Sleeping in a crew cab truck ?

[jaredmahoney]

Im with most others, slept in many cabs and never was comfortable. Sleep is important when you are hunting hard.

 

[Lostandfrozen]

I'm in the camp of sleeping in the cab sounds like a bad option... Sleeping curled up in a truck sounds like a good way to end up with a sore neck or back that could make hiking around all day with a heavy pack sound pretty miserable.

 

[accuracy]

airmatress with a truckbed tent.
It doesn't matter if the airmatress's dimentions are wider than the spacing at your wheel weels, since it will just conform a bit around them. Camper shell i'm sure is easier but I don't have space to just take it off and place it in my backyard when I'm not camping.

Amazon.com

That one fits great with my 6.5' silverado. Had it for several years and shared with my gf many different occassions with more than ample space. Hasn't leaked yet.

 

[Matt H]

I have spent a few years trying to perfect this exact thing. I do it to have the option of sleeping in there. I use it to rest a few hours on long trips or if i get someplace after dark and weather is bad. This year i came up with the best solution yet and i will do it from now on. Pull the back seats out. It was seven bolts total. The seats are akward to carry not terribly heavy. I used 2x2s to make a frame. I needed three sets of legs framed into a rectangle approx 30” x 24” then that held up my platform frame which was approx 30” x 66” with a brace across middle making it look like a figure 8. Then 1/2” or 5/8” plywood top. I put 2 thermarest pads and a blanket down, slept on top like a baby. I did sleep diagonal. And it left a ton of room undrneath to store gear. I could fit a cooler under it. This way youre not moving any gear to lay down. Makes a 20 hour drive much easier. The above measurements are rough approximations off the top of my head to describe it. I used a screw gun to build it inside the cab. I lettered and numbered the pieces so i can screw it back together next year.

Before this i screwed around for years. I tried a platform just above the floor but had to shuffle gear from backseat to front seat to sleep which sucks. I made a platform atop the seat with it folded down, that sucked. I made one with it folded up and it sucked. Those seats zipped right out with an impact. Toughest part was finding a place to store them.

Cool idea!

 

[kfili]

Any other options for sleeping in the bed without a topper other than a tent? Is there any good ways to run a tarp or something like that?

 

[scott85]

I'd rather sleep in the driver's seat than try to get comfortable in the back.

 

[kfili]

actually I guess for the amount of time Im camping in buggy weather Id want the tent...

 

[FLATHEAD]

Any other options for sleeping in the bed without a topper other than a tent? Is there any good ways to run a tarp or something like that?

I've threatened to use one of those collapsible awning/gazebo things.
I actually set it up to see if it would go over the bed of my truck.
Looks like it would work great, albeit a bit "airish".
It would keep the rain/dew off for sure.
Maybe I'll give it a try this fall.

 

[sasquatch]

Get you a tent cot like this. Set it up on the ground or in the bed. Folds up pretty flat.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Mountain_Life]

The trick to sleeping in your cab is to get your back tires down or your front tires up as much as possible. This takes the weight off of your waist. (Think the angle the dentist seat ends up in) Slide into the sleeping bag, set the cab thermostat to 65 and saw logs. When you wake up and see the temperature outside reading 0° you just smile, throw your bag into the back seat, tip your seat up and continue on your journey.

 

[WoodDuck]

Not sure if you have a 6.5’ bed or a cap, but sleeping in the bed of the truck is a good option if you do. I put 2x4s across the bed rails and plywood on top of that to make a sleeping platform in the bed of the truck. You sleep on top, gear goes underneath. This was the best picture I could find of the set up. We just use our sleeping pads in our bags like you would on a backpack hunt.

It is a little tight. Your shoulders rub the ceiling if you turn sideways and you have to get a little acrobatic to climb in there backwards, but it is fairly comfortable once you get used to it. We have done trips up to 2 weeks like this, and there is no better way to stay mobile.

 

[Erict]

2020 Dodge Ram crew cab. 5'11". I tried putting rear seats up, front passenger seat all the way forward, then putting in my sleeping pad. If you can side sleep, semi-curled, all night long it might work. The allure of quick, easy heat is certainly there.....

I've done the truck bed/hard shell cover (not cap/topper) with tailgate down thing to 20 degrees without any issues beyond heavy frosting on the bottom side of the cover.

 

[Castle Rock]

Unless you are in bad bear country just sleep on the ground, get a swag, I sleep better in my swag than at home in bed

 

[coreman103]

Alright… what if you hate the look of toppers (sorry to those I offended) and use a tri-fold tonneau? I have a BedRug and Tri-fold in the back of my 6.5’ Silverado bed and I’ve napped for a couple hours in it before. Gets a little musty in there, so I realized I need to be better about airing it out from time to time.

Any else sleep in the truck bed under a tonneau?

 

[Fullfan]

Sleeping in the cab ? No way, I have a Ram mega cab. Have tried it and it sucks.

 

[RS3579]

I’m contemplating sleeping with threat seat folded up this year. I’ll build a short platform to make a flat sleeping area. I’ll definitely have to try it before I really need it in the fall.

 

[FranklinBluth]

If you have to sleep in the cab, park on an incline and recline the front seat as far back as it can go. Used to do it all the time (in my younger days!) in the Black Hills.

 

[stickstringtrigger]

Fold up cot with a tarp above is my preferred method for all of the above: quick, easy, comfortable. I am pushing 6'5 though and have had too many bad neck and back aches trying to be stealthy in a truck.

 

[Seeknelk]

I'm shorter, 5-9 and in my f 150 crew I found I can fit if I fold the back seat up and shove the from seat all the way forward and lay on slight diagonal and Im able to stretch completely straight and slept very well that way.
I usually sleep on a cot in the back under a topper but I had a quad with me on this trip so no topper. And major winds were working over the redcliff pretty good so I got zero sleep in that. In the cab I went. Zonked.

 

[jayhawk]

I have slept in a cab many times. A few tips:

Park on a slight declining slope, so the back seat is level.

Sleeping pads help take bumps out.

Move gear to front seats/bed when you need to sleep. Keep the center console open so it’s easier to kick the truck on at night if it gets too cold.