- Truck-bed tents are the latest camping accessory designed to help campers sleep more comfortably.
- As the name suggests, these tents create a sleeping area using the entire area of a truck’s bed. They’re compatible with standard, compact, and extended truck beds.
- The best ones feature a sewn-in floor, plenty of headroom, and take only a few minutes to pitch with one or two people.
- We tested models from brands like Napier Outdoors, Rightline Gear, and Kodiak Canvas to find the best ones you can buy.
As camping continues to grow in popularity, the methods by which people enjoy the activity has steadily evolved. Gone are the days where the only option for sleeping is a ground tent that takes 30 minutes of fumbling with poles to set up. Campers today have many options for how they sleep including travel trailers, roof-mounted tents, or, the latest craze, truck-bed tents.
As the name suggests, truck-bed tents sit in the empty bed of a truck to create a similar structure to that of a ground tent. Like the size of the truck beds themselves, these tents vary in size, shape, and ease-of-use. The best models feature a sewn-in floor to offer added protection from the actual truck bed, while others have large awnings to provide added shade or an area to keep dry while it rains.
It’s easy to see the benefit of a truck-bed tent, too. Like rooftop tents, they allow campers to sleep off the ground, protecting them from animals, insects, and an uneven sleeping surface. Most are designed to have plenty of interior space as well, creating a roomy sleeping area that affords campers enough room to store additional gear.
As the industry of truck-bed tents continues to grow, so too does the number of companies that offer their own models and designs. Leading the charge is Napier Outdoors, a company that specializes in vehicle-based camping tents. But they aren’t alone. After field-testing the latest models, we’ve hand-picked the five best truck-bed tents currently available, perfect for warm weather campers, owners of compact trucks, and everyone in between.
Here are the best truck-bed tents you can buy:
- Best truck-bed tent overall: Napier Outdoors Backroadz
- Best truck-bed tent for durability: Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent
- Best truck-bed tent for warm weather: Peaktop Outdoor Truck Tent
- Best truck-bed tent for rainy weather: Napier Outdoors Sportz
- Best tent for smaller truck beds: Righline Gear Compact Truck Tent
Keep scrolling to check out our top picks.
The best overall
Dick’s Sporting Goods
The Napier Outdoors Backroadz fits a wide range of truck bed sizes, has a full floor, can fit around truck-bed toolboxes, and features an easy-to-pitch design that can be set up in roughly five minutes.
Though the market for truck-bed tents continues to grow, no brand does it better than Napier Outdoors. With the Backroadz, Napier delivers a tent with quality materials, thoughtful design, and a fully-covered floor that’s easy to assemble. Not only is it our favorite tent we’ve tested, but it’s one of the least expensive at just $189.
The tent features 5.5 feet of headroom which may not allow most people to comfortably stand up but does give the interior a roomy, spacious feel. Its fully-covered floor means that it’s able to sit on top of even the dirtiest truck beds without bringing any of that dirt or grime inside. It also helps keep rain from dripping down the sides and into the tent.
Its color-coded tent poles make it incredibly easy to pitch, and it can even be done with just one person, though we recommend getting a second person to help. The tent is also versatile enough to be pitched on the ground and moved into the truck bed, or constructed in the bed itself.
The Backroadz comes with an included rain fly to protect against rain or snow, and its entryway extends to the end of a bed’s lowered tailgate, providing extra space to store luggage, gear, or pairs of shoes. One downside, however, is that it doesn’t come with an extended awning, which would offer even more protection in inclement weather.
With a price tag under $200, a roomy interior, and an easy-pitch design, the Napier Outdoors Backroadz is not just our favorite truck tent but one of the best on the market.
Pros: Inexpensive, color-coded poles make pitching easy, 5.5 feet of headroom, and fits many truck bed lengths
Cons: Doesn’t feature an extended awning
The best for durability
Amazon
Gear takes a beating while camping but the Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent is designed to withstand whatever the outdoors throws at it, thanks to its watertight, waterproof 100% cotton duck canvas exterior.
One of the most important qualities of any type of camping gear is its durability. Regardless of its use, you want it to last. For the Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent, durability is its best asset.
Constructed out of a 100% cotton duck canvas shell (Kodiak Canvas calls it Hydra-Shield), the tent is tough enough to withstand a beating. Its heavy-duty materials don’t limit the tent elsewhere, however, as it’s still highly breathable and offers a watertight fit into the bed of a truck.
The actual design of the tent differs from the others in our guide in that it’s shaped like a tunnel, and less like dome. This helps maximize the amount of interior space and helps it feel much roomier, even though it only has a 5-foot tall ceiling. It also has an extended awning that helps prevent rain from getting inside and creates a sort of staging area for getting in or out of the tent.
Its interior features gear pockets to stow headlamps, smartphones, or other smaller pieces of gear. Since it extends to the end of a truck’s tailgate, the opening creates a small area to store backpacks or duffle bags, as well.
One downside is that it doesn’t come with its own floor. This means the bed of the truck stays exposed the entire time. It also isn’t as comfortable as a tent with a built-in floor. We brought along a sleeping bag to help with this.
At $389, it’s the most expensive tent on this list, but for anyone who camps often and wants something capable of holding up in extreme conditions, the Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent is the best pick.
Pros: Has a durable canvas exterior, its awning adds protection from the elements, able to be used in nearly any weather condition
Cons: Expensive, doesn’t come with its own floor
The best for warm weather
Amazon
The Peaktop Outdoor Truck Tent turns any truck bed into a relaxing, portable sunroom with its spacious interior, large windows on each broadside, and long awning.
Camping is a year-round activity but most people prefer to enjoy it in the summer when it’s warmer and when there isn’t much risk of waking up cold or wet. For the truck camping crowd, there are few better options for embracing summer roughing it than with Peaktop Outdoor’s Truck Tent.
What makes it a compelling summer tent are its large mesh windows and its nearly 4-foot extended awning. The windows feature a zip-off cover for added privacy but also provide ample ventilation and airflow. Their mesh design helps keep any bugs from slipping through to the inside, as well.
Though most tents feature similar windows, it’s the large awning that stands out. Not only does it offer shade protection for the entire entryway, but it’s also long enough to cover anyone physically standing outside the tent. With the windows zipped completely open and the awning extended, it’s as if it creates a breezy, covered patio room — something any camper knows is a luxury on a warm summer day.
If weather doesn’t cooperate, it features a waterproof 2,000-millimeter polyester exterior cover, as well as a 4,000-millimeter waterproof groundsheet. The awning also helps in this scenario by helping create a somewhat dry spot of land directly outside the tent.
The inside offers 5.5 feet of headspace and is just over 5 feet wide, which is perfect for two people, as well as a dog. It takes roughly 5 to 10 minutes to set up, depending on if a second person is there to help, and features an aerodynamic design that won’t buckle when it’s windy.
Pros: Features a nearly four-foot extended awning, large mesh windows offer great airflow when its warm, comfortably sleeps two people
Cons: Though it can hold up to rain and light snow, it’s not meant for all seasons
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The best rooftop tents you can buy
- The best sippy cups you can buy
- The best women’s white T-shirts you can buy
Source: Business Insider – mgokey@businessinsider.com (Rick Stella)