Maine

I have a bean 6 person, in fact we have two of them and kids each have a bean 4 person dome. We use cots in our 6 person. Also check out ground tarps, if used right, will help with wrt ground. The issue with cots, cold air under them. We use a wool blanket as an insulation layer on the cot.

 

Tarps don't help when the water is inches deep. I do use a tarp every time and the floor holds up fine.

 

If done right the help with moisture and reasonable brain storms. Not hurricanes, ask how I know

 

Sorry @Spare Parts I didn't want to discredit your input in explaining my concern about the standing water issue. The Adventure 6 handled camping in standing water just fine. The reason why I would give a nod to the RTT is the fact that you don't need to be in standing water. Thankfully, that night the temps only got into the 20s so the water under the tent didn't freeze. Although it was funny watching water rush over the ground tarp and under the tent floor was fun.

 

Everything is a compromise. Only thing I would add is with a family / newborn I personally would want room and space at the top of my must-have list. Might sway me more toward a ground tent than a RTT.

Another thing Id add is that really nothing sets up or packs up well in the snow. So Im not sure if Id have that as a Con for #1

 

Ya, I’m in the RTT planning stages myself. But with ground camping, folding the tarp so it doesn’t let the water go between the tarp and tent floor is good, but also digging trenches around your tent helps, ive also had to tarp above our tents to reduce rain impact. Needless to say, I bring about 5 or 6 tarps as part of my normal camping gear.

 

Have any of you guys done the cam gear replacement on the 2nd gen v6 1grfe? https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/group-buy-cam-gears-for-v6-1gr.618266/
I found this thread the other day and have been contemplating doing it. I've got 33's going on the truck on Friday and I feel like some more power would be greatly appreciated.

 

As a young but experienced camper and Eagle Scout and someone who currently lives in northern Maine, I feel well versed to talk about this. RTT will be by far the most expensive option, and for two adults plus a kid, you can't really sleep in the bed with just a camper shell. My honest opinion is that LL Bean tents are way overpriced for what you get. Plus I know LL Bean just changed their warranty deal. I'd look into Marmot, Kelty, or Big Agnes-if you wanted to spend more$$, and see what you can come up with. I've camped in it all, snow, ice, 48 hours of straight rain. You can stay dry and warm if you have the correct gear. A lot of these new tents come with footprints and those really help keep the water out of the bottom and work much better than a tarp as it's the exact size of the tent. Cots are okay to get you off the ground but as much as I think LL Bean is overpriced/overrated, nothing I've found beats their camp futon for an air mattress. It is big but super comfy and if you're camping out of a truck, size shouldn't matter ALL that much. Any tent with no sleeves and an all clips design is going to set up in a matter of minutes. Typically a design with poles that don't run over the direct top will be stronger for snow. Marmot still offers the lifetime warranty and I've used it a few times on backpacks and it's hassle-free. Campmor.com has super deals on most everything. Also, with a medium-sized dog, a RTT could be hard for it to get up into. Just some options!

 

all depends on what compromises you want to make:

a ground tent can be great, you can leave it on a site, and come back to it.. if doing basecamping, setup time depends on design, and can go from a few minutes to some take 15-20 minutes to setup, and tear down. downsides.. it leaves you in the dirt, rocks/ground..water... tent still has drying issues, but doesnt disable your vehicle for hours while it is drying out when you get home.

a RTT can be a blessing, but also a curse..

*typically easy setups (3-5 minutes, and you can be in your sleeping bag, 6-8 you can have all the flaps setup, open, and the spring awnings setup, and remove the softshell cover...

*the hardshell/clamshell type setup and teardown in about 2 minutes..

*every time you need to move, or want to go for a night trip.. you have to fold up the RTT (mine ARB Simpson III takes about 15 minutes start to finnish if I am leaving my bedding in it (heavy 30 degree sleeping bag, fluffy blanket, heavy wool blanket, and a pillow)(folding the blankets/sleeping bag inside the tent, and removing, and packing the pols, folding up, tucking the sides, then finally collapsing the ladder, and strapping up, and putting the cover on...)

*it is 135+ lbs of weight up high... and not easily removed by 1 person.. 2-3 people... easily.. its just awkward size-wise..

*putting it away in the rain... anything inside is likely to get wet... mildew, and mold are likely to grow, and ruin your expensive RTT if you dont air it out (dry it out) soon after your trip, mildew can be washed, but it typically stains the fabric.. and nearly impossible to remove the stains.. I keep a spare towel for the morning condensation to wipe down the inside, and outside walls/rain fly..

*takes up space in my bed, and I can't carry oversized items easily. I have to remove it, or figgure out another option..

*never been wet in my RTT

*I have felt at time that the floor of the RTT is not well insulated, and in high wind areas the inside can get mighty cold.. (I am getting a diesel heater to solve this for me & extend my camping season)..


the gazelle is a good choice, its tall, you can stand up in it, however the walls/ceailing can collapse in high winds or heavy snow load unless you stake/tie them down.. I have seen people use heaters/mini wood stoves in them, but I would avoid a propane heater, for the condensation, and risk of CO poisoning.. diesel heaters seem to be damn safe as far as I have seen...


good luck.. check out www.offroadtents.com/ that is where I got mine.. fast shipping was like 6 days free freight delivery...

 

I used to winter camp pretty frequently and I'd opt for a tent over an RTT for a couple of reasons, personally. A tent is more flexible on where you can set up (like if you feel like hiking in, for instance, rather than setting up camp wherever they stopped plowing the road). Plus, if you're doing any true winter camping you can shovel snow around it as a wind break, and you only need to go a few feet high. Cost is also a factor; obviously a high-quality winter-rated tent is considerably cheaper than even the cheapest RTT out there. Not to mention easier to pack
I have a 15-year-old Eureka 4 season (forget the model), which works fine but was far from top-of-the-line when I bought it new. But if I were to buy one now I'd definitely spend the extra $$ to go with either a Marmot or a Big Agnes. Both of them offer a lot more space than mine does, both inside the tent and in the vestibule, which makes a big difference when the temperatures drop. You always forget how much more bulk you've got when you're cold-season camping; you run out of room pretty fast. But one thing's for sure, the tents have come a LONG way since I bought mine, in all ways. Space, weight, insulation, waterproofing, etc.
Personally, even with my older gear, I'd much rather camp in 10 degree weather than when it's in the 40's and rainy. Other than keeping your liquids liquid, most everything is much easier in a hard freeze. Nothing tests your equipment (and your patience) like a prolonged rain in cold weather.

 

Well stopping where the plow stops is your first mistake. Or maybe not idk

 

I have not done it yet but have read a bit about it. Seems like it might be a decent option. Need to do some more research for sure though and see what people are actually getting for numbers after the swap

 

The last few times I've gone winter camping you'd need a set of mattracks to get past where they stopped plowing. We snowshoed in and even my big bearpaw-style shoes were sinking in nearly a foot. I tripped and fell at one point during our last trip and had to use my shotgun (we were rabbit hunting) to get myself back up on my shoes, and I could barely get the butt end to touch the ground while I levered myself back up with the end of the barrel.

 

It seems most people get 1MPG better, but just about everyone in the thread reports it driving significantly better. The group buy ends today. I will probably wait until the next one once I do some more research too. Not sure I'm comfortable going that far into the engine when nothing is wrong haha

 

Finally found a cheap cap you guys, need advice on it and if it’s too junky. I can fix the fiberglass but how hard is it to find a back window? Don’t really care about the color not matching as my trucks silver and for that price I can paint it. It’s an easy grab for me on my way home from Fort Kent to Farmington. It came off a 2012.

 

@jayg220 reach out to a local Leer dealer. They should have little problem getting you a replacement glass. (Dad has had to replace at least two from having his open & backing into thr garage.)

 

Replacement glass is pretty easy to find; any Leer dealer should be able to source it for you.

 

Id be more worried about the cracks in the fiberglass. Though I guess if youre not going to load the roof then it wont be that big of a deal..

 

No, really just want it for my trip this summer out west. Just need to keep stuff dry and give myself a place to sleep. If I fixed the crack and got the window I’m sure I could sell it at a profit or at least not lose any money after I’m done with it.

 

Seems like no dealers were able to get back to me today with a price. Can't find much online at all for even a ballpark price. Think I should pick it up anyway because it's so cheap? I keep seeing ones for $1000+ and don't want to miss out on this if a rear window is only a couple hundred.