review your Roof-Top-Tent

[Jenny Cruiser]

Originally Posted by REZARF

Did your tent come with a vinyl cover or a heavy fabric material cover (like Carhart material)?

Just wondering mine is more like a heavy canvas.

Rezarf <><

Mine's fabric.

[goschbrandon]

Took a quick trip up to MacDowell Mountain Park outside Phoenix for a test run- plenty of room for 2 people and gear and more. Didn't test it with more than 2 people, but there's space for 4 if you don't mind being cozy. The thing is solid- I expected it to be wobbly,flimsy, etc from looking at it, but I never felt the tent itself move around. It's on the 4runner right now, and the car rocked a bit with 2 more people sleeping in the back, but overall very comfy compared to sleeping on the hard, rocky desert ground. Setup wasn't 30 seconds, but 3 minutes isn't too bad. Like others have said, the ladder is not so easy to use, but for me it'll stay since it gets the job done as is. It should be said after a few beers, climbing up and down the ladder is not necessarily recommended.

Best things about the RTT? I got quite a few comments on it along the lines of "I've never seen anything like that before." Girls like sleeping "upstairs" . The sleeping pad doesn't need inflation. It's just cool.

[NorCalDoug]

Originally Posted by loquito

Arn't you supposed to be out doing field test this weekend?

Field testing done!
The trip on the Rubicon trail was pretty fast this time around.

I neglected to snap any pics of the tent set up at Rubicon Springs, but, it looked just like all the other pics...just in a different setting

Comments...

The tent on the trail.
No...the U-bolts don't hold worth a sht. For those who don't know, the trail I was on is very rocky. Therefore the rig moves side-to-side quite a bit. I tightened the U-bolts down very tightly at the start of the trail. All the side-to-side rocking and jarring of the 80 series bouncing off rocks, caused the tent to shift side to side...first by very small amounts, but the small side to side movements became larger and larger as the U-bolts slid out bit by bit. Eventually the U-bolts are no longer holding the tent in place -- they're all the way outside the edge of the tent.

There needs to be another way to hold the tent in place. The U-bolt is not effective and will not work on the types of trails I run. Any time spent on rough fire roads or any dirt road that's corregated will cause the tent to shift over time and will vibrate the U-bolts loose.
I might try Skillet's solution with the hose and hose clamps.

Ratchet straps did a good job of keeping the tent in place on the way home.


The tent at camp.
Setting up the tent is very easy. Just remove the cover, grab a hold of the CORRECT portion of the ladder (the part that doesn't slide) and pull. The tent pops right open. Spend a couple minutes with the cotter pins in the ladder and you're done. (lost a pin on the trail already Suffice it to say that I am not a fan of this ladder assembly process).

The tent is very roomy. I was sleeping alone this time around, so I opted to set up my sleeping bag corner to corner. I had tons of room. I had no concerns about whether or not the rack or the bed would support me. It felt solid enough.

It was very windy at night. I felt very secure in the tent. No issues with movement at all. The "bat hole" isn't that bad, IMO. There was enough velcro on mine to close off almost the entire hole. True, it could be better, but not too bad.

Getting in and out was not easy. The angle of the ladder (I kept the cable (the one that keeps the ladder at the proper angle) makes it difficult for me to get in. When I tried the ladder at an angle that allowed for a more graceful entry/exit, I didn't feel it would support my weight. So, for me, I have to have the ladder completely vertical.

IMO, the best set up for this particular tent would have a couple poles at each corner to support the weight of the tent and occupants and a ladder that could be angled outward a bit to allow for easier entry/exit and that would work as a secondary support system.

The bungee-type cord that holds the cover in place did get damaged somehow. I'll need to replace that. I wasn't too thrilled with the hooks anyhow, so not too big of a deal there.


Overall.
I think the tent is great. I need a better solution for holding the tent in placed and to get in and out. For the price...well...that's a no brainer. You won't find a better deal out there. Even with some of it's shortcomings, I'm pleased with it.

[REZARF]

I haven't tried to mount mine up yet. Where do the u bolts go? I assume they are in the little bag that came with the tent. My tent has some square u shaped brackets that seem to allow the roof rack poles to sit in. Then they get pinned from underneath to keep the tent from coming off, where do the u bolts you described attach too?

Sorry, probably should have checked it all out before tying it up to my ceiling.

Thanks-

Rezarf <><

[NorCalDoug]

Originally Posted by REZARF

I haven't tried to mount mine up yet. Where do the u bolts go? I assume they are in the little bag that came with the tent. My tent has some square u shaped brackets that seem to allow the roof rack poles to sit in. Then they get pinned from underneath to keep the tent from coming off, where do the u bolts you described attach too?

Sorry, probably should have checked it all out before tying it up to my ceiling.

Thanks-

Rezarf <><

The U-bolts. I got 2. I would've expected 4. They were in the little bag with the twine and stakes. The U-bolts are supposed to keep the tent from moving from side to side. They should go on the outside of the U-shaped brackets that you mentioned.

check the other thread -- the one in the for sale section for a scanned image of the instructions which show where the U-bolts go.


bah...here it is:

[REZARF]

Thanks, I guess I should have figured that out before storing the little bag.

Rezarf <><

[medicbob]

I should be receiving my RTT any day now. I still have the factory roof rack on my fzj80. Any opinions on which roof racks or mounts that seem to work out well for this set up? Should I remove my factory setup? THanks guys.

[semlin]

yakima bars look logical and easiest.

[Jenny Cruiser]

The Yak bars are round aren't they? My Thule (rectangular bars) fit perfectly width wise into the tent's square mounts. There's a little room between the bottom of the bar and the pin beneath it. I'm going to shim it so it can't move vertically at all.

How are you all tying down the tent cover? The little bungee straps aren't making a lot of sense to me.

[e9999]

well, got mine in. Con-way did a number on the box... Must have put it in a blender or something... 2 corners were bashed in and one end scraped open... I hope the tent is OK.

The tent material looks pretty good and well put together. Nice that the rainfly can be removed. Should be easy to work out a snap-in system with a bigger rainfly covering the windows. Opens very easily but hinges don't look very strong. Need to be careful with those I think.

Seems like the ladder is too short for me to put the tent on top my Tradesman roof rack. (My gutter stands at 74" high and the Tradesman is 10 1/2" on top of that plus another 1" for the bars..) Will have to work out a ladder extension system.

The cover is pretty tight. Only 1" or so under the tent. Not too sure I could leave a couple of sleeping bags in there and still be able to put the cover on OK. Anybody tried that?

All in all, the tent looks like a decent piece of equipment. A good inexpensive way to test the RTT concept. Would be nice if CTT came up with a new ladder extension before too long. I think the tent could be improved significantly with relatively easy design changes and little if any additional cost.

Can't wait to try it out.

Thanks for the tip!

[NorCalDoug]

There's quite a bit of room inside the tent when it's closed shut. Easily enough room for a couple sleeping bags if they're laid out flat.

Your ladder's too short? odd. the tradesman rack rails must be pretty tall. I have a bit of room to spare on my ladder.

[NorCalDoug]

Originally Posted by medicbob

I should be receiving my RTT any day now. I still have the factory roof rack on my fzj80. Any opinions on which roof racks or mounts that seem to work out well for this set up? Should I remove my factory setup? THanks guys.

there was another rack option. check the thread in the for sale section. IIRC, Shahram posted it.

[medicbob]

Originally Posted by NorCalDoug

there was another rack option. check the thread in the for sale section. IIRC, Shahram posted it.

Thanks Doug. I have a factory rack and looking at removing it. Wondering if the Yakima 1a towers would clear the factory rack in the mean time. Headed to Walden, CO tomorrow for a deer hunt. Off the air for awhile.

[REZARF]

Originally Posted by medicbob

Thanks Doug. I have a factory rack and looking at removing it. Wondering if the Yakima 1a towers would clear the factory rack in the mean time. Headed to Walden, CO tomorrow for a deer hunt. Off the air for awhile.

The Yakima 1a's are good for 5 inches at most, the 1a Hi Rise are good for 8 inches and will easily clear your factory rack...

Been looking at these for a few weeks myself!

Rezarf <><

[NorCalDoug]

Originally Posted by medicbob

Thanks Doug. I have a factory rack and looking at removing it. Wondering if the Yakima 1a towers would clear the factory rack in the mean time. Headed to Walden, CO tomorrow for a deer hunt. Off the air for awhile.

Yes, the Yakima 1a towers will easily clear your factory rack...they clear mine

[e9999]

I would say better to remove the worthless POS factory (port) rack and get the lower towers if they clear the roof. (I'm getting paranoid about rack height these days... )

[e9999]

OK, been looking at the brackets under the tent.

I imagine that there is a frame cross-member that goes all across the base where the brackets are. Ergo, I think what I'll do is to forgo round bars and get square or rectangular ones so there is more surface area of contact between bar and tent base.

I'm thinking of gluing a long strip of rubber under the base to add padding and also to be able to clear the brackets, otherwise it would only contact at the brackets and not under the full base. Also with the padding I can clear bolts holding the end of the bar on the rack.

The brackets are about 2" long. I think I'll use a 1"x2" bar and put the bracket pin through the bar to prevent side slipping.

I would think that having the cross bars stick out a bit on the "opening" side and having the second half contact the bar there would greatly lower the stress on the hinges when open. I'll try that.

[semlin]

1a yakima towers are more than high enough and ditch the rust trap factory rack asap.

[goschbrandon]

Originally Posted by Jenny Cruiser

The Yak bars are round aren't they? My Thule (rectangular bars) fit perfectly width wise into the tent's square mounts. There's a little room between the bottom of the bar and the pin beneath it. I'm going to shim it so it can't move vertically at all.

How are you all tying down the tent cover? The little bungee straps aren't making a lot of sense to me.

The yakima bars fit the mounts well widthwise- i see the same problem with space between the pin and bottom of the bar. I'm probably going to glue some rubber strips into the mounts to compensate, which should also add additional side to side resistance to the setup.

As for the cover, my tent has the 2 webbing buckle straps that go over the cover. The little elastic hooks just go around your thule crossbar and hook on to the same little bracket that the webbing straps attach to. I think the instructions come with a diagram of this but i've already tossed 'em.

Hope this helps.

brandon

[Jan-78FJ40]

I looked at this tent in detail, and I think the price is great for what one gets. For the camping many poeple do, with somewhat protected areas, a little rain sometimes, it will be great.
However, there is NO WAY this tent will stand up to conditions in Baja. Winds that come in an instant, shift directions every few seconds, go for 3 days and up to 60mph with higher gusts will tear this thing to shreds fast. I have seen 3 season tents getting ripped apart there, and more than once have started to move in a tent, because the winds were simply pushing it somewhere.
I talked to Mike at autohomeus.com about this, and he agrees (I understand that he is of course also invested in his company). Consequently I just bought a Columbus-it has a better chance of suviving down there.
we'll see
not trying to bash this tent at all, I actually love the looks, the price, and the room. But it ill not survive 1 week in Baja.

jan

[cruzerfetish]

got the tent on monday. Thanks Mel. Don't have anything to add, etc that all of the feedback on the tent had me well prepared and pleasantly surprised. I am a little too long to sleep parrallel to the cruiser and when laying perpendicular to the cruiser my ass lands right in the space between the cushions. Haven't slept in it yet though so I need to try it with bedding and see how it goes. Tent looks great on the 60. I also put it on a tradesman rack that has had its top rails cut off by a PO for a RTT. I just cut out a couple of pieces of the flooring and used the pins to attach it to the rack. I will try to get some pics up thois afternoon/evening.

[e9999]

Originally Posted by Jan-78FJ40

I looked at this tent in detail, and I think the price is great for what one gets. For the camping many poeple do, with somewhat protected areas, a little rain sometimes, it will be great.
However, there is NO WAY this tent will stand up to conditions in Baja. Winds that come in an instant, shift directions every few seconds, go for 3 days and up to 60mph with higher gusts will tear this thing to shreds fast. I have seen 3 season tents getting ripped apart there, and more than once have started to move in a tent, because the winds were simply pushing it somewhere.
I talked to Mike at autohomeus.com about this, and he agrees (I understand that he is of course also invested in his company). Consequently I just bought a Columbus-it has a better chance of suviving down there.
we'll see
not trying to bash this tent at all, I actually love the looks, the price, and the room. But it ill not survive 1 week in Baja.

jan

Been to Baja several times. There was wind but nothing like 60 mph all the time. Some in a pop up that is much more prone to moving around than this tent is for sure. I would not hesitate to take it down there. Plus weren't there a couple of folks who mentioned that it held up well in the wind?
Has grommets on the rainfly for tiedowns too.