5 Best Truck Tents Under $200.
In this article: 5 Best Truck Tents under $200, 5 Tips Before You Order, and 3 Comfort Recommendations.
If you like to hunt like me then you are going to love a Truck Tent. I got my first deer at 10 years old with a double-barrel Davidson shotgun hunting with my dad. I was hooked after that. Even if you don't hunt but can drive your truck to your off-road campsite then you will want a truck tent, especially if you hunt, fish, or just camp in low country areas where the ground stays wet. I like sleeping in the bed of the truck on a mattress whenever possible.
Anyhow, here’s my list of affordable truck tents. And be sure to read my, "BEFORE YOU ORDER A TRUCK TENT" at the bottom of this article. These five tips will save you a lot of frustration if you do them before you order.
My 3 criteria for the Truck Bed Tent list are:
· Cost under $200
· 2 Person Tent
· 30 Minutes Set Up (or less)
1-$169 Napier Backroadz Truck Tent
This truck bed tent installs in about 30 minutes on a Ford F150 Crew Cab with two people and the take-down time is about the same. The installation poles are color-coded, so it makes it easier to match which pole goes into which tent pocket. By the way, the storage bag has instruction sewn into it, so they never get lost. It also comes with a rainfly you can install in minutes. A lot of room in this tent.
2-$100 Guide Gear Full Size Truck Tent
Love this Truck Tent for two reasons. The first is the price (I’m very frugal) and the second is I drive a 2016 Black Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab and it fits perfectly. You may be thinking that for $100 would it hold up, but it’s great. It takes about a half-hour to set up by yourself. I'm a tall guy and there was plenty of room for me and some of my other camping equipment. Nothing fancy just a good tent.
3-$180 Rightline Gear Truck Tents
This truck tent fits a Nissan Frontier and Nissan Titan. Just be sure you measure your truck bed size before ordering. Most likely you will get the one for a 5.5 to 6 footbed. If you have a toolbox on your truck, I recommend you take it off (I know it's heavy) before you leave home even if your toolbox fits inside your truck bed and doesn't sit on the sides (which will keep you from installing this truck tent). You will just have more room and a better fitting tent.
4-$200 FOFANA Truck Bed Tent Automatic Setup
If you want to lay in your truck tent at night and see the stars, this one will work because it has a screened window on all sides that extend up to the top of the tent. Its footprint is 85” x 57” and six feet high, you have plenty of room to hang a light or fan. Like the others, it has a rainfly that covers the while tent. Even though it will stand up on level ground the back of tent poles are longer so it won’t sit flat. At $199.98 (at the time of this article), it barely makes my, under $200 price.
5-$139 Milliard Truck Tent | Standard 6.5ft Bed
If you want a no-frills good truck tent and a good price, then this is the one. It will fit 5.5 – 6.0 truck beds and will even fit an 8-foot bed with a standard toolbox. That’s good news especially if you use your toolbox as extra storage for your deer hunting trips. It has a hook for hanging your battery-powered lantern and inside storage, pouches sewn into the sides.
READ BEFORE YOU ORDER A TRUCK TENT
1. BE SURE you are ordering a truck tent and not a regular tent. As silly as this sounds it happens a lot more than you may think. Truck Tents are designed very differently than regular Pop Up Tents.
2. Check to make sure the truck tent manufacturer makes one for your truck’s make and model.
3. Measure your truck bed with the tailgate closed for the length. Then measure the inside width of the side rails at the top to get the correct size for your truck bed.
4. Be sure to compare the truck tent dimensions to your truck bed’s dimensions before you order. Some truck dimensions don’t always match what the tent manufacturer says it does.
5. If you have a toolbox, you can still use a truck tent, if the tent is designed to fit inside your truck bed and not on the rails only and the length from your toolbox to the tailgate closed it large enough for an 8-foot bed. If you purchase a tent that sits on the rails, then your toolbox must sit on the floor of your truck bed and not on the rails (but the box will eat up space in your tent).
My Three Comfort Recommendations
Willpo Certipur-US Memory Foam Camping Mattress
I know it’s because I’m getting older, but I like a little comfort whenever possible on my camping trips and especially when I sleep. I know it’s a little pricey, but I like this mattress. You can throw this in your truck tent and sleep like a baby. The single size is 75” x 30” and 2 ¾” thick. It's too narrow for me, so I like the twin size. It’s 38” wide. When you’re not using it on a camping trip, it makes a good little bed at home for a last-minute guess for the kids.
AlpsWolf Camping Lantern Rechargeable Camping
For $20 this is one cool camping lantern. Not only can you hang it in your truck tent, but it’s really bright. It’s rechargeable and has multiple light settings. It’s also great for giving you enough light for cleaning fish at night. Love this little guy.
OPOLAR 1500W Ceramic Space Heater
One of the good things about truck camping is you can take more comfortable gear. If you have electrical on site great if not I like a little generator to power this OPOPAR heater. Warning, if you turn it up to high it will get really hot run you out of the tent. But it sure is nice when the temperature drops below 40 degrees at night.
Don't forget your Patriot Solar Power Cells
Well, that's all I got for you today!
Thanks for reading my articles. My goal is to help you to save money on great products and have a great time. And maybe throw in a few nuggets of helpful tips that I've learned along the way.
Until the next article…do yourself a favor and take a kid camping, it will change your life.
All the best,
Alex
P.S. Would you do me a favor? Please share this article with a friend. Thanks, I really appreciate it.