shade canopy - truck bed

[usurpedus]

hey all..

contemplating building a simple shade canopy built off the bed of my truck.

what im envisioning is inserting a pipe or 2x4 into the stake hole in the bed of the truck, closest to the gate, with a hole drilled at the top of the pole(to secure the canopy to).

the pole would be approximately 4' - 6' high, and id secure one end of a triangle shaped shade cloth(reinforced along the edges) to this pole, with the other ends secured to the playa with rebar.

has anyone done anything like this before? just curious what your experiences were..

[usurpedus]

also considering securing the shade canopy to a pipe secured through hole in my bumper for my tow hitch.

[FIGJAM]

What's the make, model, and year of the truck?

I have several easy ideas on how to do this.

[TomServo]

Anything built off your vehicle is a good idea. Make sure everything is secure, especially the part that anchors to the playa....to avoid ruining your truck.

[Bob]

Careful, those stake holes aren't generally designed to take much torque, that's why they make stakesides and lumber racks self-bracing. IMO by the time you figure out that you actually want to shade the entire truck bed plus the area around it, and carry a bunch of 8 & 10 ft poles to do it, you could have bought a used lumber rack off Craigslist or the classifieds, greatly increased what you can haul to the desert, and had something nice and solid to stretch a tarp over. Once you have a rack, just flop a sheet of 1/2 or 5/8 CDX plywood on top and you have instant shade and nominal rain protection over the bed, both for travel and camping.

Anyhow, re: your original plan: sure, you could tie onto to a single pole stuck in one of the truck's stake holes, but I'd suggest guying the pole to points on the truck and/or the ground so it's nice and solid *before* before you attach tarps.

[usurpedus]

2011 chevy silverado..

strongly considering a 12-14 foot pole, secured through the bumper tow hitch hole.. this will allow for greater depth of the pole providing better stability against the torque of the shade.

thoughts?

[FIGJAM]

Check your PM.