If you own a pickup truck and love camping, then you might want to consider buying a truck tent.
For truck owners, truck tents can offer greater convenience than traditional camping tents. A truck bed is a solid foundation for pitching a tent and will keep you off of the ground and away from most bugs or critters.
Truck tents are also more convenient than, say, an RV because mid-size trucks like a Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma have an easier time reaching more remote places.
As the name implies, a truck tent (sometimes called a truck bed tent) fits over your truck bed so you can use it as shelter and rest, sleep, and eat inside.
But despite their convenience, truck tents do have some drawbacks. For instance, you’ll have to unload your truck bed before setting up the tent and you can’t drive your truck with the truck tent attached. That’s why the best truck tents not only maximize the available space but are also extremely packable.
Our pick for the best overall was the Napier Outdoors Backroadz Truck Tent because it’s available in sizes that fit most truck beds and just about any pickup truck.
The Best Truck Tents
Image by Napier
For the best overall truck bed tent, we picked the Napier Outdoors Backroadz Truck Tent. It’s actually difficult to talk about truck bed tents without mentioning Napier Outdoors. It’s not just one of the most common brands, but it’s also one of the most popular truck tent brands selling for less than $200.
Compared to other truck bed tent brands, Napier Outdoors does an excellent job marketing its products, doing everything from listing a select line of products to explaining the basic benefits of a truck tent.
With that said, what makes the Backroadz Truck Tent so great is it works as advertised. Napier Outdoors doesn’t make any grand promises, but rather, they make a truck tent that’s functional and durable for the price.
Features & Specs
- Material: Taffeta
- Pole Material: Fiberglass poles
- Size: Compact & Full Size Trucks
- Capacity: 2
- Seasons: 3 Seasons
Image by Rightline
We picked the Rightline Gear Truck Tent as the runner-up because, well, it’s not as well marketed as the Backroadz. Otherwise, it could easily fit into the top spot.
Besides construction and an easy setup, the Rightline Gear Truck Tent comes in a variety of sizes, making it a solid option for the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra, GMC Canyon, Chevy Colorado and Chevy Silverado, and even the Ford F series.
In addition to matching the fit inside most truck beds, it’s easy to pack and it comes with an optional mattress.
Features & Specs
- Material: Polyester
- Pole Material: Fiberglass poles
- Size: Compact & Full Size trucks
- Capacity: 2
- Seasons: 4 Seasons
Image by Guide Gear
As far as truck tents go, the Guide Gear Truck Tent is one of the most searched, and for good reason. It costs about $90, which is why it ranks as the best budget option on our list of the best truck bed tents.
Measuring 74 inches in length, it’ll fit most compact truck beds by Chevy, Ford, GMC, Nissan, Toyota, and more. Plus, the polyester material has a good quality water-resistant coating and a sew in floor.
Most of the complaints about the Guide Gear tent came from not following instructions or using it correctly, meaning the design is not the most intuitive but it’s an easy setup if you follow instructions and use the rain fly.
Features & Specs
- Material: Polyester
- Pole Material: Fiberglass poles
- Size: Compact trucks
- Capacity: 2
Image by Napier
For the best three-season truck bed tent, we picked the Napier Outdoors Sportz Truck Tent.
As we mentioned in the best overall, Napier Outdoors is very well known for making tents for most truck beds. We picked the Sports Truck Tent because it’s capable of performing when it gets a little cool out and especially well when it’s hot out.
With that said, the Sports Truck Tent is equipped with ventilation windows as well as an awning, so you can open it up for a breeze or close it up to trap heat. Perfect, for those days in the spring and fall when it’s hot all day and cool all night.
Plus, it’ll work with your cab window, so you can still access the inside of your pickup truck if need be.
Features & Specs
- Material: Polyester
- Pole Material: Fiberglass poles
- Size: Compact & Full Size Trucks
- Capacity: 2
- Seasons: 3 Seasons
Image by Kodiak
For the most durable, we picked the Kodiak Canvas Truck Tent. Although synthetic materials have their place, some are just not as tough as canvas fabric. That’s the opinion of many reviewers. When people talk about it, they mention words like water resistant, rigid, fit, and performance.
The Kodiak Canvas Tent comes is available for both mid size trucks and full size trucks. The mid-size option extends out to 6.5 feet and will fit trucks like the Nissan Frontier, Ford Ranger, or even a Jeep Gladiator while the full-size option extends out to 8 feet. So there’s an option if you want to cover the entire truck bed.
With the thick canvas fabric and mesh windows, the Kodiak Canvas tent is rated for four seasons and many praise how well it provides protection from the elements. However, while Kodiak says its truck bed tent is meant for cold weather, it’s not designed for heavy snow. Also, it doesn’t have a sewn in floor, so it’s up to you to fill the spacious interior.
The main criticism of the Kodiak Canvas tent is its setup. Compared to other truck bed tents, most reviewers say there’s a learning curve involved, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy.
Features & Specs
- Material: Canvas
- Pole Material: Steel
- Size: Compact & Full Size Trucks
- Capacity: 2
- Seasons: 4 Seasons
- Price: $460 – $500
Image by Naturenest
This last one deviates slightly from the other truck tents in that it fits over a truck bed instead of inside of it. For the most snug, we picked the Naturnest Clamshell Roof Top Tent. We picked the word “snug” as it suggests comfortable yet compact.
While it’s designed to mount to a roof rack, the Naturnest Clamshell Roof Top Tent will also fit on a rack mounted over a truck bed. The tent itself fits inside a hardshell case (the clamshell) and to set up the tent, all you really need to do is open the case and pull the ladder down.
Plus, it’s made from waterproof materials and comes with a 3.5-centimeter memory foam mattress.
Features & Specs
- Material: ABS, Oxford
- Pole Material: Aluminum
- Size: Any
- Capacity: 2 adults + 1 child
- Seasons: 4 seasons
Things to Consider When Buying a Truck Tent
Type
There are various types of car camping tents. Most attach to a roof rack of a vehicle while others stretch out like an awning, but in this article, we’re specifically talking about truck bed tents, meaning they will fit over the bed of a pickup truck.
With that said, there are two types of truck tents. Some fit over the truck bed while others fit over the truck bed and extend out onto the ground. The latter is meant to provide more interior space.
Size
The size of your truck tent depends entirely on the size of your truck bed as the truck bed provides the surface area for mounting the tent. So you’ll have to measure the length and width of your truck bed and follow guidelines set by truck tent manufacturers.
However, you do have some flexibility with the height of a truck tent. That’s something to consider if you want to stand up inside of your tent. Also, as we mentioned before, you can also find truck tents that extend off of the bed and onto the ground for more interior space.
Durability
Truck tents are made out of the same materials traditional tents are made out of and they’re treated to endure all weather conditions as well.
Man-made fabric like polyester comes in a variety of weights and features a variety of coatings. With that said, it’s a reliable material that’s capable of resisting wind, dust, and water if it’s not entirely waterproof.
Canvas is considered an older or maybe more traditional material. When sold as a shelter, it’s often coated with water-resistant chemicals. While durable and less expensive, it’s not always as resistant as man-made fabrics.
Seasonality
Also like traditional camping tents, truck tents are rated by seasonality as in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Most will either be rated two or three-season tents. A heavier tent will hold heat better than a lightweight tent.
Additionally, tents designed for warmer climates will have mesh windows for air circulation.
Features
For the most part, a truck tent offers the same key features as a traditional camping tent for protection from the elements. You set it up using tent poles and straps, and they are also typically equipped with pockets, a rain fly, and a bag to store everything in.
One thing to note, though, is that not all truck tents have a sewn in floor that rests (or truck bed liner). It’s an important feature to consider so you can adequately arrange your air mattress and sleeping bag and sleep comfortably.
Price
The price of a truck tent ranges from around $100 to a few thousand. The price varies based on construction materials as well as size. So truck tents with lots of space that are made out of more durable materials and waterproof materials will cost more.
Best Truck Tents: FAQs
Are truck bed tents worth it?
Sure. A truck bed tent is meant to be a cost effective option when compared to buying a hard camper top or recreational vehicle. Plus, if you’re camping with a pickup truck, truck beds are a convenient place to set up camp.
Can you drive with a truck bed tent up?
No. Although a truck bed tent does not render your truck immobile, you’ll destroy the truck tent.
What do you sleep on in a truck bed?
The base of a truck tent, or truck bed tent, will be your truck bed. You can make it more comfortable by adding an air mattress (or air mattresses), a sleeping bag, and whatever else you need.
Are truck bed tents comfortable?
Sure. A truck bed, or truck bed tent, is as comfortable as you make it. With that said, there are benefits and drawbacks to setting up a truck bed. One of the main benefits is that you sleep in an elevated position, but it’s also the main drawback because it allows airflow beneath the tent, which makes it colder.
Why Trust Us?
In our attempt to find the best truck bed tent, we found tons of options costing well over $1,500. Therefore, we focused on truck tents from established brands that cost less than or around $1,000. In doing so, we narrowed our options significantly. With that said, we found that the biggest seller of truck tents was Amazon, but we couldn’t trace many of the tents back to a company.
In researching this piece, we considered recommendations from other publications and blogs as well as reviews and rankings on Amazon. We also relied on the Napier Outdoors website for learning about truck tents as it provides extensive information about the philosophy and best use of a truck bed tent.
The Best Truck Tents
The point of a truck tent is convenience. They’re meant to help you maximize the space of your campsite and safety as you sleep off the ground and away from the critters. With that said, the best truck bed tents offer protection from the elements and a relatively easy setup.
We picked Napier Outdoors Backroadz Truck Tent as the best overall because, well, it’s everything it’s said to be and nothing less. The Rightline Gear Truck Tent is our runner-up because of its versatility. And we picked the Guide Gear Truck Tent as the best budget option because of its high quality for just $90.
Looking to keep warm during your winter camping trips this season? Check out our picks for the best tent heater.
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