An argument against Roof Top Tents

[Wolfy]

While I own two roof top tents, and like them and also hate them, this video on why ground tents are better is spot on. But you have to realize that Harry is single, and mostly travels either alone or with his girlfriend. Travleing with a family of 4 presents different challenges that a RTT kinda helps with, but also kinda doesn't.


-M

 

[RoarinRow]

Yup a RTT for my family of 5 (3 kids under 11 years old) is out of the question. Plus for my build (lift and camper shell) it's doesn't make sense.

 

[Highplainsdrifter]

I think they are cool and fast to set up but I admit that they are not necessary and if it’s more than 2 people they do not work I have one for me and my wife because I like the tree house feel makes me feel like a kid again but definitely if money is an issue or number of people I would not waste the money on it there are better things to buy

 

[eriefisher]

I certainly see an application for a RTT but for me it's a no-go. I have some mobility issues that vary in degree with time and weather. Climbing up a ladder is not for me. I can see myself dropping to the ground for a midnight pee. That would not be a good situation. A step into the back of the truck is much better or even an occasional ground tent if there were someone riding along.

 

[J.W.]

Good video. He nails a lot of the pros and cons of a RTT. Just like @Highplainsdrifter I like the "treehouse" idea of them but my Kelty weighs about 4 pounds and takes up very little space when packed. I see a lot of people complaining about sleeping on the ground, but I did not find a RTT any better when I tried it. Padding is the issue there, not the ground.

For me, they are just too bulky and cumbersome but if you like them, cheers. Nothing wrong with them at all, they just aren't for me.

 

[Highplainsdrifter]

Good video. He nails a lot of the pros and cons of a RTT. Just like @Highplainsdrifter I like the "treehouse" idea of them but my Kelty weighs about 4 pounds and takes up very little space when packed. I see a lot of people complaining about sleeping on the ground, but I did not find a RTT any better when I tried it. Padding is the issue there, not the ground.

For me, they are just too bulky and cumbersome but if you like them, cheers. Nothing wrong with them at all, they just aren't for me.

Also I had to buy an extra memory foam pad for that reason

 

[Kilo Sierra]

I agree with most of the points in this video. For me, if I was going rooftop it would be a wedge clamshell, but the cost just doesn't make any sense. The true benefit of of the RTT is that you have all of your bedding out of the cabin and pretty much packed away easily. It also really depends on your style of overlanding. It you tend to what I call Basecamp-Overlanding, where you set up a single camp for your trip and explore an area daily, the benefits of a RTT start to seriously be diminished, because of the constant pack up and set up each day. If you prefer to Trek-Overland (camping in a new spot each night), then having a quicker solution each day in an RTT may seem much more of a solution. However, as the video shows, there are quick setup tents that can be just as fast.

In my case, I use a quick deploying Coleman Tent, the Exped Duo mattress (I usually travel with the GF and I HIGHLY recommend this mattress), and a 2 person Sleeping bag. Where I tend to do 75% Basecamp, it is overall much easier to deploy and enjoy the trip. As we look to do more Treks, I could see us slightly modifying what we do, although it isn't too time consuming day to day.

Oddly enough having said this, we are looking to do a build together and we are eyeing either a pickup (Tacoma or Frontier) or a Bronco. In both cases, we decided that a clamshell wedge, integrated into either the truck cap or hardshell top, is the way we want to go. That would allow the easy deployment in either conditions and keep everything together.

 

[Wolfy]

Also I had to buy an extra memory foam pad for that reason

Same. Without that the foam is terrible. Especially compared to the Exped Mega Mat we use in our ground tent.

-M

 

[Peregrine]

My two Golden Retrievers nixed the roof top approach. While they are smart and learn quickly, ladders are not their forte.

 

[MidOH]

Seems like all of the ''textbook'' overlanding doodads are going out of style. (and some of ya'll get really cross about the subject)

 

[smritte]

Heh
And another "Overlanding" U-Tube blogger bought a piece of trendy gear to be one of the cool crowd and didn't like it. He did hit all the bad points everyone else points out and a few of the positive points everyone else points out.

I get it, RTT's are not for everyone, neither are SUV's, cats, parrots, mini bikes or anything else that people talk about on face book.
Bottom line is, how do we learn? We learn by making mistakes. We don't need to make a mistake then have a video blog about why something doesn't suit you and why it shouldn't suit anyone else.
OMG....I got this cool green parrot. I want to tell everyone why they shouldn't have one.

 

[Road]

I love my RTT. I don't know what being single has to do with it. I'm solo and still find the benefits of having my RTT far, far, outweigh any benefits of a ground tent. That's after using ground tents for 50 yrs.

I think far too many folks jump into buying something, like a RTT, jack, winch, fancy bumper, battery system, solar setup, or whatever else before doing much research, then have buyer's remorse.

After doing scads of research, reading user reviews, checking things out in person, and figuring measurements, I determined from the git-go I did not want a rooftop tent that folded out or had to be folded back up to stow.

Got a hardshell used, about half the price of new, have used it for a couple years with well over 600 nights out; have had company sleep in it, and have opened and closed it so many times I can do it in howling wind and rain without problem.

I wouldn't trade it for a ground tent for anything. I can park on the roughest ground, level one side of my trailer, pop up the tent and be inside getting ready to crash in the time someone else is looking for a big enough flat spot for their tent.

View attachment 188345
Literally takes less than four minutes to deploy.

View attachment 188346
Backcountry desert camping in the borderlands. Not always great spots to pitch a ground tent, but I can always find a spot for my trailer and RTT.

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Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

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[jeepers29]

Like road said, when I did the NMDRD, I had my RTT set up before the other couple had found a spot level enough and cleared all the debris from that spot. I would not go back to a ground tent.

 

[leeloo]

Loved my RTT, clamshell V shape, did not fit anymore inside with the kid growing up. Softshell RTT's have 0 advantages for me, even if they can fit more people.
Sold it and switched to 2 aussie swags, bulky and heavy ( both of them are still 25 kg less than a clamshell ) , but easy to deploy/pack. That was the reason I got the hardshell RTT - easy to pack-deploy.
in 5 years when the kid will be 18, he might prefer to spend his holidays with his girlfriend and travel on his own, instead of spending his time with his old man, in that case I might go back to an RTT...

 

[ruralpunk]

Same. Without that the foam is terrible. Especially compared to the Exped Mega Mat we use in our ground tent.

-M

I have 4 expeds and I'll never go camping with anything else. (Winter downmat, summer mat, ultralight for backpacking, and a duel mat for me and my girl)

 

[Wolfy]

Heh
And another "Overlanding" U-Tube blogger bought a piece of trendy gear to be one of the cool crowd and didn't like it. He did hit all the bad points everyone else points out and a few of the positive points everyone else points out.

I get it, RTT's are not for everyone, neither are SUV's, cats, parrots, mini bikes or anything else that people talk about on face book.
Bottom line is, how do we learn? We learn by making mistakes. We don't need to make a mistake then have a video blog about why something doesn't suit you and why it shouldn't suit anyone else.
OMG....I got this cool green parrot. I want to tell everyone why they shouldn't have one.

The RTT in the video is mine not Harry's. I like it, but only because it's on a vehicle that isn't my daily driver. I actually shot a video when we shot that one about reasons I like an RTT. I definitely have a love/hate deal with them. Although I used it this weekend on a solo trip to central NV and it was quite nice.

View attachment 188428

-M

 

[smritte]

I get it.
Google RTT U-Tube videos and you find a huge number of "Video Bloggers" with their opinion and why you shouldn't own one. Hell, search "overland video blogs" or "overland pod cast".

I guess I'm a bit jaded by all the people who think just because someone says something on U-Tube or a Pod cast, it has to be hard fact, not opinion. Most of the time the "blogger" has no real experience in what their talking about. They dive into something new, post a video voicing an opinion based on their testing of exactly 1 product with less than 1 year experience.

My comments were not intended to insult but more to the fact that I see people comment "Watch this video on..." all the time. Most of them turn out to be someone who jumped into something without a clue and it didn't match up to what they "Thought" it would be. Now we have another video telling people why they shouldn't do something based on.......

 

[Wolfy]

I get it.
Google RTT U-Tube videos and you find a huge number of "Video Bloggers" with their opinion and why you shouldn't own one. Hell, search "overland video blogs" or "overland pod cast".

I guess I'm a bit jaded by all the people who think just because someone says something on U-Tube or a Pod cast, it has to be hard fact, not opinion. Most of the time the "blogger" has no real experience in what their talking about. They dive into something new, post a video voicing an opinion based on their testing of exactly 1 product with less than 1 year experience.

My comments were not intended to insult but more to the fact that I see people comment "Watch this video on..." all the time. Most of them turn out to be someone who jumped into something without a clue and it didn't match up to what they "Thought" it would be. Now we have another video telling people why they shouldn't do something based on.......

You're not wrong, but my intention was not to treat this as fact about RTTs. I myself am of two minds on the matter. I have two RTTs and use them, but also hat setting them up and climbing up in them. But they are convenient and practical at times.

-M

 

[uncompromise]

We considered buying a RTT but went against it for the following reasons:
1. Price - we just don‘t have a budget for it
2. Convenience - we have one car, and it’s a daily driver; we live in a small village in France with no garage; getting a RTT on and off our roof would be a PITA; we want to be able to decide we’re going, grab our gear, and go
3. We already have a bunch of high quality camping gear
4. We carry such a small amount of gear that sleeping inside our vehicle with both dogs is not only possible, and by the time we’re done, will be extremely comfortable, and significantly cheaper than buying a RTT

Like most people here I believe that you set yourself up in the way that works best for you. For me, I just can’t imagine carting so much gear that I need an RTT. We have tents, and we can sleep in the car. The RTT seems to be the answer for folks who haul a lot of gear, have a vehicle too small to sleep in, or are going to be camping in areas where the local fauna are not the kind of thing you want crawling into your tent.

 

[KRose]

@M Rose and I have knocked around the idea of an RTT but not do able for us. Maybe if we had a trailer to put the RTT on would be a good idea but tent camping is much better. We have the t4 plus and love it.
-reason 1 not buy like menu have said before price
-2 would be if you like to night drive pain of putting it down up and down and up might as well stay behind for that matte.
-3 I’m female so that means I have to get up in the night to go use the bathroom climbing up and down a ladder is a pain.
-4 again if you want to move camp daily which most of us do then there is a pain in that.

If you have t4 plus tent easy set up easy take down half the time in setting up taking down then the RTT I think. Plus it’s huge so there’s lots of room.

If you have a trailer to put RTT on then it’s stationary everything is on the trailer that you need kitchen and gear no worries. I don’t see anything RTT has theT4 plus don’t.