Best Truck Bed Tent?

[jofo]

I am looking at getting back into camping this summer with my 21 Lariat PB. I love the idea of being able to utilize the pro-power. Even though I only have the 2.4, I think it will be sufficient for our needs.
What I am really interested in is getting a bed tent. I already have a Bed Rug Installed and it is comfy as heck. If we need a mattress, it will not have to be much of one.
Anyway, there is no shortage of shapes and sizes, brands, etc. I’m just wondering if any of you have purchased a tent and what you think of it? I am down to 3 different ones.
Thanks

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[SharkAttack]

I owned the RIghtline Gear tent for a bit, used it once and sold it. I did some research and didn't really see much difference between tents at that price range, so I went with that one. Overall it seems fine but it just didn't make sense for me.

The reason I sold it was that I didn't see any huge advantage for having a truck bed tent vs. a normal tent. First, there are better quality ground tents at that price and way better ones for a bit more money. Second, the setup time is longer than a modern ground tent. I'm sure I'd get faster if I did it more, but it was annoying all around. Third, everything has to come out of the truck bed to sleep in there. May not be a big deal for you but moving everything to the cab or outside was very inconvenient for me. Fourth and the biggest one for me, you can't just drive your truck once you're set up. If you need to run into town to get some groceries it's teardown time.

I ended up getting a truck cap with an IKamper rooftop tent to eliminate or reduce as many of those truck bed tent drawbacks as possible.

 

[Scoop]

Fully agree with all the points in the above ^^ post, especially about not being able to drive somewhere without repacking everything.

Also, being attached to the truck, you will undoubtedly find yourself in a situation where you'd love to be able to set up camp closer to a specific spot, but you can't get your truck there.

 

[Aron]

Also, being attached to the truck, you will undoubtedly find yourself in a situation where you'd love to be able to set up camp closer to a specific spot, but you can't get your truck there.

Or, in many campgrounds, being forced to sleep in the parking lot rather than at your site.

I'm guessing that the OP has already considered all of these factors, and they are still interested in bed tents, but that was the big one for me in deciding against vehicle-mounted tents. Instead, I opted for a trailer (because my wife insisted on a real mattress, so traditional camping tents are mostly out for us).

 

[Derkluge]

I got a truck bed tent for my kids (if they want to get away from their parents in the trailer).

I’m personally a fan of the Fofana tent. Life is too short to deal with threading tent poles. I’m a fan of the 4-5 minute “pop-up tent” set-up vs. the 15 minute set-up for other truck bed tents.

Can’t speak to durability, but none of them seem rock solid. I spoke to a couple who had a Rightline tent at a campground a few months ago. Theirs was 18 months old and was starting to fall apart. (They were otherwise happy with it, recognizing that it was inexpensive.)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08B82W9GG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[530Five-Oh]

Bought truck in late March, and ordered and placed deposit on 4wheel camper project M popup cabover topper. In the meantime, while waiting 8 months until camper is ready in November, temporary shelter for this camping season has been a Kodiak truck bed tent. Have spent a lot of nights in it this spring and summer and would recommend it. Very sturdy and weather proof and very roomy. I didn’t like using the c clamps to mount the tent pole bases to the bed rails. Only did that once. That process is a hassle, twisting c clamps on and trying to get them positioned properly. So I mounted them to some unistrut and then mounted the unistrut to the bed rails with J bolts in the stake pockets. No drilling.
This made the tent pitching quick and easy, and solid consistent mounts for the poles.
We carry the tent under the tonneau cover with poles preset in tent.
While I’m looking forward to having a popup cabover shell soon which will be much more convenient, I was happy with the ease of this tent on the several one night camping stops we made on our 5000 mile road trip this summer. Made for a nicer bed than being on the ground.

 

[wesb2013]

it's a bit more expensive than a tent, but check out getflated.com 's air topper. You're not going to get a tent more durable than this or one that's more convenient ( you don't have to take it down every time you drive)

 

[DanielG]

I looked at the truck bed tents however as stated above, I didn’t like the idea of taking everything out of the bed of the truck. I was looking at rooftop tent and a bed rack.

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