What is the deal with fixed top camping rigs?

That’s actually a cabelas fillet table, a 12v car battery powering a pump, and 7 gallon jug of water

 

The black box under the table is the battery and pump

 

What are you using for the poles? Do they sink into the ground are are you just using the tension from the canopy and guylines to keep it up?

 

They're commonly found as a fishing accessory for cleaning fish too. So most sporting good places will have them.

 

To lazy to read all 24 pages. RTTs are to each their own.
I love mine because I love not having to worry about setting up a tent on the ground. Leveling the truck is easier then leveling the ground for me. I don't mind being high up. Most of my camping is in the desert or by the beach so I love a being a little higher. Its great not having to worry about rolling up the sleeping bags or having to worry about bringing camp safe pillows.

I do not store mine on the truck thats dumb as fuck because these things MURDER your gas mileage.

 

Like everything else, it's a gadget. People like gadgets. My truck is essentially a gadget. Some people have the disposable income to buy gadgets some of us feel are plain silly. I've camped a lot and only ever in a tent. Now that I'm getting older I'd like to get a camping trailer, but I can't see any reason personally to buy a RTT. They are expensive (I don't have much disposable income) and it's still a tent. If I want a better mattress I could bring one for my tent. Time to set up? Come on, really? Even a trailer takes time. Off the ground? I don't see why that's an issue and I've done my share of winter camping in CO. Never had an issue with animals either (except spiders and they can climb). About the only time I can see a RTT being actually useful is if you are in an area where 8x8 foot plot of mostly flat ground simply doesn't exist. Of course, you'd still need to have a parking spot but I guess you wouldn't need two spots.

 

I couldn’t resist checking every option

 

Yeah pretty darn costly but hey when I win the lotto I'd try one out! if you go to OK4WD web site their shop truck has one on it and they a video of the walk around. I gotta say if It was in my budget id do it!

 

A funnel and a long hose works good on hunting trips in my rtt.

 

Does it double as a beer bong?

 

I’m using the Kelty pole that came with the tarp, goes through a grommet. Tension on the guy lines and tent stakes.

 

The Salt River is deceptive how deep and strong the current is in stretches. I believe there are 2-3 drowning deaths every year from tubers. Usually drunk.

 

On every corner in so cal

 

The average American spends $1,200/yr on fast food, just saying.

 

Not sure what the big deal is.

I've run big heavy canvas ground tents with room for cots for a few people on hunting trips.



I've run ultralight ground tents on backpacking trips.

I run my rooftop tent if I have a base camp near the vehicle or car camping.



Just different tools for scenarios.

There are pros and cons to each setup.

Mine stays on my truck 24/7, the covering is beat up by UV/Weather. Probably gets used 15-20 times a year.

 

Here is another approach to answering the OP on the question at hand.

Some folks like to have the latest and greatest TV on the market. 4K, LED, 105", surround sound, blah blah blah, right?
(Honestly, I don't even know if that stuff listet is even a thing anymore?)

I respect their choice to spend thousands of bucks to watch a TV to get what makes them happy. It's entirely their choice, and nobody has room to judge them.

I'm simple when it comes to TV watching, and haven't bothered to upgrade from my 1995 Panasonic 32" CRT TV, as I still get what I need out of it. When it dies, I have no idea what I would replace it with, but I would bet that it will be a HUGE change even with a new cheap unit.

 

Damn, what year is your Tacoma? My '99 has just 194,xxx on it. I've had it since January '06, back when it had just 94,xxx on it. Still got the original clutch in it. Still runs great, I've done some maintenance to it within the last few yrs. The one thing I have been really bad about is keeping up with the washing/waxing. Especially now that I live in the hottest fuckin place in the U.S, it gets fairly neglected as far as the washing goes. I used to do it almost weekly, or at least once a month when I was younger and lived in CA. But as you know, for 6 months out of the year, its almost always 100 degrees here. Shit, sometimes it's still 100 degrees in the middle of the night, and never below 90-95 during the peak hot months. Surprisingly enough though, my '99 doesn't look too bad all things considered. It's white, so maybe that helps. But when you look at it up close, the paint looks pretty dull. Not a lot of shine left to it, unless freshly washed. I have been wanting to wax it for a long time, but I hate waxing vehicles and I am a perfectionist so I know if I do it, it will turn into a project.

I wish they still made a truck with a 7 foot bed. I dunno, maybe Tundras are available with a 7 footer though? But yeah a small size truck with 7 foot bed would be cool. I drove an '82 4x4 with the 7 foot bed in high school (was my dad's old truck) until I bought my '99.

I'm stationed at Luke AFB, by the way. About an hour or so from Mesa

 

Lol but then you have a long hose with piss residue dripping out of it constantly. Seems like that would be kinda nasty, but then again I guess so is having a gallon jug of piss laying around in your tent haha. The laundry jug that I mentioned works perfectly for me though. Hole is so big you don't need a light to do it at all and no chance of spilling out the sides onto your tent floor.

 

Yeah the first time I did it, we hit a pretty rough patch and it nearly flipped over our raft that was carrying our beer cooler and stuff. Luckily I was able to grab the thing that did fall in the water. Not surprised that people drown out there. It's pretty easy to just lay back and pound the beers one after another, not really paying attention to the fact that you aren't drinking any water while its super hot out. Before you know it, you're shitfaced haha. I really wanna see how fun it would be to float right after spring time when there is more current from the snowmelt. Not sure if they've gotten a lot of snow up north this winter though

 

I just wanna say you guys have some pretty sweet camping set-ups Makes me wish I could get out more and do stuff and invest in more camping gear.