Outskirts Overland Podcast
Welcome to the Outskirts Overland Podcast, your go-to source for all things overlanding! Hosted by a seasoned adventurer with over 15 years of experience, this podcast offers a genuine and down-to-earth exploration of the overlanding lifestyle. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting out, join us as we delve into the essentials of gear and equipment, share captivating stories from the road, and provide practical tips for your next adventure. Tune in for insightful interviews, expert advice, and a community of like-minded explorers who share a passion for discovering the world beyond the beaten path. Get ready to fuel your wanderlust and embark on unforgettable journeys with the Outskirts Overland Podcast!
Outskirts Overland Podcast
From Hot Mess to Cool Rest: Overlanding Tent Upgrades
When summer hits and temperatures soar, rooftop tent camping can quickly become unbearable. That scorching tent surface and compressed mattress had been making my weekend adventures less comfortable than they should be—until I discovered two surprisingly simple solutions that transformed my experience.
The first breakthrough came unexpectedly. After merely mentioning my plan to wrap my tent top in white vinyl, a friend with a wrap shop offered to do it immediately. For just $100, he transformed my black tent top into a heat-reflecting white surface. The difference was immediate and dramatic. Where I previously couldn't even touch the tent surface without burning my hand, I now found it completely comfortable even after hours in direct sunlight. This "cheat code" for summer camping requires no maintenance and doesn't add significant weight—just glorious comfort in hot weather.
Perhaps even more satisfying was solving my mattress dilemma. After a year of heavy use, my original tent mattress had compressed beyond comfort. Rather than spending hundreds on a replacement or dealing with problematic air mattresses, I crafted a custom solution combining memory foam with closed-cell camping pads. The entire build cost under $80 using materials from Walmart, fits my tent's exact dimensions, and provides better support than the original ever did. The project required only basic measuring and cutting skills—no special expertise needed.
This experience reinforced what I love most about overlanding—the continuous process of creative problem-solving. Whether you're a weekend warrior or full-time traveler, these simple, affordable upgrades can dramatically improve your camping comfort. What modifications have transformed your overlanding experience? Share your insights or ask questions about these tent upgrades—I'm always looking for new ideas to enhance life on the road.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Outskirts Overland. It is what Thursday, thursday the 10th, one more day of Prime Day left, I think. I think it's the 8th through the 11th. Correct me if I'm wrong, amazon. So yeah, yesterday I talked about ramping my tent white the top of it anyway, to make it a little cooler. Guys, that's already done. The guy got a hold of me yesterday so they heard me talking about it.
Speaker 1:I'm in friends like local people, and one of my buddies has a tent uh tent in a wrap shop and he just texted me. It was like, hey, I had a big wrap job, cancel, or something. He's like if you want to bring the truck over, I have white vinyl and I'll just do it today. And I was like, oh, okay, and I mean we're talking like dude, the shop's like a couple of miles from my house. So I was like, okay, so I just called my dad. My dad took the truck over there and he did it in like an hour. It was uh, hundred dollars to wrap the top of the tent white and uh got home with it and it sat outside for I don't know many hours it got. I mean it got done pretty quick.
Speaker 1:So I was outside for a few hours and I went up on top of the tent to touch it, where it'd normally be like blazing hot and I could like touch it like no problem. I was like man, this might have been a good idea, like this might have been like a cheat code. I mean naturally you'd have to have a flat wedge tent or hard, hard tent, but like I think it might be, it might end up working pretty dang good. So I'm pretty, I pretty, I'm actually, I'm actually pretty excited about it. Really. Hopefully it helps a lot, because everybody does complain about how bad it is Camp in the heat. I would, I'd bet that If this does help, it'll be a pretty big upgrade, for lack of a better term. So just along the lines of the tent, my tent's mattress is shot.
Speaker 1:So I've been working to make, not working to. I have made, I, I have done. I am a new mattress. So what I did is I found out, you know you find the dimensions of your tent right and naturally it's probably not like at least from my tent, at least from my tent it's not exactly a queen or a king or a twin or an XL or a full. So I just found the mattress topper, like a medium dense memory foam mattress topper, and you can get them in two, three, four inches. I got a two inch just because that's how thick my mattress in the tent was, and then I got a condensation mat under it, et cetera, et cetera, and you can only get them in one inch increments. So I got two inch.
Speaker 1:Um went home, measured the inside of the tent it was what I thought it was cut out the mattress and then put the mattress into, like my tent, as a like a zip up thing the mattress goes into. Like my tent has a like a zip up thing the mattress goes into. So I went ahead and put my mattress in the zip up deal and put it in the tent and then, underneath the mattress and above the condensation mat, I got like closed self, like hard foam camping mats, like so when I was in the marine corps they call them iso mats, but they're like. They're just like the roll-up style camping mats and they're about a half inch thick and they're hard. They're like a. They're not hard like a wood floor hard, but they're a hard foam. So what I did is I got three of those and I've cut them up and taped them into the same shape and then put them under the mattress into the same shape and then put them under the mattress. So now I've got, you know, the, the condensation mat, the harder foam camping pad, and then the, the medium dense memory foam mattress, topper slash mattress for the tent, and that has re, you know, rejuvenated the, the deal going on there, and I and I say this to you because the mattresses do go out, and I did spend the money to get an air mattress, and air mattresses, isn't it they? They fluctuate, the, the temperature fluctuations affects the air mattress, so, and I leave it in the tent, um, and it just isn't. It just not for me.
Speaker 1:A lot of people love them and that's cool. I don't know what. I don't know what the deal is with maybe someone I got, maybe it's the two I have. They're different brands, but if you don't have them rolled up and squeezed together, they do tend to want to inflate themselves, no matter what you have them. I mean, even if I have them, you know, the obvious answer is no matter, even if I have them, like, set to only air out, and I have them closed and I have them, you know, screwed shut and X, y, z, they still somehow just with temperature fluctuation. They want to, they want to, they want to do stuff.
Speaker 1:And then air mattresses, the fabric stretches at first, so then you're airing it up and airing it down. Anyways, I tried it, I bought one, I just not thrilled with it. So I was like you know what? I'm just going to build a mattress again. And uh, so I did. And the reason I bring up the air mattress and I'm going long winded about this is because I built the mattress, built, made the mattress, cut the mattress, whatever. I did it with all stuff from Walmart and I have less than $80 in making the whole new mattress and that's with, like that's, three camping pads. I think I got a queen size two inch memory foam, medium dense memory foam, mattress pad, mattress topper and not I don't think I even have 80 bucks. I don't think I even have 80 bucks, I don't think it's even $80. It pretty much a razor blade and a tape measure. And the air mattress that I bought was like I don't know, I think it was close to $200.
Speaker 1:And the mattress that I've now made, the situation that I've made in the tent, is more comfortable than the original even was. So the mattress has been a big contention for me in the tent. And it's not because I think the mattress is bad, it's just that I've spent a lot of nights in it. I've told you guys before I'm 230 pound guy, um, I mean, I don't think they're made to last forever. So it lasted me a little over a year and a lot of nights. I mean not like, not like 10, like many, many nights.
Speaker 1:So I just I was like it's time to either figure out a new mattress, buy a new mattress, have a new mattress made. And I was like, you know, let me try and make one, let me just try and make one because, kind of like the dual battery system, if I can build it, that means I know what's in it so I can fix it or I can replace it or I can make another one. So I was like, let me do that. You know that might be the way to go. So I just did a little bit of research, and not research like somebody else is doing this, I don't. I mean, maybe they are, that's not where I got the idea.
Speaker 1:I just thought, you know if I get two different tiers of foam, you know the camping pad foam and the memory foam. That should be enough structure to keep it, you know, to make it pretty good, you know. And now I've got a two, almost, you know, I got two and a half inch, you know, combined with the memory foam and the hard camping pad, I got two and a half inch mattress in there, which is, I mean, that's is it plenty? No, would I like four? Absolutely, would that be amazing? Yeah, but uh, but rooftop tents only have so much space, you know, vertically, to put a mattress set in the line. Only all two and a half. So that's just, that's just the way it is when you're dealing with closed, you know, small, small, confined spaces because it does close. Um, so it now has two and a half inches and that's, I mean, it's as good as it's going to be and it's better than it ever was.
Speaker 1:So, and I just I just built it so or made it or cut it or however you want to say it, but I didn't find that on the internet. That was just me, just like, what can I do? I watch a lot of I mean I say watch, but I read a lot too of just people that are on the road, people that live out of their vans or their trucks. They're doing international travel and one thing that comes with that is problem solving. And that's one thing that I do enjoy greatly about this hobby is every everything has a like a has like a. There's a piece of it. That's problem solving, whether it's finding a place for this or or a, or a container to put it in, or a way to store it, or or even a tool for this or a thing for that Like there's a lot of problem solving involved.
Speaker 1:So this mattress is no different. You know I have many things that are like that. You wouldn't. I have a lot of stuff on my truck that now again, if you do this all the time you would think of it, because some of them are more common than others. But if you didn't, you'd be like, oh man, that's kind of a good idea. You know, like I would have never thought of that. I have a bunch of stuff like that.
Speaker 1:So when it came to doing the mattress, I was like I'm just gonna let me see what I can make. You know I was willing to throw, throw a little bit of money at it with. You know, just trust in my own ability. I was like I bet I mean this isn't rocket science, it's a freaking rectangle, I can figure this out. Research in Home Depot and Joann Fabrics and Michaels and Walmart and Kohl's. I just was like I'll figure this out. So I just kind of learned the different types of memory foams cooling ones, latex ones, closed cell ones, like just just kind of like researching the different types and then searching, you know, going into Google and be like what's the difference between this and this and this? And you know it'll tell you. You know, we live in a time where I don't have to have like a freaking encyclopedia to look this stuff up. So I was just like, was just like what's the difference between, you know, this type of foam and that type of foam? And so I could find the one I wanted, you know. And uh, so yeah, I think it's pretty good.
Speaker 1:It's not perfect, but I don't think for a two and a half inch mattress you're going to get perfect period, like no matter what. If I had three inches I do think I can make something extremely comfortable, but I don't have the, I don't have the extra half inch, you know, and that's like the tent won't close. So two and a half is about all it has. It came with a two inch mattress so I'm already pushing it, but I can make it work with the extra half inch. Okay, it works, you know, like it closes and it's not like straining engines and stuff. So I'm I'm comfortable, I'm comfortable with that. So I did do that. I got the top, I got the top. I got the top, you know, wrapped white. So that's just. You know just things.
Speaker 1:I'm I'm thinking like how can I make this better, just better for me, you know um versus versus just, you know running. What I have for a, you know for I guess, like what? A hundred $180 or less. I've got a way cooler scenario on the top, like cooler. You know, like it's not air conditioning by any means but it's creating a cooler sleeping space. And then I've got a whole new mattress that I've, that I made um.
Speaker 1:And when you're talking about tents and replacing tents and mattresses and what camping companies charge for these things, like those are some pretty solid upgrades to that thing. I mean, what's going to be coming next is, as I keep this tent, the weather stripping of where it closes is going to end up being an issue, but and I'll have to replace it Like there's just no two bones about it, like that's just what's going to have to happen. I don't know where I'll get that or what, but I'll figure it out, you know. And so just just upgrading the tent after some time to make it a little bit better sleeping experience for me, I think, will pay dividends. So I'm pretty, I'm pretty excited about that and, uh, excited to give it a whirl. We did sleep on the new mattress this last weekend and slept pretty good. So I you know you can, I can tell you that worked out, that worked fine, that worked better than it had been.
Speaker 1:But I was looking for a solution and the easy solution was you know, I'll just buy one. You know, air mattress, everybody says they're so great, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, like everything else I'm not everyone, I guess I guess everyone takes them out of their tent or rolls them up. Dude, I don't know what everyone does. It wasn't worth the damn for me, so I built a foam one.
Speaker 1:Now I don't have to deal with airing up, airing down if it aired itself up, air coming out of it in the night, like just it is what it is and that's what it is. You know that's. I like that better. That's just better. I like that better. That's just better. That's just better for me and the way I like to do things. So I'm happy. I'm happy with that. I'm really surprised With how much of a difference Wrapping that top light made. I like before I'd have put my hand up there and it like I couldn't have set it up there, like I couldn't have set my hand up there and I mean it was, it wasn't. I don't want to mislead anybody and say it was like cool to the touch, but like it was it. It was not hot at all, so that I am thrilled with. So that's already done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm just been looking. I'm always looking, I'm always watching folks that, like you know, when you live in such a small space, whether it's out of a truck or a van or whatever these people have, like these, you can't live that lifestyle without being kind of, kind of creative. You know with with how things are done, so I'm always watching and reading and looking. You know with with how things are done, so I'm always watching and reading and looking. You know new, new, new videos and old ones. You know I find a lot of stuff because of the algorithm. Online everything has an algorithm. Like some stuff is old and I just have never seen it before, you know.
Speaker 1:But I go through a lot of of you know fabrication and outfitter companies, videos of rig walkarounds, just to see what they have done, to see if any of that has any applicable benefit for me, because I'm pretty handy so I can build. I mean, I have a lot of tools so I can make pretty much anything. You know, I don't have a CNC so I'm not going to make it to that precision but I can if I needed it. With you know time, with some time, I can make most things. So I'm always looking and that once in a while you get a pretty sick idea and you know and I that I that's, that's just something I do.
Speaker 1:It's not like a product thing, like a lot of it's custom stuff, like a ton of it's custom stuff, but I just look at it and go, you know, I bet I can make that. You know, most of the time it's you're dealing in squares and rectangles. It's not anything too curved or circular or that anything that's extremely difficult to build Like it's measuring inches or centimeters and cutting straight lines Like it's not, and then putting it together. You know I have a Craig jig Like I. It's just none of it's rocket science. Okay, like, if you're patient and you got some experience, you know I've got many different. You know metal cutting tools and Sanders and well, multiple welders and welding table and just grinders and paddle wheels and got all these tools. And that's just because you know.
Speaker 1:You talk about things that lend themselves to me being decent at this hobby. My dad's real handy and just taught me how to do a lot of stuff since I was like five years old. So when it comes to like oh, I bet I can do this or that or the next thing, or reusing something, completely not for what I'm using it for, just that type of I don't want to say engineer or mechanical, but like that type of like mechanical slash engineer, slash design. You know mindset and reverse engineering thought process just exists in me and I think it lends itself greatly to this hobby. So I always got stuff like that going on. So, yeah, but really happy with freaking real happy, I got that done. It's crazy.
Speaker 1:I talked about it yesterday morning and it wasn't 30. I mean, I talked about it yesterday morning and it wasn't 30. I mean, I talked about it yesterday morning and that's why I'm driving into work and then, naturally, I still got to edit this show. I still got to edit the show I've got to. You know, I got to edit it. I got to upload it. Then it takes some time for it to actually post to Apple or whatever. I bet it wasn't time for it to actually post to Apple or whatever. I bet it wasn't. I bet the show wasn't live 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:My buddy texts me. He's like guy canceled on me, like bring that thing in, I'll do it, it's no problem, like it's not even a big deal. He's like I know exactly what it is and he just he just got up there and did it and it wasn't like no deal, like nothing at all. And it wasn't like no deal, like nothing at all, and it's great no bubbles, no, nothing. He had the, he had the vinyl. It appears to be pretty thick vinyl, like I mean it's not crappy. So he's like yeah, I already had it.
Speaker 1:So like whatever it took him I mean it took him no time, like it took as long as I've been on this pot, I'm talking to you guys about how long it took to get it sprayed it with alcohol, cleaned it, and I'd wash the truck the day before, so it's not like there was mud or anything on it, you know. And uh, yeah, it was like super chill, like super, not a big deal. So if you guys are in like man my tent's always so hot or you have like rails up there and you got stuff on the top of your tent and you have to like put your hand on the top of the tent to get something off or whatever, this might be a really good way to quit burning your hands or your elbows or forearms or whatever when you lean them up there. It might be a thought so just yeah, so anyways, that's what I got today, guys, that's what's going on with me.
Speaker 1:That's what I've been doing to the tent trying to get it, you know, not even just back to. It's not even back to where it was when I got it, just trying to improve it, because it's where I sleep and where my stuff lives and I'm just trying to make it, just trying to elevate my. You know, it's not my living situation, but it's my living situation pretty much like every weekend. So just trying to elevate it, make it better for my needs and what I want, and getting that, getting that going, you could easily do. I mean, you could easily wrap your own tent.
Speaker 1:It's not something, like I said yesterday, I'm interested in, was interested in doing, and it was nice that it got done while I was at work too Like I don't have extra hours in the day as much as I wish I did, so it was awesome. I'm pretty psyched about it. So there's that and, uh, I guess, if you guys made it this this far, go ahead and leave me a review on the podcast. I'd love that. I appreciate you guys and have a great day and I'll talk to you guys tomorrow, on friday, later.
