Calamity tacos build thread that was for a tacoma but now is for a ford! crazy times we are in!

the mini is only 1" smaller in length the rest is the same... the only main difference is the wedge portion since you cant sit up there and the weight since one is all aluminum and one is fiberglass

 

That's the external dimensions. The bed will be smaller than that. For perspective here are some standard bed sizes. The full/double is closest for width, but the twin is the closest for length. Now, imagine a piece of plywood sitting at a 45° angle at either your feet or your head and the space that makes unusable and you're basically in a narrower full/double bed. Two adults in that is "cozy" for sure, but if you want dogs as well it'll be a "who lays on top of who" situation.
A clamshell has more space. They are usually about the size of a queen bed (slightly larger actually) and the angle isn't as steep as a wedge so you have more of the space as usable.







Just providing info for you. If a wedge is the right tent, then go for it. I'd hate to see you get a wedge and then have to spend more money to get a clamshell.

The iKamper Skycamp Mini 3.0 dimensions are below. It's significantly more room, but it does break your 10" height requirement. Personally, I'd go with a lower rack, but I am biased. I have a lower rack and this tent and it's super nice. The other advantage would be that being lower would allow you to lift her doggo up through the window while you are standing on the tailgate.
My biggest gripe is that the rails for the shoe bags are too far under the tent to really be useful.

 

Not at all the same. The fold out portion essentially doubles the sleeping area. See previous post with dimensions.

 

Yeah. When I was looking at gfcs back in the day, it became pretty evident it wouldn’t be super roomy. Especially for more than one person.

I had a 23zero tent for a while. There was quite a bit of room but build quality wasn’t super great and I found out how much I hate zip on covers.

Even my habitat was cozy for 2 people even though you can supposedly fit 4.

 

no i get where you are coming from but i prefer the wedge for its compact frame. the clamshell to me is the same as what i had which i personally dislike i hate all the extra crap of a canvas tent and opening it up and setup plus its to tall. i wouldnt go with a lower rack the only thing id do is cut this one lower personally since i already have it and got it cheap af lol. i also would never buy a ikamper its almost 4k for that thing to me thats just stupid... but wont tell people how to spend the money they have.


also i dont have to worry about tight space since she is smaller and im not very big haha

thats the dimension i was looking for but couldnt find it for some reason so went off what i could find.

 

the other option ive seen which is reallllly damn hard to find one that sits lower is the ugh idk what its called style lol but they look like a square basically and go straight up

this style (idk what its called lol) these are nice but the problem still is height.

 

Pop up style. I think it'd be nice, but a PITA to take town. It has to come down semi straight, so I would think it'd be a two man job.

There's no setup for the canvas, really. It opens when you deploy the ladder. Unless you mean the little rods for the rain fly. Still super quick and easy. I'm short, fat, and out of shape and I go slow and it's like 2 minutes to pop up or tear down.

https://youtu.be/6mpy9znXX48

 

ive heard that about 23zero which is a shame ive heard they have tried to be better but idk anyone with one of those tents so cant back it up lol

 

ya thats it lol and unsure ive seen people do it by them selves but the problem again is pricey lol about 1700-2k not something i want to spend.

the setup annoyance is putting the tent away and having to stuff it back into the box i haaate doing that and hate the little rods lol even the tent im looking at sadly has the little rods but thankfully only two so thats at least fine isssh plus cheaper

 

You can do mine with just two rods. Also, there are two straps to suck the tent in when folding it up. You just have to check the ends to be sure, but 95% of it is fine. You're not stuffing it in the box because there is plenty of space. It isn't a difficulty at all, and that will still be required with a wedge tent.

 

still more of an annoyance then id like to deal with. and yes i will but ive watched it and its super easy since it has very little fabric. that was something i hated about my tent i had i always had to stuff so much shit in and it was annoying!

 

For sure on the soft tents. They don't offer any advantage beyond being off the ground. They are no faster/easier to setup or tear down. For a RTT I think a hard shell is the only viable option. Otherwise I'd rather just have a Gazelle ground tent.

 

ya being off the ground is the big ting for me i hate sleeping on the ground haha. my canvas tent did me well over all these years but want something a bit different now. i do kiiiinda wish i wouldnt have sold it to the person i did since someone offered a trade for a popup style tent that i liked but i already made the deal with the lady so oh well lol

 

That was good on you to honor an agreement. Hopefully you'll reap the rewards in finding a good deal on your iKamper.

 

you know what's cheap? a ground tent lol

 

nope lmao idk how yall can justify that kinda money on a tent to me its nuts!

hellll no lmao i hate ground tents! it was the main reason i hated camping when i was younger can not stand sleeping on the ground or the setup time and tear down time involved.

 

Buy once, cry once. How much did your first tent cost? How much did you sell it for? And the bed racks? How much is your time worth?

You could get a Gazell tent and an air mattress. It's like a little two bedroom house.

 

Buy once cry once has saved me a ton of money

 

that statement can be valid and it can also be veeeery stupid...
my first tent? i bought a brand new smittybilt overlander xl for 600 bucks back in 2017 that had a small bend in it. used it for over a year and sold it to a friend for 500 (which he still uses to this day) then bought my smittybilt overlander for 700 or 800 i cant remember (got it on a sale if i remember right?) and used it since 2018 and it was a great tent and guuuesss what it was cheap af and had zero issues with it... i sold that tent for 500 since it was so old and used and figured it was a good deal and i guess others did as well since i had a lot of people wanting it. my current bed rack is one i sold years ago and bought back for dirt cheap i drove up to nebraska to buy it back for the price i got it for... i cant even get bed bars for as cheap as i got this thing... (at least not anymore since prices spiked on everything like shit!)

again i hate sleeping on the ground ive used the gazell tent its nice but again on the ground and i hate air mattress... every single time its got a hole in it and leaks yes its lead to some funny moments but also the worst sleep ive ever had in a tent...

im going to put this as niiiicely as i possibly can here since you both can spend your money how eeever you wish. i will not ever justify 4 grand on a god damn tent.... 4 grand ive seen small trailers for around that price thats more of a tear drop design that is more worth 4grand but a tent??? hell no that is absurd but if you two wish to buy one then go for it.

i have tried things out in the past and i know the buy one once cry once deal but there is a difference between cheaper tents that do everything you need it to do without issues vs people that buy the most expensive thing because they can and want to... which is nooo problem go for it but that will not be me... hell i wont even buy an aluminum bumper because of how much it cost i cant justify how much they run!

 

Hey I’m being reasonable. I could have suggested this wedge camper

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/new-luxury-roof-top-camper-soon-on-the-market.215383/