[TforTITAN]

I recently camped over night at Mustang State park off the gulf at Corpus Christi which I will probably never do again unless the wind is from the north, making the surf calm and relaxing. Everything seemed to have gone wrong once I had set up the ground tent, with straight line winds coming from the southeast blew the tent out of shape and blowing sand into the tent up around the rain cover. My question is, would having a bed tent eliminate these problems. I'm just curious how well these bed tents hold up against strong winds if the retain their shape and integrity being that they look well attached to the bed. Also having a bed tent wouldn't be a bad idea for camping at outdoor music concerts, after drinking all day, having a bed tent rules you out for driving anywhere. Also not sure if it matters but I have a '04 CC.

Any thoughts on this, much appreciated.

 

[loufish]

At the very least, you could move the truck/tent in a different direction for the wind...

 

[TforTITAN]

Exactly, just point the truck towards the direction of the wind, that would make one hell of an arrow dynamic tent.

 

[25370]

I have the Nissan bed tent. The bed tent is anchored down by straps that hook under the bed. If there's that much wind, your paint can get scratched up by the straps, if dust, dirt or sand gets between the straps and paint. That's the only negative I can think of in that weather scenario.

 

[HRTKD]

If it's real windy the truck will shake. With a regular tent the wind shouldn't shake the ground. Check out a 4 season tent. They are much stronger than a "normal" tent. I have a Eureka K2 XT and it is rated for 70 MPH winds.

 

[loufish]

I don't mind the truck shaking, and really if the whole truck is shaking it's a major storm going on...AND if you point the truck into the wind there won't be much side to side moving...

If you get the front end a little higher then the rear,(a couple of wood blocks?) it should be much better in the wet weather.

 

[DeadRiver]

I've camped in both, and it seems your experience depends a lot on the weather forecast. We did ground tends on a beach camping trip where it rained and had 40 m.p.h. winds. I think no matter the method you'd be in for a rough time. I enjoy camping in the truck bed but the one limitation is being able to go places once set up. That's the only downfall really.

here's a post I made in another thread about the bed tent I use:

here is my Adventure 1 truck tent. I have used it a few times and goes up pretty easy. I camp in the spring/fall so I can't really speak about cooling however I have used propane heat with this tent. I hung it from the ceiling and left the window flaps open so I didn't suffocate. They make a few different versions for different types of trucks. When I called asking information the actual inventor answered the phone and we had a nice discussion. I am happy to promote his product for fellow Titan owners. One thing he mentioned was placing towels where the strap contact the paint. He wasn't aware of the titan paint issue but had mentioned in higher winds they may rub and cause body damage.

and the photos:

packed up and heading home:

I believe the Tent retails for around $200. A queen sized air mattress fills the bed nicely and leaves a little room on the tailgate. I also placed some cardboard in the bed for comfort. Any questions feel free to ask!

 

[HRTKD]

If you want to go really minimalist then try a bivy sack. If your truck is lifted then you can sleep under the truck. I used a bivy sack on a kayak/backpacking tour of Catalina Island and it worked great. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to try it this winter in snow.

 

[TforTITAN]

Thanks for the input all, I think for next year I'll give the bed tent a shot, like most tents they will have pros and cons for different scenarios.

 

[JB]

I have the Nissan bed tent. The bed tent is anchored down by straps that hook under the bed. If there's that much wind, your paint can get scratched up by the straps, if dust, dirt or sand gets between the straps and paint. That's the only negative I can think of in that weather scenario.

blue painters tape is like mothers milk. That would help out and give you piece of mind. I'm so excited to get mines.

 

[Titan_AZ]

I've camped in both, and it seems your experience depends a lot on the weather forecast. We did ground tends on a beach camping trip where it rained and had 40 m.p.h. winds. I think no matter the method you'd be in for a rough time. I enjoy camping in the truck bed but the one limitation is being able to go places once set up. That's the only downfall really.

here's a post I made in another thread about the bed tent I use:

I've got the exact truck LOL. (except 32" BFGs "idhitit2:

Glad to know what mine would look like with that tent setup

 

[nightowl]

I have he sportz II bed tent for my crewcab and love it. The straps are padding heavily to protect the paint and its very sturdy. You can unstrap it and pull it out of the bed to drive the truck. It was like $220.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Blowing sand gets into EVERYTHING. A good tent isnt going to keep that out, its just not going to collapse on you in the wind nearly as much. I like a ground tent (if you're like me & only want one tent) because a lot of times I like to set up camp in places the truck cant/shouldnt drive.

 

[Kronos1965]

At the very least, you could move the truck/tent in a different direction for the wind...

A tent in the truck will still rock the truck.

Using the truck as a shield from the wind for a tent on the ground would be an option.

In windy conditions, I have done the following and it has worked. The goal is to minimize the blowing on the tent.

1. Set up ground tent.
2. But a shade tent and use those poles to stake around the tent you set up. I've actually set up the shade tent over the regular tent.
3. Use guy lines from those shade tent poles to attach to various points to limit the travel of the tent poles.
4. Move truck to block the wind as needed.

 

[08crewcab]

true, if you're into climbing/hiking and set up camp somewhere besides at your vehicle than the truck tent is SOL....but the only camping ive ever done is at my vehicle desert trips/river etc..

 

[TrukGroper]

ok hers a question and its been on my mind a bit but tryingto see how exactly it would work and if at all. Can you use a regular tent no matter the size say 2 to a 4 man tent.
(**NOT a bed camper tent used in trucks**)
Could you transform a regular ground tent into a bed truck tent. Is it possible. I havent done it yet but curious if its possible or been done ...
Thank you all

 

[HRTKD]

Anything is possible given enough time and money. Reasonably doable? Probably not.

 

[dubyam]

The difficulty will be in buying the tent to fit the truck bed. But if you found one which fit the bed reasonably, and had a door on the end (because you won't want to crawl in and out against the side of the bed) you might be able to guy it to the tie downs in the truck.

It's still a lot of hassle to solve a problem which could far more easily and cheaply be solved by getting the right kind of tent for the conditions. That kind of tent isn't likely to come from Walmart, either, unfortunately.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Napier Backroadz Truck Tent - Best Price & Free Shipping on Napier Back Roads Pickup Truck Bed Tents

Can't attest to how good the thing is, but it looks a lot like mine. $170 for a decent 2 person tent isn't awful. This one looks a lot taller than mine as well.

 

[FLfinfan]

Off topic a little bit, but I have been looking at tear drop trailers recently. Way more expensive than a tent, but also has plenty of advantages. Could be stored in my garage or back yard, cake to pull with a Titan, solid compared to a tent, AC possible, can even get kits to build your own I think. Some of them look really cool. Some are really basic. I guess they were the shizzel after WW2 and they still have a following. They even have serious off road versions you can take 4x4ing with you.