A lot of people love sleeping in the open. However, not many people do that because they do not want to pass for peasants. If you love sleeping in the open without sleeping on the ground, you can make use of a truck bed. With a truck bed, your truck can be made more than just a truck. It can become a great place to sleep outdoors. Although this does not mean a lot to certain people, it means the world to people that really enjoy spending time out of the house.
The truck bed tent has not been available for very long. Due to this, not many people are sure of what to look out for when buying one. If you are trying to get a truck bed tent but are not sure of what features are most desirable, you are not alone. Contained in this article are features to look out for when buying a truck bed tent.
Some of these features are;
Built-in Floor
There are various tent truck bed models. Some come with built-in floors while others lack these features. While to the average person, a tent with a built-in floor is better than one that does not have a built-in floor, the truth is these different types of tents have their pros and cons. So the better tent is dependent on what you want.
Tents with built-in floors are able to better keep you protected from the elements. Also, they offer a great deal of comfort. However, to make use of them, the floor in your truck has to be completely cleared. If you are not ready to do this, you will need to make use of a tent that does not come with built-in floors.
Strapping
Strapping is important as it will help the tent stay in place when the wind blows. Various truck bed tents make use of straps in various ways. So, to ensure that you purchase a truck bed tent that is properly secured, you will have to be on the lookout for the position of all the straps that it comes with. Furthermore, you have to be on the lookout for strapping which is padded with softer materials so the truck’s body can stay protected.
Materials
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More often than not, plastic is the material that is used in making tents. When used, the exact material which a lot of plastic tents are made from is polyester. Before being used to make tents, polyester is treated to make it better at keeping water off. Apart from the use of polyester in making tents, the canvas is also used. Although polyester is good when used to make tents, canvas is of higher quality. With the use of canvas, the tent is able to breathe. This way, issues of condensation and other issues associated with poor ventilation can be solved easily. It addition to solving issues of ventilation, tents made from canvas are good for cold nights as they have the ability to hold heat. Although arguably the best material for making tents, the canvas is quite pricey and this makes a lot of people to opt for polyester.
Ventilation Points
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When purchasing a truck bed tent, the place of proper ventilation cannot be overemphasized. Ventilation can either come in the form of air vents, windows, or a blend of the two. In the absence of proper ventilation, any time spent in your truck bed tent can be likened to time spent in a plastic bag. You do not need to try this to be certain that it is very uncomfortable.
Size
You cannot get a tent that is beyond the capacity of your truck. While the length and the width of your tent should not exceed the length and the width of your truck, the height of a tent is not limited to your truck. It is dependent on the design of the tent. Just like expected, smaller tents will make less room available and will definitely limit the number of people that can pass time in the tent comfortably. If you need a tent that will not feel claustrophobic, you might want to spend money on getting a tent that has a high design.
How easily it can be installed
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There are no hard and fast rules for the installation of truck bed tents. As a matter of fact, all that the average person needs to install a truck bed tent properly is between 10-30 minutes. While the exact time varies for lots of tents. The time spent is dependent on the design of the tent, the weather during installation, and the size of the tent. While the design and size of the tent can be constant, the weather varies a lot and this makes it difficult to install a tent when the day is very windy.
Beyond the size, design and the weather, other factors can influence how well and how rapidly your tent can be installed. If you want to ensure that your installation is very rapid, you will need to make use of tents that come with pole tips that are color-coded. The reason for this is such pole tips make it a lot easy to install tents in the shortest time possible.
Poles
There are various materials used in making the poles of truck bed tents. Some of these materials are aluminum and fiberglass. While aluminum and fiberglass are both good, they bring different features to the table. When the pole of a tent is made from aluminum, it can provide the level of strength that is needed to cope in windy days and in winter. However, when the pole is made from fiberglass, it might not be able to survive on windy days and in hardcore winter. In addition to the use of aluminum and fiberglass in making tent poles, there are some tent poles that are made from steel. When tent poles are made from steel, they offer a lot of strength and stability. They, however, are usually heavy.
Beyond the size, design and the weather, other factors can influence how well and how rapidly your tent can be installed. If you want to ensure that your installation is very rapid, you will need to make use of tents that come with pole tips that are color-coded. The reason for this is such pole tips make it a lot easy to install tents in the shortest time possible.
