*THE RTT Owners Thread (With BS)*

With the tent specifically - I need to get some good guylines. The included ones were elastic and didn't do a good job of keeping the entrance side anchored down. That caused a lot of flapping and for the rain fly to not sit quite right (you can see what I'm talking about in pic 2 in my post above). I also need to figure out a good way to hook the interior LED strip up to power. It came with an option to connect to a cigarette lighter and an option to connect directly to the battery. I'm not a huge fan of having wires running along the outside of the truck and the hood popped to connect to the battery and the cigarette lighter doesn't work unless the truck is on - so got something to think through haha.

 

If you're willing to drill some holes in the bed of your truck you could try something like this.

https://www.bluesea.com/products/43...cuit_Breaker_12V_Socket_2.1A_Dual_USB_Charger

 

I am 100% willing to drill. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm not very electric-inclined, but I'm assuming it needs some sort of harness that runs from the unit to the fuse box?

 

I have something similar to that coming from a battery box that I run in my bed. Its charged by a 100w solar panel.

Not sure if that helps. But gets you more eaf points

 

Is anyone here using a portable heater for winter camping? I’m looking for recommendations. Thanks!

 

Mr Buddy heater or little buddy heater?

I am also considering a USB powered blanket run from a USB power bank

 

I’ve seen the little buddy and it looks nice, I just wasn’t sure if there was a more reasonably priced “hidden gem” out there that people were using. This forum is great for finding those hidden gems!

 

Little buddy works well! That's what I've been using winter camping

 

Sweet! Do you hang it or just let it sit? I can’t imagine it is too stable...

 

curious to what you're putting it on in the tent. I want to snag one but besides possibly hanging it, i dont see where i could safely place it.

 

Sorry, should have clarified. I only use it when I'm using the annex. I then make a flat spot down there for it so it's stable. Then I open the vents up top so we get some circulation. Have used it in low-mid 20 degree temps.

There might be a better way, hopefully someone else chimes in

 

I made these for a friend so he could still use his softopper.

 

Yeah I’m thinking of hanging it via a bungee or something off a crossbar in the tent. I would only turn on before sleeping or when I’m awake but still don’t trust it sitting flat on the mattress. I’m thinking if I heat it up nicely with all windows closed it should hold the heat decent until AM. If not I’ll wake up and run it 10 minutes or so then go back to sleep

 

If anyone is looking

https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/spo/6724265250.html

 

I've used the buddy heater multiple times this way. I leave it standing on the mattress itself closest to the ladder entrance, turn it on for ~5 min before I get into the tent, climb up, turn it off, get into my sleeping bag. No issues here. I do make sure not to move the truck too much which could cause it to fall but I've seen the guy on the primal outdoors youtube channel put the heater on a baking sheet to give it some stability

You won't need it on when you're sleeping, damn tent gets super hot within a couple of minutes of turning it on.

 

Sweet I’ll have to get one then. I know once I’m in the tent the canvas holds in the heat well plus my 0* bag. It’s just the initial going to bed and getting up coldness that sucks the life out of you.

 

Do you have details on your setup for that? I'll be looking to do something similar in the future.

 

I put my mr. buddy on a piece of 2x10 on top of the mattress. I tyipically bring 3 or 4 of them with me when camping, and use a couple to level out the truck too.

 

0/10 would recommend. Maybe a hardshell would be ok, but driving with giant heavy box on the cab blows (pun intended)

 

I use the Little Buddy heater when it gets 15 degrees or below. I set it in the corner near the door and then use a piece of rope to tie it to a tent strap - so it won't fall over. The 1lb cylinders won't last the whole night, so normally I have to wake up around 3am to swap it out. But the heat output from the Little Buddy is just about perfect.

The worst part is the ice/condensation on the inside of the tent. In the morning half the walls are crusted in ice. Also, the heat distribution is terrible. There's literally a 40 degree difference between the top of the tent and the mattress. I just ordered a usb fan to hang to try and help with the circulation. We'll see if it works....

My friends use the larger Buddy heaters and bring along a 20lb propane tank and then run a hose into the tent lol. They also hang theirs from the inside poles using bungies. I'm fine with my simpler setup.

I have a really nice sleeping bag that I try to rely on most the time, but once the temps get closer to single digits it just gets too miserable. These heaters help a lot.