Let’s be honest; Roof Top Tent- Yay or Nay?

[Ta2Doc]

My Autohome hardtop RTT has lived on my tacoma permanently for the last 3+ years... Leaving it on made a (measured) difference in fuel economy of precisely 1.2 mpg. When my current project is complete, the RTT will also live up top permanently.
Why hardtop RTT over ground tent (or soft RTT)? ... convenience and comfort. I'm not saying you can't make a ground tent comparatively comfortable--you can. But you CAN'T beat the combined convenience and comfort of the RTT. It can be pouring down buckets of rain and I can have my columbus deployed and be inside it within 60 seconds of removing the key from the ignition.
To my mind, the only things that would make me choose a different sleeping setup is 1) if I needed more room, and 2)... uhhh... nope, just the one reason.
~doc

 

[l_vandyke]

I believe there’s a situation for every kind of camping. I’ve slept in ground tents, pop-up campers, pull behind campers, soft shell RTT, & bed of my truck.

The thing I hated most about ground tents are if it rains. It seems like they just never get dry afterwards and they’re so nasty to tear down afterwards because of all the mud

I hate a Tepui Kukenam Sky 3 on top of my camper shell at the moment. Bought it back in the fall but didn’t get to start using it until this spring and summer. It’s stayed on the truck since spring and probably won’t come off until November when I have to tow our camper. I like the convenience of being able to leave my sleeping bag and blankets inside the tent when I close it up to travel. The tent is extremely roomy up top especially since it’s just me that sleeps in it.

The height of the tent on top of the camper shell makes things a little more difficult for me to set-up and tear down because I’m only 5’6” and the truck is slightly lifted. It’s a lot of climbing around to set it up but still much quicker than a ground tent.

They are pricey, especially the newer models that are coming out recently. I’d love to upgrade to a hard shell RTT because they’re so much faster to set up and close down shorter than the tent I currently have. But I got this tent brand new for an awesome price from someone that won it and was definitely not an outdoorsman. So I can’t complain

 

[ROMÁN_OVERLAND_502]

I started out with a few ground tents, the cheap ozark trails, graduated to a higher end one from REI (I don’t recall the brand), then got my front runner rtt. The tent was awesome and had zero issues, I ended up getting rid of the tent and stopped camping for a few years. I am now getting back 8nto the outdoors and have already purchased a 4 person ground tent from Academy and had a few nights in it with no issues. I miss my rtt but for practicality I do not miss having to take down camp For short driving trips. I am looking to build a trailer soon to alleviate this. For now the money that would be spent on a rtt is going toward a much needed new kayak and gear.

This mofo have to much time in his hands!

 

[oldmopars]

I may have a different outlook on this subject. I have had campers, and VW Westfalia vans, and now a 30ft Travel trailer, but I also ride motorcycles overland and sleep in a tent with minimum gear.
I do not like sleeping in a tent anymore, I am getting older and the ground is just too hard. I have over $700 in a sleeping bag and sleeping pad and I am still not comfortable.
I am trying to get my wife into travel/overlanding and if I tried to put her into a tent, it would be over before we started.
I can't afford a roof top tent and we owned a pop top tent trailer and we just weren't that happy with it.
So, for my wife and I the best compromise was neither a ground tent or a roof top tent, but to get a Suburban. In the Sub I can get a 6in Full sized memory foam mattress in the back on the floor. If I build a platform over the wheel wells I can fit a Queen sized mattress and storage under the platform.
With this setup I can sleep in the truck in plenty of comfort. I am dry when it rains, I can have storage and I don't have to worry about taking it down, or leaving it behind, it is always set up.
So, when I want big comfort, I have the trailer. When I want to hit the trails, I leave the trailer at home.
BTW, it is just my wife and I and 2 dogs.

 

[100RNR]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wolf-attack-rampart-creek-banff-1.5245105

Plus one for roof top tent.

 

[marlinmonty]

Great read .

 

[oldmopars]

WOW, that makes you think twice about a ground tent. A cloth tent is not going to stop any animal from opening it up and going inside. At least with a roof top tent, they would have to climb up whatever it is attached to. A hard sided vehicle is even better.

 

[MMc]

I spend more than 70 nights camping per year, I never have worried about the creatures in the wild.
A ground tent/bivy or the back of my truck are my preferred sleeping places, never spent a night in a RTT.
Most of my 20s were spent climbing rocks or mountains in all conditions, snow, freezing rain, rain, desert, and hot baking sun. There isn't one tent that will do it all. A 4 season tent is hot and stifling in the middle of a warm day. A 3 season tent will make for a cold and uncomfortable night while it's snowing and blowing hard. A tent with a ton of screen under the fly will leave you sandy in a good desert blow.
Most of the RTT are 2 season tents. There are a couple of hard topped RTT that a well made but most are not. I would not want to use one in a high wind or snow for very long. I think in a tropical rain storm would be a bit wet inside of most RTTs. I wish most were better made.
There are many here will disagree with me, I am a bit jaded by my history.

 

[Speric]

I know for me, climbing in and out of an RTT could be difficult. was mountain-biking this last weekend and took a good spill. both my knees got a bit scuffed up with a small but deep divet on one of them. I know I would have had trouble climbing up the ladder to get into a RTT. It hurt just to bend my knees to sit on my cot in my ground tent, or even just walk around.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Personal preference. I'd say having both as an option would be ideal as there are pro's and con's to each setup. I have used ground tents exclusively for the past 25 years or so and can safely say there are ways to make them work in most any scenario, but a RTT would be ideal for ease of use, setup/tear down, and comfort.

 

[Wanderlost]

I spend more than 70 nights camping per year, I never have worried about the creatures in the wild.
A ground tent/bivy or the back of my truck are my preferred sleeping places, never spent a night in a RTT.
Most of my 20s were spent climbing rocks or mountains in all conditions, snow, freezing rain, rain, desert, and hot baking sun. There isn't one tent that will do it all. A 4 season tent is hot and stifling in the middle of a warm day. A 3 season tent will make for a cold and uncomfortable night while it's snowing and blowing hard. A tent with a ton of screen under the fly will leave you sandy in a good desert blow.
Most of the RTT are 2 season tents. There are a couple of hard topped RTT that a well made but most are not. I would not want to use one in a high wind or snow for very long. I think in a tropical rain storm would be a bit wet inside of most RTTs. I wish most were better made.
There are many here will disagree with me, I am a bit jaded by my history.

We're in agreement. A $1,500- $2,000 RTT is no where near the quality of the same price range ground tent. Most of the RTTs we've looked closely at we woud never trust to hold up under extreme weather conditions.

 

[100RNR]

We're in agreement. A $1,500- $2,000 RTT is no where near the quality of the same price range ground tent. Most of the RTTs we've looked closely at we woud never trust to hold up under extreme weather conditions.

If the discussion is along the lines of "you have $1500 to spend on a tent, and it needs to hold up under the most weather conditions", then sure, a ground tent is the better buy. Maybe at any price level.
I went a different route. I bought a roof top tent that is likely to exceed anything I will camp in. I've woken up with 12 inches of snow on my RTT with no issue. Spent two days in a downpour and only got wet when I got out of the tent. Slept peacefully through really strong winds, after I pointed the car and tent into the wind. Winds that were much more comfortable in the RTT than any ground tent I have every been in. And I've had some really nice ground tents.
For the convenience and comfort, it can't be beat. For me.
I wouldn't feel the same way if I had bought a $1000 RTT, but I'm sure they can with fine for the fair weather weekend camper. Or as a stepping stone to something better. Or something different.

 

[l_vandyke]

If the discussion is along the lines of "you have $1500 to spend on a tent, and it needs to hold up under the most weather conditions", then sure, a ground tent is the better buy. Maybe at any price level.
I went a different route. I bought a roof top tent that is likely to exceed anything I will camp in. I've woken up with 12 inches of snow on my RTT with no issue. Spent two days in a downpour and only got wet when I got out of the tent. Slept peacefully through really strong winds, after I pointed the car and tent into the wind. Winds that were much more comfortable in the RTT than any ground tent I have every been in. And I've had some really nice ground tents.
For the convenience and comfort, it can't be beat. For me.
I wouldn't feel the same way if I had bought a $1000 RTT, but I'm sure they can with fine for the fair weather weekend camper. Or as a stepping stone to something better. Or something different.

What kind of RTT do you have?

 

[100RNR]

What kind of RTT do you have?

I have an Alu-Cab Gen 3.

 

[l_vandyke]

I have an Alu-Cab Gen 3.

I really like those a lot. I just have a Tepui Kukenam Sky. I like the tent but I’m not sure how great it would do in cold weather. That and the setup time is definitely longer than it is on your tent

 

[100RNR]

I really like those a lot. I just have a Tepui Kukenam Sky. I like the tent but I’m not sure how great it would do in cold weather. That and the setup time is definitely longer than it is on your tent

I couldn't be happier with my tent. The guys where I bought it, Chuck and Rob with OK4WD, were great too.

 

[l_vandyke]

I couldn't be happier with my tent. The guys where I bought it, Chuck and Rob with OK4WD, were great too.

Oh yeah I’ve seen their stuff online and watching MSO on YouTube. I could sure spend a bunch of money there lol

 

[TOUGE]

I will add my 2c to this discussion.

After many years of just using a small back packing ground tent(Currently a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV) I got a Tepui Ayer Explorer last November. 92% of the time I travel totally alone, I try to go quick, light and minimalist as possible.

A few reasons I came up with to try and support my purchase,

- Ease of finding a campsite, like finding pullouts on back country roads or trails,
- Not having to find an as level site needed for a ground tent,
- Not having to worry about what the ground cover is(clearing rocks and sticks that might damage the floor of the ground tent)
- Setup time, including keeping bedding in the tent
- Comfort, as I would always just use my Thermarest Neoair xlite mat which is ultralight mat for backpacking, which I could sleep very well on and I didn't want to waste money on a second mat just for car camping
- Bit more protection from the weather

I have used my Tepui for a total night of around 50-60 in most conditions. There are things I like about it and a few I don't, a few of them come down to quality control from Tepui.

Pros I have found of the RTT,

- Warmth is winter. I was actually quite surprised at how much warmer it was
- Setup time for me is quite quick but leaving my sleeping bag and gear inside the tent while closed
- Heaps more room than my ground tent
- Great view from the roof
- I feel a safer on the roof so I sleep better
- Leveling the car is easier than finding a flat bit of ground for the ground tent
- Easier to sit up and read in a RTT
- Easier to install and remove from the roof racks than I thought(using Front Runner RTT mounts on a FR Slimline Rack)
- Makes my friends jealous when we camp together and they are in ground tents(probably the most important!)

Cons,

- I have to take it off when I'm home as I only have 1 car and having the tent on there permanently hugely restricts where you can go(carparks ect)
- Having to get up and down the ladder to relieve myself in the middle of night
- The time the fabric takes to dry compared to my ground tent
- You extremely need condensation mat if you are in the PNW in November and December like I was.

Problems I have had with the Tepui Ayer,

- Tepui's seam sealing/waterproofing is an absolute joke, I had heaps of leaks and fabric soaked up water quicker than a sponge, soaking the mattress and my sleeping bag. I have now re-seam sealed and re-water proofed the tent but it's summer in Socal so it won't rain for another 3 months to test it
- Tons metal shavings under the mattress I had to clean out
- The normal mattress for is WAY more UNcomfortable than even my ultralight hiking mat. I am 5'10" and 170lbs wet and it feels like I am sleeping on concrete. None of the off the shelf mattress(Exped, Nemo ect) fit the Ayer nicely so I am going to have to go custom. I was told by Tepui that the lux mattress is even firmer than the standard one.
- I had to drill out 2 of the holes for the poles that hold out the rain fly/windows as the poles would not go in straight from the factory

All in all I like it more than the ground tent. Once I sort the mattress out and confirm my water proofing efforts are good it will be even better.

 

[l_vandyke]

I will add my 2c to this discussion.

After many years of just using a small back packing ground tent(Currently a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV) I got a Tepui Ayer Explorer last November. 92% of the time I travel totally alone, I try to go quick, light and minimalist as possible.

A few reasons I came up with to try and support my purchase,

- Ease of finding a campsite, like finding pullouts on back country roads or trails,
- Not having to find an as level site needed for a ground tent,
- Not having to worry about what the ground cover is(clearing rocks and sticks that might damage the floor of the ground tent)
- Setup time, including keeping bedding in the tent
- Comfort, as I would always just use my Thermarest Neoair xlite mat which is ultralight mat for backpacking, which I could sleep very well on and I didn't want to waste money on a second mat just for car camping
- Bit more protection from the weather

I have used my Tepui for a total night of around 50-60 in most conditions. There are things I like about it and a few I don't, a few of them come down to quality control from Tepui.

Pros I have found of the RTT,

- Warmth is winter. I was actually quite surprised at how much warmer it was
- Setup time for me is quite quick but leaving my sleeping bag and gear inside the tent while closed
- Heaps more room than my ground tent
- Great view from the roof
- I feel a safer on the roof so I sleep better
- Leveling the car is easier than finding a flat bit of ground for the ground tent
- Easier to sit up and read in a RTT
- Easier to install and remove from the roof racks than I thought(using Front Runner RTT mounts on a FR Slimline Rack)
- Makes my friends jealous when we camp together and they are in ground tents(probably the most important!)

Cons,

- I have to take it off when I'm home as I only have 1 car and having the tent on there permanently hugely restricts where you can go(carparks ect)
- Having to get up and down the ladder to relieve myself in the middle of night
- The time the fabric takes to dry compared to my ground tent
- You extremely need condensation mat if you are in the PNW in November and December like I was.

Problems I have had with the Tepui Ayer,

- Tepui's seam sealing/waterproofing is an absolute joke, I had heaps of leaks and fabric soaked up water quicker than a sponge, soaking the mattress and my sleeping bag. I have now re-seam sealed and re-water proofed the tent but it's summer in Socal so it won't rain for another 3 months to test it
- Tons metal shavings under the mattress I had to clean out
- The normal mattress for is WAY more UNcomfortable than even my ultralight hiking mat. I am 5'10" and 170lbs wet and it feels like I am sleeping on concrete. None of the off the shelf mattress(Exped, Nemo ect) fit the Ayer nicely so I am going to have to go custom. I was told by Tepui that the lux mattress is even firmer than the standard one.
- I had to drill out 2 of the holes for the poles that hold out the rain fly/windows as the poles would not go in straight from the factory

All in all I like it more than the ground tent. Once I sort the mattress out and confirm my water proofing efforts are good it will be even better.

I will add my 2c to this discussion.

After many years of just using a small back packing ground tent(Currently a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV) I got a Tepui Ayer Explorer last November. 92% of the time I travel totally alone, I try to go quick, light and minimalist as possible.

A few reasons I came up with to try and support my purchase,

- Ease of finding a campsite, like finding pullouts on back country roads or trails,
- Not having to find an as level site needed for a ground tent,
- Not having to worry about what the ground cover is(clearing rocks and sticks that might damage the floor of the ground tent)
- Setup time, including keeping bedding in the tent
- Comfort, as I would always just use my Thermarest Neoair xlite mat which is ultralight mat for backpacking, which I could sleep very well on and I didn't want to waste money on a second mat just for car camping
- Bit more protection from the weather

I have used my Tepui for a total night of around 50-60 in most conditions. There are things I like about it and a few I don't, a few of them come down to quality control from Tepui.

Pros I have found of the RTT,

- Warmth is winter. I was actually quite surprised at how much warmer it was
- Setup time for me is quite quick but leaving my sleeping bag and gear inside the tent while closed
- Heaps more room than my ground tent
- Great view from the roof
- I feel a safer on the roof so I sleep better
- Leveling the car is easier than finding a flat bit of ground for the ground tent
- Easier to sit up and read in a RTT
- Easier to install and remove from the roof racks than I thought(using Front Runner RTT mounts on a FR Slimline Rack)
- Makes my friends jealous when we camp together and they are in ground tents(probably the most important!)

Cons,

- I have to take it off when I'm home as I only have 1 car and having the tent on there permanently hugely restricts where you can go(carparks ect)
- Having to get up and down the ladder to relieve myself in the middle of night
- The time the fabric takes to dry compared to my ground tent
- You extremely need condensation mat if you are in the PNW in November and December like I was.

Problems I have had with the Tepui Ayer,

- Tepui's seam sealing/waterproofing is an absolute joke, I had heaps of leaks and fabric soaked up water quicker than a sponge, soaking the mattress and my sleeping bag. I have now re-seam sealed and re-water proofed the tent but it's summer in Socal so it won't rain for another 3 months to test it
- Tons metal shavings under the mattress I had to clean out
- The normal mattress for is WAY more UNcomfortable than even my ultralight hiking mat. I am 5'10" and 170lbs wet and it feels like I am sleeping on concrete. None of the off the shelf mattress(Exped, Nemo ect) fit the Ayer nicely so I am going to have to go custom. I was told by Tepui that the lux mattress is even firmer than the standard one.
- I had to drill out 2 of the holes for the poles that hold out the rain fly/windows as the poles would not go in straight from the factory

All in all I like it more than the ground tent. Once I sort the mattress out and confirm my water proofing efforts are good it will be even better.

Yeah my Tepui has some shavings under the mattress as well but not a lot. Haven’t actually got to use it in colder weather yet and I am worried about condensation or how it’ll do in the snow. Mattress definitely could be thicker in my opinion. But, I really can’t complain too bad considering I bought it brand new for $750

 

[TOUGE]

Yeah my Tepui has some shavings under the mattress as well but not a lot. Haven’t actually got to use it in colder weather yet and I am worried about condensation or how it’ll do in the snow. Mattress definitely could be thicker in my opinion. But, I really can’t complain too bad considering I bought it brand new for $750

That's and absolute bargain! I didn't get any snow maybe a little sleet but it was was 26-38ºF most nights of that trip and even when it didn't rain the bottom the mattress was quite wet but the top and sides was dry.

I don't find the thickness of the mattress is problem, it's the firmness. I prefer firmer mattress's but this is ridiculously firm. I can stand on it and it doesn't feel like I am hitting the ground under it, so me lying on it probably only compresses it less than 1/6" and I am a side sleeper. I don't really want to add a topper to the standard mattress as I don't want to make it any thicker than it already is.