How To Make Homemade Truck Bed Tent? Comprehensive guide 2023

Camping is the best experience of fun and peaceful moments of making ever-green memories with your friends, family, and beloved persons. The adventure loving-campers are always in search of the best merrymaking location. Although, one should be well-prepared and carry all sorts of essentials to enjoy camping without interruption. For camping, one of the essential elements is a camp or tent to sleep well-protected and conveniently.

Camping on a truck bed is more exciting than ground camping. And camping on the truck is much comfortable and secure. But, truck bed tent comes in a variety of options. More exciting thing we are going to discuss in this article is that anyone can make homemade truck bed tent, which will be cheap and affordable for anyone’s pocket. 

Which can be Benefits of DIY Truck Bed Tent :   

Moreover, truck tents are compact, require less space, and are easy to carry. They are made of water-resistive material ( polyester or taffeta ) for ultra protection and are easy to set up. But they can be expensive. Although, a truck bed tent can save you from other expenses. The tuck tents are specifically designed for SUVs and pickup truck models like Toyota Tacoma, Ford150, Dodge RAM, GMC Sierra, Nissan Frontier, etc. In extreme weather conditions, i.e., rain, storm, truck tents can keep you dry and warm. Truck tents are gaining popularity day by day with family and group campers due to their wide range of benefits.

They also provide extra protection from insects like bugs, mosquitoes, and small crawling animals. Truck tents are correctly ventilated with mesh windows and rooftop panels. Most of the tents provide enough space for 2-3 persons and can easily install. Some tents also come with a link ground tent to provide occupancy of 4-5 persons. Generally, truck bed tents have zippers for closure and a large headroom of 5ft in a medium-size truck. Mostly, a truck tent comes with a sewn-in floor to prevent you from dirt and dust. For more information, you can read my post about Best Toyota Tacoma Truck Bed Tent in which I reviewed in detail regarding best tents specifications.

Some Bitter Facts:

Truck tents come in several sizes for different models of trucks, so; this is confusing to consider which measurement will fit your truck bed. Additionally, they are specifically designed for pickups and don’t fit in any other automotive. And if you had purchased the tent, which is not perfect, you have to do some modifications in the tent to adjust in your truck. And this may or may not be cost-effective. Most of the tents are costly, and they are out of your budget. Some tents are made of cheap material which is not waterproof, and it is just a waste of money.

The poles of cheap quality tents get damage during installation. However, to keep you away from all these problems, a better solution is to make a homemade DIY truck bed tent. And I think this is a much better idea. The procedure of a tent is not much tricky and challenging. Here, I completely describe, How You Can Make A Homemade Truck Tent?

Let’s Take A Look to Homemade Truck Bed Tent:

First of all, ensures to measure the exact dimensions of the truck bed. This is not a difficult task. You can make any tent style you need. Then, you must have to note the style of your truck bed. Some of the famous styles are;

1. Step-side Bed
2. Style Side/ Well Body
3. Flat/Tray Bed
4. Fleetside Bed
5. Flareside Bed 

The truck tents for these styles also come in different designs and shapes.

Required Material to Make A Truck Bed Tent:

• Pickup Truck 
• Measuring Tape
• A good quality Tarp or Taffeta Polyester
• 6ft to 8ft long PVC Pipes
• Corner Fittings
• Snap Clamps
• Pool Noodle (optional)
• Cable Clamps
• Side Saddle Tee
• 45 Degree Elbow
• Paper & Pencil

Step 1:

Park your truck and lower the tailgate. If there is somebody to help you, then you can do it faster. It is a great idea to call someone to help you make a perfect truck bed tent quickly. First, however, take a measuring tape and start measuring the dimensions of your pickup truck bed. Actually, it is straightforward to measure the truck bed.

You just have to start measuring from the bulkhead ( front side of the bed ) along to the inside rail of your truck bed to the tailgate. Then, just visualize the design of the tent bed you want and make a rough diagram on paper with a pencil. It is the first step of designing or manufacturing any stuff. So, you can efficiently make a perfect truck tent for your vehicle.

Step 2:

Now, cut the legs of PVC pipes for the tent, which can go along the 4 holes of the truck bed. These legs provide you enough height for the tent so you can easily stand up in the truck tent. You should have to cut the piece to almost 1ft (12 inches) or more for the maximum height of the tent you need.

Step 3:

You have to use 45-degree elbows with legs of PVC pipes to give the frame a triangular shape. Fix a 1ft long PVC pipe leg with an elbow and then join the elbow with a Tee connector.

Step 4:

When you just connect the basic frame A of PVC pipes legs, 45-degree elbow, and tee connector in the holes of the truck bed, make sure that the basic frame does not rattle in it. The frame A you made should be solid and firm.

Step 5:

Now cut the pool noodle and put it inside the holes and basic frame A of the truck bed to keep the tent in place. Because the tent will shake violently during traveling or due to strong wind. So, to tighten the pipes in place, you have to use pool noodles.

Step 6:

Now, make a top frame B of PVC pipes in the designs like triangular, round or, D-shapes, etc.; it depends on you. To make a frame, cut approximately 3ft( 36 inches ) long pipes and now connect them with the help of an L-shaped elbow clamp.

Step 7:

Repeat the process and make another same frame. Now, fix the 2 same structures with the basic frame A.

Step 8:

Put the tarp ( a heavy duty waterproof cloth ) on the frame and adjust it. Then, clamp the tarp from the front and backside of the frame. Clamps will keep the tarp in place. Use multiple clamps so the tarp would not pop up. Now, you are done making your homemade truck tent can go for an adventure. I hope this task is no more difficult for you now and you will try it and go memorable camping.

Additional Tips:

• You can also use polyester oxford or any other tough material instead of a tarp. But the material you use should be water-resistive and can secure you from harsh weather.
• You can use extra clips to hang the light.
• For more comfort, you can put blow-up mattresses in the bed.
• Use pool noodles in the holes of the truck bed to prevent the rattling of the tent due to storms or strong wind. 
• Be careful while cutting PVC pipes.
• You can also add your creative ideas to make a fantastic truck bed tent.
• Use gear bags for extra storage or to keep your personal stuff like mobile, charger, etc.

Conclusion:

This is a quick guide so you can make a simple tent at home. You can finely build a DIY truck bed tent at home by using easily available material. You can make a tent at home for Toyota Tacoma, RAM, Ford, SUVs, and for all different types of models. No expert skills are required to do such a job at home. Actually, you can also add your own creative ideas to make the tent more stylish and valuable. So, you can use it for any rough and tough job. 

Suggestions:

However, if you are not interested in doing such jobs or don’t have enough time to make a camp or tent. So, you should have to purchase the best tent for your pickup truck. Well, before buying, I let you know that the best tent for any truck should be made of durable, waterproof, and high-quality material. The tent should be easy to install and properly ventilated because a low-quality fabric gets to tear up after only one use.

Most of the tents come with full rainfly and storm flaps for protection against harsh weather. It is best if the tent has an extra awning( a shade of heavy-duty fabric ). If you want more guidance on this topic, you can read my recent post about ”The 10 Best Toyota Tacoma Truck Bed Tent,” where I reviewed the best truck bed tents in detail. So, you can buy the right one for your truck and enjoy camping.