[Thelt]

I am getting a shell for my truck and I am thinking about camping out of it when warm weather arrives. I have the five foot bed but I am fairly short so I should be ok. I am however having a hard time finding an air mattress that is short enough to fit with the tailgate closed. They do not seem to come in a five foot length. I did find one designed for a truck bed but it is over $200 which, imho, is too much for an air mattress. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[ghmpm]

I am getting a shell for my truck and I am thinking about camping out of it when warm weather arrives. I have the five foot bed but I am fairly short so I should be ok. I am however having a hard time finding an air mattress that is short enough to fit with the tailgate closed. They do not seem to come in a five foot length. I did find one designed for a truck bed but it is over $200 which, imho, is too much for an air mattress. Anyone have any ideas?

Buy a roll of 3-4 inch foam rubber and cut it to fit. Then just roll it up and take with you...

 

[Thelt]

Where would I buy a roll of foam rubber that thick?

 

[OutFrontFrontier]

Craft store for foam? Have a fred meyer?, they usually have 2'x6'x3" in stock. I would prolly build the 2x6 shelf in the bed recesses to get my head/feet out of the fender wells. At 5-6" I've laid down diagonally in my ccsb & it is long enough. But I think the raised planks would be a benefit, adding some storage too!

 

[Thelt]

Craft store for foam? Have a fred meyer?, they usually have 2'x6'x3" in stock. I would prolly build the 2x6 shelf in the bed recesses to get my head/feet out of the fender wells. At 5-6" I've laid down diagonally in my ccsb & it is long enough. But I think the raised planks would be a benefit, adding some storage too!

That is a good idea, we have a few craft stores around. I am 5'7" and sleep a bit curled up anyway. I think it will work with just me and my 9 year old son. That platform might be a good idea too. I have seen pictures of that done and it looks handy. Some even build drawers under the platform.

 

[MNCarl]

I am thinking about getting one of these DAC Truck tents....
You open up your Cap/Topper and Tailgate and put this tent thing over the back.
Click on the link below to go to the website:
DAC Tent : Home -

 

[glamisdude]

I had a very similar setup for a few years and loved it. I've since moved on to something a little bigger but this was a great overnight/weekend setup that was easy and cheap.

Forget the foam from the craft store... For how much you'll need at a thickness that will actually support your weight it will be over $100 easy (was there a few weeks ago pricing foam for another project). Head over the WalMart and pickup a mattress topper. I had a 4" memory foam one in my setup that I cut down to fit perfectly (about $80 for the one I had). This was SUPER comfy too, better than my bed at home.

Invest in a hi profile shell if you plan to sleep back there. I had a cab hi and while pretty, it sucked being inside. Sitting up involved having your head at 90*.

Build yourself a basic platform for storage. Here is some info about my setup I had and some lessons learned. http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/...ruck-round-2-a-83733/index22.html#post1535369

Since your a short bed this might be of interest to you:
Mid-Size Truck Tent -

 

[MNCarl]

Great minds think alike......

I had a very similar setup for a few years and loved it. I've since moved on to something a little bigger but this was a great overnight/weekend setup that was easy and cheap.

Forget the foam from the craft store... For how much you'll need at a thickness that will actually support your weight it will be over $100 easy (was there a few weeks ago pricing foam for another project). Head over the WalMart and pickup a mattress topper. I had a 4" memory foam one in my setup that I cut down to fit perfectly (about $80 for the one I had). This was SUPER comfy too, better than my bed at home.

Invest in a hi profile shell if you plan to sleep back there. I had a cab hi and while pretty, it sucked being inside. Sitting up involved having your head at 90*.

Build yourself a basic platform for storage. Here is some info about my setup I had and some lessons learned. http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/...ruck-round-2-a-83733/index22.html#post1535369

Since your a short bed this might be of interest to you:
Mid-Size Truck Tent -