Roof top tents, why?

I do have to admit I bought a semi expensive ground tent to sleep in which we have used many times and it been great. But if i were to sleep in my truck because of a severe storm etc we just do this. We have 4 inches of foam covered by a 100 percent water proof tarp. With LED Meso bed lights. Cost is about $80.00. Bed Lights etc....Cost is about $80.00

 

Kinda harsh, but you’re not wrong. I usually just assume anyone with a RTT is a sucker.

Anyone who actually does shit outdoors (hunt, fish, hike, etc) realizes how stupid it is to have to break camp every time you need a vehicle, especially in an emergency.

I think the only exception might be if you’re actually overlanding (not instalanding) across Africa or Australia and are literally driving across land without a road. Even then I still think a nice Helleberg tent or Tipi w/ a small wood burning stove would be better AND cheaper lol

 

Well I like my RTT sad and pathetic as I may be. High and dry sets up quick and takes down slightly longer. With a 3 inch foam topper it’s like sleeping in bed not on mud rocks or roots.
But hey different strokes for different folks.

Like some people need to own a dog which makes a statement about their identity and advertise it to the world. God forbid they own a mutt or a sissy dog- they’d rather have one that speaks to their own self view about their masculinity. Just sayin.

 

Clamshell design makes sense in some environments. Anything that impedes one from moving their vehicle (and takes longer to set up and take down than a ground tent anyway) not so much haha.

 

When I was younger I'd drive as far as I could and then hike to the spot where I'm going to camp. Now that I'm getting older and have a wife setting up camp near the truck has become a more normal thing. Plus she likes normal human comfort (I'm perfectly happy sleeping on the dirt rocks. I've done it all my life) so for her the rtt is looking more appealing but still can't justify the crazy price. We have a killer instant pop up huge ground tent. I can put the camp table up, storage for all of our stuff, , in it and still have plenty of room for a mattresses for us and the kids.

 

Repeat: Hammocks. There is a reason I no longer take this.

Convenience. AND EXTREME COMFORT. Warm, dry, ALWAYS PERFECTLY LEVEL! I'm in my camp chair by the fire, drinking my second Zing Zang Bloody Mary while my buddies are still driving tent stakes. 90% of you will not go back to ground (or a RTT) is you give a GOOD camping hammock a fair chance. And by good I DON'T MEAN A FUCKIN' ENO (EAGLE'S NEST OUTFITTER) HAMMOCK. A good one will cost you much more than an ENO. Know that the hammock community is BIG and if for some reason you don't like your expensive, quality hammock that there are others that snatch it outa' your hands quick, and you can ask almost retail and they will pay it. And if you do sell it you can stuff it inside a mailing pouch and mail it to the buyer.

Unlike your unneeded RTT!

 

link to a 'good' hammock? any hammocks for cold/rainy weather? or multiple people? like say me, my wife, and two young children? not being sarcastic, i'm genuinely interested in the simplicity of hammocks and they appeal to me but i dont know how well they would work in my situation.

 

Only one situation they may not work: above the tree line! Okay, I have tried almost all of them over the years. Have even built a couple custom hammocks. Here is a link to the hammock line I think is best: 12ft Sparrow (dreamhammock.info) Many options. Everyone is a custom hammock: Dream Hammock - Past Projects

Here is about what you want to end up with: A 11 or 12-foot hammock with two overcovers. One just bug netting, the other a solid wind/weather cover. Make it +12-15 degrees warmer in there. Also want a good tarp and warm underquilt.

 

You need your own thread so you hammock fan boys can gush over them there and the rest of us can troll that thread instead.

 

Hammocks are uncomfortable and take more space in a pack and cost more than an entire ground sleeping system for equivalent warmth just to have less space for you and gear and less places you can use one. Goodnight

 

If you drive into your campsite its stupid to rough it! you didn't hike in, you drove. eating crappy food, uncomfortable sleeping is dumb.
Nothing wrong with RTTs, I like them. I sleep in my canopy, works great.

 

Very informative...I like the hard cover. Set up is easy and it is sturdy enough for 30+mph winds!

I like the storage capability under the bed rack too!

Ed

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I travel a lot and prefer to not waste on hotels lol pack the Glock and you can sleep anywhere comfortably

 

Yes, I agree. The video has a lot of good and useful information. Definitely a hard shell roof top tent over a soft shell.

 

There's two sizes:

Tuff Stuff Alpha (Hard Top)
2-person $2399.99
4-person $2699.99

Vegabond Lite (Soft Top)
2-person $1699.00
2-3 person $2499.00

Ed

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Donut media tried out cheap vs fancy RTTs
https://youtu.be/zX1J9-KMVXE

 

They have been quite entertaining throughout the Hi-Low series. I laughed at the vertical ladder setup off the Smittybilt tent- why make it more difficult to use?

My $.02 on the whole topic is largely the same as others- it comes down to how much you use it.

I had a CVT RTT on a custom bed rack for four ('17-'20) summers and used it about 15-25x per year. The pros and cons were pretty much the standard ones, but I would say overall it was great and I used it way more often than if I had purchased a ground tent instead. I bought it for $1400 shipped with a group buy discount code and ended up selling it for $900 to a good friend of mine who was about to take a cross-country trip for a couple months with her Subaru Forester. I could have gotten more; I had offers for $1200+ (and the retail price of the tent is now above $2000- yikes!) but I would rather give a friend a cheaper price.
So net cost of ~$500 for 4 years = ~$125 per year. Yeah I'd do it over again and I think the cost/use was as low as most peoples' fancy ground tents (think Nemo, Big Agnes, etc) over the same number of seasons.

Now I have a GFC, which is WAY more expensive (and way more 'grammable, obviously) than any RTT. That said, it is by far the most utilitarian setup I've ever had on a truck. I can carry a full load of firewood, full 4'x8' sheet goods, 12" lumber, or gear for a week of camping & bikes.
Again though- it comes down to the use case. I've slept in mine more than 50 nights since picking it up in April, not to mention the daily uses for all manner of gear and stuff. It ticks my boxes but it probably wouldn't for the vast majority of people, and that's fine.

There's always going to be someone making the (valid) argument that a ground tent is the better option (for them).

 

That is an astonishing engineering system!

Watched the video here describing the basic GFC:

https://gofastcampers.com/products/v2-platform-camper-1

Very Nice Camper system!

Not saying I will but IF I EVER DECIDE to buy a camper top, I'd seriously consider this apparatus!!!

You ain't kidding! Quite the expensive add-on! I like it!!!

Ed

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It’s pretty good for sure, when they went out to test everything they did admit to initially thinking rtt were a gimmick but after using a rtt they say ground tents are not nearly as comfortable.

 

I respectfully beg to differ:





Comfort in a ground tent build-up:
1. Wall-to-wall outdoor carpeting
2. Queen-size electric blanket on the floor, to heat the air in the...
3. Queen-size waffle-top air mattress, at least 18 inches high, 22 inches even better
4. Three inch memory foam mattress topper
5: Travasack queen-size sleeping bag with 300 thread count sheets velcroed inside
6. Your pillows from home.

I previously said in this thread that I like hammocks because they are comfortable, level and warm. This is what I sleep on and in if I am going camping for a week or so. Pretty sure this tent setup is more comfortable than a RTT. Still, if you are in bear country, gimme a RTT.