BakFlip MX4/ KBVoodoo Rack/ Tepui Tent/ Prinsu

I am an avid camper and someone that has lived in a van previously for travel. With my Tacoma, I decided I wanted a rooftop tent for the ease of setting up and tearing down quickly and being able to get "on the trail." I also wanted to maintain use of my bed for all gear and long distance travel throughout North America, while still fitting in a garage. All of this was a pretty specific set of needs. One of the biggest challenges was figuring out a tent setup that was at the height of the DAI/Prinsu, or lower.

The winning combination I settled on was a BakFlip Mx4 tonneau cover, utilizing KBVoodoo's Max rack with their BakFlip brackets. I then found a Tepui tent that came out this past year that is only 7" when closed. Most RTT's are 12" or more when close, and that would have put me in a bad spot.

I'll list the products here for anyone that is interested in a similar setup and some extra pics that show various angles that I didn't see before I pulled the trigger on this setup.

-BakFlip MX4
-KB Voodoo Max Modular 10" rack w/ Bakflip brackets and Maxtrax mounting brackets
-Tepui Lo Pro 2 (from REI due to getting 10% member dividend back, and free pickup in store)
-Maxtrax 2 w/ locking pins

(Of note, the ONLY time I ran into trouble during the entire install was with KBVoodoo's traction board brackets. None of the square holes lined up with the mounting brackets aligned with the length of Maxtrax. I had to use a set of my own bolts and nuts with washers to mount one bracket in holes that were not squared off.

 

That's a sick setup.

 

Thanks! Overall height of the total stack was my main concern. Worked out perfectly.

 

Beautiful! Where did you drill drain holes for your MX4?

 

Be careful when drillng holes. There are 4 small drain holes in the floor by the cab. My installer drilled into the farthest left one and drilled into my gas filler tube, caused a vapor leak and set off codes. Mechanic at toyota said the best place to have drilled the hole would have been on top of the wheel well, nothing to hit up there and makes for a shorter, and cleaner drain tube location..

 

Thanks.

Ive yet to address the drain hole tubes. Currently they just rest in the bed by the bed holes. I’ve driven it in rain and only a little water pools and evaporates pretty swiftly. I’ll take that on soon.

 

This is a dope set up!

 

Mine is a kb voodoo, diamond back and smittybilt. Love the set up plus bike on the kb

 

How is the durability of the rack? I'm planning to mount an iKamper Skycamp mini. On their forums someone mentioned the tonneau brackets bent. Photos looks pretty sturdy and the guys at KBVoodoo said that they don't reduce the load rating.

 

It’s been completely shake free/sturdy. I don’t notice any flex of any kind, even when having people in the tent. I’m 100% satisfied with the setup, and not just cause it cost me a bunch of $$.

 

OP, regarding the KB Voodoo mounting brackets that fits under underneath the two rails/gutters of the Bakflip MX4: does water leaking into the bed when raining? What about trail dust and sand when trail running?

Thanks for your feedback.

 

Yessir to all of the above. The MX4 lets trail dust and rain in anyways, so I just chalked it up to a bit more. But yes, with the added brackets, it’s another spot for the elements to sneak in a bit. I don’t care those, it only leaks down the side, and I have a bed mat so nothing on the bed mat gets wet.

 

From what I researched I thought the MX4 did a decent job with the elements? Is this not true? I imagine you could put some black silicone around the brackets to seal it off a bit more.

 

Thanks for the speedy response. I am also thinking about reproducing your same set up, but I have been on the fence for a long while (over a year). Now I just need to save up for it. Just trying to find a way to explain/justify this expenditure to the wife...

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

I got my KB Voodoo Rack (14") and MX4 on the way. I'll post some photos of the install and finished product. Going to mount an iKamper on it and have it setup for easy removal to have full use of the bed. Does anyone know how easy it is to fully remove the trifold of the bakfip? On some trips i might want to put bikes in the back of the bed under the rack (one reason i got the 14"). I'm also thinking the bakflip is pretty sturdy and would make a good shelf to slide a cooler or some plano boxes on with some ratchet straps (in lieu of the Kb basket which is pretty expensive).

 

-removing the trifold MX4 is a straightforward affair IF, and only IF, the rack is removed. It can be done with the rack still mounted, but it’ll be difficult for sure.

-the bakflip is sturdy, but dents easily and it shows from the side when dented. The skin is aluminum I believe.

 

love it. just did the same to my tacoma with the g2 cover.

 

Looks awesome! I assume that's the 10" rack?

I ran into some troubles with the KBV rack as it doesn't let you space the top bars exactly where you need them to mount an iKamper. The iKamper rails run front to back (just like the top bars on the KBV). If I had gone for the aluminum one that wouldn't be a problem as the top bars attach to a slotted rail with infinite adjustment. The steel versions have holes every 1.5" and then slots on the bars to allow for +/- roughly a quarter inch. I could get it to work but it would be offset to one side by .5 to 1". I called KBV and they said drilling holes in the top bar wouldn't be a problem, just hit it with the paint marker that's included. The other option is to not use the top bars and just mount it over the cross bars; however, this would mean you'd see exposed bolts - it's not compatible with the newer clamp style mounts they use as they can only accommodate a thinner cross bar. I could also mount the iKamper to a set of cross bars and then mount it to the top bars, but this would add height and be pretty messy. Hopefully KBV builds in a bit more adjustment on their steel version.

 

oh dude. that’s a bummer. yeah the 10” rack is what I got. I figure with the extra height from the brackets, it would be a good 12”. although, an extra inch or 2 would’ve been nice. I found that some of the holes don’t make sense and i’m still trying to figure out how to properly mount things. if you could, I would go with the aluminum one. the rack is pretty solid!