GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X: Can you sleep in it?

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The recently introduced GMC Sierra AT4X is an impressive combination of off-roading and luxury. But can you sleep in it?

Pickups are great for towing campers or as a platform upon which to build out overlanding rigs, but from the factory they usually aren’t as useful as SUVs to sleep in, considering half of the length of the vehicle is taken up by the bed. Let's see how the AT4X fares.

Space

The biggest thing to consider when it comes to camping in your car is whether or not there is enough space in it for you and possibly a partner to lay down comfortably. This is tough when it comes to pickup trucks, which are hampered by the fact that half (or more) of the length of the vehicle is taken up by the bed of the truck. Some trucks have added features like lie-flat seats that make sleeping in them a bit easier, though it’s still not a perfect solution. Unfortunately the AT4X is not one of those trucks. While the seats do lay back quite a good amount, I wasn’t able to get comfortable enough to rely on them for a good night’s rest. To the rear we go.

If you’re vertically challenged, you may be in luck, especially if you don’t sleep stretched out. The Sierra 1500 is a wide truck, almost 7 feet wide in fact. The rear bench measures 56 inches in width, which isn’t a great option for most adults unless you really like sleeping in the fetal position. It’ll do in a pinch but I wouldn’t expect to get a great night's sleep again and again. 

Below the bench, which folds up and out of the way, is a relatively flat floor which can offer a bit more length. At 63” it still isn’t enough for me to lie down with the doors closed, but it is much less cramped than spending the night on the bench. The subtle bump in the middle of the floor, which is much less severe than the ridges in the bed, can easily be remedied by an inflatable sleeping pad like the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT, or, even better, a cheap air mattress from Walmart.

The Bed

The bed of the AT4X seems like the most logical place to sleep. After all, it is named the bed for a reason right? If you have an inflatable mattress, then sure, but due to the ridges on the floor, a simple sleeping pad and sleeping bag will not be enough here. Additionally, the length of the bed leaves something to be desired. Though it is longer than the beds in the comparably priced F-150 Raptor and Ram TRX, it isn’t quite 6 feet in length, at just shy of 70 inches. It is simply too short for many people to lie flat and stretch out, but that can be solved by lying diagonally (the diagonal limit with the tailgate closed is 90 inches) or by simply lying with the tailgate open, which extends the bed to roughly 8 feet. 

At its widest point, the bed is 71 inches, so just shy of six feet, so sleeping perpendicular may be an option, depending on your height. At its narrowest, the bed is 50 inches, about 4” shy of full-size mattress width.