*THE RTT Owners Thread (With BS)*

Finally got the tent out and was able to use it. Best decision I've made yet. It took me a little to set it up, but because I paid attention, stowing it away was actually quicker. Hoping to get it down to a few minutes.

 

What would be the best protective spray or wipe-on chemical to reduce UV deterioration of the Hardshell if my FSR M49 Hardshell?

it’ll be on my truck year round

 

I didnt.. but I have started using 303. I heard some people say that the latches break/get brittle..

 

303 for sure: https://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-aerospace-protectant/

 

303 ordered! $43 for a gallon at Amazon

 

Not a ton you can do for frost unfortunately. As others said, you can pull the rain fly off if the weather is looking good, and crack open two or more windows to really get the air flowing. But at the end of the day you would need a diesel air heater to be totally dry. Its the only thing I have found that really works, because its always bringing fresh air into the tent. And that air is heated.

I tired a Buddy heater - once. Then returned it. I knew I was going to end up kicking my sleeping bag up against it in the middle of the night which would probably set it on fire. The idea of a truck fire in the middle of the northern Maine woods in the dead of winter scared the shit out of me.. Also, worth noting that combustion necessarily gives off lots of water vapor. So its a bit of a gamble with a Buddy heater as to how much you'd gain from running it. It'll be warmer, but also much more humid.

Edit: not to say Buddy heaters are a bad solution, just not for me and my scenarios. If you have an annex then I think they're pretty cool. You can leave it down on the ground below and not have to worry about kicking them

 

I've always been afraid of using a heater in the tent. Fears of CO poisoning just seem too validated to me. In January I slept in my tent and the temps went down to 8 below zero and I was okay in my zero degree bag plus the blankets and comforter I use with the wife in the summer months. Maybe I'm too old school, but a heater puts you into the glamping category.

 

Those Buddy heaters do have a low oxygen cutoff which is nice. As well as a really sensitive tip-over safety cutoff. But at the end of the day, its still glowing orange hot haha

 

I just button things up and run mine for 10 minutes and shut it off. May have to do that again in the wee hours, but it's pretty dang hot after 10 minutes.

 

I keep mine down in the annex on a table with a cookie sheet under it. My annex windows don't seal at the bottom so they let in enough fresh air, the heater pushes hot air out the top which heats the upper part of the tent nicely, and I keep a CO detector in my gear box which has a battery life of 7 years. I only run the heater if I absolutely need it and so far only needed it to heat up the tent before changing in the morning or at night. Layered blankets have help the best while hunting for a good set of sleeping bags.

 

We only run the Buddy for a few minutes while we get ready to hop into bed. Also turn it on for a while before we get outta our sleeping bags. The rest of the time we rely on our 0 degree and -15 sleeping bags. I sometimes use a liner in my 0 degree bag that is a huge help, and my wife actually uses a 12v heated blanket inside her bag.


Edit: Here's the liner. Supposed to add up to 32 degrees F to your bag rating. Definitely adds a lot of comfort.

$127 Sea to Summit Reactor Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner, Fleece (79 x 28)

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Summit-R...ite+reactor+extreme+liner,aps,214&sr=8-2&th=1

 

thats what I was planning on doing. Getting a USB heated blanket, and running it off of a power bank

 

...It is of course unknown what the story of the Falling Man truly represents. Perhaps a memorial to a friend or family member who suffered a tragic accident; or perhaps a simple warning about being careful on the ledge...

Check it all out in
Falling Man, Kohta Circus, Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs - Mojave East #3









Falling Man, Kohta Circus, Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs - Mojave East #3​

 

Freespirit Recreation 55" High Country Tri-layer sitting on top of Victory4x4 bed rack

 

They make USB ones? that must be super low amperage. Ours is for a 12v socket. We have a 12v port that plugs into our Gooloo jump pack that she used to use. It would only run for about 15 minutes though, then shut off (some kinda internal thing in the Gooloo, cause it was to the second). But you could press the power button again and it would run for that period again. Normally that was fine, if she woke up cold, she'd press the button and go back to sleep. The sleeping bag keeping in the heat pretty well. Now though, we just plug it into our house batteries. We have two group 27 batteries in the truck bed. They'll run the blanket all night easily.

 

I was thinking about a 12v one, but the way I have my truck set up now, I only have 1 12v for my fridge. I know I could easily add more, but I wanted to try running things off of USB rather than 12v. I have a group 24m battery in my bed, that runs my fridge and future bed lighting.

this one has been in my list for a while, but I havent dug into the specs..

$60 PerfectPrime HP0810, Soft Fleece Portable QC2.0/3.0 USB Power Heating Throw, Shoulder Blanket, Temperature Setting Controller for Winter Traveling, Camping, Hiking or Wheelchair

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GGWR9T...olid=2L5LSV7JABSIO&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

Picked up the duel boot bag and I almost wish I got 2 single ones. The single ones could slide into the channel of the bed frame where as the duel one attached to the ladder. Gonna play with it a bit more and find the sweet spot but here's come pics.

 

Here's a couple types of 12v adapters for jump packs. The first one is what we use, but with our Gooloo we do have the issue mentioned above about it shutting off. I'll also add it only shuts off with the higher draw of the blanket. My goal zero lights plugged into it ran for hours without turning off.

GOOLOO 12V Cigarette Lighter Socket Adaptor for GOOLOO Air Compressor and Jump Starter Series

https://www.amazon.com/GOOLOO-Cigar...oo+12v&qid=1586285083&s=sporting-goods&sr=8-1


This style seems common, but apparently the Gooloo brand had a propriety size connector so I didn't try one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/angel3292-Cl...p+pack&qid=1586284967&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-4


And if you don't already have a jump pack you should buy one! they are great for charging cell phones, powering lights, blankets, etc, and of course for jumping a rig. We always have two with us when we go camping.

 

That blanket actually sounds pretty decent when using a quick charge USB port. I'll look into it. Our Gooloo has one of those ports on it.

 

I have a NoCo one. I should get another. I think it held its charge for a year. Then jumped the neighbors F250