cars news 10: Happy Glampers: Custom Bed Tent Now Available for Honda Ridgeline

At the risk of suggesting it’s as ugly as a Pontiac Aztek and therefore as worthy of covering up with nylon, may we say that one of the more fun “reveals” we noticed at this year’s New York International Auto Show was this bed tent? It’s custom designed to fit a Honda Ridgeline pickup bed.

The basic design is a dome tent, with the poles resting in pockets that overhang the bed just slightly. It is retained by nylon straps that hook to the undercarriage, wheel openings, and front seat assist handles. Inside there are zippers galore that provide access to the in-bed trunk and to the in-bed 12-volt power source. They also cover the window screens for privacy. Naturally, the in-bed speakers will kick your jams right through the nylon tent material. Designed to extend over the lowered tailgate, there’s ample room to accommodate a full-size air mattress and for 6-footers to stretch out inside. An awning provides shelter when standing behind the tailgate for cooking, etc. When collapsed, it fits in a carrying case about the size of a larger camp chair.

Honda Ridgeline owners’ forum discussions note that when attached, the truck can be driven slowly to switch campsites. If you need to drive the truck around more, it slides out and will support itself on the ground pretty easily until you get back.

The list price is $350, but a bit of light Googling reveals plenty of outlets selling the official Honda product for around $100 less than that. Honda also sells a larger dome tent ($381 retail) that sets up on the ground and connects to the open hatch of any of its SUVs (like the Pilot shown below) or the Odyssey. It sleeps four people and packs into a larger duffel-sized carrying case.

Happy glamping starts by ordering part number 08Z04-T6Z-100A.