Why not a ground tent?

The ease of setting up. For example my wife and I drove to tahoe and got there around 9pm. Pretty dark already. Took me less than 10mins to open the roof top tent.

 

Would not recommend it for bike rides, bulky and heavy for that.

 

Or just stand up and wave through the mesh window

 

I am not a fan of RTT's. They're heavy, expensive, and for my usage way more trouble than they're worth. I had one for a little bit. Slept in it for 3 nights and turned around and sold it. I had it mounted on top of a camper shell.

I really felt the weight of the tent while driving and wheeling, setting it up wasn't as easy as people on here make it seem, it acted like a sail on the highway, it really wasn't any more comfortable than a regular tent I've been in, fuck that ladder, once it's set up, you're not moving the truck anymore, sucks ass in the rain, the list goes on.

The only time I could see myself with one is if I had it mounted on a low profile bed rack and I lived out west, where it never rains and you have a bunch of public land to explore and camp wherever.


Edit: I'll add that I can understand the appeal to some folks and it is legitimately a good option for them and how they use their trucks. I don't want this to come off as a blanket statement of "all RTT are bad and whoever has one is dumb." I just think for most people it's unnecessary.

 

especially if theres a tasty treat up there

 

Poop? Hahaha

Edit.. they are very good at climbing for sure

 

I have a friend that is 73y.o. and he refuses to sleep in a tent almost all the time. Wraps up in a bag and sleeps on the ground without padding. He has traveled the world climbing. I'm confident he used a tent when climbing Mt. Everest.(though he did not peak). He is not a marine.

 

I can’t say I’ve never had that happen

 

Is that a Louis Vuitton pig harness!@? ?

 

lmao. No, just this green one with a lot of mud.

....Do not, under any circumstance, mention the phrase "Louis Vitton pig harness" in front of my wife.

 

I just gave you a follow on IG! HAHAHAHA!

 

American DREAM!!!

 

^

aren't softoppers super cold though?
due to the thin material

that is supposedly less insulating than a fiberglass or metal camper shell/topper (Leer, etc.) with carpeted headliner

meaning if you camp in winter and it's 20 degrees outside,
it will also be 20 degrees inside the softopper?

 

Ditto

 

Just throw in a heater buddy and call it a ay!

 

Pop up Camper

Buddy Heater and a blanket and I’ve been good down to the single digits.

Bears and Lions ain’t shit

 

People have already said this, but I'll throw my 2c in anyway - why not a shell?



Lockable, dry, weatherproof, improved insulation over fabric, no setup or takedown. No having to put away something wet and dry anything out after a rain or snow storm.



I'm building a lightweight sleeping platform next so that I won't have to unpack at all if I don't want to.



Although for base-camping I love my big 10x14 canvas ground tent that I can walk around in with a queen bed. Or travel trailer.

The Softopper would be a close second for me. I've seen them up close and they are pretty heavy duty - a great option for hauling flexibility (for a dirtbike, for instance).

It's all in how you're going to use it. For some people an RTT is practical (need more storage?). It's definitely not for me, not after getting the shell. Now for me the RTT is somewhere between a ground tent and hardshell topper for ease of setup. I assume for some people the RTT's EXPO(!) factor plays a big part over practicality, whether they're willing to admit it or not.

Overall, flexibility is the most important thing for me. When camping stop and go and stop and go style, having to setup and takedown an RTT is not flexible for me, because I have the shell setup for sleeping straight-away.