Before you Buy Rooftop Tent

[CR-Venturer]

^^That is a great camp site!

OK, I have a roofnest falcon and it packs down, as in there is no room for bedding. I only sleep one body up there - if I have company they get the choice of the rtt or the gazelle with cot. So I am toying with getting a custom mattress that is half the width and using the rest of the space to store sleeping gear and clothes. I hate having weight on top, but the convenience and speed of set up is amazing. And in a wind I have got up in the dark to turn the rig into the wind which really calms down the flapping which would be way worse in a ground tent. I can also sleep inside my rig, but that needs maybe 10 minutes to reposition some bins. Truthfully I could lose the rtt and sleep inside. They all work. It is a classic first world problem.

Great point about hardshell RTT's and facing the shell into the wind. That's something you definitely cannot do in a ground tent.

I really think what's happened in the overlanding world is a bunch of people have massively overblown RTT's by acting as if, or maybe even flat out saying, you MUST have one, and then in reaction against that mentality, and bunch of people have crapped on them as if they're pure trash and you're a fool if you buy one, when in reality the truth is much more nuanced than that.

There are several different styles of RTT at various different price points and with a few varying features. As with almost anything, your mileage may vary as to whether it's the right thing for you.

I bought probably the cheapest clamshell RTT available in Canada, and after about two years of use, I absolutely love it, and for me it's a total game changer. I don't regret it for a second, but I also don't have any notion that it's the "only way" to overland.

I think this thread and others on OB are an excellent resource for anyone considering an RTT, and I would encourage those folks to read it over in detail.