Yakima Skyrise RTT and Bed Rack

So I have the 3 person Yakima RTT and as of right now I am using Yakima's Bedrock bars to mount it to the back. I do not like this setup to say the least. The round bars tend to sag with the weight of the tent alone but when me and and my wife get in, it sags even more in the center. I actually use a notched 2x4 to help support the center weight.

Is there anyone else here that has this tent? I would like to see your setup and what bars you use. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a set but am nervous about how they will fit, especially with Yakima's mounting system. I'm looking for a rack that's about 4"-6" above the bed rails. I'm 6'4" so it would be nice if it was a little higher.




Mounting brackets


Also, yes, I tried the search bar and couldn't find anything that I was looking for.

Thanks!

 

Yakima has a new bedrock system that is built for RTTs... its expensive

 

I got made custom bars with a bigger and wider plate to disperse the load, I got rid of the factory clamps you pictured above.

 

Just get some heavy-duty bed bars. Most fab shops make them:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...cketbox-thule-cargo-box.603846/#post-20341348

 

Do you know what the max size tubing the clamps work on?

 

Is the clamp removable? Can you just run a bolt straight through the tent and bars? My thought is that it would be easier to not deal with a "universal" type of clamp.

 

Do this...dont use the clamps. Just bolt straight to the bars

 

Yakima has the Overhaul HD that is adjustable from 19" - 30". I have it. It rocks.
They also have the Outpost HD which is not adjustable. Sits 13" above the bed rails.
Both claim up to 500lb capacity.

 

Yeah I saw those but I could not justify the price. I ended up going with the BAMF Expo Bed Bars. I bought a piece of 1.75" steel tubing to test it with the clamps. They fit perfectly around the pipe right now. I'm hoping to get it soon before camping season.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bamf-expo-bed-bars.520848/

 

I ran into a similar issue like you. I bought the Yakima Skyrise 2 person tent but the clamps it came with would not fit on my RCI bed rack, mainly because the mounting clamps are designed to clamp onto Yakima bars and the RCI rack is too wide for the clamps. If you already have the Yakima bars, you can mount that onto the RCI bedrack (or any bed racks like it), and then mount the tent on top of your Yakima bars.

You can also buy some bolts and tracks from the hardware store and use tha to mount the tent onto a bed rack, but that'll require some drilling on your end.

For me, ultimately I ended up returning the Yakima tent and bought a Tepui because as I was messing with the Yakima, I realized how poor the build quality was. The holes for the mounting tracks were not drilled properly, and even the mounting clamps are plastic, which I have a feeling the durability will not hold up for long.

 

Anyone get the skyrise to work with other racks? I have a kb voodoo with the flat bars. Would just putting a bolt through the tent and rack work without drilling either? My bars are movable.

Some posts talk about quality of the tent, is the HD better built similar to the Tepui?

 

I know they don't work on Front Runner cross bars. Like a 1/4 inch shy.

I use them, but have to slide them from the side every time.

I want to say it's about 3" max

 

I think the Yakima design is very nice, but having both a Yakima and a hard shell that mounts using the typical bracket, I would say the one thing I probably would not do is mount the Yakima using modified HW.

Most similar tents use a full length rail that is bolted to the tent, and that rail then mounts to the cross bar.

On the Yakima, you are just using bolts with improvised holes and they could rip through the bottom of the tent.

Just my observation

 

Dang, saw some posts of people added those rails to the bottom of a Yakima. Was hoping I could do something like that.

 

You probably can. What I meant is using bolts by themselves.

If you add your own rails to the bottom of the Yakima, you could space the bolts out so that there is less chance of a single bolt pulling through.