Best Truck Bed Tent: Napier Sportz for Most, and When to Skip One

A truck bed tent is worth it for one kind of trip: you drive in, park, and the truck stays there for a night or three. You sleep in the bed, above the rocks, mud and runoff that soak a ground tent, and you spend far less than a camper shell, a Softopper or a rooftop tent costs. The catch is the truck itself. Napier says never drive with the tent attached, and Kodiak says never drive with the tent up or the mounting rails on, so a run to the store or the trailhead means striking camp first.

That catch is the usual reason owners move on: those who camp often tend to graduate to a topper, a Softopper or a rooftop tent. If you change campsites every day, we'd start there or with a good ground tent. If your trips stay put, a bed tent is worth it. Decide on a floor before you decide on a brand.

We've reviewed the Kodiak Canvas Truck Tent and Napier's two current bed tents, the Backroadz and the Sportz, on their own pages, and the picks here follow those verdicts. Every fit we call confirmed is one we matched to a listing and to the maker's own size range.

Three tents, two designs

Our picks split on the floor. Both Napiers are polyester dome tents with a bathtub floor, pitched in an empty bed; the Kodiak is canvas on a steel frame with no floor at all. Here's how they line up on the makers' pages:

We'd buy the Sportz for most trips. Over the Backroadz it adds the awning over the doorway, a panel that opens toward the cab, ceiling vents and 7 in more height at the peak, enough to sit up straight on a folding mattress. The Backroadz is the same basic shelter with the same floor and rainfly, for less money and fewer poles to break. The Kodiak is the tougher tent: owners have had it out in hail, sleet, snow and downpours and woke up dry. It costs far more than either Napier, and the truck still stays parked.

Floor or floorless

Settle this first, because it decides what your bed can hold while you sleep. A floor is a coated bathtub that keeps you dry whatever the bed floor does. Floorless means the tent drapes over the bed rails and the tailgate, and the bed is your floor.

• Pick a floor if: rain runs across your bed floor, the bed is dirty or sandy, or bugs worry you most. A floor keeps out the water that runs across a bed floor, the mud and most bugs, which a floorless tent can't promise. The price is an empty, clean bed every night, and boards or a platform under a floored tent can rip the floor.
• Pick floorless if: the bed carries a sleeping platform, drawers or a bed mat, or you'd rather not cover track-mounted accessories and bed lights. The Kodiak drapes over a loaded bed, so gear under a platform stays put and the unloading step goes away. The cost is gaps: bugs and blowing grit can get in around the tailgate and the bed edges, and the seal depends on how well you strap it down.

For a first bed tent, we'd take the floor. For a base camp built around a platform or drawers, floorless wins, and the Kodiak is the floorless tent we'd buy. The Rightline was the cheapest floorless option, but Rightline Gear's own site now sends you to Klymit's store, which doesn't list the truck tent, and the Amazon listings come from third-party sellers. We'd only buy one from a seller you trust and wouldn't count on warranty support.

Which size fits your truck

Both makers sell by bed length, not model year. Napier sizes both lines by bed range and asks you to measure the bed with the tailgate closed. Kodiak lists each model for a bed length measured with the tailgate up and asks you to email or call about sizing before you order. Here's every bed we matched to a listing and to the maker's own range; the rows under each pick carry the listings.

The Silverado and Sierra 1500 (T1XX) is the awkward one for Napier. Our catalog lists its beds at 5 ft 10 in, 6 ft 7 in (79.4 in) and 8 ft 2 in (98.2 in), and each falls just outside a Napier range, so we haven't confirmed any of them; measure yours and ask Napier before ordering. The Kodiak 7206 is listed for 5.5 to 6.8 ft beds, which covers the T1XX short and standard beds. Our catalog lists the F-150 and T1XX long beds at 8 ft 2 in, and Kodiak's 7218 says 8 ft only, so we haven't marked a long bed confirmed.

The 2024 and later Ranger is a judgment call: catalogs list its bed at anywhere from 4 ft 10 in to about 5 ft 1 in, right at the 5 ft minimum of Napier's compact short size and of the Kodiak 7211. Measure it Napier's way, with the tailgate closed, and Kodiak's way, inside with the tailgate up, before you order. On Amazon, the compact regular Sportz listing contradicts itself, calling the tent a Compact Short Bed model and a fit for 6 ft to 6 ft 3 in beds in one title, while Napier lists that tent for 6 ft to 6 ft 2 in. On a 6 ft Tacoma bed we'd buy the Backroadz 19044, or confirm the Sportz with Napier first.

The Maverick's 4 ft 6 in bed is shorter than Napier's smallest size, and Kodiak doesn't list it. Napier's answer is the Ford Maverick Truck Tent, a separate design that Napier says is made exclusively for the Maverick and sold through Ford dealers. It has no floor, so the under-bed storage, bed lights and power outlet stay usable. We haven't reviewed it.

On the Kodiak, the rail clamps are the part that varies most by truck. The four C-clamps in the box are too small for many bed rails, Tacoma track rails above all, so budget for bigger clamps or track clamps. Neither maker's pages address RamBox beds or the GM MultiPro and Ram multifunction tailgates, and both tents work off the lowered tailgate, so try a split or multifunction gate in the driveway before a trip.

Rain, cold and the safety rules

In rain, both designs keep owners dry. Napier rates both lines for spring, summer and fall, and its instructions say not to install the tent below 32°F or when the truck is wet, because it may cause damage. Kodiak calls its tent all-season but says it is not designed for heavy snow accumulations, so clear snow off it periodically, as Kodiak suggests, and don't leave it standing under a heavy dump.

New tents can let a little water in. On a Napier, the rainfly doesn't come all the way down at the front, and one Sportz owner saw seepage there until a waterproofing spray fixed it; Napier suggests seam sealer for extra protection. Kodiak's FAQ admits a new tent occasionally leaks, and says a silicone-based treatment on the spot fixes it. Pitch either one in the driveway before the first trip, and wet the Kodiak down once so the canvas shrinks around the needle holes, as Kodiak advises.

Condensation is the wet you're more likely to wake up to. With the fly on, a Napier's windows are covered and the tent gets stuffy on a warm night and wet on a cold one, so unbuckle part of the fly and fold it back until rain looks likely. In the Kodiak, crack a window or two, even when it's cold, as Kodiak's FAQ says. Cold comes from below: a steel bed pulls heat out of you all night, so the pad under you matters more than the tent. Foam, an insulated mat or a platform does far more than a bare air mattress.

Don't fix the cold with the truck or a heater. Napier's instructions say never to run the vehicle engine while the tent is attached and not to use a gas heater in the tent, warning that carbon monoxide is dangerous, and to keep the tent ventilated at all times. Kodiak's manual and safety page say never to use a heater, stove or lantern inside the tent and warn that carbon monoxide poisoning and serious burns are possible, and the manual says never to assemble or use the tent while the engine is running. Dress for the night instead.

One more rule: a tonneau cover is a lid for cargo, not a roof. Never sleep under a closed cover. BAK's Revolver sheet says that cover has no release from inside and warns never to let anyone be in the bed with the cover closed. Treat every cover that way.

Setup and living with a parked camp

Every bed tent asks the same things of you each trip, and the three compare like this:

• Setup time: Napier estimates about 15 minutes the first time and 10 after; owners report closer to 30 minutes the first time and 10 to 20 once they have the routine. Kodiak publishes no setup time; with a Kodiak, expect an hour to 90 minutes the first time and 10 to 30 minutes once you have the routine.
• Poles and frame: the Napiers' shock-corded fiberglass poles break more than anything else on these tents, often in the first few uses. Leave the pole clips off until every pole is seated, run the tailgate pole outside the tailgate wires, and keep the receipt: Napier's 1-year warranty covers poles that break in normal use, and Napier sells replacement poles by tent model. The Kodiak's frame is 3/4 in steel tube.
• The bed: a Napier needs a clear, clean bed every night. A Kodiak goes over a platform with sliders or drawers underneath, so the bed doesn't need emptying.
• Leaving camp: never with either tent up. Strike a Napier before you drive, and take a Kodiak down fully, rails and clamps included.
• Covers and caps: Napier says its tents go over a roll-up tonneau cover if the rolled cover sits less than 6 in high, and that a cap or camper shell rules a bed tent out. A Kodiak can go over some tonneau covers; measure with the cover installed before you count on it.
• Paint and storage: a Napier's straps rub paint in wind, so pad them, and pad any spot where a Kodiak strap rubs paint. Canvas has to be completely dry before it goes in the bag: Kodiak says storing it wet or damp, even briefly, will ruin it and voids the warranty. Napier's instructions say to clean and dry the tent before it goes back in the bag.
• Getting in: the door on all three is over the lowered tailgate, a tall step at night. Bring a step stool if your tailgate has no step.

Bed tent, ground tent, topper or rooftop tent

If you're still deciding whether to sleep in the bed at all, this is how we'd sort it. We haven't reviewed a camper shell, a Softopper or a rooftop tent, so we name no brand and no price for them:

A bed tent's wins are getting off the ground and paying the least of the off-the-ground options. A camper shell, a Softopper or a rooftop tent solves the parked-truck problem for a lot more money, and every one lets the truck leave camp with your bed set up. A ground tent gives up the height and leaves the truck free. We'd buy a bed tent for the first two rows and point everyone else to the last three.

If a shell is on your list anyway, our tonneau cover vs camper shell guide covers what a shell does for the bed the rest of the week.

Which tent goes in your bed

Buy the Napier Sportz if you'll camp from a parked truck a few weekends a year and one fits your bed: the 57890 for the F-150, Ram 1500 and Tundra short beds in our table, the 57066 for Tacoma, Colorado and Canyon short beds. Buy the Backroadz to find out for less whether bed camping suits you, to carry the lightest bag, or for a 6 ft Tacoma bed, where it's the Napier we could confirm.

Buy the Kodiak for a base camp that stays put for days, over a platform or drawers, or for a T1XX short or standard bed, where no Napier size is confirmed. Order the right clamps for your rails with it. Skip all three if your camp moves every day or the truck has to leave camp for errands: that trip wants a ground tent, a topper or a rooftop tent. On a Maverick, the bed is shorter than either maker's smallest size; Napier's Ford Maverick Truck Tent is the one made for it, and we haven't reviewed it.