RTT or ground tent

Been spending a lot of times outdoors now that the little boy is one and daughter is 4 now and looking into some overnight trips that don’t involve hotels.

Have a ‘19 DCSB with diamondback cover on and looking at getting a KB Voodoo bed rack to bring fuel and a tent. Also waiting to see if UpTop Overland makes a diamondback compatible bed rack.

Is the investment in an RTT worth it and if so do I need to have my bed rack and roof rack level to have the tent go across both or can it fit just over bedrack.

Looking into the smittybilt one since less than $800 but the iKamper one looks nice just pretty large investment.

What do you guys run and do you find it worthwhile. Grew up sleeping on regular ground tents.

 

Personally, I wouldn't have a one and four year old in a RTT.

 

due to the height?

 

Yes.

 

If you use the truck and want to leave the tent set up to go somewhere, you can't with the RTT. Thats the main reason I haven't bought one. That being said, I still think it would be fun for a road trip.

 

Personally I would stick with a ground tent for a couple of reasons. As @Hobbs pointed out, safety with a one year old would be a big one. The four year old may or may not have problems. That's something you as the parent would know best. The other thing is, see how much you go camping in a fairly inexpensive ground tent before you drop at least $800 on a RTT. If you end up going camping a lot after a few years then drop the cash and your kids will be old enough to possibly handle the ladder for the tent.

 

I agree- I use a roof mounted Smitty RTT and love it, but a fall from it would kill a small kid and probably my hip!

@Blackmonday75 - there is some good advice on it here. Maybe look at a lower bed mounted one, or a small trailer mounted one or a popup?

 

I've been having this internal debate as well. My 2019 is a DD and I wouldn't want to haul around a RTT everyday for the 50 miles round trip to work and I also wouldn't want to take it on and off when I use it. So it's a ground tent for me. I'm looking at the Kodiak Canvas 10 x 10 Deluxe which is a dang good tent that will last a long while. My buddy's had one for years.

There are several threads on the pros and cons but ultimately I agree with the above poster that I would not advise an RTT for a 1 and 4 y/o due to height.

Quick pro/con from the top of my head (obviously not exhaustive)

RTT (all depends on model)
Pro: pretty quick to setup, can store bedding inside, instagram points, keeps you off the ground, takes up less space at camp, takes up less bed space on the road, comes with mattress.
Cons: No base camp (have to pack it up anytime you want to move), either drive around town with it or remove and store, $$$, no standing (unless like GFC), have to climb in and out for entry (difficult with dogs and little ones or during emergency), when going to and from trip MPG suffers, Wind noise when driving.

Ground tent:
Pro: can be quick to setup and pack up (arguable), no height difference to ground, takes up minimal space when packed, minimal MPG hit (minimal weight), can throw in air mattress if thats you're cup of tea, can move vehicle without tearing down camp, price range and sizes are much more plentiful, can let a buddy borrow it easily (but why??)
Cons: Gotta find decent ground, takes up more campsite, no bed standard, easier to track in sand/mud (remedied with mat), can be a pain to setup (heavily dependent on selection).

 

Depends if you use ig or not lol

 

It’s cool you are getting them into it early. We camp all the time — 1/2 of our nights out are still in the backyard because the kids demand it on the weekends at least once a month! But mine are 5&8 at this point and I take them to the high Sierra and the desert and do dispersed camping too. I’d say wait until your youngest can safely ascend and descend a ladder, because they’ll totally climb it without permission once you set up camp.

 

had this same exact thread last week

here's some light reading

https://expeditionportal.com/head-to-head-roof-top-or-ground-tent/

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/rtt-to-ground-tent-any-regrets-or-vice-versa.182791/

https://www.*****************/forums/threads/rtt-or-ground-tent-why.10930/

https://overlandtested.com/gear/ground-tent-vs-rtt

https://overlandsite.com/overlanding/rooftop-tents-vs-ground-tents/

https://suncruisermedia.com/4WDrive/accessories/rooftop-over-ground-tent-overlanding/

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/rtt-vs-ground-tents-pros-and-cons.491231/

 

If you have the money a RTT is great. I started with a smittybilt. Quality was ok but my kids absolutely loved it. That to me is what it's all about. Getting them into something I love doing. Ground tent will do it sure, but camping in what to them is essentially a treehouse is worth it to me. If you are wanting to try it out, find a used rtt or get the smittybilt. can easily resale if it's not your thing.

 

I just got a Silverwing SWT90 from eBay for $1440 delivered.

I plan to mount on Prinsu roof rack I can access from my Diamondback.

Worse case scenario will run in on my Diamondback directly, but I think stepping from tailgate to Diamondback, to tent will be easiest and can lose the ladder.

 

I ended up finding a used camper shell and converted my bed into a sleeping space which is pretty common on here. I absolutely love it though because i leave it in full time and it doesn’t kill my mpg like a rtt would

 

Dude, Why don't you try one of the tents that goes inside the bed of your Taco? They're under $200.00 on Amazon. They're not to far off the ground. The three of you should fit. Thoughts?

 

Ground tent. Kids love jumping on air mattresses. You can drive around to go fishing hiking etc without breaking camp. Don't have a giant wind drag on the top of your truck. I camp regularly with my kids, ground tent all the way. cheaper, safer (for kids) better in many ways. If you are camping where there are cape buffalo stampedes etc then I'd recommend a rooftop...

 

I'm really happy with the Diamondback/RTT combo. Keeps the tent out of the wind on the road, easier to get dogs (or kids) in and out VS being on the roof. Much easier to keep stuff clean with a RTT too.

 

Main problem when going out with the kids is that bed space is a premium. Stroller, clothes, diaper, potable water, food, extra recovery stuff that’s one reason why a RTT seems enticing, it uses space that isn’t otherwise being used

 

Nice setup man. How come you with the front runner system instead of KB Voodoo on your diamondback?

 

I wanted a little bit more height between the RTT and the cover, this give me about 8” and still puts the top of the RTT about level with the front rack. Plus I can add bars more easily to this and more easily open the covers when the RTT is not on there. Probably would have been happy either way but the Frontrunner system just seemed to have the edge.