Roof Top Tent vs. Bed Rack Tent

Hi All,

Brand new to Tacoma's. Had a 2015 Jeep wrangler that was totaled in an accident back in October. Fortunately, everyone was safe and it wasn't my fault. Using the insurance money for a down payment on a 2022 TRD Off Road Tacoma.

I placed an order for a Gobi ranger roof rack for my wrangler back in april of 2021. They finally reached back out in October '21 saying my rack was about to be made. I had to explain to them my Jeep was totaled and I was waiting on a Tacoma which will be arriving this week. Gobi told me that when I have the Tacoma to let them know and they will hold my place in line if i want to switch it from a wrangler gobi rack to a tacoma gobi rack.

That's where my questions comes in. It seems like Prinsu is more popular with Tacoma's any particular reason why? Or will Gobi be just as effective?

Also should I go roof rack over bed rack? I have a roof top tent (Thule Tepui 2 person). But it also looks more common for people to put roof top tents on a bed rack rather than a rack on the cab of the truck. Any reason as to why that is? Is it just preference? Or are the major negatives to putting a roof top tent over the cab vs. a bed rack?

Would appreciate any insight. Thanks.

 

A couple reasons to go bed rack over roof rack:

- Height, both for fuel economy and fitting into parking structures/drive thrus
- Weight, our trucks are light enough over the rear already without throwing another 100lbs mostly over the front axle. Additionally, mounting on a bed rack keeps the weight lower down which is better for offroading.

 

Sorry bout the Jeep but congrats on the Tacoma. And welcome to the better side of the family.

Gobi's are fantastic and have been around...literally forever as far as racks go. It seems Prinsu is the most popular Tacoma rack because of quality, price, and astetic. It really has no advantage over any other roof rack.

As far as whether to put your RTT on a bed rack or a roof rack I'd say bed rack no question. You'll be hard pressed to find many Tacoma owners who have RTT's actually on the roof. The weight rating for the roof of a Tacoma isn't really rated for tent weight plus multiple bodies and whatnot. I mean it'd probably be fine but with the option of a bed, that is designed for much more weight, there's really no reason to put it in the roof.

To be fair, I'm relatively new to this stuff. Had a 1st Gen back in the day but never really modded it. This is just what I've gathered reading though the forums here as I've been tinkering with my new truck.

 

Thanks so much for the reply. The insight is super helpful.

One more question:

What you would I use the Gobi Rack on the roof for if I don't put a tent up there? Would it be a kind of a waste to get a Gobi Roof rack and a bed rack?

 

Depends on what you're outdoor fun consists of, and how much external storage you need. I use mine for my kayaks and have a couple cheaper cases on my rack (one comes off to accommodate the kayaks) that hold some outdoor gear, cheap tools and roadside equipment, and when my kayaks are up there I put life vests and oars and whatnot in the case.

 

I vote bed rack, RTT sits just about cab height and I fill the bed of the truck with all the camping gear.

 

Over the bed is the better option for sure... Keep the ladder away from the cab doors so it's not annoyingly in the road and you can get a good 800 lb capacity bed rack for a lot less $$ than an ugly prinsu rack (I do like the Gobi's more though).

The better option though is to use a good, quick pop-up tent and save massive weight, fuel economy, storage space, money and setup hassle... Just speaking from experience lol

 

Bed, the roof is only rated for like 150 pounds, so after a rack, you can only put about 100 pounds up there

 

Thanks everyone so much for the input.

I think I am going to go with some overland bars for the tent. See link here.

And also a roof rack for additional storage and skis/snowboards. See link here.

Would love some feedback on those bars and that rack. Worth the investment? Are they reliable products? Etc.

 

Roof top tents….I vote over the bed …
My first experience here on the Big island of Hawaii…seeing a roof top tent at the beach…was an amazing site for me…very unknown to most of us islanders….turns out he was a friend.he brought for his family…this was in 1984…?
Today I am seeing more and more roof top tents…

 

Shell ftw or a camper shell

 

I have a Prinsu rack on my Tacoma. While I love it, there is nothing cosmic about it. Yeah, it's highly modular and a nice rack, but there are other racks out there. In a quick look at Gobi, Prinsu will look more like a factory-fitted rack whereas Gobi will look like a bolt-on. You should be able to get as many accessories for a Gobi.

 

One tip that's different with Tacomas, Jon B...look at bed stiffeners and whether you will need them. If you put a tent on your truck (I use a ground tent), you will need them, I think.

 

I had the CBI overland bars you linked until just recently...solid kit

 

What kind of rack is that?

 

They are Front Runner bars on custom made extensions.

 

Before you install weight over the bed, be sure to install bed stiffeners. These beds are composite and are very strong but not laterally when you put weight on the bed rails. Bed stiffeners will solve this problem.

 

The Tacoma Gobi roof rack is a waste. It doesn't cover the entire cab.

 

I ended up with a Gobi caused I found one for 600 bucks on offer up, so my opinion is slightly biased. You won’t break a gobi, bend a gobi, absolutely nothing, even with gross negligence. I’ll say that the gobi for the Tacoma is NOT worth it at roughly 1500 bucks. As @kpinthebay pointed out, the rack stops right where the antenna starts. I did reach out to Gobi prior to buying one, and they were open to extending the rack on a case by case basis.

 

May be a dumb question but.... how did you mount those kayaks up there? Did you use a j rack of some sort or supports? I literally just installed my Prinsu rack yesterday but one of my future projects was to see how I could transport my 2 twelve foot kayaks for my girl and I to the springs/beach. I was originally thinking I'd get a bed extender due to the size and width BUT, maybe the prinsu can help me out in the meantime or if I'm in a pinch (longer trips where two vehicles would be best to have a drop off and load vehicle if going up-river).