Perhaps you've got a Toyota Tacoma pickup with a cap on the back, and you'd like to sleep in there when camping, but the truck's cargo bed is just too short. Should that be the case, the Topper Tent may be for you.
Designed by Colorado-based camper/entrepreneur Kim Sandefur, the Topper Tent is basically a polyurethane-coated ripstop nylon rainfly that gets attached to the open back end of a cap-equipped 1st-, 2nd- or 3rd-generation Tacoma. The clever part is, it allows the truck's tailgate to be left down, lengthening the sleeping space by over 1 foot (30.5 cm).
It can reportedly be installed in about one minute, utilizing a combination of sewn-in and adhesive hook-and-loop strips to attach to the inside of the cap's top and sides, and three powerful sewn-in magnets to stick to the underside of the tailgate. A couple of adjustable retaining straps are also run beneath the tailgate, to help keep everything in place.
The truck-bed space can then be accessed via a zippered door flap in the Topper Tent – that flap can be rolled up and tied off at the top to keep it out of the way, as needed. It is claimed that the setup ought to work with caps of any height.
Should you be interested, the Topper Tent is presently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. Assuming it reaches production, a pledge of US$150 will get you one – the planned retail price is $180. It's demonstrated in the video below.
And if you drive a Subaru Outback … well, you might want to check out the sort-of-similar but larger Post Up tent.
Sources: Kickstarter, Topper Tent
