Roof top tents, why?

THis has been my biggest limiter when it comes to using the RTT. None of my friends live within a 30 minute drive, and my girlfriend is far too short and small to help me lift it up. Truck won't fit in the garage.

So occasionally, a friend will be in the area, or I'll bribe one with dinner/drinks when I need it mounted. Then it stays on and I do a spurt of camping, lather, rinse, repeat.

 

I hear that, I slipped a disk in my spine just thinking about trying to flip a RTT on by myself.

 

I am lucky enough that I have a deck that I can pull my truck under.

Using some heavy duty ratchet straps, and a couple eye hooks and 2x’s, i was able to get the tent up so I could back the truck under and mount the tent. Worked like a charm. Was able to get it mounted on my own, despite being limited from surgery a couple months back.

I had to air down significantly and the tent barley had cleared a deck beam while pulling away but it worked. Probably not a long term solution if I bump to 33’s, which is my plan soon.

 

Lol what about the 90lb GFC superlite? Its doable...

 

Absolutely, those are sweet.

 

Ignorance wasn’t bliss but at least I didn’t worry about it.
Skipped Tahoe and headed straight to SLC sleeping in a parking lot at the base of little cottonwood canyon. Having to chain up was a bitch since it goes from wet pavement to slick powder between there and Alta/Snowbird.
The 4 days I spent in Telluride(definitely the coldest place)I had to kick the door open each morning then moved on to Taos overnight following snowplows for 300 miles. In Crested Butte I stayed in a hostel for 3 nights and met a future gf. Then on to Vail/Beaver Creek to meet my folks before ending the trip in Aspen(one day at Buttermilk and one at Aspen Mountain. That last day I was making 13 minute round trips including the Silver Queen gondola ride and made 20 runs by lunchtime. FIS downhill was over on Ruthie’s and I had the mountain to myself. After that trip I felt like if snow/ice could stick to it then so could I. Joined a ski cabin with that gf and had some pretty great times. I highly recommend the experience however you choose to sack out.

 

How bad was the sun burn?

 

haha was in tree cover so all good

 

long time backwoods, wilderness camper here. Growing up, we NEVER stayed in a hotel. Also did Scouts etc...

met my GF - now wife - who had never camped, or done anything outdoorsy ever. For the past 10 years, have been getting her into the outdoors. We tried normal tent camping for a while, and for her there are more cons than pros...but she still likes the idea of camping.

I was looking at a RTT's for a long time as a good way to keep her going, but many of the cons mentioned in the thread also kept me from committing...mostly the expense, storage when not in use, and having to break camp to go anywhere. Also, another con that came across my mind is: if we want to do this ling into the future, the physicality of getting up into the tent will end up being limiting.

So I have decided to go the teardrop camper route to solve all of the problems. With her, we are already glamping (I never, EVER, thought I would be glamping..the AT hiker in me just cringes at the thought) since we have to be in a place where there are flush toilets. I actually think TD campers are cool, and it is another toy to play with. I think as we get older, it will be perfect for us to get in and out of and use.

I still do legit camping with my friends when we mountain bike, and am also planning on doing some bike packing in the future, so that will wash off the "glamping dirt"

 

More comfort.

 

The only reason I dropped my camper trailer in favor of the RTT the freedom to wander off the pavement. I liked the trailer for comfort and convenience, but I love my RTT for the comfort and freedom to get lost in the woods not worried about what I am dragging behind me.

 

yeah...I have a feeling that a RTT will still find it's way into my garage/arsenal for when the guys go mountain biking...esp if we go places where critters can be an issue...and the good thing about all of these options is that between my regular tent, the RTT and the tear drop...I will have all bases covered!!!

Plus, the N+1 rule will be fullfilled

 

Necroing the thread, but yeah

I tried out a Cabela's Tent-cot as an RTT idea posted here originally; https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cheap-rtt-for-those-on-a-budget.478273/
conceptually it's a fantastic idea. 1/2 the weight of most RTTs, smaller in size but folds open for multiple people, etc etc.



I have more photos of it here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/shveets-build-thread-clementine.619286/page-3#post-24351164

first test nights was great - nice decent summer night vents opened up and rain fly on for good measures but all the doors open. hardly any issues and had a fantastic experience with it.

2nd time i used it was on a 3 night trip in the fall and it was an absolutely horrible experience for the exact same reasons you pointed out. Everything just gets so incredibly wet so incredibly quickly. Besides that, if you're not on 100% even ground, which i wasn't at that time and as a side sleeper, i found myself sleeping on my neck after sliding/ rolling off the pad. Boy that was not fun week in any way shape or form. getting out and getting drenched because my head brushed the ceiling. wasn't all too great of an experience.

I'm currently in the experimental phase right now, going to give it a few more shots with it to see how it goes, maybe till the end of the year. Game plan is to combat the moisture for now, figured to try out a mini dehumidifier or a moisture trap a test (one you'd use in an RV). if those fails, then it might be time to go back into a ground tent or go up to a hammock.

But as per your true words of wisdom:
The tentcot is one of the camping rites of passage for many, including me. Live, spend and learn.

 

Im getting one this weekend and my goal is to use it once or twice a month until I move out of California in 2022. Wish me luck.

 

We got ours to hang holiday signs... duh....

 

Haven't seen anyone say anything about this except maybe the Overland Journal guys but, the rooftop tents I see on alibaba dot com, a Chinese wholesale website go for 5-800 bucks. I'm not going to say they are the same tents, but I've seen American retailers with very similar tents with their logos on them for 3-5x the price.

 

I got mine for hunt camp... I've done the sleeping bag on the ground, in a tent, with an air bed, etc...etc... the most recent years my son has gotten old enough to join hunt camp. My buddy has had a pull behind trailer, but is giving it up. So now my son and I have our own place to sleep, and I reaeeaaalllly like being up off the ground. Just gives me a sense of comfort like a big boy getting to move to the top bunk.

 

Lemme just start with anyone who doesn’t camp more than 2 weekends a year your opinion is invalid. I’ve got at least 45 nights camping in this year and from being a previous ground dweller.I have nice tent and all that but man rolling up pads gets old when you are camping for a week straight. I much prefer having a go fast camper. Say what you will about rtts
They are probably a pain in the ass to set up and all that but the go fast is literally open and ready in less than 1 minute and camp takedown is less than 10 minutes.
People are saying it is lame because you can’t make a base camp. And yes that is true but. Fuck a base camp I move around almost every night and I definitely don’t want to leave my nice camping gear sitting in the middle of nowhere for dickbag Maggie to come steal. Lol I will definitely say I think a tepui or those style of rtt seam complicated and unnecessary but once you get into the hard shell rooftop tent world it’s a game changer. Rant over

 

Can I even call mine a RTT though? I mean, technically it's sitting on a rack over the bed.
BERT? -Bed expensive rack tent?
ROBT - Rack over bed tent?
TOBR - Tent on bed rack?

 

OTTT-Over The Top Tent