Roof Top Tents - A fad?

That absolutely is a design feature, one hard mounts to the vehicle by design, one system does not.

 

You can bet your ass I'm eyeing up a gooseneck with a slide in camper...going full on glamper, Indiana homophobe redneck style, next time I upgrade.

 

I will make fun of you Everytime I see you for it......
















.....until I break my truck and I need to toss it on your trailer to get it home.

 

guess you just skimmed. wasnt a who wheels harder. it was a "if you wheel hard". but your post, no need to read it

 

I don't think it's a fad.

I camp usually 30-50 nights a year. Some ground tent, some hammock, and some RTT.

I can't recall ever being glad I was in a ground tent vs being in a RTT, but there have been
many nights in a ground tent, that I wished I was in my RTT.

 

BTW, I voted No. If people will stop buying them, they will stop making new ones I want to buy. I was happy with my autohome until the last two years of super hardshells.

 

I didn't even know they made hardshell tents until this post, pretty cool. Seems like an interesting option if you live in the land of overhanging tree limbs like here. Then again one tent costs more than I spent on my entire SAS.

 

You don't wanna know what andy is willing to pay for a sas

 

I still dunno if I'll end up getting one.

to me

Pros
off the ground so in heavy rain won't get flooded
stores with sleeping gear inside saves some space
rather quick and easy set up

Cons
Heavy, and mounted higher creating higher centre of gravity
expensive
once set up cannot move truck
although sturdy, being up high will have wind effect you even more
need to climb a ladder to get in and out, hard for pets to get in then and my girlfriend is scared shitless of the slightest height lol
don't want to climb when I'm potentially drunk
when not in use still takes up a lot of space to store
given mounting options, if on roof or above roof line and not on bed rack at mid height, will likely hurt MPG
wind noise on highway
false sense of security from animals or at least bears. They won't give a shit if you're on the ground or up there if they smell food they are coming

I see more cons to them than pros and with that doubt I will ever have one. They are cool for sure but I dont mind the ground tent so meh.

 

I read the whole, ahem, conversation, then started skimming when it went off the rails. Let's keep it on track... nothing about roof top tents is worth getting ugly about. lol

 

didn't read the rest of this point but one thing I just though of recently at least for here.
Some camp sites only allow one vehicle on the site. With the guys I wheel with we were recently talking about just going to some provincial parks to go camping together as we all like being outdoors. Said parks do not allow wheeling. They have gravel and paved roads all maintained and thats it, trucks are not allowed on the ATV trails etc.

We thought go anyways just to camp, but problem is most of the camp sites do not allow more than one vehicle. Two of the guys have RTT so we wouldn't be able to have all our trucks there. Problem for us is we all camp using our trucks obviously. As our kitchens are all set up with the rigs. So it would be better if we had more options for vehicles. You can keep more but they charge extra but still just find it makes things a bit harder.

 

Was also pointed out to me by an old man that driving fast is more stressful which means you need rest/potty breaks more often. I think I agree with him.

I started out ground camping & hated it. The lumps, the bugs, the mucky ground in the rain & matching floor. Upgraded to Class A motorhome. That was great, just right inside, but they're so big on the outside. Next went down to a Class C - okay size inside, okay size outside, but always seemed to need body or mechanical maintenance. Now I bought a RTT. Haven't used it yet but can't wait. I want to drive to the beach & nap in the breeze but not in the sun. RTT should be good for that. Many mentioned breaking down camp - I would anyway - I'm too paranoid to believe my camp would still be there when I came back; flip, fold, strap & go works for me.

What I haven't read addressed here are two points:
When it's raining & everything is mud, what do you do about muddy shoes getting into the RTT?
Faster dry time. You can dry a RTT on the roof w/out waiting for the ground to dry first.

 

I would like one on a trailer, mounted low, gear storage in the bottom. No need to break camp when you want to go for cruise. Then again an off-road tear drop with an awning, better for critters.

 

take your shoes off before getting in and you're good.

I don't want a RTT right now but I know down the road I'll end up caving and getting one lol.
I do agree with the mud part on the ground with a ground tent, can be pretty shitty.

 

The main issue I see with a RTT and the trailer option is your food is often below you. Depending where you camp that can be a big issue with bears.
I mean normally you try to camp away from where you cook and eat and away from your food as that's what will attract wild life

 

brown bears are a bit more brave, no grizzlies here either. black bears are whatever as well.

we can't just carry guns with us here in Canada lol.