Roof top tent vs ground tent

That's why I have a instant tent for ground camping if we are out by ourselves (IE not group setup) it's easy to take down and the cost was about $100. Yeah it may only last me 1 or 2 years but I can live with that. All my tents get additional coating by the way of 303 or the like and have had very few issues with these coatings after they have dried.

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Lots of good posts in this thread. Appreciate all the various view points.

I'm settled on the Oztent ground tent. Just saving my pennies until I can get the one I want. I would encourage others to do the same, whether it be a RTT or ground tent. Trying to do my part to shift away from the disposable economy. I'd like something that will last a little longer and even be repaired if need be in the future.
Something to think about.
 
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Just managed to get myself a second-hand RV4 with extra walls and a zipper that connects it to the roof rack. Like all others here I have swung back and forth and the deciding factors for me were:
1 Space taken up on the roof rack
2 COG
3 The fact that it would probably stay on the Landy and hence add to fuel costs for non-camping trips
4 The fact that you can't use the RTT for a base camp.

I am building an off road trailer that is the next project after the Landy is finished (do they ever get finished??) and I will be looking at an RTT to fit to that.
 
Okay that is one for the RTT. Gator country... will have to keep that one in mind. Having come from Grizzly country RTT or Ground tent doesn't really matter if they come for you in the night.

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KD7WCD said:
Okay that is one for the RTT. Gator country... will have to keep that one in mind. Having come from Grizzly country RTT or Ground tent doesn't really matter if they come for you in the night.

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My buddy reminded me they can climb. I just don't want to be the easiest meal. They mite skip me that way.
 
AndyHempsall said:
I've always been a ground tent person, and have also tried swags (find them a bit small tbh) and am now seriously considering a roof top tent. Just cant decide on whether to go soft or hard shell.
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Here's my 2 cents on your dilemma.

If you expect to fit 1 or 2 people max - Hard shell
If you need to fit 3 or more - Soft shell
If you value speed and ease of setup - hard shell
If you want/need a connected annex - soft shell (could be partially addressed with an awning and side walls but won't be connected like an annex)
If you plan to keep the tent attached indefinitely and clearance into a garage is a concern - hard shell (lower profile)
If you want to store sleeping bag, pillow, awning extension poles inside tent - Hard shell
Durability - I don't know..I read an example where the fiberglass has cracked but Manu. claims it's just cosmetic. Personally, I've had my RTT (hard shell) mounted permanently for 2 years with no issues but I did slide into a tree branch on a muddy off camber trail and gouged my hard shell, taking a chunk of clear coat off. I used epoxy to repair and it seemed to work well. If it was soft shell one of two things would have happened. Little or no damage or it would have punctured the tent. I can never know for sure.

I like RTT and when I'm by myself it's perfect but when I bring a kid, my preference is for a ground tent (safety, bio breaks in middle of night, etc)
 
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We just picked up a CVT Mt. Rainier today. For us it was the ease of setup and the pice of mind to be away from critters .

We have a big Agnes flying diamond 8 for a base camp trips. Love that tent but a pain to set up.

This summer we will be driving from NJ to MT. With many stops in-between. I would go mad setting up that ground tent. Thankfully CVT had this tent available as "used" in NJ so I jumped on it. We were originally going to fly to MT. Now we can have a family adventure and many more in the future .
 
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TDGarage said:
Here's my 2 cents on your dilemma.

If you expect to fit 1 or 2 people max - Hard shell
If you need to fit 3 or more - Soft shell
If you value speed and ease of setup - hard shell
If you want/need a connected annex - soft shell (could be partially addressed with an awning and side walls but won't be connected like an annex)
If you plan to keep the tent attached indefinitely and clearance into a garage is a concern - hard shell (lower profile)
If you want to store sleeping bag, pillow, awning extension poles inside tent - Hard shell
Durability - I don't know..I read an example where the fiberglass has cracked but Manu. claims it's just cosmetic. Personally, I've had my RTT (hard shell) mounted permanently for 2 years with no issues but I did slide into a tree branch on a muddy off camber trail and gouged my hard shell, taking a chunk of clear coat off. I used epoxy to repair and it seemed to work well. If it was soft shell one of two things would have happened. Little or no damage or it would have punctured the tent. I can never know for sure.

I like RTT and when I'm by myself it's perfect but when I bring a kid, my preference is for a ground tent (safety, bio breaks in middle of night, etc)
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Thanks for the thoughts. Very much appreciated. Kind of along the lines I was thinking. If I go down the RTT route I really don't want to be taking it on and off all the time, so the idea of being able to keep it in place does appeal. I'm leaning towards a hard top (the cost difference is putting me off somewhat though).
 
Hi Guys!
So anyone with any information with these truck bed tents?

Planning a 10 day trip through the Canadian Rocky Mountains in August. Since my girlfriend and i cannot afford a RTT yet we will have to use my two man ground tent. However my girlfriend just suggested maybe we buy a truck bed tent, i have been looking at them online and not too pricey. In my mind i would have to unpack everything from the bed to set up camp and then have to reload everything versus ground tent i can leave gear in the truck bed and set up camp next to the truck.

Anybody use one of these and if so what did you think? Would love some feedback. :)

Picture is just off of Google..
Sportz-57-Series-Truck-Tent.jpg
 
I owned one of those truck bed tents before I got my rtt. It lasted about 6 years before torrential winds at overland expo 2016 tore it up. It was great and pretty easy to setup. My major problem was that I would store all my camping gear in the bed of the truck so I had to move it out of the bed every time I needed to set up the tent.
 
boehml said:
I suppose this is another con for a ground tent... Warthogs.

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We didn't get a warthog with our safari bow tent. The older you get the less appealing climbing the ladder is especially if you have to get up a couple of times in the night. and then there is the climbing around on the roof to set-up and pack away.
P4305344.JPG
 
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Travelatomoverland said:
Hi Guys!
So anyone with any information with these truck bed tents?

Planning a 10 day trip through the Canadian Rocky Mountains in August. Since my girlfriend and i cannot afford a RTT yet we will have to use my two man ground tent. However my girlfriend just suggested maybe we buy a truck bed tent, i have been looking at them online and not too pricey. In my mind i would have to unpack everything from the bed to set up camp and then have to reload everything versus ground tent i can leave gear in the truck bed and set up camp next to the truck.

Anybody use one of these and if so what did you think? Would love some feedback. :)

Picture is just off of Google..
View attachment 15960
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I have the Napier Backroads tent and I like it. I have spent about 30 nights in it over the last year and it seems to be holding up pretty good, except one of the poles had to be replaced. I use the truckbedzzz Air mattress with it as well and it holds air all night every night. Set up is pretty fast, by myself I can have it up in about 5 minutes. Mine doesn't have the awning on it but I bought the smittybilt universal awning and like that I can move it and it was only like $80. You and your girlfriend will fit fine, my ex and I are both over 6 ft tall and we fit no problem. The only issue I have with it is that, like you said, you have to unpack everything out of the truck bed. I am thinking of picking up a ground tent because as I accumulate more gear and mount stuff to the bed rails (CB antenna and dust lights so far) it becomes more of a hassle. I also have other mods in mind that would make it impossible to use the tent. But if you're looking for something cheap for your trip before you pull the trigger on a RTT I would say go for it. If you have any more questions let me know!

Basecamp.jpg
 
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About the truck bed tents.. I saw a youtube video of a guy that had one.. He seemed to like it. easy to setup, as mentioned only ownside is moving all your stuff out of your truck bed and somewhere else..
 
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