What is the deal with fixed top camping rigs?

I don't want to shit on someone's promotional sales thread so I'm starting a new one to get some answers.

Why would anyone buy a fixed top mounted camping tent that bolts to the truck?

They have the same accommodations as a 2 to 4 man tent but no additional features like a pop-up tow behind would have like heat, AC, a holding tank, etc. These things cost roughly 17 times what a very high quality all-weather tent goes for. That is a f**kload of money, mostly for machining, and platform/support materials.

They cannot be used in any other scenario - they are part of the truck. So, if your truck breaks down or gets stuck at a bad angle you can't just throw a tent 40' away and wait for help over-night. You have to sleep at a 20 degree angle.

They are not portable across vehicles. You can't put them in a backpack or motorcycle saddle bag either if you want to day trip some other way. Or in a drawer in the house so you don't look like a jackwad driving to work on Monday. They need a lot of storage space.

They sit up in the wind above the roofline sucking gas at road speeds.

You still have to empty, fold it and stow gear to move camping locations so it's no more convenient than a tent either. And you need a ladder to sweep the dirt out.

Bears can climb, so can snakes ... and it can't be locked like a camper so it's not a safety thing.

For years I've camped next to a vehicle or on foot in a tent that cost $350, can be erected in under 5 minutes and can be stowed in a backpack or on a motorcycle. What exactly am I missing with these elaborate and expensive arrangements?

 

Overland, bro.

 

Comfort

 

Sleeping on the ground? Oooh, icky.

 

You’re right. It’s comical, especially when there is a perfectly good platform we all know and love called the “actual truck bed”. One would realize that when you left the stove and dinette set at home, the space really opens up.

 

#EAF

 

Fits in the space of a cola can.

 

Where i go camping n wheeling you can not pull a trailer, have a generator running. I have used regular tents and still do but cant compared to my roof top tent. Pickup campers are too heavy to consider after you add recovery gear tools food n repair parts. I usually go hit back WOODS for 2 to 3 weeks at a time. And its boring staying in the same spot all the time. I have never been stranded in a spot to make sleeping uncofortable.

 

Its getting to retarded levels here in central oregon. Every other car and truck has one of these one them. Probably get used once or twice a year and the rest of the time they have this big goofy looking air brake on the roof cause they think it makes them look cool and outdoorsy. I dont get it...never will. You can setup a tent anywhere...RTT you have to level your truck and your very limited by where you must park. Now a pop up camper with a stove, sink, heater, table, bed, etc I can understand...and I own one, and paid less then most of these tents!

 

Can you elaborate on how they can't compare? I've wondered this the same as OP for years. I think the view would be nice, and the mattress may be nicer than my inflatable. I guess you would never wake up with a root, pinecone or rock pushing into your side, but usually if that happens it was my own fault...What else?

Are they any better in the wind or rain than a good ground tent? If so, why?

 

You are not cool unless you have one......everybody knows that ......lol

 

i think they are cool and a fun way to camp. the drag and weight when driving are bad, no doubt but i like to quickly setup camp and be off the ground. it makes camping in cold/inclement weather much easier to bear for me.

edit: flexing kit at national park mentioned by post above

 

could you put a tent on the ground and enjoy this campsite? sure.

is it different to sleep in a RTT and be able to view the land from Joshua Tree height? definitely.

all drama considered, will all people prefer a RTT to a ground tent? no, but i dig the shit out of mine.

 

I guess I'll be keeping my eye on central Oregon's Craigslist.

 

You know, there are so many arguments on TW and people using argument buzzwords they learned from listening to Dennis Prager or overheard during this past election. And boy do they like using them. Like, if you don’t have the data points and cite your sources, your opinion isn’t valid. I like your post because it doesn’t need to make sense.

You just like it.

I don’t get why you like it. Seems like a pain in the ass, ground tents seem like a pain too. But I don’t need to get why you like it. Even if you may fall out and break your neck, or you’re at a higher risk of pterodactyl attack, or that it takes you 5 minutes to set up (takes me zero minutes btw) it doesn’t matter. That’s my response to a lot of things. “Fuck you, I like it.”

 

It is really the best explanation I've heard. "I like it" and "because fuck you, that's why" are valid reasons IMO. My original question was looking for some revelation I hadn't thought of - and I don't think there is one. It's not a defensible purchase on logic but ... half the things I do for fun are not logically defensible. I just like to do them.

 

Its more of the comfort. I go overlanding alot, ground tent have slept in water at times. Rtt set up n take down for mobiliti is awsome. No need to take the matress out nor the sleeping bag just fold it up the down n go. But i do not keep the rtt when i dont use it. I rugged up a hoist in my old garage to store it in the rafters of the garage. But now its in storage since the divorce. Put 3 cooler, tool box, 20 gallons fuel, fold up table, recovery gear, stove, lp tank and other gear in the truck up not much space left. If any. I also carry 2 spare tires. I use the ground tent mainly in cooler climates it seems to keep the heat in better. But agree that its silly to keep it on the roof when you dont need it.

 

Yeah. The thing looks atrocious to me, and no. No I do not want one. And I think some of the acccoutrements people insist on when “overlanding” or camping are just dumb as hell. But the second they say “because I like it, douche” I’m like “yeah, you right. Carry on”

I’ve got a go pro mounted on the go pro mount. I don’t even use it. I might. It’s silly, but I really fuckin like it there lol

 

Get off the road, you are blocking traffic!! At least you don’t have to worry about cars running over your ground tent!

-Walter- I use my RTT for snow camping - got tired of sleeping on the stuff, and on muddy ground - that is crappy, oh and rocks, they suck too. The worse is when we were camping in open range in Nevada- hearing cows walking around nearby all night and being worried about getting trampled in my sleep and stepping on cow pies in the dark. I’ve also used our RTT as our “suite” when we bring relatives or friends camping with our 4-person sleeper Jayco trailer.

The RTT also makes for a great blind for me as I do a lot of wildlife photography, - and for others it would make a good hunting blind, too.

But we also just bring our Springbar on a lot of trips when the weather is nice and the location has good tent spots, too.

 

I think the roof top tent thing will eventually fade out for the aforementioned reasons, cost, gas mileage, etc. I think they are an enhanced alternative to tent camping on the ground. I think a roof top tent on a trailer is a little better than on a SUV in terms of practicality. I think a sleeping platform in the back of an SUV or Pickup with a topper is a far more practical option for some.