Rooftop tents?

[jim lee]

Suddenly it seems everyone has rooftop tents. Ok, I've been away from the camping world for awhile but this was a big surprise for me. Besides everyone thinking they are cool and all. What's the reason for them? Why are they suddenly so popular? What camping problem are they solving? I'm really curious to how they came about and why.

Thanks.

-jim lee

 

[Trigger]

For myself, I believe it’s a combination of convenience and comfort. They can be set up quickly and easily, they put you off the ground (which my wife really appreciates), and they have thick, comfortable mattresses that can be stowed with all bedding inside. When you add an annex,it adds a new level of convenience.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Steve]

Suddenly it seems everyone has rooftop tents.

If by suddenly, you mean over the past five to ten years, then yes, they have exploded onto the scene. "Everyone" does not have one, though. ;)

Here's a link to a list of Roof Top Tent threads. Several of them are about why people decided to go that route: https://overlandbound.com/forums/search/2336189/?page=2&q=roof+top+tent&o=date&c[title_only]=1

 

[Road]

Suddenly it seems everyone has rooftop tents. Ok, I've been away from the camping world for awhile but this was a big surprise for me. Besides everyone thinking they are cool and all. What's the reason for them? Why are they suddenly so popular? What camping problem are they solving? I'm really curious to how they came about and why.

Thanks.

-jim lee

Rooftop tents have actually been around a long time as a matter of innovation, ease, and convenience, though were always more popular in countries like Africa, Europe, and Australia. More recently, because of the 'overland' craze, they've taken off in sales in both the US and UK and are enjoying a renewed interest in Europe. I have social media friends in Japan who are getting into 'overlanding' and RTTs now, too.

As is typical with Americans in regards to a lot of things, we often ignore or don't know the history and think we're the first to do something or that it was invented in the USA.

Most people think rooftop tents originated in both Africa and Australia as a way to keep off the ground and away from nasty creepy-crawlies and make it less possible to be attacked by wild animals. I don't know if that's really true or even if it's the main reason, but it makes good copy so people repeat it as if it's fact.

I think, like many other things, that if a thing can be done and someone sees a potential to make money, it will be done. If it catches on, great, let's make more. If it proves to be just a passing fad, then it will slide into obscurity, usually only to be revived later by someone else who sees financial opportunity.

You can see some of the same exact designs that are so popular today in images from decades ago. Here's a whole bunch of images I've collected over the years for an article:


1948 Nash with fold-out RTT and annex.


Bunch of Land Rovers with Italian RTTs on the Trans African Tour. Notice the one Rover with dual tents.





Streamlined Aero Cabana Pop up on a couple different vehicles. Note the ladders designed to go with the style of vehicle.

When I was a kid in Europe, we toured around a lot in a Chevy wagon with wood-grained sides and a huge canvas tent (not a RTT) strapped to the roof.
It's a large part of why I travel so much to this day and live out of a vehicle for months at a time.


Fold-out RTT. Judging by the Jimmy Dean haircut and wardrobe on all three, I'd say this is from the late 50s early 60s.


This company, Autohome, has been making hardshell RTTs since 1958! It is what my Roofnest Eagle was modeled after.

Another pop up RTT, with a sketchy ladder


This style, the wedge sort of pop up, is gaining in popularity again, big-time, as AluCab and others come out with new products; some that are accessible from inside, some only from outside.


Ad for the X-Panda-Cab sleeper unit, which seems to be the one in the image below.




The ultimate in pop-up and slide-out RV living. I can only image what that must have been like to drive.


A restored Model T with camping pop-outs.

Henry Ford was a huge outdoor and camping enthusiast and incorporated camping designs into some of his vehicles, though not typically for mass production.
If you have more info on how many of some these were made, please let me know.


1937 Ford Housecar with canvas-sided pop-up.

A brief aside on vehicle-camping and caravans: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs often camped together during the years 1915 - 1924. They called themselves the Four Vagabonds. From an article at henryford.org:

In 1916, Edison invited Ford, Burroughs and Harvey Firestone to journey through the New England Adirondacks and Green Mountains; Ford, however, was unable to join the group. In 1918, Ford, Edison, Firestone, his son Harvey, Burroughs, and Robert DeLoach of the Armour Company, caravanned through the mountains of West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Subsequent trips were made in 1919 to the Adirondacks and New England; in 1920 to John Burroughs' home and cabin retreat into the Catskill Mountains; in 1921 to West Virginia and northern Michigan; and in 1923 to northern Michigan. In 1924, the group journeyed to northern Michigan by train, gathered again at Henry and Clara Ford's Wayside Inn in Massachusetts, and visited President Coolidge at his home in Vermont.



The trips were well organized and equipped. There were several heavy passenger cars and vans to carry the travelers, household staff, and equipment; Ford Motor Company photographers also accompanied the group.

The 1919 trip involved fifty vehicles, including two designed by Ford: a kitchen camping car with a gasoline stove and built-in icebox presided over by a cook and a heavy touring car mounted on a truck chassis with compartments for tents, cots, chairs, electric lights, etc.
​

Here's Henry Ford on a camping trip messing with his boot. Notice the folding chair he's sitting in; very much like the Byer of Maine cots and chairs from long ago. They've been making folding furniture since 1880.



Here's a bunch of other images showing RTTs from the past:


Topbunk ad.


Someone wanted to be able to stand up when dressing, looks like.


Italian ad for hardshell pop-up.


From 1954: More Fun for Your Money: How to Build a Folding Bedroom. I would love to see this whole article.


Bit in Popular Science Monthly


An unusual Conestoga like RTT with covered ladder and awning. Looks like it collapses down into a nice compact package.

So, there you have it. Not new, been around and popular in different ways for a long time, and now a lot of folks are doing it again.


.

 

[jim lee]

Now THAT is what I call a reply!

Thank you very much for that! Exactly what I was wondering about.

-jim lee

 

[SubeeBen]

Now THAT is what I call a reply!

Thank you very much for that! Exactly what I was wondering about.

-jim lee

SERIOUSLY

 

[Caddis]

I personally like the pop up tent for a couple of big reasons.
1. No matter how flat of an area you choose to camp it's flat. You don't wake up in the middle of the night laying on that rock in the middle of your back that you missed earlier

2. It's seems seems to stay warmer than laying on the ground.

3. Not having to worry about critters wondering in. Though im 43 and this has never happened to me...but it could have, it could have.

Now, on the other side, its expensive. It's also slightly inconvenient if you stay in one spot, but also want to explore in your truck.

I currently run mine on my truck year round. I haven't noticed my fuel mileage drop at all. I am building a trailer to put my RTT on, so maybe I might notice a difference then.

 

[murps]

Rooftop tents have actually been around a long time as a matter of innovation, ease, and convenience, though were always more popular in countries like Africa, Europe, and Australia. More recently, because of the 'overland' craze, they've taken off in sales in both the US and UK and are enjoying a renewed interest in Europe. I have social media friends in Japan who are getting into 'overlanding' and RTTs now, too.

As is typical with Americans in regards to a lot of things, we often ignore or don't know the history and think we're the first to do something or that it was invented in the USA.

Most people think rooftop tents originated in both Africa and Australia as a way to keep off the ground and away from nasty creepy-crawlies and make it less possible to be attacked by wild animals. I don't know if that's really true or even if it's the main reason, but it makes good copy so people repeat it as if it's fact.

I think, like many other things, that if a thing can be done and someone sees a potential to make money, it will be done. If it catches on, great, let's make more. If it proves to be just a passing fad, then it will slide into obscurity, usually only to be revived later by someone else who sees financial opportunity.

You can see some of the same exact designs that are so popular today in images from decades ago. Here's a whole bunch of images I've collected over the years for an article:

View attachment 53599
1948 Nash with fold-out RTT and annex.

View attachment 53606
Bunch of Land Rovers with Italian RTTs on the Trans African Tour. Notice the one Rover with dual tents.


View attachment 53604

View attachment 53603
Streamlined Aero Cabana Pop up on a couple different vehicles. Note the ladders designed to go with the style of vehicle.

When I was a kid in Europe, we toured around a lot in a Chevy wagon with wood-grained sides and a huge canvas tent (not a RTT) strapped to the roof.
It's a large part of why I travel so much to this day and live out of a vehicle for months at a time.

View attachment 53601
Fold-out RTT. Judging by the Jimmy Dean haircut and wardrobe on all three, I'd say this is from the late 50s early 60s.

View attachment 53608
This company, Autohome, has been making hardshell RTTs since 1958! It is what my Roofnest Eagle was modeled after.

View attachment 53598 Another pop up RTT, with a sketchy ladder

View attachment 53607
This style, the wedge sort of pop up, is gaining in popularity again, big-time, as AluCab and others come out with new products; some that are accessible from inside, some only from outside.

View attachment 53615
Ad for the X-Panda-Cab sleeper unit, which seems to be the one in the image below.

View attachment 53600

View attachment 53602
The ultimate in pop-up and slide-out RV living. I can only image what that must have been like to drive.

View attachment 53605
A restored Model T with camping pop-outs.

Henry Ford was a huge outdoor and camping enthusiast and incorporated camping designs into some of his vehicles, though not typically for mass production.
If you have more info on how many of some these were made, please let me know.

View attachment 53625
1937 Ford Housecar with canvas-sided pop-up.

A brief aside on vehicle-camping and caravans: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs often camped together during the years 1915 - 1924. They called themselves the Four Vagabonds. From an article at henryford.org:

In 1916, Edison invited Ford, Burroughs and Harvey Firestone to journey through the New England Adirondacks and Green Mountains; Ford, however, was unable to join the group. In 1918, Ford, Edison, Firestone, his son Harvey, Burroughs, and Robert DeLoach of the Armour Company, caravanned through the mountains of West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Subsequent trips were made in 1919 to the Adirondacks and New England; in 1920 to John Burroughs' home and cabin retreat into the Catskill Mountains; in 1921 to West Virginia and northern Michigan; and in 1923 to northern Michigan. In 1924, the group journeyed to northern Michigan by train, gathered again at Henry and Clara Ford's Wayside Inn in Massachusetts, and visited President Coolidge at his home in Vermont.

View attachment 53618

The trips were well organized and equipped. There were several heavy passenger cars and vans to carry the travelers, household staff, and equipment; Ford Motor Company photographers also accompanied the group.

The 1919 trip involved fifty vehicles, including two designed by Ford: a kitchen camping car with a gasoline stove and built-in icebox presided over by a cook and a heavy touring car mounted on a truck chassis with compartments for tents, cots, chairs, electric lights, etc.
​

Here's Henry Ford on a camping trip messing with his boot. Notice the folding chair he's sitting in; very much like the Byer of Maine cots and chairs from long ago. They've been making folding furniture since 1880.

View attachment 53630

Here's a bunch of other images showing RTTs from the past:

View attachment 53629
Topbunk ad.

View attachment 53628
Someone wanted to be able to stand up when dressing, looks like.

View attachment 53623
Italian ad for hardshell pop-up.

View attachment 53626
From 1954: More Fun for Your Money: How to Build a Folding Bedroom. I would love to see this whole article.

View attachment 53620
Bit in Popular Science Monthly

View attachment 53616
An unusual Conestoga like RTT with covered ladder and awning. Looks like it collapses down into a nice compact package.

So, there you have it. Not new, been around and popular in different ways for a long time, and now everyone is doing it again.


.

Cool little history lesson there!

 

[StuntmanMike]

Honestly, while they look cool and "nifty" to me, they also seem like they'd be a PITA. Unless you plan on setting up and not moving the vehicle for a few days, they seem less than practical to me.

Typically, when I camp, we'll set up the tent and whatnot, then jump in the car to shuttle us and our mountainbikes to wherever we're riding. Now if we were set up near the trailheads the RTT would work, or if we had multiple vehicles capable of shuttling the bikes.

I think for a RTT, having it mounted on a camp trailer is the best setup. That guy on YT with the newer 4Runner has a nice setup, he has the RTT on an off-road trailer that has storage and a kitchen, and he can unhook it when hitting the trail in the Runner.