RTT ups and downs

This guy gives a pretty honest assessment of RTTs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVavqvwYvw

 

I hear you. I remember a few beach camping murders & some folks being shot in their tents camping in Malibu Creek. We had a couple murdered here while camping near Bumble Bee about 20 yrs ago & authorities considered all of these incidents linked.

 

We call those the mobile homeless.

I just have a basic RTT on my truck, goes up and down in less than five minutes, and I use those yellow wedge levelers to make it nicer. We typically drive during the day and camp wherever we are at the end of the day when we are traveling and I can put the thing up without even having to use flashlights or worry about clearing rocks for a pad.

If we’re going be somewhere for more than a night at the same place and don’t have to worry about leaving stuff in camp a ground tent is definitely a plus.

 

Love the RTT! after 20 years of sleeping in a ground tent, but having it fixed to the vehicle isn't ideal IMO. being stuck at camp and not being able to explore the trails and sights around camp was a no go. building an off road trailer for gear and the RTT was the best investment for camping by far. trailers can be bought and built very affordably.

 

Last pic is Chehalis lake?

Edit: pretty sure I met you there a couple times. You have that manual taco on 35s. We came by with my buddy at night and tried to make your fire bigger one time hah.

 

Hell yeah, I'm on the jet ski in the background hahah. small world, I'm sure ill see you there in the summer. I recognize your truck from the picture also.

 

Hey man!



I’m sure I’ll see you spring/summer.

 

Similar setup and storage.

Storage is easy, I have an electric hoist that lifts the tent and bed rack, then I use ratchet straps at all 4 corners to lift it higher to the ceiling.
Setting the tent up and taking it down isnt too bad. I have an older gen cvt, so the pvc cover is a bit of a pain as its super tight. Once the cover is lifted, and the tent is folded over and open, I add the stairs and put the rods in for the windows. Maybe 10 minutes to do? Taking down isnt all that bad either. Again, pulling the cover down is a bit of a pain.

We also have a bed in the Honda that is on a platform that can be removed. Family is very happy with our camping setup.

 

This. I go out to the desert all the time for hunting, camping, shooting and I can't tell you the number of times I've had encounters with homeless, tweekers etc over the last decade. I won't even consider venturing out there without being armed.

 

good morning like your tarailer and will be helping a friend build one. What size is your trailer looks like about 4ft by 5ft. Also how high are the sides. Is the floor diamond plate also?

 

Love the RTT life for long duration, multiple destination trips!!

Have had both soft shells and hard shells (wedge style). Would highly recommend the wedge style off the bat for anyone if budget allows for it! The ease of setup and break down can’t be beat.

 

trailer body is 42" wide x 60" long x 22" deep, base is 1.5"x3" .125 steel tube and sides are made from 1.5"x1.5" .125'" steel tube. the panels and floor are all 3/16 aluminum checker plate, I would probably go with 1/4" checker plate for the bottom if I were to do it again. all panels and floor were attached with Rivnuts to the frame. the 42" width works well with the tires/wheels and keeps the trailer tire tracks almost identical to the truck, they practically follow the same path. with the short box truck and tonneu cover the trailer has been a must.

 

yes technically they can get into anything they want. even a trailer or house too. but from what i have heard most deaths by grizzly occur in the middle of the night when they accidentally bump into tent and get surprised and go berserk.
ground tent this can happen more easily than a roof top tent i figure.
and a GFC or the like, at least a person could potentially retreat into the solid walled area. plus they have room for bigfoot to hangout with you in.
this is my line of logic anyways. dont mean to hijack the thread, just think its a factor when considering the options is all.

 

how was your sleep after that incident?? yikes glad you didn't get swiped in the face

 

You may want to verify your info source if you read most grizzly attacks occur when they bump into tents at night and go berzerk. Frankly, that’s ridiculous. The vast majority of grizzly attacks happen when people encounter a mama bear with her cubs.

 

Bears have killed 8 people in Yellowstone since 1872.

There have been 26 suicides there during the same period.

You're more dangerous to yourself than bears are.

 

definitely depends where you live. 66 attacks by bears in Alaska for example within last 20 years. i live in this neck of the woods so i go by those numbers:
28% happen when bear is startled. 28% happen when they smell your food. 20% when protecting cubs. 8% going after off-leash dog. 8% being too close to their den. 8% after shooting and not killing.

again just pointing out roof top tent / other options may mitigate this risk...

 

Your cant startle a bear while you're asleep, so your risk goes down by 28%.

I'd love to drill down further into the 8% "shooting but not killing" stat...

 

lol idk man. i been told bear walking into your tent is startling to bears, at least my local bears, maybe yours are more chill.
all i asked was if having a tent that is off the ground less likely to have run in with bear - because this a thread about RTT pros / cons...
i linked the stats if you click on that link if you wanna read more its pretty cool yeah.

 

I feel like the Pros/Cons seem to have been covered pretty well so far, but overall this seems to come down to how you prefer to camp. From my perspective, there is really only a narrow range where a RTT would undoubtedly be a better choice than a ground tent. For most people a ground tent can be as comfortable, convenient, and more versatile, and MUCh less expensive. This is the reason RTTs get so much hate; because many people try to convince themselves that they fall in that narrow range where they NEED a RTT. Probably because it offers another layer of functionality/customization to the truck that we all love and can’t resist buying stuff for. PLUS they look really cool.

But honestly the same thing could be said for the droves of us who spend thousands on suspensions, bumpers,
wheels/tires, etc. for the few weekends a year our rigs see the trails… So no judgement here because believe me I totally get it. Just be honest with yourself and enjoy your truck