Pros And Cons Of Truck Bed Tents

[Kenny4]

I'm referring to the in bed tents like Napier, Fofana, Kodiac etc. Not the platform pop ups. Have you had any good/bad experiences with these. Thanks

Kenny4

 

[beetlespin]

I see these and wonder if the straps scratch the paint at all, especially if you get a windy night.

 

[Jgbimle]

I’ve used them on two previous trucks and they worked well for me. It’s nice to be up off the ground. The only complaint I had was once it was set up the truck was pretty much out of commission if we needed to go somewhere. Mine took about 20-30 minutes to setup and about the same to take down so you could remove it if you needed to but I was always too lazy to do that to run somewhere if needed.

As far as scratches, I’m very particular when it comes to detailing and my paint and I never had any issues. I purchased the soft microfiber strap covers along with the tent and as long as the truck wasn’t really dirty/muddy under the straps then there was no issue. I kept a small bottle of detail spray and a microfiber cloth and if I was worried about dirt/dust under the straps causing scratches I just did a quick wipe with detail spray or waterless wash.

 

[Kenny4]

Do you remember which tent offered the microfiber strap covers. That sounds good. I'm with Beetlespin as far as worrying about the rubbing or scratching.

 

[Jgbimle]

I had the Napier Sportz truck tent and the protectors were also called the Napier Sportz strap protectors.

 

[nc_beagle]

I bought one off Amazon for a recent overnight stay. I didn't know if I'd use it more than once so I didn't want to get a really expensive one. I also wanted one with a name I could pronounce as so much on Amazon seems to be knock-off junk. Here's a link to my review: A good option at this price

And here's the tent: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B003C53BGA?ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details&th=1&psc=1

In general, I liked it, though there were a few things I didn't like that may not be an issue on other tents.

I actually saw a guy trying to drive on the highway (it was 55mph and he was staying a little under that) with one of these bed tents--different brand--installed. It wasn't going well. Hopefully, he wasn't going far.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Used one on my Titan a few times. I just bought a cheap pack of microfiber towels and put them under the straps where I thought they'd rub. Went through a couple heavy storms and no issues. The biggest complaint I have is you either need a really good (thick) pad or air mattress that fits the wheel wells (just another expense and hassle). Otherwise you're in for a rough night and a worse day after when you feel like you can't walk or stand up straight from the back pain.

The plus side is as long as you set it up right and it's weatherproof there's no chance of flooding your tent like on the ground. And if you have bed lights under the rails like I do you can light the tent up at night to see.

 

[nc_beagle]

Used one on my Titan a few times. I just bought a cheap pack of microfiber towels and put them under the straps where I thought they'd rub. Went through a couple heavy storms and no issues. The biggest complaint I have is you either need a really good (thick) pad or air mattress that fits the wheel wells (just another expense and hassle). Otherwise you're in for a rough night and a worse day after when you feel like you can't walk or stand up straight from the back pain.

The plus side is as long as you set it up right and it's weatherproof there's no chance of flooding your tent like on the ground. And if you have bed lights under the rails like I do you can light the tent up at night to see.

Just as a follow up to your second paragraph. The design of the one I got did not allow for it to not flood as the cab end of the tent came to a point and I could not get that entire side over the front bedrail. So, rain came down the sides of the tent into the bed. That said, the lower 1/3 or so of the tent walls are tarp. I think my leaks came through poorly sealed seams. But it really rained hard during the night I used it and there wasn't THAT much water inside the tent the next morning. Maybe 8-12 ounces at most.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Just as a follow up to your second paragraph. The design of the one I got did not allow for it to not flood as the cab end of the tent came to a point and I could not get that entire side over the front bedrail. So, rain came down the sides of the tent into the bed. That said, the lower 1/3 or so of the tent walls are tarp. I think my leaks came through poorly sealed seams. But it really rained hard during the night I used it and there wasn't THAT much water inside the tent the next morning. Maybe 8-12 ounces at most.

Yeah mine I was able to get the tent and rain fly over the entire edge of the bed. The only thing remotely able to get wet was the door on the tailgate. Worst case you could always just get a tarp that'll cover everything and drop over the edges of the bed.

 

[Kenny4]

Used one on my Titan a few times. I just bought a cheap pack of microfiber towels and put them under the straps where I thought they'd rub. Went through a couple heavy storms and no issues. The biggest complaint I have is you either need a really good (thick) pad or air mattress that fits the wheel wells (just another expense and hassle). Otherwise you're in for a rough night and a worse day after when you feel like you can't walk or stand up straight from the back pain.

The plus side is as long as you set it up right and it's weatherproof there's no chance of flooding your tent like on the ground. And if you have bed lights under the rails like I do you can light the tent up at night to see.

Do you remember what brand/model you used. They should all come with something soft to protect the newer trucks sensitive finish. You'd think they've been making these long enough to cover that.

 

[Rlaf75]

I was looking into one of these last year because I dont do enough camping to justify buying anything more than one of these tents. I didnt end up buying one because of the tie down straps resting against the bed was a concern of mine. Having just thought about buying one again after seeing this thread I got to thinking... again lol. I'm figuring that since these really arent meant to be erected in the bed while you're driving, why couldn't I use longer tie down straps and stake them into the ground spread out far enough that they don't touch the truvk? Basically just tie rope to the ends of the straps.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Do you remember what brand/model you used. They should all come with something soft to protect the newer trucks sensitive finish. You'd think they've been making these long enough to cover that.

Honestly don't know the brand. The branding says "Dome Truck Tent", but that doesn't bring anything up. Bought it 10 years ago used from another Titan guy, used it for a few years, then sold it. I used Nikwax waterproofing spray on both the tent and rain fly because you can see that the rain fly didn't quite reach the bottoms. The tent laid over the entire edge of the bed though.