Kodiak Canvas Truck Bed Tent

This is a fantastic tent, and I don't believe there are any other truck tents that can match the strength and durability of a canvas tent. After spending a career in the military and spending a lot of time in tents, including living in a canvas tent for up to a year at a time, I am a firm believer in canvas. Military tents are obviously heavier, but canvas tents last longer and are more structurally sound. Please allow me to explain the setup. I agree with many of the reviews that point out how difficult it is to put up the tent with just one person. I'm a hunter, fisherman, and RV enthusiast. I'm retired, and I bought this tent to use primarily in the late fall and winter months in Maryland, when the weather permits, for one or two overnighters while hunting or fishing. During the summer and early fall, my spouse enjoys RVing and fishing, and during the winter months, I am alone. As a result, the ability to erect the tent without assistance is required. I've now set up the tent six times on my own. I must admit that the first four times were extremely difficult because as soon as I got the poles mounted on top of the hooks or pins on the rail and then attempted to place the tent across them, they began to fall over, making it a complete nightmare. It took me about an hour and a half the first time, and at least an hour each of the following three times. Without a second pair of hands, aligning and stabilizing the tent on the poles was a real pain. So I agree with the many reviews that say it's difficult for one person to set up, not that it can't be done, but that it's difficult and time-consuming; I've now solved this fundamental problem with the setup, and for the fifth and sixth times, I was able to set up the tent completely in just over 20 minutes without rushing. I believe the issue for one person is stabilizing the primary three rail poles across the truck for the tent, so I decided to use two pressure treated 2x4s and drill three 1/2" diameter holes in each 2x4 to allow the poles to be inserted. For added stability, I ran a 1 1/2" PVC pipe through each of the treated 2x4"s. I drilled a 3/4" hole in the PVC pipe that corresponded to the 1/2" hole in the 2x4 Because the pole begins to curve as it rises and crosses the truck bed, the hole in the PVC becomes larger. This creates a very rigid structure on which you can simply drape the tent across without fear of the poles falling over or becoming loose, scratching the truck finish or tearing the canvas. I simply place the tent across the three primary poles, align it, get out of the truck bed, raise the tailgate, insert the tent around the tailgate, install the truck cab canopy rail, install the tailgate canopy rail across the tailgate, tighten the straps around the truck, and I'm done. Because the primary poles have been stabilized, this works well and is simple to set up. This is simple to set up in low light conditions, such as those encountered late at night when returning from a day of fishing, hunting, or other activities. In the end, it only takes one person and is completely painless. As you can see in the photos, I used a metal rail bolted to the top of the 2x4 because I had one and it saved me from having to dent the 2x4. However, this isn't required. The only problem is that each set up would leave a lot of dents in the 2x4. Putting up the C- This is prevented by the use of clamps on the metal surface. I forgot to say that the C- was replaced. Clamps were upgraded from the tent's original clamps to larger 3" clamps, which were required due to the 2x4 rails. A few words on the weather. We had rain and intermittent rain for two weeks in late December in Maryland, so when I put the tent up for the sixth time, it stayed up for two days in the rain. It is not prone to leaking. I'm blown away by the quality, and the long bed truck gives you the equivalent of ten feet of space, which is more than enough for at least two people. Finally, the new modified railing is still one piece because the 2x4, PVC pipe, and metal rail are all bolted together and ready to use at all times. There are probably other ways to make it a one-person setup, but this method works well and simplifies the process. The tent fabric appears to be very strong and well stitched for pulling around the poles and, in particular, for the cab and tailgate canopies. I'm blown away.

Marcos Barnett

| Jan 01, 2021

First and foremost, This will be installed on a 2014 Dodge 1500 with the 6'4" box. br>Because I have a four-section folding bed cover, I had to devise my own system for mounting the rails. The rails are painted and permanently mounted in my case. br>br>Day 1 review (additional review comments at the bottom): On the day it arrived, my wife and I spent some time putting it up. It's not as simple as we had hoped, but after a few more practice runs, I'll be able to do it on my own. br>br>After a lot of fiddling and following the directions as closely as anyone could, we were able to get it set up- We discovered a few things on the way: br>br>Tip 1: DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE STRAINS (Step 2- 3) Continue until all of the bows are in place. We tried it, and it caused us more grief than it saved us. The front bow was pulled towards the front and the front straps were set once the bows were in place. The back straps are then added. easy- peasy. br>br>Tip 2: If you are looking for a unique way to express yourself, try using the words "innovative" and Step 3: Insert the front and back awning bows into the sleeves. 2), but DO NOT thread the ends of the bows through the grommets until the rest of the bows are in place. This wasn't obvious until the third step of the instructions (Step 3-). It reminds me of the MASH episode where Hawkeye and Trapper are attempting to defuse a bomb: The green wire must be cut first. Tip 3: Cut the red wire after you've cut the red wire. br>br>Tip 4: Cut the red wire after you've cut the red wire. br>b (Steps 3) Lean the bow that is furthest forward onto the pins. Roll the door back and secure it by unzipping it and rolling it back. Slide the tent's back end over the back of the truck. Then pull the canvas forward and over the front of the bed. most bow. Now crawl back to the open door and close it. The front bow can be popped up and secured with the internal straps. The other two bows are relatively painless once the front one is up. br>br>All right, it appears that the quality is excellent. It has a nice design. I wish the height was just a few inches higher- The canvas appears to be large enough, but the bows appear to be too small. The tent isn't tall enough for me, and I'm not quite 6 feet tall. br>br>I also wish the front wall was slightly more vertical and closer to the back window. I followed the directions and placed the rails about 9 inches from the bed's end. It appears that this is effective. This also means that the front wall cannot be adjusted to sit closer to the back of the cab- In case you were curious, here's the scoop. It has a lamp hook in the ceiling's center, which is convenient. br>br>The tent door has a low lip. Because the tailgate is so flat, tailgate steps will probably suffice- The bottom of the door, however, will not zip. br>br>The tent fits in the canvas bag (which is made of the same material as the tent), but only just, if you fold it in thirds lengthwise and roll it up. The poles are stored in their own bag, which is made of a thick fiber reinforced nylon. The steel poles would probably wear out the canvas bag, so this is probably a good decision. I think it's fine that there are two bags; everything could fit in one large bag. It would, however, be a little cumbersome. br>br>Update for the second day: br>br>I used 3/4-inch PVC and 3/4-inch oak dowel to make 6-inch extensions. br>Cut the PVC and dowel into 10 inch and 6 inch lengths, respectively. br>For the bow pins, drill a hole in the middle of the dowel's end. br>Wet the dowels, then coat them in Gorilla glue before sliding them into the PVC until the ends are flush. The gap between the inside diameter of the PVC and the outside diameter of the dowel will be filled by Gorilla glue's foaming expanding nature, which will cement the dowels in place. br>br>The bows socket securely into the PVC and raise the ceiling height nicely. br>In order to install the bows, I first put the extensions on the pins, then the bows into the extensions. I found that using the extensions made it easier to set up. The extensions are of a Fisher-Price proportion. rather than fiddling with getting that tiny pin into the hole at the bow's end- all while fidgeting beneath the canvas br>br>Now that I've done it a few times, I'd like to share what I've learned. I can do it in about 10 minutes by myself, so don't be discouraged by your first attempt. br>br>I've configured mine so that my folding bed cover doubles as a sleeping platform- I'm just under 6 feet tall and can lay crosswise on top of the bed cover, as I previously stated. My wife and I are both able to fit in there. She is, however, very petite. We can also set up the tent with the bed cover completely closed (meaning the bed is completely covered) our queen-size bed. This way, we can use a full-size air mattress and sleeping bag, and all of our belongings can be stored beneath us.

Liberty Donovan

| Mar 16, 2021