Photos of Tacomas with bed-rack mounted HARD shell roof top tents?

A lot of people have been doing the long bed rack on short bed trucks, but to me it seems like it could be a head-knocker if you were hanging out by the tailgate a lot.

 

Do you think a long bed rack, on a short bed truck, with tonneau brackets would interfere with the locking mechanisms on a Diamondback cover? Aside from knocking your head, would the front and rear brackets be right where the locking arms would be on that style cover?

 

I don't have access to a Diamondback cover, so it's tough for me to say.

 

I realize it might, and I realize it’s hard to tell in photos. These are not my photos btw

 

It looks like there is plenty of clearance for the locking mechanism.

 

And here is a pic of a short bed rack on a short bed truck with a Diamondback cover.

 

That’s the benefit of me only being 5’6”. Those are tall people problems!

I’ve got a plan though. Once I am back in the states, the shortbed rack is goin onto a trailer and I’m gonna upgrade to be heavy duty long bed for the truck.

 

It seems like it'll work to have the long bed rack on a short bed w/ Diamondback cover. The rods for the Diamondback cover locking mechanism are further in toward the middle of the bed from the tailgate and shouldn't interfere with where the rear bed rack brackets would bolt into. Although, the corner cleats/tie down points may need to come off of the Diamondback cover to make it work. Check out the video around 12:50-13:30min.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv94bLmLhks

 

Bump, anyone have more photos of hardshell mounted RTT’s?

 

Ive been thinking of a design for making a hard shell out of vacume molded composite resin for my Smittybuilt RTT, I know the cover on it wont last, even though I store the tent in my garage when not in use. Features I’ve concidered include making the shell aerodynamic and folding so it stays attached to the tent base when the tent is deployed. It would merely be homebuilt, but perhaps something that most people could make too. We made a rowing shell and kayak using the same technique, its pretty slick.

 

Bump

 

James baroud discovery extreme. Mounted on 2 aluminum cross bars mid height.

 

Looking for this?

 

Ordered my iKamper yesterday, headed to Death Valley November 1st for 6 days. Loving my KB Voodoo AluMax Rack and cargo tray. This thing is 55lbs, won’t rust, and let’s me keep my cover on. Hopefully the hardshell tent will just barely clear my fin

Last weekend with my Yakima RTT

 

The bracing track for the iKamper add about a 1/2 inch, so I think you will clear the fin just fine. The bigger concern is that bracing tracks digging into your cab on bumps, might have to shim it up a bit. Which is what I did with mine.

 

Would you be willing to measure the tracks under the iKamper for me? How high are they if the tent was on the ground? Is it 1”? Got a photo of your set up with shims?

 

My soft top tent is powered and sets up in 1 minute.

 

Any photos of your shim height and clearance?

 

Sorry no photo of it as the thing is sitting in storage in prep for an upcoming move back to the states. Basically, my shim was just 1/4 inch chunk of metal that the bolts went through.

 

Oh ok that’s not much at all, I was thinking it needed something like 1” square tube or something, but that’s not bad. Going to be lowering my rack and tent onto the truck today to test the fit. I hope the move back is a good one!

I’m shameless cuz I’m proud of it, but this is my build (minus the iKamper) that Overland Bound highlighted last weekend. Before I got my truck or iKamper I checked yours out a lot

https://youtu.be/Qike5D_Msjk