Can You Use A Truck Tent With A Tonneau Cover? Yes, you can use a truck tent with retractable tonneau covers. How enjoyable or miserable your tenting experience turns out depends a lot on your sleeping pad. These sleeping pads have varying designs and material compositions.
We shall look critically at them to enable you to make informed choices.
What Are The Qualities Of Some Of These Truck Tents?
Truck tents are special tents for obvious reasons and that is why they come with exceptional qualities. For a start, they are made of 68D 185T polyester taffeta with polyethene floor.
This confers on them rare strength and durability and they are also frame constructed with fibreglass poles as well. They equally have enough space to accommodate two adults at full stretch.
Their windows and doors have complete rain fly and storm flaps, which enable them to withstand strong storms associated with violent rains.
They are also provided with two mesh windows and a large door for proper ventilation and easy access too and they have gear loft, gear pocket and a lantern holder.
They are crafted to enable you to use them during the springs and also the summer also, but not in the winter, as the tent can freeze to the vehicle. They are supplied with one year warranty for customer satisfaction and security as well.
Read Also: Can You Put A Tonneau Cover On A Leased Truck? Find Out
Do All Tonneau Covers Allow A Truck Tent To Be Mounted On Them?
No, not all tonneau covers allow tents to be mounted on them. The commonest types of tonneau covers on which you can mount truck tents are the retractable types of tonneau cover.
Also, you can use a tent on any tonneau cover that is less than 6″ high, should it be more than 6″ high, you will either have to remove the tonneau cover entirely or alternatively, place the truck tent up against the tonneau cover.
However, in this position, rain can find its way between the truck and the tonneau cover as there will be a little space between the two.
Which Tonneau Cover Can I Mount A Truck Tent On?
You can mount a truck tent on the retractable types of tonneau cover or any tonneau cover that is not more than 6″ high. Aside from these ones, must tonneau covers will hardly take truck tents on them.
What If I Don’t Have A Folding Tonneau Cover But Would Like To Use A Truck Tent?
If you don’t have a folding tonneau cover, and you still wish to use a tent, then, if the tonneau cover is higher than 6″, you should either remove the tonneau cover entirely before you install the tent or in the alternative, place the tent up against the tonneau cover.
Read Also: How Hot Does It Get Under A Tonneau Cover? Find Out
How Do You Set Up A Truck Tent On A Tonneau Cover?
Step 1
Start by opening the tailgate and place the tent in your truck bed with the side of the mesh windows upwards. Next, slip the tent over the tailgate and run the tailgate strap beneath it.
Step 2
Then, put the tent forward so that it will cover the whole truck bed. After doing this, the front corners of the tent will have split seams that may go over the front corners of the bed.
Step 3
At this stage, you should loosely attach the C straps to the bottom outer lip of the truck bed.
Step 4
Thereafter, open the door of the tent and tilt the tailgate up and then thread the orange straps through the tailgate gap, which is the space between the tailgate and the truck bed.
Step 5
First, in this step, release down the tailgate and pull up on the orange strips to ensure that each clip’s swivel base stops against the underside of the tailgate.
Should the clips pull up through the tailgate gap, re-thread the orange strips through the gap and fasten the clips to any place beneath the truck’s bumper.
Step 6
Then, tighten the orange straps so that the inside flap seams run along the upper outer edges of the truck bed rails.
Step 7
Proceed to attach the A and B straps to the lower outside lip of the truck bed and then tighten the A, B and C straps. Ensure that the inside flap seams stay attached along the top outside edges of the bed rails.
Step 8
Tighten up the tailgate strap and place the tailgate side flaps behind the bumper( on most trucks) and then, run the D straps over the A straps and attach them to the bottom outer lip of the truck bed.
Step 9
Run all the three poles through their matching colour pole sleeves. Usually, the front poles are marked with a grey tape and that all gray marked poles should run under those poles marked orange.
Step 10
Proceed from here by raising each of the marks poles and inserting their ends into the matching colour pole pockets. Raise the grey marked poles by the same process.
Step 11
In this stage, attach the four pole clips to the grey marked poled.
Step 12
Place the inner flaps on the upper part of the bed rails beneath the orange straps and pull out any slack that may result thereof.
Step 13
Finally, adjust all the straps one last time and also make sure that the inside side flap seams run along the top outer edges of the bed rails.
Note however that the use of a rainfly with a truck tent is optional. However, though it is optional, we shall still conduct you through the installation of a rainfly in successive steps too.
RAINFLY INSTALLATION
Steps 1
Place the rainfly over the tent with its logo above the tent’s door.
Step 2
Connect all the three buckles positioned on either side of the tent and adjust their straps. After this, the rainfly should cover the windows on all sides of the tent.
Step 3
Finally, tie the three strings at the back of the rainfly to the tent poles below.
How Do You Take Down Or Uninstall A Truck Tent?
Step 1
Release the pole clips and remove the poles out of the pole pockets, before you lower the tent and remove the poles from their sleeves. Then fold the poles and place them back into the pole bag.
Step 2
Unclip the A, B, and C straps before loosening the tailgate strap.
Step 3
Then, tilt the tailgate up and release its orange straps.
Step 4
Finally, roll the tent, its rainfly and the pole bag together. Then place the rolled-up tent into the stuff sack.
How Long Does It Take To Set Up A Truck Tent Alone?
Well, setting up a truck tent whether alone or along with others should take not more than ten minutes, which can be prolonged by certain conditions like not having the required tools to undertake the operation. Also, the process can take much longer than projected, if you were not very conversant with the process.
Are There Pros And Cons Of Using A Truck Tent On A Tonneau Cover?
The major pros in using truck tents is that it accords you the opportunity to sleep off while on a journey or a camping spree, thereby saving you the extra money you may need to pay for accommodation.
Furthermore, you may not have the opportunity to set up a tent at some places for different reasons and a truck tent, therefore, gives a ready alternative.
The most obvious downside to truck tents is that you cannot drive while they are still mounted on the truck because doing that may result in damage to either the truck or the tent.
Which Truck Tents Can I Use With A Tonneau Cover?
The Napier Backroadz truck tents are simply great for use on trucks and they are made from polyester taffeta and polyethene floors, while their frame structure is made of fibreglass poles.
They are equipped with rain flies and storm flap windows and doors. They can be used in the summer, spring or fall. They can be zipped to the truck whenever they are not being used and each can accommodate two adults at full stretch.
How Do You Care For Truck Tents?
With tonneau covers, just like with all other valuable possessions, you cannot be too careful. So, before storage, make sure that your truck covers are dry, as storing wet truck covers can lead to their damage.
During the cleaning of tents, use only water from a hose and wipe down with a piece of clothing. Never use soap or detergent as they can damage the water repellant properties of the tent materials.
Do not spray tents directly with insecticides or bug repellants which can also damage water repellant properties of the tent. Always keep tents in cool dry places not exposed to direct sunlight for long storage.
FAQ
Can I Drive My Truck While The Tent Is Set Up On Its Bed?
You are not in any way advised to drive with your tent while still mounted on the truck and its truck bed cover. This will obviously have implications to you, the truck itself, the tent and even other road users.
For example, due to wind drags or the bumps and obstacles on the road, the tent can get broken and may be caused to come down heavy on the truck cab or its contents and can also fly off in the direction of other vehicles on the road. So, don’t try it. Simple.
Can You Fit A Tent Over A Truck Bed Tool Box?
Indeed, you can, but it will be better that you place the tent over the toolbox so as to reduce the quantity of water that may enter between the took box and the tent itself.
It is equally advised that you cover the corners of the toolbox in order to protect the tent from getting torn against any sharp edges in the truck bed. (Read Also: Are There Fuel Tanks That Fits Under Tonneau Cover? )
There is also the attendant possibility of losing significant space of your truck bed when you use a tent, which will be occupied by the toolbox, but I guess you can live with that.
Will The Tent Fit With A Tonneau Cover?
Yes, it will. However, know that these tents only work with some tonneau covers but certainly not all types. Those that can’t be used this way had earlier been discussed.
Will The Tent Be Suitable With A Bed Liner?
Of course, the tent will work just fine with any of either a sprayed mat or even a prefabricated bed liner as well.
Will The Tent Fit With Sports Bars, Roll Bars Or Bedside Rails?
Certainly, railings are bound to work well, so long as they are less than at least 3 inches tall, but for the roll and sports bars, they will have to be removed entirely.
Will The Trunk Tent Work Well If My Truck Has A Camper Shell Or Cap Mounted On It?
Most definitely not, they won’t. The truck tents will not work so long as the camper shell or cap is fully assembled. However, the Napier SUV tents are seen as the best option in so far as the height from the ground to the highest point of the cap window or door does not exceed about 80 inches at the most.
Conclusion
Not all tonneau covers can take truck tents and to enable you choose well, you have been fully informed about those that can and also where you need to make any modifications to make that possible.
Similarly, just to ensure that your knowledge about this issue is complete, you have been introduced to the maintenance of truck tents, their installation and dismantling as well as the use of rainflies.
Finally, we have discussed the best truck tents you can get for all your purposes. All in all, you stand to benefit from the information contained herein with regards to using tents on your trucks.