Roof top tent on cab or on shell? And why?

After having my tent on the roof for almost a year, I finally decided to build a trailer.

I've had zero issues with it on the roof other than a little wind noise and I'm sure a small hit to my MPG in case someone is on the fence!

With me, my wife, and two small kids the smaller tent got cramped, so we wanted to jump up to an XL size. With the short bed Tacoma and a shell not rated for the weight, a 4X6 trailer just made the most sense. The tent sits roughly the same height on the trailer as when I had it on overland bars in the bed of my truck.

The smaller tent on the roof has been sold and now my truck looks bare with nothing on top! The awning, rifle cases, and everything else will eventually get mounted to the trailer which lives in the garage and is loaded up with our camping gear and ready to go at any time.

 

Badass setup above! I'd go contractor shell with roof top tent on the shell. Metal shell framing with a burly roof rack system. Fiberglass makes me cringe.

 

Hey guys, very new to the tacoma and was looking for some advice. Im interested in the

$1,173 Smittybilt 2783 SmittyBilt OVERLAND TENT FOLDED - SB2783

Smittybilt 2783 RTT, but I have an access cab and want to know if mounting it on the cab (With the proper roof rack) is a viable option. I'm trying to avoid bed rails as I will be bringing my dirt bike with me on most trips. of course if a cab mount isn't a viable option I could opt for a bed rack and add a hitch rail for the bike. TIA

 

Might be a little short for a tent but I’m unsure. My tent is 48x48” but once installed on the canopy of my short bed, it takes up most of the entire rack. Maybe get the folded dimensions and measure the cab? You could also get the dimensions of the roof rack you’re interested in and see if the tent would fit. Sorry I can’t be of more assistance.

 

Thanks for the response, it looks like the folded tent would overhang about 3-4". Im guessing that means it's too big but I'm completely ignorant to how these things are mounted. Alternatively, has anyone hauled a MX bike under a bed rack? Looks like it would be cutting it close but may be possible.

 

I don’t think overhang would cause problems as mine has a couple rails that mount to the floor of the tent then to the rack. So as long as those mounting rails have enough room to mount to the rack you should be ok.

 

Neither, Have your RTT integrated into the shell.

 

I'm trying to! waiting on a 4 year old order

 

Oh man VB folded.

 

Hi All...
New to the tacoma world...looking for some advice, have a 2022 tacoma with a leer 100xr cap that has pre-installed running rails on my 6ft bed & want to put a tent on top, with some add ons i.e. side canopy, shower water pipe, etc. Need to know if anyone has attempted this?
Does anyone know the weight restrictions on the leer 100xr cap, i've read something about dynamic (moving) and static (stationary) boundaries and just wanted to make sure I didn't invest all this money into something that would eventually damage my leer cap.
If I do put a tent on top....is a lift kit necessary or advisable - or is there a way where you can add another leaf spring to offset some of the weight. Also have factory tires....so should i be upgrading those as well to a larger sized tire?

All advice would be appreciated

thankyou for your time and falling in love with the tacoma!!

tim

 

I have a 2020 with a 2.75” lift, roughly 32” tires, I also have the 100XR. I was told 600 pound limit for static and 300 pound limit for 70mph max. I’ve had my doghouse tent on for about 3 months and have used it a few times and everything works great. I would advise to add some extra clamps to the canopy as mine shifted driving on washboard dirty roads. The canopy has held up just fine. I also have a freestanding 270 awning and the canopy holds up. All of this is installed on a prinsu rack. I don’t have a shower or water on top of it’s as I’ve kinda ran out of room on the short bed canopy. I wouldn’t see why it wouldn’t work but if you’re planning on really wheeling the truck, you may want to reconsider putting up all the weight up high. I’m 6’4” and the awning is still a little low for me to walk under, so if you’re tall you make want to get a riser for the awning mount.

If you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer!

 

Thanks for the quick reply…I was thinking of putting a hard shell RTT - roof nest or go fast camper top
Does the prinsu rack shift at all…is there any bounce when you’re driving?

 

The prinsu is great. I’m going to add another set of feet in the middle of the canopy just to spread the weight a little better. I’ve noticed zero shift though from it over the 2 plus years it’s been on top of the canopy or the cab.

 

Helping my brother build his out , tent sits on a smart cap.

 

Electrician coming today to install MyLifter System , for easy removal and storage of unit.