Sleeping in a Tacoma '03 shortbed?

1/4" plywood is cheap.

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

You bought the wrong air mattress. Or, yours was underinflated. Or, you're too hefty for an air mattress. I've been using a Coleman for years while camping, often on some really ugly ground full of tree roots and stones. It's fine. If your body size is vastly different from the people in the picture on the box, your mileage may vary.

The people in the picture on the box are only six inches tall.

I've never used my air mattress in the bed of my Tacoma but I'll agree. It's worth spending the money to get a decent air mattress - it makes a big difference.

-- Mike Harris Austin, TX

What size is it?

Twin? Full?

I have a twin and a queen size. Both good.

Thanks guys. I'll have a look.

-T

I'd be more interested in getting a shell on the truck bed first, preferably fiberglass or steel, but the old style wood and aluminum ones work too.

Sucks when it starts raining on you while camping in the open. Would REALLY suck if the bear wakes you up...

Air mattresses work fine, but you will want to put some sort of insulation underneath it - both as a 2 AM 'Darn, the mat leaks!" backup, and to keep the heat from escaping through the steel truck bed too fast. Foam would be great, but a few layers of carpet would work too. Or you can buy a roll of bonded foam carpet padding for cheap.

-->--

Are they the raised models that are much higher?

Or the standard thickness models?

They're about 8-9 inches thick. The twin size has its own removable AC air pump, which quietly fills up the bed in like 32 seconds.

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 06:17:50 GMT, Bruce L. Bergman found these unused words floating about:

For the long desert trips 'required' by ttrr.org, I built an aluminum square tube frame with a detachable end. Under the frame stores two black footlockers - a recovery kit and tools/parts for the Tacoma. It will also handle two plastic 'bins'. One has food, the other camping stove, etc.

The 'end slides into the frame and rests on the tailgate. Then a custom canvas snaps onto the rim inside the Tacoma and shell and bungees down to the chain loopd on the Class III hitch. Bent thinwall keeps it up at the ends, and a zipper allows easy entry.

As the top is skinned with plywood and carpet (hey, luxury in the desert!), an air mattress/sleeping bag combo works just fine! The tops of the wheel wells provide night time 'shelves' for a drink and ???

JA

Did you put AIR in the air mattress?

I do not sleep on airmatteresses very often, but the few times I have done so were among the best nights of sleeping that I have had outside of my own bed. If you are feeling stuff from under the matteress, then you have failed to fill it sufficiently.

Id sure like to see pictures of that1

Have any to share?

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 12:50:53 -0500, snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net found these unused words floating about:

Have to dig some out and then make a temporary page, unless you know of a newsgroup that permits images?

I'll "K" this email and reply when (some time yet, just moved!) I get to it.

You can post pictures for free at

You can buy 5" foam online from JC Penney for cheap:

Try the 5" xtra firm and add a 2" to 3" memory foam pad on top. Costco has good deals on the memory foam. Use an electric knife to trim.

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 21:53:30 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom" found these unused words floating about:

Thanks, but there are many of those ... most require 'sign-up' and personal information, whereas a -=newsgroup=- doesn't.

Duh. Open a free email account at yahoo or hotmail with fake information (I'm William Gates, for instance), and give that fake info to photobuckets.

Get a couple of hard foam pads for camping that will get rid of the bumps then go to Sears and get a massage mattress with heat, put a spare battery in the back with a power converter. Even in freezing cold weather you will be warm and snug.

I built a flat plywood cover for mine and got a lot of good comments until a high wind ripped it off, now I'm building one from 16 gage steel plate with angle iron support. Park in a safe parking lot get in start sleeping.

Confused

You built a camper top out of plywood?

Or a frame for your mattress out of plywood?