Truck bed sleeping platform

If you spend any amount of time camping out of your truck bedyou know the difficult balance of comfort, organization, storage and security.

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. 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 up 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 you 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. The main advantages of this approach are the organized and dedicated gear storage space underneath the wood and the living area above.

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.

Travel takethetruck March 4, truck bed sleeping platform, kids, family, road trip, budget travel. In our first sleeping platform build we used long drawer slides and custom built-in storage to house all of our gear and equipment in a fixed and organized fashion in a full-width truck bed sleeping platform. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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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.

Truck bed sleeping platform

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. For the average truck camping setup, plywood is a much easier and practical build material. And while the measurements used apply to our short bed Tacoma, you should be able to modify them to fit your truck's dimensions. This walkthrough will show both the completed sleeping platform build and some detailed aspects of the construction to lend context to the rest of this build guide. This means we may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

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Go on a test truck camping run at a free boondocking campsite without amenities to test your setup. Be sure to pick up your PTC stickers, shirts, and swag! 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. The build cost of this option is variable. My top recommendation is to find an elevated canopy like the Leer what I use. For those living out of their trucks for an extended period of time, an organized truck bed can be a game-changer. We can even include electrical outlets for charging your gear while on the go or install a custom camp kitchen pullout! 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. It all depends on the amount of stuff you have less is more! This is definitely the most common option for creating a truck bed sleeping platform, and can provide a good mix of sleeping and storage solutions while truck shell camping. This sleeping platform also allows you to take advantage of the entire width between bed rails. If you have any questions about truck camping, road trips, budget travel, or anything else shoot me an email at ryan desktodirtbag. However, using this amount of cabinet grade plywood does add a bit of extra weight to the truck, and it is also a bit of an ordeal to remove if needed.

We have seen some pretty cool truck bed camping platform ideas out there and we are excited to share them with you. Whether you are planning to live in your truck full-time or just looking to maximize your setup for weekend camping trips, these platform ideas are worth exploring. DIY truck bed camping platforms are the best because they require a minimal up-front investment.

In our first sleeping platform build we used long drawer slides and custom built-in storage to house all of our gear and equipment in a fixed and organized fashion in a full-width truck bed sleeping platform. Did you enjoy this post on the best truck bed sleeping platform? This article may contain affiliate links. Comments 1. Short beds have workarounds but they are not ideal unless you are quite small. The result is that your gear stays not only totally secure, but clean and dry. As always, thanks for reading! Did you find this helpful? Instructions Get a truck if you don't have one! There are a wide variety of configurations we can utilize to fit your lifestyle. Your email address will not be published. Alternatively, in our latest sleeping platform build - optimized for either solo truck camping or a diy truck camper build using one of the latest wedge campers - we combined a mix of fixed drawer storage and modular storage to build a very versatile truck camping sleeping platform setup with an overall lower weight. You could get an outside system like the GoalZero Yeti but I recommend using a dual battery and isolator under the hood. 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. There are variations of the approach that include side bins for organization or not, but the principle remains the same.