A lot of people know that a roof top tent can easily be installed on a car or an SUV. But, what about other vehicles like a pick-up truck without an obvious place to mount the tent? That’s what we want to take a look at in this article.
So, can you put a rooftop tent on a truck?
Yes, you can easily put a roof top tent on a truck as long as you have a proper truck bed mounting rack. By installing a truck bed rack, you will be able to elevate your roof top tent and still utilize your cargo area below. Just make sure your bed rack is properly weight rated for the tent you are looking to install.
Let’s answer a few of the other questions people often have about rooftop tents on trucks. This is because we know that a truck is often not the most typical place to put a rooftop tent.
How To Put a Rooftop Tent On a Truck
As long as you have the rack system on your truck, then installing a rooftop tent won’t be much more difficult than getting it up and running on a normal car.
There will be an issue, though. Most people will be putting their rooftop tents in the truck bed. After all, this is where most trucks tend to have their racks. This means that if you have the rooftop tent in your truck constantly set up, you won’t have that much space left available in the bed of your truck. This is a disadvantage of using a system like this.
Some people will connect the rooftop tent up whenever they park the truck for the evening. However, in our opinion, this tends to go against the whole idea of using a rooftop tent, to begin with. After all, one of the major advantages of using a rooftop tent is the fact that they are easy to set up. If you have to connect the tent up every time you park the vehicle, then it just becomes annoying.
In our opinion, if you can put the tent on a rooftop rack rather than inside of the bed of your truck, then that is the route that we suggest that you go down instead. It makes it a whole lot easier for you to get the rooftop tent set up when you are tired at night.
The Best Type of Rooftop Tent For a Truck
If you are planning on connecting a rooftop tent up to the bed of your truck, then we would recommend that you get a hard shell rooftop tent. Most people report that they are a little bit more comfortable to sleep in when you are this low down.
If you are planning on placing the rooftop tent on the top of your truck, then you can really opt for anything that you want. It doesn’t matter. As long as it is going to fit your roof rack system, then you should be fine. In this situation, most people tend to opt for the standard roof top tents.
They don’t cope with the elements quite as well, but they are a lot better for those that want a quick and easy tent to set up when they go to sleep at night. These tents also tend to perform a whole lot better for those that need extra space.
Can You Use a Rooftop Tent Annex On a Truck?
It depends. If you are installing the rooftop tent in your truck bed, then no. You will not be able to use the annex. This is because the tent is not going to be high enough to make use of the annex.
If you are planning on placing the tent on the roof of your truck, then you will be able to use the annex.
This means that if you have a larger family, or have more requirements to have your gear stored inside of the tent, then we would highly recommend that you try and get the rooftop tent installed on the roof as opposed to the bed of the truck.
Are Rooftop Tents For Trucks Good For All Seasons?
Most rooftop tents are designed for use in 3 seasons (i.e. all of the seasons bar the winter months). However, you may be able to find a couple of options on the market that can be used during the snowier weather. It may not be the most comfortable experience in the world, but they will help to keep you warm.
If you are planning on going out during the colder parts of the year (i.e. late fall and the winter months), then we do suggest that you steer clear of having the rooftop tent in the bed of your truck.
They tend to do a whole lot better sitting on the top of your roof if you want to keep yourself warm. They will get a little bit windy up there, but the heat will rise up to you. The closer you are to the ground, the colder it will get.
Do You Need To Purchase a Rack For Your Truck To Use a Rooftop Tent?
If your truck doesn’t have a racking system, then absolutely. However, we also suggest that you buy a new racking system, even if your vehicle has one.
We find that stock rack systems in trucks don’t really have a huge weight limit on them. This means that they may not necessarily be ideal for using a rooftop tent. They will work, but you may be taking a risk.
We recommend that, if you are planning on using a rooftop regularly, you invest in far better rack bars.
Closing Thoughts
If you have a racking system on your truck, then you can use a rooftop tent. You can mount the tent either on the roof of your truck or in the truck bed. You won’t even have to purchase a special rooftop tent. Anything that fits on a car should also fit in a truck.
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