This is my review on the smittybilt roof top tent I have been using for some time. I went into it thinking it would be sub par but have been super happy with it all with a lot of use
Smittybilt rtt honest review
- Thread starter Jason Harris
- Start date
Member III
Very nice review and I agree with you 100%. I have this same RTT and enjoy it very much and don't see why I should invest more for one. That's my opinion though and others will disagree and agree I'm sure.
Influencer II
I have the XL. It is fantastic. Time will tell on the quality of the build, but so far, it seems as good as the others on the market for half the price.
Seems like some just because of the brand name instantly says it is junk when that is far from the truth
Member III
I have the XL as well and I love it! I am so happy that it has a velcro closure for the cover.... I have sat at campsites and giggled inside watching other curse at the zippers on the covers of their "better" brand name tents. Great video. Thanks!
Thanks, everyone told me before I bought it, you will hate the Velcro turns out I love it and I’m not the only one
Influencer II
I hate the velcro, but I also realize it's better than futzing with a stuck zipper.
Pathfinder III
- 5,200
- First Name
- Kent
- Last Name
- Reynolds
- Member #
-
1632
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- K6KNT
- Service Branch
- Retired Firefighter
Thank you for the video! I screwed up just before Christmas could have purchased it at 4 wheel parts for half price.
The best set up I have seen is the cord style like the ezawn has but the price is out of my budget
What was the price around Christmas? I’m thinking of making the jump and getting a tent but if the deals come at Christmas I think I can manage to wait..
Pathfinder III
- 5,200
- First Name
- Kent
- Last Name
- Reynolds
- Member #
-
1632
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- K6KNT
- Service Branch
- Retired Firefighter
I am pretty sure it was $750 free delivery and no sales tax. 4 Wheel Parts usually has a promotion each day for several weeks before Christmas and you can grab great deals you just need to keep an eye on it.
I have one, it's been nothing but outstanding every time I use it.
Traveler III
Nice, I just purchased the XL as well. Hoping to take it out this month.
We used ours for the first time in July 2018 on a trip to South Dakota. It preformed flawlessly. Even in winds gusting in excess of 30 MPH. We had to button down the hatches and used tie downs / stakes to anchor overhang (highly recommended). It got loud inside with all the flapping / shaking, but it stood strong. Wife got scared, hugged me all night. Bonus!
Very pleased with purchase! Have used it many times since with great satisfaction! Highly recommend. Excellent value for the price.
Note: Go to Walmart and purchase a three (3) inch memory foam mattress to make your nights more comfortable.
Very pleased with purchase! Have used it many times since with great satisfaction! Highly recommend. Excellent value for the price.
Note: Go to Walmart and purchase a three (3) inch memory foam mattress to make your nights more comfortable.
Did you completely replace the stick mattress with the 3in memory foam or use it in addition to? I ask because I have the same tent and with a 3in memory foam plus the stock mattress the tent is very difficult to close. I was concerned I might damage it by forcing it. I am new to rtt’s so maybe I’m just being over cautious but I’d like to hear your experience.
I installed the memory foam mattress directly over the mattress that came with the RTT. In addition, I placed a fully opened sleeping bag (winter weight) on top of that, and then covered with a sheet. Then I rolled out my sleeping bags x 2 ( I pre-fold the sleeping bags in half).I then re-install the fabric manager bungees, climb down, and fold up tent & ladder. Yes its bulky, but memory foam collapses when compressed. After its folded over, I climb on top and sit atop each corner fastening the retaining straps as I go. It closes square and fits neatly under the black cover. We have not had any issues. In fact, it currently stored in this configuration, so all I have to to is pop it on the rack and hit the road.
Note: I never totally remove the black cover. Instead, I leave the front leading edge attached and fold down over my front windshield.
Love ours. No complaints other than you need more cushioning inside. Put a 4" memory foam mattress over the existing one . 
Great info in this thread and thanks for making a review video!
We have used both a Tepui Kukenam and now use the Smittybilt XL, so to add what was said, here's my opinion on comparing the two: The Tepui is better, but there's a huge caveat on that. Please note also we had our Tepui 5 or 6 years ago and their product line has changed; I assume mostly for the better but I don't know for sure.
The pros for the Kukenam:
- Tepui seems to be a thicker fabric
- The Tepui construction and quality control was a bit better.
- The stock mattress was more comfortable to us.
The Cons for the Kukenam:
- The tent needed to be retreated for waterproofing after about 120 nights and 4 seasons, and the midgey mesh needed replacing which we did at home manually.
Now, the XL has a few cons:
- The brackets for the aluminum support pole that hangs out over the ladder broke loose, had to be re-riveted.
- The aluminum pole itself broke under a snow load.
- We have had one cinch strap snap.
- The stitching is loose in places.
Edit to add: This is all in the first proper season with it.
But here's where the biggest difference lies:
Tepui Kukenam XL Baja: $2700 CAD before shipping to Edmonton.
Smittybilt XL: $1429.99 picked up in YEG.
Based on the pros and cons, the question comes down this: Are the differences worth the $1300 price difference? I can do a lot of sewing of straps and riveting of brackets for $1300!! So, I think the Smittybilt is not nearly as good as some of the other competition out there, but as a value proposition it literally cannot be beat on the RTT scene. It provides you with 99.9% of the utility of the other ones for considerable cost savings.
Now the real question though -- would I buy another one? The answer is nope, but there's context there too.
I wouldn't like buy another RTT at all, in fact. The costs are just not there for my rig. The rack for the JK was $2,000; the tent was another $1500 and in my opinion that is a consumable over the course of 5-ish years. In the life of my vehicle so far, I have $5k into mobile sleeping solutions. For my next mobile sleeping solution I will be selling my rack and building something like this myself:
If you want to buy one though, it's $10k minimum (if you can get one). That can buy a lot of gas and beer for the campfire so that's not a recommended solution to everyone!
We have used both a Tepui Kukenam and now use the Smittybilt XL, so to add what was said, here's my opinion on comparing the two: The Tepui is better, but there's a huge caveat on that. Please note also we had our Tepui 5 or 6 years ago and their product line has changed; I assume mostly for the better but I don't know for sure.
The pros for the Kukenam:
- Tepui seems to be a thicker fabric
- The Tepui construction and quality control was a bit better.
- The stock mattress was more comfortable to us.
The Cons for the Kukenam:
- The tent needed to be retreated for waterproofing after about 120 nights and 4 seasons, and the midgey mesh needed replacing which we did at home manually.
Now, the XL has a few cons:
- The brackets for the aluminum support pole that hangs out over the ladder broke loose, had to be re-riveted.
- The aluminum pole itself broke under a snow load.
- We have had one cinch strap snap.
- The stitching is loose in places.
Edit to add: This is all in the first proper season with it.
But here's where the biggest difference lies:
Tepui Kukenam XL Baja: $2700 CAD before shipping to Edmonton.
Smittybilt XL: $1429.99 picked up in YEG.
Based on the pros and cons, the question comes down this: Are the differences worth the $1300 price difference? I can do a lot of sewing of straps and riveting of brackets for $1300!! So, I think the Smittybilt is not nearly as good as some of the other competition out there, but as a value proposition it literally cannot be beat on the RTT scene. It provides you with 99.9% of the utility of the other ones for considerable cost savings.
Now the real question though -- would I buy another one? The answer is nope, but there's context there too.
I wouldn't like buy another RTT at all, in fact. The costs are just not there for my rig. The rack for the JK was $2,000; the tent was another $1500 and in my opinion that is a consumable over the course of 5-ish years. In the life of my vehicle so far, I have $5k into mobile sleeping solutions. For my next mobile sleeping solution I will be selling my rack and building something like this myself:
If you want to buy one though, it's $10k minimum (if you can get one). That can buy a lot of gas and beer for the campfire so that's not a recommended solution to everyone!
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