Member II
- 889
- First Name
- Pete
- Last Name
- Meuser
- Member #
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20275
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- GMRS WREL270
What is your preferred shelter? (Rooftop Tent vs Ground Tent vs Etc...)
- Thread starter MotoHop
- Start date
Builder I
- 853
- First Name
- Bill
- Last Name
- Warwick
- Member #
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27991
I use a bed tent, fits my whole little family in the bed with no issues, doesnt cost a million bucks, and it's great shelter, with an air mattress its extremely comfortable!
Enthusiast III
RTT for us. Wife loves it, comfortable for two adults and a dog or two and doesn’t get as dirty/muddy as a tent+footprint. It’s also nice to be able to unfold the thing and have a shelter ready to rock with bedding all set up. Also, we think it’s pretty cool.
Negative effect on MPG and driving characteristics? Sure, but not too hard to compensate for. Takes up space when not on the roof? Sure, but we make it work. Setup of our basic clamshell soft tent with the little window tension rods being a pain would be my only real gripe, but you can use it without them in a pinch and, IMO, a smaller car like a Subaru is great for RTT use because everything is a bit closer to the ground.
Negative effect on MPG and driving characteristics? Sure, but not too hard to compensate for. Takes up space when not on the roof? Sure, but we make it work. Setup of our basic clamshell soft tent with the little window tension rods being a pain would be my only real gripe, but you can use it without them in a pinch and, IMO, a smaller car like a Subaru is great for RTT use because everything is a bit closer to the ground.
Member II
- 889
- First Name
- Pete
- Last Name
- Meuser
- Member #
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20275
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- GMRS WREL270
We are normally hammockers but we are working on a sleep in the car system. I bought a 8 inch air mattress which is covered by the 1 inch memory foam bed topper which proved totally insufficient for breaking the hardness of the rear bed of the Tahoe. We have tried it once and it was comfortable in mild climate conditions but we are about to try it in cold. I have a 100 amp hr lithium battery with solar on order for powering a heater but good sleeping bags and running the car as needed works too.
rsweet
Rank V
Member III
- 2,298
- First Name
- Robert
- Last Name
- Sweet
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17264
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- KN6IHR
There is no one size fits all. I love my Alu-Cab RTT. My wife likes it because we are off the ground. No rocks or uneven terrain. Warm as hell and we are in and out in minutes. Find what you like and go with it. For us it is a perfect fit. I leave it on 365 days and it is my daily driver. I backpacked for years and would just sleep out in the open, not everyones choice. No one can define your comfort zone except for you. Not all equipment is equal either. My goal to camping is to make it as comfortable and enjoyable for my wife. I believe in quality gear to make the experience worth having. Starting at great footwear to good layering. Build from there. Quality gear is so much more affordable than it was in the 80's . Buy stuff that lasts and nature will reward you. Buy once, cry once. Buy cheap and you will have a cheap experience.
Traveler III
Used to do roof top tent but have since done the full Goosegear system with sleep platform. No setup is the best!!
Attachments
Contributor II
We sleep 4 inside the truck. Kids sleep in their "bunk beds" in the cab. Wife, dog and myself sleep on a sleeping platform in the box of the truck under the canopy.
jwalla
Rocky Mountain Region Member Rep Dakotas
Advocate I
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- Jeremy
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- Walla
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25322
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- Firefighter
Warbonnet Blackbird XLC, 0deg Wooki underquilt, Superfly tarp, 0deg nemo RIFT
Member II
- 889
- First Name
- Pete
- Last Name
- Meuser
- Member #
-
20275
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- GMRS WREL270
Member II
Member III
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- First Name
- Jim
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- covey sr
- Member #
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16986
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- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Great camping gear. Had I been younger when I started overlanding this is what I would have wanted. Particularly suitable for a jeep.
Member II
Yeah PO had it built to be pulled behind his jeep I guess used it once then it sat for 12 years in the garage till I picked it up. I would rather just sleep in a tent but it is useful to get the wife out with me
Love those old 2 door 4-Runners! Ok. So, take me with you the next time you go buying trucks and SUV's. I feel as though there is that omega-shaped stone time portal somewhere, the one Dr. McCoy went through in the original StarTrek. Only it seems to lead you to 1987, and your pick of the litter for great Toyotas
Kamp-Rite Tent cot. Easy to set up, light, versatile and affordable. Kamp-Rite® Oversize Tent Cot | Kamp-Rite
Advocate III
- 5,584
- First Name
- Michael
- Last Name
- Rose
- Member #
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20990
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- W7FSB
- Service Branch
- US ARMY Retired
Trail Blazer II
Gazelle T4Plus here. I can fit 3 full size cots inside and still have plenty of space left. Bought a toilet seat that fits on top of a 5-gallon bucket and now have an en-suite bathroom as well.
I also have two tarps I bought at Walmart (I believe it's a 10x12 and a 12x20) and some retractable awning poles on Amazon, plus plenty of paracord.
And I bought the better tent stakes from Gazelle (which should really be included with the tent, but...).
I also have two tarps I bought at Walmart (I believe it's a 10x12 and a 12x20) and some retractable awning poles on Amazon, plus plenty of paracord.
And I bought the better tent stakes from Gazelle (which should really be included with the tent, but...).
Advocate III
- 5,584
- First Name
- Michael
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- Rose
- Member #
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20990
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- W7FSB
- Service Branch
- US ARMY Retired
I agree with the upgraded stakes... it’s on my list of needed items, along with the accessory footprint
Member III
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- Jim
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- covey sr
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16986
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- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Yup, that's a big consideration. My wife would only go camping - hunting with me if I left her in a motel somewhere and I took the kids with me. She had no love for my tent camping and sleeping on the ground.
Advocate I
It's definitely interesting to see the results here, the good old ground tent still prevails! It's currently my preferred method as well, for several reasons. First and foremost is what my Overland vehicle is: a lifted WJ. It's pretty tall (I haven't measured, but I can tell you it doesn't clear my 7' garage door by much) so a Roof Top Tent would be way, way up in the air. Also, a RTT would mean I can't park it in the garage. Also, it's a lot of weight way up there, my Jeep is setup flexy (though it does have Antirock sways front and rear) and I like "challenging" trails so I don't think I want 120+lbs on the roof. Also, the WJ is actually pretty small and the bigger hard-shell RTTs I'd choose (no way I'm going RTT and dealing with an annoying cover and stuff) would have a big "mushroom head" look on it (yeah, it matters to me a bit). Finally, there's cost. Any of the RTTs I'd consider are $3k plus. I already spent way too much doing my build in 2020, I need to chill out on spending on the Jeep in '21. As for other options, like a trailer or sleeping IN the Jeep, well my choice of vehicle and type of Overlanding also limit those. My flexy suspension probably wouldn't be the best for towing a particularly heavy trailer. I know it can, and has been done, but personally I don't want to drag a trailer on the trails I do. Also, we have an RV and do 'camping' trips like that when I need/want all the amenities of home. The entire point of the Jeep for me is quick, simple, back-to-basics trips where I don't have to deal with the hassle of a RV or trailer. As for sleeping in it, my choice of a WJ bites me once again, in that they're just not long enough. Technically if I made a platform that would fold forward when I slide the passenger seat alllllll the way forward I'd fit, but I think it'd get to be very "coffin-like".
I like the space of a ground tent to have my gear and keep it clean/dry. Easy to change or take a "hooker bath" (baby-wipe clean-up, though now there are many wipes made for this purpose that work much better). There are downsides of course, like having to find/clear a good space for it. Less protection from critters (whether real or just "feeling" safer). And a bit more time to setup/take-down (vs. sleeping IN the Jeep or a hard-shell RTT, really no more time than a soft-shell RTT). The ground tent's biggest drawback is on trips where you move every day. Then it's sort of a lot of setup/takedown. Back on the plus-side, on multi-day trips where you establish camp but go out and adventure during the day, you can leave your ground tent setup, unlike a RTT or a sleeping setup inside the vehicle that makes it undriveable.
-TJ
I like the space of a ground tent to have my gear and keep it clean/dry. Easy to change or take a "hooker bath" (baby-wipe clean-up, though now there are many wipes made for this purpose that work much better). There are downsides of course, like having to find/clear a good space for it. Less protection from critters (whether real or just "feeling" safer). And a bit more time to setup/take-down (vs. sleeping IN the Jeep or a hard-shell RTT, really no more time than a soft-shell RTT). The ground tent's biggest drawback is on trips where you move every day. Then it's sort of a lot of setup/takedown. Back on the plus-side, on multi-day trips where you establish camp but go out and adventure during the day, you can leave your ground tent setup, unlike a RTT or a sleeping setup inside the vehicle that makes it undriveable.
-TJ
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I dont drive my WJ as much as I used to. Ut when I did we used a 3 person ground tent. I dont think a 3 person ground tent with just 2 poles takes very long to set up. Breakdown might be a little longer, because of the need to sweep it out as I pack. When I'm with the little lady, she wants a bigger tent (no comments from the peanut gallery!) so we have a 6 person tent for us and the dogs.
As I mentioned before, almost 2 years ago I bought a 2014 GMC Sierra double cab, and have since placed a Leer 180 cap on it. I've camped out of it and it seems great. No need for any tent. But I'll still probably pack a tent anyway. Maybe keep one in the Jeep, once I get it a new battery and start running it again.
