Roof Top Tents - A fad?

ive been through plenty of tight tree covered trails. nowhere near close to ripping off a snorkel or the tent. in fact the cover has a small rip and that was with it on top of the cab

 

For me, it cannot fit the whole family, like the dogs. And while they dont sleep in the bed with my wife and I, I am not going to make them sleep outside. The tent is easy to setup and provides plenty of room for dry storage, dog kennel, changing room, etc etc. When I go by myself, I just put an air mattress in the camper and call it a night. Usually some alcohol camping anyways so you can sleep just about anywhere.

 

i would definitely skip the soft shell tent and go hardshell if i were to have redone it. but i have a hardshell on the way now.

 

Having the RTT is more than just camping. It's an extension of the vehicle that I have a lot of love/passion for. Makes the camping experience that much better. Not a fad, just a great invention.

 

I've spent 50 nights in mine over the last year and a half. I like the fact that it's super weatherproof compared to all but the highest end ground tents, and I don't have to clean it all the time as it never touches the ground. Also, it's a small fraction the price of any RV that would also seriously hinder your ability to offroad and explore. I dont think they're a fad. They're rad.

 

Is it the @ChandlerDOOM one? I want one sometime haha

 

yup!

 

Those turned out great!

 

RTT is a great investment in camping. We loved ours and momma still seems to talk about it even though I went way over truck budget and bought a Habitat

 

I will also add it would be a bad night of I was half in the bag and forgot I'm up there off the ground and got out to pee lmao....timber....

 

Wish I did the Rubicon with the 4wc. Was going to do it this summer because @jberry813 said I couldn't. I did run Slickrock twice with it, Death Valley, and a Jandy (@jAndyMendo) trip. Plan to run the Rubicon in early/ mid October with the new setup.

Totally agree that no one wheels hard with RTT's.... just a few strolls in the mall parking lot.

 

I think they'd be okay for "waypoint camping" or "overlanding" as I guess the cool term is now. Moving from location to location and not returning to any one point. Possibly. But I like a "base camp" type set up to come back to every night with comfy sleeping quarters, a heater when needed, and stacks of firewood already piled up. Hell, room for a table when weather turns really shitty and it's time to get into cover and play some cards or something to pass the time. Plus, after beers around a fire, the last thing I want to do is scoot on my ass to a ladder that is 6' in the air at 4 am to take a piss!

The RTT on a capable off road trailer seems like a somewhat sound idea, but damn....that ladder. And a little diminished capability while towing. Still doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'd rather take an extra few minutes and set up a tent I can stand up in, put my feet on the ground in when it's time to put on the boots, and that I can fit a portable buddy heater in for when the temps drop to near zero or below. A high quality tent, a couple of cots and air mattresses can be bought for less, offers more comfort and flexibility, and full use of the truck any time you want without having to take down camp.

Not bashing...but speaking practically, I don't get it. Main reason my Jayco Baja is pretty much unused anymore. Draw backs far outweigh any slight benefits versus a tent, cot, and heater.


Love the videos and rigs above though. Looks fun as hell, and no matter where you lay your head at night, that's the point of this whole game, right?

 

Lots of great information from everyone, I really appreciate hearing your viewpoints.

Side note, the poll has yes and no currently tied at 28 votes, with (popcorn) trailing by one.

But seriously. I think the main reason I initially called it a fad, was because I see a lot of them around these days, and I'm not sure if people are actually using them, or if they're just buying them to show off their cool gear (as several of you mentioned throughout the thread). Kinda like when you put waaay too many accessories on an AR-15, some people just don't know when to reasonably stop with the accessories (do you even operator, bro?).

I am definitely not calling out the folks who frequently use theirs, and get their money's worth from the convenience and comfort it provides. I think I called it a "fad" because some people are in fact using a RTT as a sort of fashion accessory. Whether or not that is true, I'm not sure; it's just a hunch.

A lot of great points were made for both sides. From what I can tell, it all boils down to personal preference, and your ultimate needs/wants in a camping setup. I also learned about alternatives to tents, like cots, which is something new to me and looks elegantly utilitarian, and yet another option I will have to consider.

Thanks everyone! Feel free to keep up the discussion.

 

My Fiance and I are avid campers. We backpack, car camp in developed and dispersed areas, and have many different gear setups to accomodate each type of trip. We purchased a rtt (CVT Mt. Shasta) and it was our sole tent used for all car camping for roughly 1.5 years. I spent nearly 40 nights in that tent over that time, and it had its pros and cons. Ultimately, the cons outweighed the pros, which resulted in going back to a ground tent and we couldn't be happier about that decision. Do answer a few common questions first...
It was mounted on a modified full height allpro pack rack and did stick up above the roof line.
It had minimal impact to gas mileage, maybe 1mpg lost.
My truck is my daily driver and i commute 50 miles per day, the tent was attached the entire time.

Ill go over MY LIST of pros and cons. These are simply MY opinions and may not match how others feel, however i am willing to bet that most will generally agree.

PROS:
Looked awesome!
Always a conversation starter at any camp
Being off the ground away from critters was MAJOR!
Ability to setup on any surface type
Extremely thick material compared to most ground tents provided great insulation for winter camping.
Fast setup

CONS:
Always have to park on a level surface or level the truck
Thick material made it extremely hot inside during warmer days
Going up/down a ladder in the middle of the night to pee, sucked! Ladder is cold and hurts your bare feet, you cant see where the hell you're going, and if your still half asleep or drunk, good luck.
Bringing dogs up and down, sucked!
I was not the type of camper to setup and stay there. I am go go go typically staying in a new place each night or needing my vehicle to get around and explore. This meant i have to take down and setup my tent EVERY day and night of camping. This ultimately took away soo much time that i would find myself still trying to pack up while everyone else is already finishing breakfast and getting ready to leave.
Its not nearly as comfortable as you think! The foam pad still lets your hip touch the hard floor if you lay on your side.
Cleaning it out is a pain
Changing inside requires going up and down the ladder and there is hardly enough room to get on your knees in there.
The optional annex is a joke and takes a rocket scientist to with an immense amount of patientlce to set up.
Cant nap mid day, its too hot.
I felt like a driving billboard constantly and the truck was always be stared at. Bad for preying eyes.
Did i mention if you have dogs you'll be miserable? Lol
The materials seemed to show signs of wear quickly and I started having zipper issues.
Its too bulky on the truck
Way overpriced

Im sure there are more cons, but im falling asleep typing this and just dropped my phone on my face haha. So im going to bed now.

For trips without the dogs, we use a MSR Hubba Hubba backpacking tent with Big Agnes Q Core sleeping pads. All very expensive ultra light weight and tiny backpacking gear. It certainly isnt cheap thats for sure, and has room for nothing other then just laying down. But the tent, 2 sleeping pads, footprint and pillows all weigh maybe 8 pounds, still cost less then the rtt, and is extremely comfortable compared to the rtt.

For trips with the dogs, we use a basic cheap coleman 4 person tent that kinda sucks to set up, but has a ton of room compared to a rtt and cost about $60. Was my very first tent ever and i still use it. We sleep on Exped Megamat 10 which also are not cheap at about $200 each, but feel as good as your mattress at home.

All the gear i listed just now for backpacking and car camping all come in at about $1200 max with taxes and i have multiple setup options and top of the line gear. Still cheaper then an rtt, most of it is easier to setup and an rtt, its all WAY MORE COMFORTABLE then an rtt, and i can customize and mix/match gear setups to meet the needs of each trip. The only con i found about the ground is if you are in an area heavy with bugs then an rtt is great. Rtt is also nice for lomg roadtrips of you move each day and need a quick place to sleep with limited time and space and unknown terrain. But for the average camper, an rtt is NOT practical.

It is absolutely 1000% a "fad" and its becoming an overpriced and flooded market that will soon crash. I enjoyed my rtt very much, but would never purchase one again, not even for $500 bucks. Heck, not even for $200. They are not all they are hyped up to be and i think my experience makes me pretty qualified to post this opinion. Hope it helps

 

@ProForce well said

 

I know the northern VA area is unique in how they operate and to that area RTTs are def a fad. As a whole, I would say they are def worth the investment and many folks are realizing that the technology is right to invest in them.

Bski is heading up a solid group buy that could be worth jumping on if you havnt already looked into an RTT.

 

Thanks! after all the chatter and competition I'm not sure it will go off now but it's opening soon. Personally would have been using it every freaking weekend instead of our LL Bean GT. Haven't had too many complaints but carrying the mattress and the bag of crap(tent) and this and that canopies, surfboards, coolers, BBQ etc I just want to be able to deploy the tent and that's it. Take afternoon siestas after early morning surf sessions with the wife and kid and enjoy all day and night out there. Not to mention the trip out to rausch and seeing some guys ground tenting it for a weekend just looked miserable. East coast just mud everywhere and doing a full on wash of your sleeping gear after a wheeling trip... skip

 

Timely thread. I camp 100+ nights a year, have been over 20 yrs. Double that on long hikes (PCT, CDT). Somebody getting a shrill laugh over how someone else camps might not realize... that person likely has more than one setup if they've been at it for long, and they pick and choose based on the trip.

Solo, quick setup/takedown - Hammock, quilts and suspension all in one big bishop bag.
Backpacking with the GF, or solo in rough weather - Pyramid tent with/without innernet (MLD SuperMid) or a TT Stratospire / Hilleberg. Add Exped mats.

Either of those can be adapted to any truck, any trip, and are way more versatile than something you bolt to your truck (i.e. hiking in on foot, or just wanting compactness). It's all top notch gear, and more affordable than half the stuff people are buying on TW. Budget versions exist too.

Now... Base camping & road-tripping with the GF/wife - Roof top tent or hard shell tent is going to be a step up in comfort and style for a whole lot of trips.

Everything is a compromise. It's only a fad if you don't use it. I voted popcorn.

 

That's a lot of money to not have to sleep on the ground when you're roughing it. If you want a dedicated overlanding/glamping rig then it's the best piece of luxury glamping kit you can get. But if you want daily driver truck that takes you camping a few times a year, then maybe a camper shell or regular ground tent will do? When I have a rafter mounted pulley system to help me remove/install kit like that, and so much money that I can burn it to keep warm, maybe I'll think about RTTs. But my vote is fad. I think they're cool right now but people will realize they're too bulky and expensive for the amount of camping they do. How many pop-up tent trailers do you see rotting in people's driveways? Same idea.