I have a half husky half German shepherd and we’re so grateful the German shepherd moderates his …..huskiness…lol. He’s loveable and quirky. Enjoyed your post.

I’m currently raising a 3.5 month old copilot. He’s got lots of room in the back seat…for the moment.

What a sweetheart, yeah, both my boys are rescue huskies. Huskies but even more quirks and psycho energy than a trained-from-puppyhood husky. I love them though and they keep me on my toes. They cuddle together in the backseat on roadtrips though and that makes everything easier

 

[Duck Amuck]

Napier makes truck tents that are pretty inexpensive and get good reviews. I've been meaning since I got my Taco to buy one and try it, but just haven't had time for camping.

https://napieroutdoors.com/collections/truck-tents

Or is that not the style you're looking for? It does have to be removed before driving.

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