I just went on this very search myself. Landed on the T3 Hub tent from Gazelle. Couldn’t be happier. Sets up in minutes. Super durable. Second room turns into a screened in porch. Tons of pockets. The catch is it’s 550. And is the size of a small man when all put away…
The Gazelle T3 has been my favorite as a solo camper. They larger ones. Setup is quick and so is tear down. The floor or tray is removable for easy cleaning. Been through some pretty nasty storms in it. It always stayed dry. Definitely not a backpacking/hiking tent.
Is there any particular reason for having the tent be in the truck bed at all? I ask because there’s not many advantages to that kind of setup. Most of the utility of truck bed camping comes from having a topper or popup camper mounted on the bed, which requires no setup/takedown. There is the alternate advantage of not having to find a spot for the ground tent, but you still have to level the truck, and the camping locations you described don’t seem restrictive enough to make ground tents unusable.
If you’re already going to be setting up a tent, just get a good ground tent and maybe some cots. This way you don’t have to empty the gear out of your truck bed every time you want to sleep, and you’ll be able to have much more room. I’d personally recommend something like a Gazelle T3 or T4 tent, as the quick popup setup and box design make it a really nice experience.
Also, all this comes from someone who sleeps in their truck bed overlanding, but under a fiberglass topper with a built out bed platform inside. If I didn’t have the topper, I’d stick to my ground tent. Hell, even with the topper, sometimes I prefer to just fill the bed with gear and still use a ground tent.
My absolute favorite tent is an old Kelty dome tent I've had for over 20 years. I also have a kelty 6 wireless that has lots of room, including standing room. It's just a pain to set up by myself. The other tent I use is a gazelle T3. It's smaller than the Kelty 6, has standing room, and it's a breeze to set up. However, it is bulky and takes up a lot of room in my vehicle. All have been great in snow and rain. No leaks at all.
https://preview.redd.it/zzg1zfqnmzyg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daff3511e86f2f5df06803d888b00e6869a13d19
thatstite
