Best Rooftop Tent

[four'running]

Late to the party but.....

I made one last fall. I drew it up in autocad and had it fabricated from 1/8" aluminum! Fully welded seams lockable latch 10" tall with a 4" double mattress in it. I also reinforced it enough to strap a canoe or whatever else I wanted to the top.
I had a local boat top fitter make the fabric portion with the largest windows he was comfortable fitting.

Have a few little things I will tweak but so far I love it! Definitely an improvement over the soft shell try I had which was great, however, setup tear down was driving me nuts!

 

[Sadkomodo]

Late to the party but.....

I made one last fall. I drew it up in autocad and had it fabricated from 1/8" aluminum! Fully welded seams lockable latch 10" tall with a 4" double mattress in it. I also reinforced it enough to strap a canoe or whatever else I wanted to the top.
I had a local boat top fitter make the fabric portion with the largest windows he was comfortable fitting.

Have a few little things I will tweak but so far I love it! Definitely an improvement over the soft shell try I had which was great, however, setup tear down was driving me nuts!View attachment 29481 View attachment 29483 View attachment 29481

Very nice!!
Looks similar to the Alu-Cab rtt but with your own tweeks. It's also very nice that you can carry items on top of the tent.

That is one of the biggest down sides to having a rtt, you loose rooftop carrying capacity. Now I'm looking at offroad trailers and just bought a receiver hitch bike carrier because I have a rooftop tent. So right now, I can bring several bikes but no kayaks. The cost of owning a rooftop tent has gone up more with all the stuff I used to bring. Good thing I have a very understanding wife

 

[Glenn]

Very nice!!
Looks similar to the Alu-Cab rtt but with your own tweeks. It's also very nice that you can carry items on top of the tent.

That is one of the biggest down sides to having a rtt, you loose rooftop carrying capacity. Now I'm looking at offroad trailers and just bought a receiver hitch bike carrier because I have a rooftop tent. So right now, I can bring several bikes but no kayaks. The cost of owning a rooftop tent has gone up more with all the stuff I used to bring. Good thing I have a very understanding wife

Thats why i didnt want hardshell rtt. Too much roof is gone and they are contoured leaving no space for storage. But @four'running , nice flat design you have leaving options.

 

[PNWExplore]

I did a lot of looking around before I ended up buying my FSR Series Medium Canopy. The guys at the shop were friendly and they threw in the Annex for me. It compares very closely to the CVT Mt. Shasta and is $500 less!!! Ignore the wrinkles! it came out of the box the night before haha

Aside from the Main window at the head and the door at your feet, all the windows have exterior and interior solid rain covers, so you dont need to go outside the tent to seal it up.

 

[Red Rock Overlander]

How, when, where you use it and camping style play into it as well as what you mount it on. For us the manufacturers that provide the Extended Annex and quality that provides a broader camping experience than just the tent itself was key to our decision. Budget is important and I agree but your perceived value is most important.

For us the community support around the tent was especially important as well as buying from a family owned US business that backs its products and growing. Next like we said the Annex and having extended space was a real consideration and having a larger one that standard RTT's mattered next understanding for us the trailer RTT made more sense to minimize packing unpacking setup etc. RTT is more than just about the tent..... how will you get in and out is the ladder on the outside in the rain... can you cook out of the rain, what if you are having to do "your businesss" at night and it's storming... can your initial RTT investment get you started on the right foot? Hardtops have benefits and compromises and actually they all do. Me I want a place to get in and out of the weather before I crawl up in the RTT. I've not seen a Hardtop that does that. Think of your own personal functional requirements and biases. Gordigear has a video that talks about what to look for in a quality tent. You can buy a less costly build and if it is better functionally for you and because it fits your budget buy it. If you will beat it up or use it allot maybe you need to go smaller or pay more.

Don't really want to guide you into my biases and functional requirements but you asked . I hope knowing the best is what is right for you perspective helps.

We updated the 18" Petloader.com stairs for Happy Abby (Great Dane)

to sleep up top in the CVT Denali Summit Extended RTT. Up and down twice...


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Northernlady]

I love my Tepui Aukana with Annex. I have wind and rain tested it extensively and it hasn't given me a moments problem in the three years I have owned it. The annex provides a great changing area and I especially like the fact that there is a zippered door that you can access your vehicle directly (depending on your set up). THe annex has also provided a great covered eating area in very inclement weather. I would definitely recommend it!

 

[Dimitriy Shames]

Want to know if more people have the James Baroud hard shell tents. They look like they take camping to a whole new level with all the bells and whistles. Their price tag seems to be a bit higher but seems to be worth it in my option.

Otherwise, CVT tents seem like the safe choice and the overall winner that most people are going with.

 

[Red Rock Overlander]

Want to know if more people have the James Baroud hard shell tents. They look like they take camping to a whole new level with all the bells and whistles. Their price tag seems to be a bit higher but seems to be worth it in my option.

Otherwise, CVT tents seem like the safe choice and the overall winner that most people are going with.

Love our CVT!!!


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[tstead60]

I'm not sure if this has been previously covered but I can't recommend the tuff stuff ranger rtt enough. We just got back from our maiden voyage through northwest California and Tahoe and the tent performed flawlessly. There can be quality concerns with cheaper products but I don't think the team at tuff stuff skimped at all. And for 1300 the tent is easily the best value I've seen.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Jeepney]

I'm not sure if this has been previously covered but I can't recommend the tuff stuff ranger rtt enough. We just got back from our maiden voyage through northwest California and Tahoe and the tent performed flawlessly. There can be quality concerns with cheaper products but I don't think the team at tuff stuff skimped at all. And for 1300 the tent is easily the best value I've seen.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

My wife doesn't like the color so there's one negative. Mine has seen several trips some of them rugged. Cover has held up well thru all the bashing!

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[shoredreamer]

I like hard shell tents. If I was to pick I'd say:
2 person- Alucab Gen 3 Expedition 3 person- James Baroud Grand Raid XXL 4 person- iKamper SkycampHard shells make it possible to base camp due to the fact that it takes a minute or so to put away vs a soft shell. Obviously they cost a lot more but if you use it, I don't see it being a waste of money, especially since RTTs hold their value very well (hard or soft).

 

[Joe Stasney]

Finally, my Tepui White Lightning arrives on Friday (long wait), will post up pics.

 

[Kevin108]

The best roofop tent is the one you can afford.

 

[Joe Stasney]

Tepui Lightning finally got here, off to the mountains!

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Very pleased with my ruggedized Tepui Kukenam XL. The diamond plate flooring is tough as nails, the heavy duty fabric has withstood some pretty vicious winds and it's big making it very comfortable for my wife and I.

 

[adam1752]

I'm looking for an RTT for my 2000 4Runner and I don't want it to have a stupid overhang on the side while it is flooded up. Any ideas?
I am currently looking at a Yacama 2 person and a Tepui 2 person does anyone know how wide either of those two tents are when they're folded up? Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[tstead60]

I'm looking for an RTT for my 2000 4Runner and I don't want it to have a stupid overhang on the side while it is flooded up. Any ideas?
I am currently looking at a Yacama 2 person and a Tepui 2 person does anyone know how wide either of those two tents are when they're folded up? Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

Mmm could you run it out the back or would that still be too wide?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Kevin108]

All of these tents are about 8' long, so they're around 4' long when folded in two. They'll fit a 4Runner just fine as long as you're opening it up on the driver or passenger side. If you're opening it to the rear, the 2-person tents are generally about 56" wide.

 

[adam1752]

That would be an option running out the back


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[adam1752]

All of these tents are about 8' long, so they're around 4' long when folded in two. They'll fit a 4Runner just fine as long as you're opening it up on the driver or passenger side. If you're opening it to the rear, the 2-person tents are generally about 56" wide.

Perfect thanks for the help


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk