TRUCK BED CAMPING SETUP! (Tacoma truck bed camping conversion--$65 materials! DIY Storage Build)

[@36736fps]

Nice design. The storage behind the seat would be great for anyone, even those who do not sleep in the back. I would raise the bed about 6 inches with space below for a pull out drawer and dirty stuff like a shovel, boots, tow rope, chains, etc.

[@fire58372001]

Hi there, I saw your vid. I've been truck camping since the mid 80's. Here's what I've learned & I'll pass them on to you. 1) Get stuff you need at a camping store for backpacking. It's small, compact, & light weight. 2)Get splash guards for your truck. It'll help keep you & your rig clean. They work. I know. 3) When parking for the night, park headlong into the wind. That way if a storm comes you won't have to worry about a side wind ripping off your camper shell. Plus, if anything comes bouncing towards the truck, since you have a slimmer profile, it might miss you. If it does hit, the front of the truck is reinforced. 4) Use bug spray on the interior doors & windows/ screens openings to help keep bugs out. Use wasp & hornet spray around & on your tires to help keep critters out. Basically, all points of contact on the ground. 5) An inch is a lot of room. Learn how to stack & get used to sand & dirt. Use floor mats to put your shoes on too 6)Air out your sleeping area every morning or often. In an enclosed space the air gets stale & it will smell like feet & assholes. I know this from being in an 80 man berthing when I was in THE NAVY! 7)Use a small fan to circulate the air in your sleeping area. This will help prevent hot & cold spots from forming & help prevent condensation & mold & mildew from forming. I hope this helps. Great vid, thanks for sharing. Drive safe. 🤠

[@ibrazeau3044]

Nice setup. Only changes/modifications would be to have a way to have access to the water container from inside the bunk without having to open the tailgate.

[@mikek.3965]

I think your set up is great! There are hundreds of ideas out there but your ideas has kept it more simple with a design that can be modified if you wish. I may try this and forego using my camper for a while. Thx!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks! This served me well for quite a while. Hope it goes well! 🙂

[@billrose2083]

I'm doing something like this. 1998 Tacoma. Much smaller than the newer ones. I plan to use 3/8"-1/2" plywood on the bed with one of those puzzle mat things to lay on. Sleeping bag/ blankets on top of that. Worth a try.

[@jaqueltheis]

Thank you for this! I like the build. It is easy enough to alter the storage for anyone's personal preference. This build seems to be the best I have seen yet.

[@jaqueltheis]

I also like your on the road team up idea! I am a house painter and contractors assistant looking to travel during the winter months in my Tacoma as well!

[@williambranham6249]

Good job. I added camping modules to a Honda Element. Worked great for the most part. We used complete side to side platform elevatedthe height so it could be supported by 5 Gal. Lowes type buckets. So storage underneath(organized in buckets) and sleep platform above. Carrying a tent as well for those beautiful nights.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

That’s a great idea william! I always stress the importance of consolidating items into containers. 5-gal buckets are so versatile. Good call!

[@williambranham6249]

@@TheHonestCarpenter I just subscribed to your channel. The 5 in 1 tool caught my eye.

[@COShea-iw6ii]

In the design/discovery phase to build out my 2014 Tacoma... your wisdom gives me confidence. Thank you. :)

[@doctimw]

Plus 1 on the Horse Stall Mat idea mentioned by Keith Cronk. Indestructible!!

[@USAMark70]

Love it! Looking to something similar to my F150. I've not read through all the comments so I'm sorry if it's already been discussed....One idea would be to use small hooks/nails/screws to hang stuff on the vertical sides of your cabinets. As long as they aren't getting in the way. Maybe even the "Command Strips" for some organization while you're camping. Can always hang items like phone charger cables, hats, etc. (lighter items). I'm also looking at building in my power inverter and some outlets in the bed area. I'll probably also use some 3/4" ply to cover the bulkhead of the bed. Gives me another vertical service to hang/store stuff. For the top of the "bookshelves" I'm planning on making adjustable rails that can slide up to stop things from sliding off and then slide them down if I need a flat surface without the rail. Might even use some flat aluminum stock to make those instead of a plywood edge. We'll see. One other idea is to add a lid to the passenger side and then you can use it as a seating area. Underneath the lid you could store a collapsible table. Would love to see any changes/improvements you've made since this video! Also, anything you'd do differently in the truck bed or the cab?? Awesome channel! Thank you for sharing your talents!

[@cambodianrefugee6305]

Great setup, I've been camping that way for years and although I dream of fancier pro made setups, my diy cover all my needs more than adequately. Couple ideas for ya that I have found useful, as my build has evolved over time. I find it handy to have a shelf under the bulkhead window between the two side bins. Its just another surface to get stuff up and off the floor to make more room for "sleep" mode. Mine is removable and slides on rails that run the full length of the bins. It normally lives at the bulkhead but can slide all the way to the tailgate end which I use if I'm cooking of the tail gate while camping. The next evolution will be to incorporate drawer slides so when cooking on the tailgate, the shelf can be pulled out to extend over the gate so j don't need to reach in so far to grab stuff. At night the entire assembly will slide all the way in against the bulkhead for sleeping. Next idea. On the driver side I had a bin just like yours that ran the length of the bed. As i acquired more gear and needed more storage I decided to ad floor to ceiling bins on both ends of the bed to maximize what I felt was wasted space. Their permanently attached to the bottom bins and have a narrow shelf on top for structural support. They do significantly cut down on the size of the window. Essentially I have half the amount of window as before but it still gives me access to open/close for ventilation. All the bins that face the tailgate are open towards the back and side for dual access whether the gate is up or down. My tailgate tends to be the kitchen and having the extra bins for easy access cooking gear has been great.

[@321southtube]

Really cool...creative. This is a unique setup as most have a bed on one side and a cabinet on the other. There is an issue of not having a place to truly sit. However...this idea preserves most of the bed for hauling without removing much. Some really good ideas however...You're making me rethink my whole build idea. Thanks so much

[@andrewcignoni3901]

I agree that a horse stall mat is a great idea. I have 3 horses and are very familiar with them. They are rubber and come in a couple of different thicknesses. They are generally around 50 bucks or so. They are also easy to cut with a sharp utility knife if needed. The only drawback that I see is that they can be pretty heavy. (And they stink a little too)

[@Intellistan]

Removable lights on the bed cover on a battery/switch to quickly provide surrounding light outside for security and/or work, night injuries. Super cool setup man, impressive.

[@Oldtimecarpenter]

That’s a nice job! Funny, I’m doing the same thing with my truck right now. Mine is almost the same as yours except for one side which I want to have it open on top for large items. That way I can stuff bulky items, sleeping bag, fishing rods, etc. Good luck with your build, it’s looking great!!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you Pete! Great idea! I may add some 2” walls to the flat top shelf-give it more containment space. Thanks for watching and writing in!

[@johnschiltz6440]

Looks good, Ethan! Has given me inspiration to do something with my truck. Thanks!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks John! Let us know how it turns out 🙂

[@SuperUncleRyan]

You need LED lighting for your topper. I have one small LED that came with my topper , but I added a whole string of them. It's great to be able to see at night from any angle. Very cheap too.

[@johnVidBozo]

Looks great. You could put a shelf across at the cab end and put the "head of the bed" at the tailgate. This could be a simple shelf that containers could be moved onto every night preserving the rear view while driving or a cabinet spanning both lower cabinets.

[@donostendorf5544]

Looks good. I would have to leave my wife home. That maybe all right.

[@joshuaaustin698]

I have an old A.R.E. camper with frame built into it. The first thing that came to mind was that I can attach things to it. So my plan is to putt a sheet of plywood on the ceiling and than I'm going to follow your buld for the bed of the truck.

[@stannichols4244]

I have done camping build outs for my truck before and always had a problem with water coming in around the sides of the tailgate. The wood would mold. I needed to put some kind of protective top coat on it.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Same thing has happened to me too Stan. I did the raised floor on treated ribs to give a good air gap down there, and I’ll probably poly seal soon. Should help a little.

[@SuperUncleRyan]

@@TheHonestCarpenter You can get a gasket for the sides of the tailgate of the Tacoma.

[@Fabianaraujo23]

Love your Tacoma related videos Ethan! I have a 2011 access cab I use for work, school, and recreational purposes and your storage creations are perfect for my lifestyle as well! Thinking about doing your back seat storage conversion for the drivers side only. That way I can still transport 2 passengers and myself! Keep up with the awesome videos, love the channel!

[@jeremyruss2407]

Great work, Im definitely going to incorporate some of this in my truck bed , going to be a hybrid between tools /camping , I'll try to put a video on it once I get it done . Thanks for the ideas

[@garygardner8785]

More fun cool stuff. Home depot here I come. Thanks again for posting these great videos

[@Briburger]

Good design; I've procrastinated long enough; hopefully, my build turns out as well!

[@caskwith]

Looks great. I would love to setup a simple vehicle camping setup like that but being 6'4 makes it really awkward to sort a bed in the smaller cars we have in the UK. Probably going to do a self build camper van at some point so the missus will come with me then as well.

[@peso1396]

just found this. Love the idea. Can you talk a bit about how the build is secured to the bed itself?

[@thomaslenox3071]

I wished I had known how to do this 30 years ago, this is a really good set up. Thanks for the info.

[@katieurban1320]

Hi, we have a Tacoma and I am trying to figure out how to build out the back. I really like what you did here. One thing that I feel like I would want to do differently is regarding the thin board that you have that slides out to cover the bed mattress.... I feel like it would be really awesome if that was thicker wood and could go on top, level with the shelves and other compartments to take the bed up higher if you have more stuff that needs to be under the bed at a given time. We are a family of four and sometimes we have tons of gear and there may be times when two people want to sleep on top and so having the board slide out and create a higher bed would be convenient. I realize that would make the bookshelves inaccessible but I would like the flexibility of that I think. I really like how you have the water jug on the side and I would maybe want to leave space for our canyon cooler on the other side. I wish I had your skills!

[@FlowStateTrend]

Awesome build out. I can see you end up putting things on the top left area where there is no lip. Was there a reason for it, perhaps because you wanted it level? What about drilling holes in the corners of the top shelf and putting in removable plugs/screws so you can wrap around it for a make shift “lip”. This will keep all the items you put on top in place.

[@Wiskys]

Perfect video for what we were looking for.

[@Mike-ql4sz]

Well, that's a great idea! Congrats, thx 4 sharing and drive safe!

[@dominica2765]

Nice short sweet and to the simple

[@robinlatta9619]

Raised sleeping platform, only thing I'd modify.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

I considered it Robin...but I get claustrophobic that close to the ceiling! 😂

[@jonathanbanuelos6811]

Perfect setup for one person love the video

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks Jonathan!

[@jaypowell0185]

As always very nice work

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you Jay! I appreciate you watching.

[@falkenvir]

Would be better if you put the water jug position a little higher and deeper, so you can access water without opening the tail gate. But it's already on the great idea as it's quickly accessible

[@andreabrunkow9314]

Really cool!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks Andrea!

[@JuanMartinez-lp1bd]

You are living my dream!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks Juan! I didn’t see this coming as a career, but it’s been a pretty fun ride so far. Looking forward to when we can all travel more freely. 😅 Thanks for watching!

[@seaglass6771]

Beautiful work!! ❤️🤙🏾. I like that you have yr bed down low so u can sit up. I was thinking of putting a platform for the bed over the wheel well, but I would lose vertical body space. Are you planning to add a battery/inverter system?

[@polarisslingshot2320]

wow i want your bed setup

[@hashbrownsforhamster]

Awesome setup, Ethan. Do you have power running to the bed for device charging, reading lights, etc.?

[@Will-Parr]

Excellent

[@stevegrant8976]

NICE setup and build! Is the floor or cabinets attached to truck floor bed or bed rails? Thanks for your response, much appreciated

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you Steve! No, it just floats. But it’s heavy enough to lie flat, and it’s trapped by the wheel wells 🙂

[@streetrulz2863]

Great video thank you

[@ironwood1621]

Great idea. 1 thought though. Why didn’t you build the shelves around the containers? Or did you?

[@rubenfelan7712]

New to your channel, thanks for sharing. Great design.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you, Ruben!

[@johnbell1012]

Come to Jasper/Tate GA!

[@jerryfortenberry1956]

Concerning the section on the passenger side...how did you secure it to the pickup ???

[@Tikibird]

I think it's abit overbuilt and heavy, it looks like you used 3/4" ply but since it's not really holding any weight you could have gone 1/4" and saved alot of weight

[@a.rod876]

Awesome setup bro how.much so u can do.mine.lol

[@brad179]

With what you said about mobile team-ups - any chance of doing some sort of classes while you're on the move?

[@paulmfti]

Very cool layout...just curious where would you put a fridge or cooler...in the cab?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks Paul! Cooler is in the cab, in the second level compartment behind the driver seat.

[@TandLAdventuresYT]

I'm looking to do something in my truck but I want to mount the base plate to the truck bed to make sure it's secure when bouncing around on trails. Did you mount your base plywood to the truck bed?

[@OH-qp1fk]

Awesome

[@jackmeoff6667]

What're the clamps called you have holding the camper shell on your bed? I see the bolt heads but I am curious as to what the name is of the clamps that the bolts are threaded into.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

I'm not sure what they call those things, Jack. Leonard installed them. They're aluminum I think, and they slide into that track on Tacoma beds. Try calling your local cap-installer if the internet doesn't turn them up. They'll know.

[@davidfuller764]

I’ve seen many conversions, this is best for me, thanks (i’m already Sub’d & Bell’d

[@keithcronk7980]

IT LOOKS GREAT I WOULD SUGGEST A HORSE STALL MAT FER YOU AS A BASE SLEEPING MAT MIGHT WANT TO CK IT OUT SIR. BTW HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you Keith! Very helpful suggestion. I looked at some upholstery foam, but nothing was rigid enough. I’ll check your idea next. Happy Father’s Day!

[@keithcronk7980]

@@TheHonestCarpenter 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🏗🏗🏗GOT TO GET BACK TO WK HANGING RED IRON.BROTHER

[@QuantumPyrite_88.9]

@Keith Cronk - Horse stall mat is a Seriously Great idea . Great insulation , bomb proof and can be used on frozen ground if needed .

[@SuperUncleRyan]

@@TheHonestCarpenter at Tractor Supply Company.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

@@TheHonestCarpenter Probably already thought of this but those puzzle mats and folding panel mats I would think would be between the upholstery foam and horse mats in rigidity and softness. If it's cooler out (which it's getting now here in SC), memory foam on top of that will keep you warmer.

[@kbenk108]

Mosquito net cut-outs over the windows attached with velcro

[@jerrycampbell9376]

Interior lighting?

[@美国农场E2留学移民就]

Great job!Can you please help me build one?I can pay good , Thanks, shan

[@dant3113]

Show us how to do it bro

[@davidfuller764]

Beginning at 5:00 answer to your four questions yes, yes, no, and not yet

[@davidfuller764]

Interested I am

[@Roy_Tellason]

34" wide you said? Nope, that ain't gonna work for the two of us...

[@c.thompson9771]

SportTrac shortbed.. . sigh .

[@puryeareaker7975]

I recommend Woodprix to every beginner and not only.

[@iuliua]

Your name suggests that all other (or the vast majority) carpenters are dishonest lol

[@surviveplusbushcraft5650]

You are completely too organized..lol