Truck bed sleeping platform

In this video, I talk about the two fundamental approaches that people take when building out their truck bed sleeping platform setup, truck bed sleeping platform, in the back of their canopies for long term truck camping and the pros and cons of each approach. While both approaches certainly have their merits, they also have their drawbacks, making each more appropriate for certain types of travelers compared to others. I did a ton of research about truck camping builds in the months leading pacman frogger to building out my truck and what I found is there are generally two approaches that people take. The first and most common approach is the elevated sleeping platform approach whereby truck bed sleeping platform build a large plywood sheet or some other variation on that theme where you can place all your gear underneath, organized in drawers or boxes and then sleep above that.

If you spend any amount of time camping out of your truck bed , you know the difficult balance of comfort, organization, storage and security. When you only have a few square feet to work with, it can be tricky business to make everything fit in a convenient way while allowing space to relax and rejuvenate. No other competitor comes close to creating a camping drawer system so secure and indestructible. Especially important at trailheads , our secure storage drawers give you the peace of mind to leave any sort of sensitive, expensive gear in your vehicle, knowing it will be there when you get back. Our systems double as a flat surface ideal for a truck bed sleeping platform to lay a mattress on. Make sure you check the specs for your vehicle and common mattress sizes, but our full-width systems can usually fit a queen size for couples, while the half-widths fit a twin size for individuals.

Truck bed sleeping platform

Selecting the right truck bed sleeping platform for your truck camping setup is a tough process - there are literally thousands of inspiring and unique builds out there! You can use this guide to help select which sleeping platform design is right for your diy truck camper build, and then customize it to best fit your own truck camping needs. Determining your budget is a pivotal part of deciding which sleeping platform will be right for your truck shell camping adventures. But the great thing about truck camping is that there is virtually no barrier to entry see our complete guide on how to get started truck camping here. For weekend camping trips and short-term travel this is a great truck bed camping solution since you can just as easily pull everything right back out and go about your daily life, while still being able to use your truck like a truck. However, this is not an ideal solution for long-term travel, overlanding, or extended truck canopy camping trips. For one thing, setup time is greater than other options because you have to remove or at least rearrange your gear every time you stop to sleep or set up camp. And things get disorganized FAST! For our purposes, this just was not the way we wanted to go down. Plus with a child and all things that go along with them, this amount of disorganization would inevitably lead to marriage counselling. This is the second cheapest option for building a truck bed sleeping platform, depending on how you build it. Though a PVC sleeping platform like the one above does require the use of storage bins to store and organize your gear, this does allow you to store your gear under the platform in a slightly more organized fashion while truck shell camping. This is a great option when weight is a concern, because, unlike wooden truck bed sleeping platforms, PVC is very light. We needed something more substantial, and because of our dual battery setup plans we needed fixed storage options for our equipment.

The downsides to that approach are the lack of living space and lack of headroom. Not only can they handle the biggest, heaviest objects, but also the tiniest, most invasive.

.

Since purchasing a SnugTop for my 3rd Gen TRD Sport read the review and overview here , I have been working in my free time to build and refine my camping setup. After researching online and a little bit of problem-solving, I found the setup that has worked best for me. With limited knowledge on how to build camping systems and access to only basic tools, I built this platform that anyone can make with a few supplies and a free afternoon. The process is very simple and can be a great use for scrap wood you might have laying around. Remember to double-check your measurements and draw the cutting lines using some sort of straight edge. These will go across the bed into the grooves located along the walls and act as the supports for your platform. As with the planks, cut the plywood according to your desired measurements. Note that you will have to cut notches on the rear corners of the plywood because the corners of the bed are slanted. Now that the wood has been cut to size, you can place the planks into the grooves on the edges of the bed and put your plywood on top to complete the platform.

Truck bed sleeping platform

Lots of people have found my truck canopy camping build online and have replicated it themselves. I took advantage when I had my truck emptied out for cleaning and shot a video explaining how to build this DIY truck bed camper setup. Read more about the pros and cons of each approach here. Using a Skilsaw, notch out where the canopy clamps will sit, along with any other obstructions. Measure how wide you want your vertical side bins to be… I made them as narrow as possible to maximize sleeping space. That meant measuring just beyond the wheel well. These will act as your vertical side bin braces. One at the back, the front, and the middle. Measure how high you want your vertical side bins. Be sure to join our private Facebook group with thousands of Truck Camping enthusiasts.

Sion vs galio

As always, thanks for reading! This approach is essentially only good for crawling in and going to sleep, as it provides no real space to hang out, pass the time, change clothes, etc. Short beds have workarounds but they are not ideal unless you are quite small. Review the detailed truck camping gear and accessories plus a packing list and start planning your epic truck camping adventures. Ryan is an author, adventurer, perpetual wanderer, and self-proclaimed dirtbag but that might not mean what you think. Tip: use your pillow as the back of your couch. He is also the author of the best selling book: Big Travel, Small Budget that will help you travel more for less. Here is more info on road trip planning for you, based on 10s of thousands of miles of adventures. Pin my to your Truck Camping board! In this video, I talk about the two fundamental approaches that people take when building out their truck bed sleeping platform setup, in the back of their canopies for long term truck camping and the pros and cons of each approach. Decide on what sort of truck bed sleeping platform you want to build. I will say that 9 times out of 10 I am sleeping in the truck in backshelf mode.

After adding a new Tune M1 camper to our truck, we spent a lot of time looking at ways to shave weight from our Tacoma Overland Build. One way was to redesign our Tacoma Truck Camping Setup , this time using extruded aluminum as the primary building material. Working with was an incredibly tedious and time consuming process be ready to dedicate several days to a week to the project.

Did you enjoy this post on the best truck bed sleeping platform? Facebook 0 Twitter Pinterest 0. Please let me know with a comment on the blog below or reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram. Recommended Products As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, this is not an ideal solution for long-term travel, overlanding, or extended truck canopy camping trips. This may also, depending on build design, make the truck shell camping platform slightly more difficult to remove when needed, and is a good bit heavier than the previously discussed PVC truck bed platform option. Which allows enough room to sleep a family of 3 fairly comfortably. You could get an outside system like the GoalZero Yeti but I recommend using a dual battery and isolator under the hood. For weekend camping trips and short-term travel this is a great truck bed camping solution since you can just as easily pull everything right back out and go about your daily life, while still being able to use your truck like a truck. In either case, I sleep better knowing my gear is better protected than the car next to it. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The result is that your gear stays not only totally secure, but clean and dry. The second approach which is more favored by long term dirtbags and travelers is the backshelf approach whereby you essentially just lay a plywood sheet across the back of your canopy a few feet in width and place your gear on the shelf as you sleep, mattress on the bed of the truck, and feet underneath the platform. And things get disorganized FAST!