Best roof top tent against the elements?

Hey TW, so it’s 2:48am in Santa Barbara, CA and I’m wide awake because it just happens to be the windiest night I’ve ever experienced camping...

I’m staring at my tent ceiling, and I’ve already had to replace several stakes because the wind has been so annoying, it’s actually removed some ties from the ground.

I’ve been skeptical to purchasing a roof top tent, but after tonight, I think I’m sold on a RTT.

Okay, so my question is — which is the best RTT for heavy winds, rain? Snow? Etc.

Not sure if there’s a thread already for this, but any help would definitely be appreciated.

Thanks guys and gals...

 

This has been my question for the longest time.

*interested in the result.

 

The Overland Pros Anza tent zips up completely so there is no extra material to flap in the wind. I have had a Tuff Stuff Overland tent with the overhang and now the Overland Pros. If the wind is strong enough, it can lift the Tuff Stuff overhang off the ground! In wind, the Overland Pros is solid and is not effected. If it is really windy, I take the rain fly off as I find it can catch the wind and flap. Obviously the fly will help if it is raining.

 

I have a CVT mt. Batchelor (old mt. bailey but the same tent) with a weather hood and I have spent probably 70 ish nights in it.



I have had a lot of thoughts about the tent holding up to the elements so here goes:

1. The bars in some soft-shell tents that I have seen are like a 5/8” aluminum (tuff-stuff, smittybilt, etc). The bars in the tepui and CVT tents are a full 1”. Now I’m no engineer but it would seem that bigger bars = stronger bars

2. Soft-shell tents range in width. Again only my uneducated observation, but a larger span is going to
A. Collect more precipitation (weight)
B. Be a bigger sail in the wind essentially

3. Weather hoods are partially misinterpreted. When I got mine I read the advertisement and how it praised the “thermal reflective properties”. However when I put it on I noticed a few other traits
A. Completely impervious to rain but probably the most important observation was
B. Dead air space (insulation). The first time I slept in my tent with the weather hood I was blown away not only was it warmer in cold weather, but it stayed cooler on hot hungover summer mornings. And since my breath wasn’t hitting a cold 1 layer inside of a tent and turning into condensation like the side of a cold Coors light (I know they’re cold because the mountains are blue) it was much less stuffy. Lastly: 2 layers of material deaden the outside sound. Putting the weather hood on my tent made it feel less like a tent, and more like a camper.

4. Wind. I stayed in my little tent in a snow storm at above 8200’ elevation last winter just to see how it would do. Even with the weather hood on and not much to flap around, it did flap a little and the weather hood doors started to open up (I still need to sew on some buckles for this winter to keep the doors closed in high winds). The tent also started to lift up and start closing on me at one point . I should probably use a dirt bike strap to hold my flip out to my bed rail.

5. Ruggedized/summit models/more expensive tent. Better stronger parts duh!

It really just depends on your budget so IMHO here are my suggestions:

$1000ish range:


Tepui Ayer or CVT mt.Batchelor with weather hood, buckles on weather hood and flip out anchored to something. Cheap but also a little cramped

$2000ish

CVT Shasta sierra model or Tepui Kukenam rugedized with the same modifications as mentioned above. Good all around well built tents, that offer a little more room inside.

$$$$$is no option:

At just under $4000 Alu-Cab expedition tents are bad ass. It has plug-ins for your electric blanket, can be completely rigid with the use of a bar to keep the struts from closing due to wind or snow (triangles are super strong right?). Probably sheds some snow, and can be faced into the wind. Doesn’t have to fold up so has more volume for thicker sleeping bags small air volume inside but about 3” wider than my CVT.

I’d probably take the fabric portion to an upholstery shop and have a second layer sewn in for that insulating effect I mentioned earlier, and have a boat window/escape hatch installed under where this guy has his max tracks. And some solar panels bellow it to trickle charge a dual battery setup, to keep my electric blanket chugging all night long.

Did I just get carried away?

 

thanks for this. I've been looking at Tepui Kukenam but I'll also check out CVT Shasta now as well.

 

If you’re going to go with the traditional style, and you’re already going to drop a couple thousand, I hear The South African ones are pretty dang sturdy

 

Roof Nest!