Last Updated on June 12, 2023 by Paul S.
All trucks are the best trucks to sleep in if you are folding down the tailgate and sleeping in the bed of the truck.
Now if you are planning to sleep inside the cab that can be a different story! Since 2010 all of our automobiles have been on some growth hormone that has accelerated their sizes. Long gone are the days of the small pickup truck. They even brought back the Ford Ranger! My dad drove one of those and it was like driving in a sardine can but it was very okay on gas mileage compared to the giant trucks of today. But now even that has been oversized!
So if you are sleeping in a gigantic truck then if you are sleeping in the cab then that should be easy breezy! It is definitely not going to be like sleeping back at home, but there are some fantastic products out there that can help you catch better Zs.
In this article, we will highlight some of the best trucks out there that can help you catch some sleep on the trail or on the road without needing an expensive rack and rooftop tent.
Table of Contents
Best Full sized Pickup Truck to Sleep In
Toyota Tundra
The Tundra is Toyota’s largest truck it has in its collection of reliable vehicles. You can also get this truck trail ready by looking out for the off-road and TRD Pro trims. But in terms of sleeping in the cab let’s check out the dimensions.
You can get the Tundra in a Double cab vs Crew Max. These two options give you either more room in the bed of the truck or more room in the cab. If you are trying to sleep in the cab then the Crew Max is the way to go. Here are some dimensions of Toyota’s latest double cab vs the Crew Max:
| Toyota Tundra | ||
|---|---|---|
| Double Cab (inches) | CrewMax (inches) | |
| Headroom | 38.5 | 38.5 |
| Hip room | 60.5 | 60.5 |
| Legroom | 33.3 | 41.6 |
| Shoulder room | 63.4 | 62.4 |
So really the only significant change is the rear legroom and that is only 8.3 inches. So since it is legroom and you are simply laying on the back seat (not the best but works in a pinch) you will have some added room to put your stuff and rotate around while trying to sleep.
We would probably not say that it’s worth it for the CrewMax because you can just push the seats forward in the double cab to gain some additional room.
There are some great products that can help you get a better night’s sleep than just sleeping on the back bench.
If this makes you rethink not sleeping in the bed of the truck here are the dimensions of the bed with the specific trims. Again the bed is your best bet because there are so many different types of mattresses you can throw back there. The only issue is the weather and bugs!
Let’s check out some other full-size trucks and see what their dimensions are to see if we can find a winner!
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss
We chose to cover the Silverado Trail Boss out of the many Silverado lines because of its trail readiness!
If you’re just getting into trucks the trail boss anime made a small debut around 2016 and then came back with a vengeance in 2019 and has been a mainstay on many different trims in the Chevy truck lineup.
But we are here to see what the sleeping dimensions are of the back bench. Let’s check them out!
| Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss | |
|---|---|
| Double Cab (inches) | |
| Headroom | 40.12 |
| Hip room | 60.24 |
| Legroom | 43.40 |
| Shoulder room | 65.16 |
So these dimensions of the trail boss provide a much larger sleeping experience in the second row. The biggest dimension that sticks out to me is the hip room. That is the room that allows you to stretch out on the bench to catch some zs. But to put it in perspective it is still only 5’. So for your big guys sleeping in the cab is still out of the question! But, maybe a nap?????
Ford F-150 Raptor
Another American truck staple is the Ford F-150. This truck has been around forever it seems like.
Like the Trail Boss that is ready to hit the trail out of the box, we had a quick peak into the Raptor because this thing can tear up the trails!
| Ford F-150 Raptro | |
|---|---|
| Double Cab (inches) | |
| Headroom | 40.3 |
| Hip room | 62.6 |
| Legroom | 33.5 |
| Shoulder room | 65.8 |
Again the hip room which I am equating to the room you have to lay down in the second row gives you an extra 2+ inches. Not much but when you are trying to sleep it could help!
So the Raptor checks in as the longest space to lay down with the most room. With the hefty price tag of the Raptor, I’m sure anyone that is able to afford it will most likely be sleeping up top in a rooftop tent or even checking into a Marriott. They are expensive!!
Best Mid Sized Pickup Truck to Sleep In
After looking at the full-sized pick-ups and their dimensions in the back row is there a reason to even look at the mid-sized pickup trucks?
We decided to go ahead and do one just for a good comparison of them for a full understanding.
Chevy Colorado
For our comparison vehicle, we decided to check out the Chevy Colorado. A very fun and capable mid-sized truck that can romp the backlands even better than the big boys because it is smaller and more nimble than the trucks mentioned above.
But!!!! Because this truck is a killer on the trail that means the dimensions are going to be smaller. So let’s check them out:
| Chevy Colorado | |
|---|---|
| Double Cab (inches) | |
| Headroom | 38.3 |
| Hip room | 53.1 |
| Legroom | 34.7 |
| Shoulder room | 56.3 |
So you can see that a mid-sized truck is definitely smaller in the cab. Not an issue for your daily use and ripping up the trail but if you want to go to sleep in the back row it might not be the best truck for that. Again there are things you can do to modify this but again we are looking at straight dimensions for this article.
So it loses about 7 inches to the smallest full-sized (Silverado) truck’s hip room. So in total the Colorado has 4 feet and 4+ inches of availability to stretch out!!! Not much!
So if sleeping in the back of a mid-sized truck is going to be your thing then you need to look at a full-sized truck!
Basic Tips for Sleeping in the Cab of a Truck
Here are some basic tips to make sleeping in the cab a bit better. Nothing is going to replicate a tent but sometimes you got to do what you gotta do.
- Push the seats of the front driver and the passenger seats all the way up. This gives you some more space to stretch out. You can even fold them down a bit.
- If you have some luggage place them on the floor in between the second row and front row. This will give you some space to rest your arms or legs to give you a bit more room. This all depends on the height of your luggage but trust me this can make it a bit more comfortable.
- If the weather permits crack the windows a bit. It will get stuffy in there if you don’t.
- Lock your doors if you are in a public area and maybe even if you are out in the wild.
It’s going to be a tough night but hopefully, you can catch a couple of winks to get you right for the next day!
If sleeping in a truck ain’t your thing check out our articles on best SUV to sleep in and how to sleep comfortably in an SUV!
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