I have a truck tent.... Very similar to the one your looking at. I bough it back on 02 or so. It's when they first came out.
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/prod...T.z_btnclk=YMAL-1191401&WT.z_pg_ref=prd715626
I have this one, but awning is a bit different on mine (older model). It does not puff up like that one and the poles go to the ground and are tied and staked for stability.
I spent a week in it at an event. It rained ever day. I was dry. The camp I was with had a large aluminum framed tent covered with a tarp. It was nice as the one I have has a awning that comes out and had two poles that support it for shade and keeping dry getting in and out. I used a bungee cord to hold that up the aluminum frame. Nice and try. I have also used this set up for over night races and such. I sometimes would rather have some AC and a shower, but also hate paying over 100 to sleep for a single night. I really raises the cost of a weekend of racing.
For regular camping I don't use the awning and its a little bit of a pain and I suspect is the reason for the resign like the one I linked.
- A full size mattress will fit between the wheel wells nicely. Don't shell out for the expensive one that has the well cutouts.A single cot will work in the center. If you can find a cot that does not have a center support you could use one on each side, but they are costly
- You will need a way to get in a out of the tail gate easy. I used a plastic double step stool, but saw a nice platform that I will be switching to soon. (also use this for loading and unloading the bikes)
- It kinda sucks that you have to unload your whole truck bed to camp. Your truck is stuck there so if you need supplies you will have to break down the tent.
- A good sleeping bag. The wind under the cold metal bead is cold.
It's nice your off the ground, but the air mattress does not add a ton on insulation. I have a slumber jack mummy bag (I need a wedge so I can make the shoulders a little wider )
- Its kind of hard to stand up as its not super tall and your standing on your air mattress. Easier to get dressed laying down then get out of the tent to put on socks and shoes
- Easy to set up. Mine takes about 10 to 15 minutes if I don't rush. I ditched the bag it came in (to hard to fold up and pack. I store it in a large bin I purchased at Walmart. I laminated the instructions to the underside of the lid. It stores nicely under the tailgate when the tent is deployed.
- Learn to pack efficiently for camping. Fitting the bike, motorcycle gear, and bins with supplies for camping is tight. I can fit two dirt bikes, gear, and camping stuff for a overnight stay, but things are stacked and tied down. If you push the bikes to the outside of the bed you have a lot of room between them for bins and gear bags.
The biggest downsides for me are the being stuck at camp (not a bad deal if you bike is street legal) and that you can't stand up easily inside the tent. I seem to remember seeing one that had a 6ft. height that easier to stand. They also had expensive cot that allowed for wheel well so you could stand in the center. That was a while back. I went with the one I did because it was way less.
These looked pretty interesting for two.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-XL-Outfitter-Bunk-Bed-by-Disc-O-Bed/2373451.uts?slotId=1
With room to stand in the center.
Also: The only issue I have with mine is one of the cinches broke (plastic type). I need to replace it, but its sewn in and I have not used the tent in a while. Need to pull it out and set up and get some fishing line to stitch a new one in. Good quality.