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truck tent idea
Aug. 10th, 2025 12:29 pmPosting it here so I don't lose it. This is an idea I got for a diy pickup truck camper tent. There are several nice ones on the market. This is an idea I came up where we can use one of our old tents. The only advantage of this over having a regular tent on the ground is that if it rains, this won't get flooded out. Also, there would be an extra meter or so of head room.
Parts: Pick up truck, four man tent (needs to match the dimentions of the back of the pick up truck, mine is 6'x8'), tent pole replacement connectors, small screws with bolts
tools: drill, small rachet, scissors or knife
Set up your tent poles on the ground and measure where the tent poles meet the ground. Drill holes through the tent pole connectors and matching holes along the top of the sides and back of the pickup truck bed, matching the measurements of the tent poles when set up. Bolt the tent pole connectors to the truck. Cut the bottom of the tent in a big x pattern. Set up the tent poles into the connectors. Throw the tent over the tent poles, letting the pieces of the bottom of the tent hang down over the sides, front, and back of the truck bed.
I think that two of the tent poles would be connected to the tailgate, so you'd have to either step over the tailgait, or get in, close the tailgait, and then secure the poles.
I'd want to cut the flaps of the bottom of the tent so that it hangs in a neat line along the sides of the truck bed, and maybe secure that some way. Some kind of grommet or snaps?
For comfort, I'd want to put something soft onto the truck bed, like those foam interlocking tiles. Add a blow up bed and an LED light.
Everything should fit into a storage box for easy transport. Set up should take 15 minutes or so. Not counting the cost of the pickup, tent, and air mattress, the flooring is the most expensive, at $5-$10 per 2'x2' tile. The connectors and screws will cost less than $20. A grommet kit would cost about $30 I think that I could put the whole thing together in an afternoon for under $100.
Parts: Pick up truck, four man tent (needs to match the dimentions of the back of the pick up truck, mine is 6'x8'), tent pole replacement connectors, small screws with bolts
tools: drill, small rachet, scissors or knife
Set up your tent poles on the ground and measure where the tent poles meet the ground. Drill holes through the tent pole connectors and matching holes along the top of the sides and back of the pickup truck bed, matching the measurements of the tent poles when set up. Bolt the tent pole connectors to the truck. Cut the bottom of the tent in a big x pattern. Set up the tent poles into the connectors. Throw the tent over the tent poles, letting the pieces of the bottom of the tent hang down over the sides, front, and back of the truck bed.
I think that two of the tent poles would be connected to the tailgate, so you'd have to either step over the tailgait, or get in, close the tailgait, and then secure the poles.
I'd want to cut the flaps of the bottom of the tent so that it hangs in a neat line along the sides of the truck bed, and maybe secure that some way. Some kind of grommet or snaps?
For comfort, I'd want to put something soft onto the truck bed, like those foam interlocking tiles. Add a blow up bed and an LED light.
Everything should fit into a storage box for easy transport. Set up should take 15 minutes or so. Not counting the cost of the pickup, tent, and air mattress, the flooring is the most expensive, at $5-$10 per 2'x2' tile. The connectors and screws will cost less than $20. A grommet kit would cost about $30 I think that I could put the whole thing together in an afternoon for under $100.
