Three Things I Hate About My Roof Top Tent

[Downs]

Given the issues--and there are certainly more that could be articulated--I just don't get why they are popular. I have a small aluminum trailer and sometimes just go with a ground tent. Either are preferable for me.

Because all the cool kids have them.

 

[rgallant]

Modifying the suspension to handle the weight is something you should be doing. What you should not be doing is adding 150# of weight that high over the vehicles roll center. This is the pivot point where your weight and suspension fight the ground. This is mostly felt side to side but also effects front to rear. The longer the distance above this point, the more leverage working against the suspension. Modifying the suspension only modify's the weight carry. The only way to properly do this would be to lengthen and widen the stance or lower the vehicle. Anything we put on our roof will act the same. Next add in tire/suspension lift and the ground point on this equation changes also. Jeeps are short and narrow. My Cruiser is much longer, slightly wider and much heavier. I wont feel the effect as much if I put something on mine compared to a TJ.

People do these things all the time with no knowledge of what they create. Thousands of people run things on their roof without any issues. As long as you don't get too technical or get into a high cross wind, you never notice. AS the OP pointed out, sidehill's can be scary with an RTT.

I would add to this one of the reasons I went the Tepui Ayer was the light weight, although it is a true 2 person tent as a trade off. At just under 100lbs it suited what I wanted on top of my Disco. Many other 2/ 2-3 persons RTT break 150 and some the hard tops are closer to 200. And for me that becomes to much weight up high.

The biggest pros for me:

I only needed to find a level spot, rocks, mud and roots etc are not an issue. As I tend to camp where ever I decide to end the day it is a pretty big positive here in the PWN
And interior storage space, the Disco is a realtively big 4x4 but I like my load down low not stacked to the ceiling. I found on 4 to 5 day trips it was pretty crowded in there with me and all my gear. So an RTT seemed like a good solution.

As to trailers on some of the trails I find they would be an issue, both due the extra length they add and narrowness of the trails. Backuping up a km plus with a trailer on a tight narrow road would not be fun. And I have had to back down that far on a number of occasions.

 

[Truckee]

A hard shell RTT with a flat rack would ease most of your complaints... though might lead to others.

 

[Embark With Mark]

A hard shell RTT with a flat rack would ease most of your complaints... though might lead to others.

I think you are right, but I am going to assume weight on a hardshell roof top tent is even more than this current tent.

 

[Truckee]

The weight is similar for a two person tent but the size will often consume the entire roof space and so your fuel cans and whatever else would need to find a home somewhere else, lower to the ground. They are also generally lower in height... fuel mileage is slightly better in comparison too. Set-up and take-down are faster and IMO, even faster than a ground tent since you don't have to pack away sleeping mats and bags.

 

[LostWoods]

I think the point to be made here is that while you can compensate for weight higher up to improve stability, you still can't beat physics and making similar changes while passing on the tent will always result in a more stable vehicle. Weight transfer will always be the enemy when dealing with off-camber trails and a low center of gravity is the best way to prevent having a bad day.

A bit of a rant incoming but while just a tent isn't going to be horrible, I think the issue is frequently that too many fall into the youtube/instagram overlander trap that they need all this shit and way too much of it ends up well above CoG.

I mean do some quick math... Take a 4Runner with a full-length rack (90lbs), tent (125lbs), 50" light bar (20lbs) , square awning (35lbs), and 4 maxtrax (32lbs) attached to the roof rack. Sounds reasonably typical for an overlander, right? That's 300 lbs. That's 20% of a 4Runner's rated (and substantial) payload above the roofline. Think about those who do this with an aluminum hardshell tent (180lbs) and a 270 degree awning... that makes it nearly 400lbs.

If you do a tent and just a 3/4 rack in that scenario you can be at 180lbs (minus OEM bars) which is much more manageable. If you can get away with just doing roof bars it's even less.

I'm always the asshole when it comes to rig weight and this is why. It's not just that people are piling on the weight, it's that people put this weight in the worst possible places.

 

[smritte]

You forgot to add 4 fuel cans stuffed up there.

 

[rgallant]

@LostWoods that was not really a rant so much as a consideration, I went through the same thing before I put a tent up top

1. Weight of the tent 95 lbs
2. Weight of the Front Runner bars 16 lbs
3. Weight of the Extra bar 7 lbs
4. Weight of Awning 36lbs
5. Total call it 155 the dynamic load limit of the Front Runner bars is about 220 (they are really vague when you ask could be 220 could be less) so I am as loaded as I want to be. A rack would have been too much weight for my liking.

Given the 5000lb weight of my Disco that is not too bad, but I really did not want to go much heavier, I set my self a max tent weight of 135.

 

[KonzaLander]

Three complaints I have about the ARB RTT on my 1999 Land Cruiser:

1. The RTT is a pain to install since I do not leave it mounted most of the time. For a quick weekend trip, I prefer to hammock camp versus spending the time to install and remove the RTT.
2. Folding up the RTT in the morning is no faster than packing up a ground tent or the 20 pieces that make up my hammock setup. Folding up the RTT is a workout since you have to run from side to side of the rig several times, stand on the door sills to reach the cover and make your calves burn and slowly zip the RTT up while shoving the fabric under the cover.
3. The ladder is noisy...it creeks so loudly anybody within 10 miles can hear when nature calls in the middle of the night.

 

[VI Overlander]

A TJ has to be one of the worst platforms for a RTT. They are sprung extremely light, most cages for them don’t tie into the frame, thus the body caries the weight and most racks are only rated to 300lbs. They have a high roll over so putting that much weight above the roof line no beuno as mentioned previous. I have a TJ and opted for the trailer route. As far as how much time it takes, I never noticed, I’m camping, I could care less. Isn’t that why we get away, so we don’t worry about frivolous things like saving minutes setting up camp ‍

 

[Truckee]

We sometimes camp in the desert. Sunrise, we pack up, have breakfast and then go for a hike before it heats up. Time is a bit crucial. We usually don't stay in one spot for more than 1-2 nights. Multiply that by 2-3 weeks and set-up and take down time and effort start to matter. I think it just comes down to frequency. If I planned to stay in one spot for an extended amount of time, I'd take my Oztent.

I've owned an off-road trailer for several years as well and understand the pros/cons. For the most part, I prefer an RTT over towing a trailer for my type of camping and off-road travel.

 

[Wallygator]

We sometimes camp in the desert. Sunrise, we pack up, have breakfast and then go for a hike before it heats up. Time is a bit crucial. We usually don't stay in one spot for more than 1-2 nights. Multiply that by 2-3 weeks and set-up and take down time and effort start to matter. I think it just comes down to frequency. If I planned to stay in one spot for an extended amount of time, I'd take my Oztent.

I've owned an off-road trailer for several years as well and understand the pros/cons. For the most part, I prefer an RTT over towing a trailer for my type of camping and off-road travel.

Yep it makes a huge difference to me. This is primarily why I chose the tent I did, 15-20 second setup and take down matters, especially the older I get. Along with park the vehicle and sleep just about anywhere. Also for those who think going to the bathroom is a pain, if you own a RTT and haven't figured out to how to pee in a bottle yet then there is no helping you.

 

[Truckee]

Yes, besides cleaning up after a trip, the next worse thing about camping is breaking down and setting up camp. The less time spent doing it, the better. I'm camping with young kids... even more work.

I sometimes arrive to the campsite shortly before sunset. Most ground tenters will rush as they want daylight to find the level ground and feed the tent poles, layout their air mats and etc. Then they are completely in the dark while they try and prepare dinner. Not me, I'll skip setting up.. and first cook dinner and am able to enjoy eating dinner while there is still some sunlight. With the hardshell RTT, I can set-up camp nearly blind-folded, in the dark and in minutes.

 

[AL.WVSN]

I love my RTT. I love sleeping in it, I love chillin' in it... I love everything about it, except.... Trying to put it away when I just want to go....

I did a ground tent last weekend and I don't like it but it is far better than the RTT when I just want to leave and pack up.

so im in search of a clamp style RTT now, which I don't need a cover and have to climb up just to cover the RTT.

Any recommendation?

 

[genocache]

I had a Tepui on top of my Series 109. Great for sleeping in, but the bottom of the tent was 7' off the ground. I had to climb up the bonnet to the roof 2 times every time for set up or take down. I built cots into the rear tub and if I'm moving nightly I just sleep inside. If I am going to say a few nights I set up my Oz tent.
See my cot set up; 109 cot update

 

[rsweet]

I have a Alu-Cab Expedition 3 and me and my wife love it. Super warm and wind is never an issue. Rock solid. My wife would never sleep in a ground tent. At 163 lbs no big deal and it is solid.

 

[VI Overlander]

I should have mentioned my trailer is a 6x4 u build with a CVT mt Mazama tent. I agree on setup time being crucial but it shouldn’t be a race, not in my mind at least. Life is already fast paced enough, it’s nice to just do this stuff at your own pace but yet not taking an extreme amount of time. I’m about 15 minutes without putting up my full extension.E

 

[nigelsiam]

I see that the RTT crowd and craze is dying down a bit. I think maybe if prices go down along with better design it could help but I think if someone is traveling a long distance and only going out for a couple days the RTT doesn't fit their needs. At $3k+ you can do a lot more with this kind of money. But each has their own preferences.

 

[Wallygator]

I love my RTT. I love sleeping in it, I love chillin' in it... I love everything about it, except.... Trying to put it away when I just want to go....

I did a ground tent last weekend and I don't like it but it is far better than the RTT when I just want to leave and pack up.

so im in search of a clamp style RTT now, which I don't need a cover and have to climb up just to cover the RTT.

Any recommendation?

Eezi-Awn Blade or Dart

 

[LostWoods]

I see that the RTT crowd and craze is dying down a bit. I think maybe if prices go down along with better design it could help but I think if someone is traveling a long distance and only going out for a couple days the RTT doesn't fit their needs. At $3k+ you can do a lot more with this kind of money. But each has their own preferences.

I think that's just because winter then COVID. I'm hoping for the easy-up ground tent market to blow up myself but right now, I think the only reason you aren't hearing about RTTs is because everyone and their mother in the segment is buying from the same Chinese factories and slapping their names on it. Nothing is novel anymore and the market is way oversaturated so there's nothing really new to talk about.

Either that or it's just not being on FB and Insta means I don't hear all the news.