Given our family adventures, we needed an easy place to sleep at the trailhead. When you are 5’11”, trying to sleep in a 5’ long truck bed just wasn’t happening. After some brainstorming and careful planning, I set out to solve the space problem by building a custom extending bed/storage system. Along the way I designed in a sliding compartment and made a raft canvas slide out cover to complete the build. Now we can easily camp in style!
Started with a 3/4"plywood frame custom built to the trucks bed.
Framed out the box with the kreg jig tool.
Frame and slider fit nicely in the truck bed and extend over the tailgate.
Starting to add in the top planks that will hold the carpeted top boards.
Ready for some carpet.
Carpet started.
Had a lot of fun gluing and stapling in the carpet.
Extendable bed complete with carpet, Now a 5' bed can be a 6.5' sleeper.
Constructing the sliding drawer.
Fitting up the sliding drawer.
Bed complete!
Another angle of the extender bed.
So much storage!
Building up the PVC frame for the camper cover.
PCV frame installed on the extender bed.
Starting to install the canvas tent material.
Canvas coming along. Had to use a heat iron to weld the seams together.
Tent finished and installed. Everything packs up nicely into the 5' bed without too much assembly.
View from the inside of the camper.