Sleeping in truck or tent

[Bill Christy]

I have spent about 295 nights in the backseat of Tundra since about May 2016. Cheap and quick starts in the morning.

I've been thinking about just sleeping in the backseat of my Tundra while elk hunting. How comfortable is trying sleeping this way.

 

[mtmiller]

I've been thinking about just sleeping in the backseat of my Tundra while elk hunting. How comfortable is trying sleeping this way.

Old info, over 500 nights now. Is is comfortable? Not really.

Do bots need to sleep?

 

[YakCountry]

I've been thinking about just sleeping in the backseat of my Tundra while elk hunting. How comfortable is trying sleeping this way.

I've spent many of nights in my 04 Tundra. I lay down the backrest of my backseat which makes a flat platform to layout a foam beadroll. I'm 6', so I can't completely straighten out my legs which is the downside. Its really nice to turn over the truck and get some heat blasting when elk hunting in November.

I picked up a canvas cutter this year to throw down in the bed of my truck and see how that goes.

 

[RSET]

This year is my year to hunt... a lot! I've put in for multiple Western States for elk & deer and will be going for antelope as well.

My wife is good with me taking off Thursday evenings and coming back on Sunday evening as much as I need to. I definitely married up!

Right now I have a 2016 Duramax, 6.6' bed, and I'm 5'10, so I can layout in the bed without having to sleep on an angle.

I also just bought a "Decked" drawer system to keep my gear ready to rock and roll when I leave Thursday after work.

The nice thing about the Decked system is that it gives you a larger raised platform for a bed area.

But I'm debating throwing a A.R.E topper on the truck and sleeping inside the shell OR going the truck tent route. I don't have experience with either... I've primarily been a set up a tent and sleep on the ground hunter.

However, with the amount of hunting I want to be doing, I'm not too keen on the ground tent. Kinda want to keep it mobile.

I would be hunting end of August through November, so the temperatures are going to swing pretty decently over those months.

Does anyone have experience with sleeping/hunting out of a truck with a topper or should I lean more towards the truck tent like the Smittybilt GEN2 Overlander Tent XL?

I have all the gear to make either option comfortable and warm...

Thanks in advance!

I opted for a RTT…happy with my choice. Can set up and tear down in a few minutes.

 

[six7]

I have an 8' bed with a truck topper. We built our own platform and put a Cal king mattress topper back there. We swapped out the old topper for an extra tall one and it makes a huge difference in comfort. It's nice to be able to sit all the way up when you are getting dressed. We installed a cheap diesel heater that runs off the main fuel tank. We also installed a house battery and a DC-DC charger that can run off a solar panel or charge off the trucks alternator. I would take my truck parked right at the trailhead over a campsite with other people any day of the week. Our whole camp is almost instantly portable and ready for adventure. The diesel heater allows us to camp comfortably in some pretty cold weather. Putting on dry warm boots in the morning is a beautiful thing. The first interior pictures are from before we swapped it out to the taller shell. View attachment 174644View attachment 174645View attachment 174646

Awesome!!!!!!

 

[homestead]

My boys and I do alright in the bed of my truck. Eight foot, ARE midrise cap, and a home built drawer platform. Works well for us.

 

[Iowaguy]

Awesome!!!!!!

What heater do you use?

 

[grizzly63]

Last year, I was sleeping in my truck shell and the heater quit working. Thats ok i thought, I've got a good 0 degree sleeping bag. How could can it get? 15 minutes later I felt the need to put on another thicker pair of socks as my feet are always the first thing to get cold. Damn zipper stuck and sleeping bag now opened up. Things happen people, be prepared. Other than that, i have been sleeping under toppers for a decade and things have gone pretty good. Solo is good, mutliple people mean a tent, which ties you to a location.

 

[grizzly63]

8' Superduty bed. Couple 2" x 6" crossways and an army litter for a bed. Most of the stuff i bring fits under the lofted bed. Note the toolbox inside the topper. I tend to bring too much stuff. Yes you have ot step over that first 2 x 6 every time you get in or out. Kind of an old age checker. Buddy heater for warmth. See the pink floaters I cut and glued into the tailgate latching area for dust control. Also the 2" water hose slit and glued between the tailgate and bed for same purpose. Top of toolbox is a convenient nightstand. Keep a piss jug handy as it gets cold out there. The two side windows open for ventilation. Condensation is usually not too bad but if humidity is sky high, so is condensation.

 

[David58]

In my case, it's a tent. With a cot. Too hard to get rolled out in the middle of the night from my rig to take a leak. Old is so fun, ain't it?

David
NM

 

[grizzly63]

It probably beats the alternative. I did spy a "White Duck Regatta 10' Bell tent in a pawn shop today. Did not look like it had been out of the box. Probably lighter than my 5 man or 10 man arctic tent. Might buy it for when I get older or don't want to crawl in and out of the truck anymore. Price seemed reasonable. Without a liner in it, it probably does not keep a person as warm but then again, it probably has less space to heat.

 

[David58]

If just me, I will use my 10'x10' bell-backed wedge tent, from our reenactment hobby days, and my cot. Two of us, we sleep on the ground (4" thick thermarest pads). I can have it up in about 10 minutes, down and packed about the same. With a "Mr Heater" plenty warm. I can make do in my Ford Expedition, but again the wrestling match to get myself out to pee in the night isn't worth it.

If in summer, and not dealing with wind, we have a 9'x14' that is up and loaded with our gear in 10 minutes or so, one of those sprung type tents.

I have slept in my rig many times for many reasons, but it always is preferable to me to pitch a tent. I do foresee some fishing trips this summer that will involve rig sleeping, but we'll see.

David
NM

 

[YellowCreek]

This year is my year to hunt... a lot! I've put in for multiple Western States for elk & deer and will be going for antelope as well.

My wife is good with me taking off Thursday evenings and coming back on Sunday evening as much as I need to. I definitely married up!

Right now I have a 2016 Duramax, 6.6' bed, and I'm 5'10, so I can layout in the bed without having to sleep on an angle.

I also just bought a "Decked" drawer system to keep my gear ready to rock and roll when I leave Thursday after work.

The nice thing about the Decked system is that it gives you a larger raised platform for a bed area.

But I'm debating throwing a A.R.E topper on the truck and sleeping inside the shell OR going the truck tent route. I don't have experience with either... I've primarily been a set up a tent and sleep on the ground hunter.

However, with the amount of hunting I want to be doing, I'm not too keen on the ground tent. Kinda want to keep it mobile.

I would be hunting end of August through November, so the temperatures are going to swing pretty decently over those months.

Does anyone have experience with sleeping/hunting out of a truck with a topper or should I lean more towards the truck tent like the Smittybilt GEN2 Overlander Tent XL?

I have all the gear to make either option comfortable and warm...

Thanks in advance!

If buying a truck cap - buy a raised one. When you sleep on top of a drawer system or on a cot you are a lot closer to the roof than you think you are. Found that out the hard way more than once

 

[huntingman121]

Has anybody used one of these? I saw them on Amazon for about $150 bucks. Thinking for early season bird season trips.

 

[grizzly63]

I don't know about that one. Price is right. If its muddy and been raining or snowing constantly, are you going to want to lay on your back and hook some of those straps up? I think I would mount hooks all over on the vehicle to avoid that. Small tent might be better.

 

[174in]

I have tried the topper thing. Works great around here on fishing trips and such but on hunting trips out west within a day or 2 of driving dusty roads the bed area is very dusty even after trying to seal things off. Can be a pain moving stuff around all the time also. I now just sleep in the back seat of my truck

 

[grizzly63]

I couldnt pass up the Regatta 10" Bell Tent. Have to give it a try this November and see how it works out. Temps could be around 0-32 at night. Whole thing should fit into a Duffle bag. Most likely have the truck set up as the backup or for being flexible.

 

[witski65]

When appropriate this is the way to go. I use this setup for traveling, when I'm not packed in deep or moving between locations. I use the same foam weather seal for the topper on my tailgate for dust control. It provides a tight seal around the tailgate and works great for dust. This year I have added a utility trailer for my ATV. I plan to build a box on the front of that to store all my gear (coolers & totes...etc), so the only thing in my topper will be my bed, chair and small table.

 

[Don Fischer]

Years ago I went elk hunting with a friend in the Swan Range in Montana. I pitched a lean-to and he wanted nothing to do with it, thought it would be to cold. So he slep in the truck. next morning he complained how cold he'd got over night and didn't know how I could sleep outside. I was a lot younger back then and cold didn't bother me that much. Built myself a small fire and went to bed. He on the other hand, slept in the truck with the engine off! If he'd had a small propane heater he'd have been alright. As it turned out he chose to sleep in the ice box!

Several years later I took a nephew hunting and we camped out. Before going to bed I read him a bunch of stuff out of the book "Alaska Bear Tales". He never worried one time about getting cold, worried about getting eaten by a bear all night and sat up with a fire! Called me a dirty name the next morning. Something to keep in mind for a do it yourself sleeper in the back of your truck is heat! I had a little propane heater some years back that kept the inside of my tent warn all night. Even those expensive camper shells probably have something for heat inside!

 

[Straight Arrow]

Never again slept in a metal covered vehicle after one cold dark night flying an AFTP (Additional Flight Training Period) in a Montana Guard Huey, when the tail rotor gearbox warning light illuminated causing a precautionary landing in Elk Park north of Butte and a remain overnight until maintenance could arrive next morning. It was like sleeping inside a frosty beer can! To make matters worse, the emergency sleeping bag out of the aircraft survival kit was like a Barbie slumber party blankie and prompted an EIR (Equipment Improvement Recommendation) report.

The only bright side was that another aircraft crew showed up with coffee and sandwiches to sustain us through the night. But no more trying to sleep on or in metal.