Roof Top Tents - A fad?

I had their ranger tent for a couple months, before I realized a RTT wasn't for me. The tent was great quality!

 

Thanks, I'm pretty excited for it. It was between that and a front bumper, figured this was the more practical way to spend the money for me right now. Of course now though my 3 leaf AALs aren't cutting it with that weight in the back, so I need to upgrade there.

I was a little worried about the 'broverland' RTT stigma, but fuck it...all things considered this will probably end up being one of the more useful things I've bought for my truck.

That, and we all know that 1st gens are automatically anti-broverland anyway (no one on IG likes seeing old shit) so it sort of balances itself out.

 

I don’t think so..

 

Totally a fad. Everyone is moving on to these things now


@tacomgee @916TacoTruck @MJonaGS32

 

A tent that is attached to the top of the truck just blows my mind. Here is my dilemma...

Situation 1...Say you feel like camping. you load up and go. Set up camp. Eat lunch, and you feel like going exploring. Ok. Break down camp. You say ...it's just folding up the tent. Sure. Then your grill, camp chairs all that out in the open while you are gone. Then the next morning you decide to go hiking and the trail head is 4 miles from camp. Break it all down again. If you had a ground tent, problem solved.

Situation 2 you are on a trip and you wanna pull over and sleep. Then that night it pours rain. You wake up and need to keep driving. You fold your wet tent up and drive all day with it raining. Then you get where your going..everything is soaking wet and waiting for you to crawl in. Ground tent has no mat in it, so you sleep dry that night.

Situation 3. Same situation, but when you get where you are going, its rainy for a week. You need to use your truck every day, so you are just headed for mildew city. Ground tent, leave unfolded and set up not as much chance for mildew, or set it up in someone's garage to dry out.

Roof top tents are great for people who selectively camp when there is great weather and only for a few days when they don't have to move their vehicle a lot. They are not for people who do a lot of travelling and live out of a vehicle in a lot of different places for months out of the year. Yall are gonna say ohhh it's so fast though..check out an oztent tent, sets up just as fast, doesn't make your center of gravity 5 feet off the ground, and doesn't reduce your fuel mileage by 15%.

 

Seems like you got it all figured out!

I can sleep on the ground with just a sleeping bag without even using a tent. But I prefer to keep my family elevated and off the ground. Sometimes terrain dictates where you place your tent. But being level usually is not even an issue when its mounted on the roof.

To each his own.

 

Then in that situation I would say a roof top tent on a trailer would make more sense than having one on top of your main mode of transportation

 

I like having a RTT on my truck or a pop up camper so I can still tow other toys. A camping trailer would be nice to have but that means no ATVs or sleds can be brought along.

 

not really. but ok.

Hasnt stopped me from doing anything. Camped in Pismo for three nights. Put the tent away each morning and pulled it out each night. Was not even a minor annoyance.

 

I covered you too

 

I think it’s hilarious that people seem personally attacked when someone says they prefer one type of tent over the other, and then go on to defend their decision, as if anyone cares.

 

1: Don't open the tent until you're stopped for the night (do people do this?). I don't leave stuff I care about not walking off sitting out at a campsite anyway, regardless of if it's a ground tent or the RTT. As far as breaking it down in the morning, I agree that could be an inconvenience for people not willing to do it.

2: I backpack alot. Ive lived in the woods for weeks at a stretch. I can tell you that ground tents hold moisture plenty long, especially in lower areas with lots of tree cover. I've had a tent stay wet all day in the Rockies when it rained overnight and then was overcast the whole next day, but dry. I also dont quite understand your point about the RTT being wet inside when you deploy it later- The inside of the tent doesn't get wet when you close it up wet, if you close it up correctly.

3: See point 2 about ground tents holding moisture. As far as setting up the tents in the garage to dry out, you can take the RTT off and open it up in the garage to dry out too (that's what I do).

I've spent more nights in my RTT that it has rained or snowed than I have when it's been dry at this point, and it's really not as bad as you paint it to be. If you're careless or something, sure, it will get wet inside, but that's any tent. I've also used it on wheeling trips where I've been out on the trails in the truck and had to take it down every day. Not a big deal either. It's seriously just pull the rods, zip up the doors, fold it over, zip the cover on.

I think what the difference between your experience (?) and my experience show is that it's really just about how much you're willing to endure to have the RTT. I think it's great being off the ground and if you find that campsite where you can point the window at a lake or off a cliff or something, waking up to that view is really awesome.

 

I know yall are trying to justify yalls $1000+ purchase, and I would be too. I work in the outback south of Darwin and live in a tent 6 months out of the year. And the only time I see roof top tent is when those off road sponsored type guys show up in huge v8 diesel land cruisers, or townies come out in there little hilux with an aluminum rack and spend one or two nights then go back to darwin. Any one who actually "overlands" (more than 3 or 4 days) or does vehicle based living because of job requirments does not use a RTT. At least down there. There are many many instances of guys on in the US buying RTT and selling them 3 months later because it makes no sense. Get down to pee, carry your dog up and down the ladder, tent goes up above the bushes 8 feet off the ground where wind gets it all night. You "expedition" people spend $5000 plus on suspension, lockers, winches, bumpers, snorkels, tires, ect.ect (all of which I have too) to make yours rigs more capable off road. Then you stick 300 lbs of roof top tent and rack as high as you can get in on your vehicle..it makes no sense.

 

I dont have anywhere near that invested in mine. I just think your reasoning is bullshit.

Also your jealousy is showing a bit there champ

 

Darwin...Texas? As in, the ghost town? Is that a broverlanding hotspot? e: nevermind, I see you're an Aussie. Saw 'TX' in your location.

Also, in general, because I've seen this 'have to get down to pee' thing so many times- seriously guys, if my drunk ass is capable enough to unzip a window and aim out it, yours is too. Not rocket science.

 

Only thing I’m jealous of is the V8 diesel land cruisers... lol.


An RTT is like wearing a fake Rolex. You really want people to think you’re doing big things, but you’re not. Lol.

 

I have friends that owned them for short periods, and just what people have told me when the subject comes up in camp. I have never owned one.

 

Don't be. Only the sponsored guys have them. The new common rail system is very unreliable, and cost around $17k AU for a overhaul. The market for older 4.2 diesel land cruisers is YUGE down there, an early 2000 with less than 200k km will still cost you $20k AU

 

what if you can't park your truck on level ground?

 

There's a darwin tx ghost town? Say whaaaaat?