Roof top tents yay or nay?

FYI, there will be a TopperLift group buy coming up sometime this week and will last about two weeks before closing. There is a feeler in the group buy automotive section currently.

 

Check out the Nomad tent from Topper lift if you want to sleep in the shell but need more space:
https://topperezlift.com/index.php/product/the-nomad-camper-package/

 

If you can wait a month. We are working on a Nomad group buy in mid May. Feel free to PM me with any questions. This will come with our new insulated material.

 

This thread has been really entertaining to read while at work so I thought I’d join in

We switched from a ground tent to rtt after moving to AZ. After camping on the ground here multiple times it was a matter of do we continue getting jabbed by rocks and thorns, buy a new air mattress every other time we go out because that now got stabbed, buy cots or pads?

We go out every weekend, typically to the middle of the desert, so it’s nice being off the ground away from rocks, cacti and all the critters here. It’s way harder to rake out the ground here than on the east coast.

Definitely sucks not being able to leave our set up, mpg went from 14-15 to 13-14, set up/take down isn’t much different compared to ground tent. It works for us right now but we’ll never get rid of our ground tent either.

 

I got four glorious years out of my last tepui tent which included over 100 nights of dry, comfortable sleep. The only reason I dont still have it (sold it for 80% of what I paid) is because I upsized to a bigger one to fit my growing family. They might not be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoy my mobile treehouse.

 

yeah the only real drawback I've encountered with the RTT since getting one a little over a year ago, is that you can't leave it behind at your campsite when you want to go somewhere...which can be a problem if you're in a dispersed camping spot and come back to find that someone else has claimed it when you were gone because your setup wasn't there.

Sure you can leave behind other stuff (chairs, table, etc.) but without a tent there it's hard to say whether or not another camper won't try and take the spot.

 

Yeah that's the biggest thing is not being able to "piss on your spot", mark your spot. Maybe I'll make a flag I can plant that says "Spot has been taken" lol.

 

The only thing we would leave for are trails, so we just go out riding around beforehand or the next morning. Set up at night is much easier with a rtt as well. But setting up on a Saturday night usually means you don’t get the spot you want anyways. There’s drawbacks no matter how you look at it.

 

LOL

 

I would quickly commandeer a flag like that!

 

So far I’m loving my RTT. It has gotten me more motivated to go off the beaten paths to find that perfectly secret disperse campsite. There is something to be said about waking up in the morning, and watching the sunrise from your tent 6 feet off the ground.

I’m not getting rid of my ground tent anytime soon but every time I’ve gone camping this season I’d prefer my RTT over sleeping on the ground. There’s no right or wrong way to camp but those who are bashing RTTs are only doing a disservice to themselves as campers. Variety is always more fun.

 

I just got a 3 liter urinal bottle that I keep up in the tent. Has a threaded cap so it stays closed. Bottle top is wide enough for the most gifted of men. I put it in my RTT shoe bag just outside of the ladder to ensure I don't get spills. If you can fill a 3 liter urinal in a night, you should win a trophy. In the morning I just dump it out and give it a quick rinse and let it air dry and it's ready for the next night. I used to just use a gatorade bottle but the opening is tricky and you only get 2 good pees before it's full and you have to pour it out, splashing on the ground.

To use it, just kneel in your tent and open the bottle and pee. Put the cap back on and stow the urinal in a safe place and go back to sleep.

The urinal is way better than a hose and funnel because you don't have to deal with the pee stank from the hose. Unless you keep a bottle of water and "flush" it every time you pee. Trust me, the urinal is the way to go.

https://amzn.to/2JogaBO

 

I have an old nalgene bottle with "pee" sharpied on it.

 

I found that the temperature is a big factor as to whether each type of bottle "works".

 

There's always the ammo can toilet...

 

Hopefully it's shaped different than your current nalgene bottle, or your night vision is fantastic.

 

Ive always heard that called the "groover" cause it leaves grooves on your ass when youre done. Maybe thats why they have those cut pipes on the top.. LOL

 

haha, I figured that as well, maybe hovering is the best technique.

 

just used mine for the first time and loved it. it's nice being up high and it has a comfortable mattress. (smittybuilt) just did some beach camping where it was very convenient, kept the sand out of my tent (just washed my feet off on the latter and i was able to not track sand into the tent). i've done some beach camping before in a ground tent and it was nearly impossible to keep sand out. also had a great breeze coming through (was able to withstand 45mph winds, i was quite impressed)

 

Wow, I'm jealous. Fishing and beach camping.
What state is this in?