How much is too much - ROOF TOP TENT

[Tyler Gibson]

Hey all,

I drive a '86 Suzuki Samurai that's in its "Prebuild" stage. When I get back I'm having a full (4' x 6') roof rack installed with the main purpose of holding a rooftop tent, and as a novice have a couple questions.

I've narrowed my selection down to two different selections, the James Baroud Evasion and Tepui Kukenam Ruggedized Sky 3.

Question 1: With the Evasion being 78.5" x 55.5" and the roof rack being 48" x 72", is having that almost 4 inch overlap on all sides a huge factor? I can see this being an issue with tighter trails, as well as, getting other accessories attached to the roof rack, i.e. light bars, canopies, etc.

Question 2: If the size is not a limiting factor, is the James Baroud really worth the $2,000 price difference. I feel as though there are benefits to either, but leaning towards the Evasion - Hardcased, waterproof, under a minute setup and take down, ability to store things inside while traveling...however, I feel like having $4k on top of my roof might give me an aneurysm if anything were to happen to it.

Appreciate the help and the read.

 

[NicholsPack]

What kind of trails are you running and what's your wheeling style? I've had a clamshell CVT tent for 4 years and ran that from the east coast to Texas, Colorado and Wyoming. Typical setup was 3 minutes, with slightly longer tear down. My only complaint was the vinyl cover faded, cracked and failed in a few spots after a couple of years. It was a great tent on my Taco.

On my landcruiser I've gone with a hard shell of a similar design to the Evasion. With a 2 inch front overhang off my rack, I had crazy flex on the roof rack at highway speeds causing all kinds of racket and trepidation. I strapped down the front end to get it home, but need to find a better way to keep the wind out of underneath it. I went with an aluminum body due to low hanging trees out here and knowing folks that weld aluminum and not knowing a damn thing about fiberglass repairs. The old tent was light enough to load and unload with minimal assurance. The new tent weighs a lot more.

Unless you have a specific reason for the hardshell, I'd run the clamshell.


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[NotGumby]

Hi Tyler, find where you can actually inspect one before deciding. I was set on Autohome until I got to inspect a James baroud up close. The workmanship on the Baroud was the closer. The ability to remove the tent material, solar ventilation, and up-top storage on the extreme version helped. This baby has to last forever at those prices so I spent a bit more. I pick up my Baroud on October 16th.

What is the load rating on the roof? Can you fit tent, rack, awning, etc. within the load limit? I ditched my 25 kilogram UpRacks roof rack and will mount the tent on three cross bars. The awning will attach to the bars. It’ll be nice not having that extra 25kg in rack weight, and I can use the recessed storage on the extreme for gear. I would not worry about the overhang. You’ll have to get used to judging passage by the roof, lookin up, and not glancing at the sides.

Rick

 

[Tyler Gibson]

So the roof rack I’m looking at is by Fallout Fabrication in Ft Worth, TX and it welds to the rear bumper with and bolts to the hood/A frame. So their unofficial load rating is 500lbs.

It’s just a tough decision cause while i want this full overlanding rig. The Sam had a super short wheel base and i’m afraid of putting too much too high. so the hard shell would save some weight but afraid it might take up so much space. Or more functionally, the air getting caught under there.

....that being said the Sammy does like 55 on the highway already. Lord only know what it’ll do with all the weight. That’s why the Cummins 2.8r turbo diesel is on my Christmas list....just have to win the lottery first.


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[NotGumby]

Do you have an estimate of the rack weight? I would like to see how much load weight you will have left over. Is the vehicle width 55-60"? It looks like the width of the evasion will not exceed the vehicle width. I think it is okay if the tent exceeds the width of the rack. I've seen this often.

 

[Tyler Gibson]

If I were home I’d give you precise measurements. Unfortunately, I’m stuck in Afghanistan for a couple more months. But the dude I’ve been in contact with at the Fab shop said 48” which even then it would just be 3 inches over on each side. i don’t see it being a huge structural issue, but I’m basing this off zero experience a lot of youtube videos.


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[NotGumby]

Don’t think that’s a prob at all. Keep your head down over there.


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