Truck and SUV Tents

Truck tents are an interesting variation of tent camping.  You need a pickup truck and a special tent designed to fit in the bed of the truck.  Truck tents get you up off the ground so they have advantages over ordinary tents in putting you on a flat surface and, when properly installed, in keeping you up out of any rain runoff that can get under a regular tent.   Having a mostly flat surface without rocks and sticks is usually more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, even with the ribs that most pickup beds have.  Truck tents are usually made of light weight nylon and held up by springy fiberglass poles like a dome tent.  The top part usually extends over the edge of the bed so rain runs off onto the ground, keeping the bed dry under the tent.  They are especially advantageous if you are camping in an area where you might encounter poisonous snakes, insects, or other unwelcome critters on the ground.   Other aspects of truck tent camping are pretty much the same as for regular tent camping.  You'll need to set up your camp kitchen etc the same way.   However, you will want to avoid using the tailgate as a food preparation and cooking area because of the proximity to the tent fabric.  Even if you don't catch your tent on fire, smoke and cooking odors may contaminate your tent and even permanently damage the fabric.  Bacon smells good when its cooking, but is won't smell so good coming from your tent fabric as you try to sleep the next night and you probably won't want to live with the residue in your tent fabric as it ages.  Rancid cooking odors are NOT a culinary delight.

Why not just set up an ordinary tent in the back of your truck?  You might be able to get away with this using a self-supporting style tent if it will fit inside the truck bed and you can figure out a way to secure it.  Truck tents are designed specifically to fit the bed of a pickup truck.  They usually have straps that run down the outside of the bed and hook underneath to secure the tent in place.  The top part of the tent slightly overlaps the bed rails with the lower part slightly recessed so if it rains the rain runs off onto the ground instead of into the bed and under the tent.  The bottom part is narrower, to fit inside the bed and between or sometimes over the fender wells.  Truck tents are available in sizes to fit most standard bed sizes.  Make sure you buy the right size for your truck.  A tent that is too large or too small for your truck will be difficult to use and will lose many of the advantages of using a truck tent.  We have used truck tents successfully in full-size, long-bed trucks and in short-bed mini trucks.  As long as you get the right tent for your truck you'll be fine.  If you're more than 6' tall you'll need to bend your knees to lie down in any short-bed truck.

Truck tents may fare better in bad weather than ordinary tents.   Being up off the ground keeps them away from ground water.   Properly designed truck tents will have sides that come down over the sides of the truck bed so rain runs off to the ground instead of under the tent.   The metal sides of the bed add protection against wind and the way the tent is anchored to the truck makes it more stable in wind than ordinary tents.  Having that metal bed around the lower part of your tent can minimize the way the wind sucks the heat out of your tent.  As mentioned before, it also keeps you up out of the reach of crawling insects and other critters that you might not want to share your tent with.  The ribbed metal or wooden floor of the bed won't be soft as grass or sand, but is flat and it will provide even support for your sleeping pad or air mattress and, unless you leave gravel or debris in the bed you won't be sleeping on a randomly bumpy surface.   If you level your vehicle you will have a level surface to sleep on instead of rolling over or sliding down like sometimes happens in ordinary tents set up on uneven ground.   I've waked up in the morning and found myself almost entirely outside the tent when the ground sloped.   NEVER sleep with your head downhill!  Stomach acid will run back up into your mouth during the night and it isn't pleasant!

SUV tents are kind of like an "add-a-room" for your SUV.  They may attach to the side or to the rear of the vehicle.  The expectation is that you will sleep in the back of the SUV and will use the attached tent as expanded, stand-up dressing area, sitting area, and living space.  You will usually use the back of your SUV for sleeping.  If your family or group is too large to all sleep in the SUV some people can certainly sleep in the attached tent.  Sleeping in the back of your SUV gives you a nice flat, often carpeted surface to roll out your sleeping bags.   You have solid steel and glass all around you to protect you from the elements and animals.  If it gets too cold you might run the engine and heater for a while to take the chill off.  Make sure the exhaust pipe is clear so it won't melt or ignite the tent fabric or send fatal fumes into the tent or SUV. SUV tents are usually less susceptible to wind than ordinary tents for a couple of reasons.   First of all, they are attached to a heavy vehicle which increases stability and secondly, the vehicle usually provides some protection from the wind if it is oriented with the tent on the downwind side.  Keep that in mind when parking your SUV in camp. Many designs include straps to attach the tent to the roof rack or to the top of the doors, providing high anchor points not found in normal tents and increasing stability.  The normal interior lights of your SUV can be used at night to illuminate the part of the tent adjacent to the SUV and in the SUV for bedtime preparations.  Just be judicious about the use so you don't run down your battery. Curtains or some kind of shades on the SUV windows will help control both light and temperature and add a degree of privacy most people will appreciate.  SUV tents are often designed for a specific make and model so take care when purchasing one to be sure it will fit your vehicle.

Roof top tents can be used on just about any car, truck, SUV, or trailer.  See Roof Top Tents for some examples.   Roof top tents get you up off the cold ground and out of the reach of most animals or other pests (except the 2-legged variety).  You usually need a ladder to get in and out of them. Some are designed to fit on existing roof racks; some can be adapted to ordinary sedans.  Be sure to get the right configuration for your vehicle.  There are many accessories available to enhance their use, including winter covers and ground floor dressing rooms.  Roof top tents can range from under a couple hundred bucks to more than $2000, depending on size, features, and quality, so be sure to shop around if you're interested in getting one.   I've seen them on Amazon and even on ebay and craigslist.  Be sure the one you buy is designed to fit your vehicle.

You can use a truck tent just about anywhere since it doesn't take up any extra room.   Because SUV tents attach to the side or rear of the vehicle you will have to consider that when parking your SUV. Make sure there will be room for your tent.  Watch out for trees, bushes, poles, and rocks or other markers that designate your parking area that might interfere with your SUV tent.

Get off the ground!