Best hard shell roof tent? (2 Viewers)

[Eire32]

We have the Grand Raid XXL on our 2018 LC200 and aside from what arnott1t said above re the mesh being insufficient to keep out the tiniest of pests AND the velcro doors (we‘re all girls with long hair and it does pull out our hair) we love our Grand Raid. We also have a Tepui RuggedizedKukenam 3 (better mesh and zippered doors) but we choose the James Baroud every trip bc one of us can pop it up or down alone in about a minute. Also the mattress is amazing. We have ours on a Frontrunner rack and Frontrunner’s quick release tent mounts are a game changer... four of us (all girls) can take it off after trips or put it back on no problem so you’ll definitely need extra hands for that.

James Baroud is great with customer service and has mailed us parts whenever we needed them.

We also leave our double sleeping bag in the tent and it accommodates it well, but we just ditched the ladder bc we have so much stored in our LC and the tent is harder to close with both the bag and the ladder up there. We installed a Gobi ladder on the rear hatch and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done to streamline our organization/storage.

Re: the bugs getting in to the James Baroud, we were actually fine for three years of mainly west coast and west Canada travels. We’re also based on the east coast and never had a problem with bugs getting in until camping on the east coast this summer- just never use any other light while in the tent other than red light (headlamps). All said we love it and the storage above the Grand Raid XXL is super helpful (just don’t overload it).

Looking forward to seeing your awning!

Hey
Thanks for all the input. Will definitely post pics when I have the awning and walls and tunnel set up. I’ve to get a roof rack so knowing that about the quick release on the Frontrunner definitely puts that in the lead in terms of a roof rack platform

Did you buy a James Baroud storage bag? I’ve heard it’ll take 65lbs is that accurate? Could def do with more space. Having 2 kids is like an Everest expedition

my tent took ages to close today. Partly because I had a comforter, pillows and ladder in there, so when I add the Gobi ladder I’m hoping that will help also

also mounting it was a real bitch squeezing a hand underneath, took 3 hours with the help of two friends. I won’t be able to recruit them to unload it in winter lol

 

[NestyGirls]

Hey
Thanks for all the input. Will definitely post pics when I have the awning and walls and tunnel set up. I’ve to get a roof rack so knowing that about the quick release on the Frontrunner definitely puts that in the lead in terms of a roof rack platform

Did you buy a James Baroud storage bag? I’ve heard it’ll take 65lbs is that accurate? Could def do with more space. Having 2 kids is like an Everest expedition

my tent took ages to close today. Partly because I had a comforter, pillows and ladder in there, so when I add the Gobi ladder I’m hoping that will help also

also mounting it was a real bitch squeezing a hand underneath, took 3 hours with the help of two friends. I won’t be able to recruit them to unload it in winter lol

Argh yes we had the original tent mounts and even with our tiny hands install and mounting was tedious and frustrating. Love Frontrunner... we have the Slimline rack and it‘s solid. Installation was pretty straight forward but we have had to call them a few times (also installed their drawer system) and a human actually answers and led us through some of the install!

We only keep the sleeping bag in the tent- pillows go in the backseat for my daughter to sleep on. She’s comfy and honestly can close it in less than a minute without the extra fluff.

We have the Frontrunner Typhoon Bag on top of the Grand Raid (actually 2 fit perfectly up there side by side) and their Stratchits are the easiest ratchet straps I’ve ever used for securing gear. We’ve done 20,000 plus miles with gear up there and it’s been 100% waterproof through crazy storms. We started out loading it too much and I would advise against it - makes the tent deployment a struggle. I wouldn’t go above 50 lbs.
Also, if someone has to get up there to retrieve gear and strap everything down, it has to be someone light. I only let myself or my daughter do it bc we’re both under 120 lbs and even then you have to be very careful and stay close to the tent edges bc the tent will give a bit (I’m sure James Baroud or someone will yell at us for ever getting up there at all but when you’re in a rush and need something you do what you have to do!). Also, with all of the ladders we have we still use a simple little Moki door step from Amazon if we need to get up there quickly. The little things help!

 

[Eire32]

Argh yes we had the original tent mounts and even with our tiny hands install and mounting was tedious and frustrating. Love Frontrunner... we have the Slimline rack and it‘s solid. Installation was pretty straight forward but we have had to call them a few times (also installed their drawer system) and a human actually answers and led us through some of the install!

We only keep the sleeping bag in the tent- pillows go in the backseat for my daughter to sleep on. She’s comfy and honestly can close it in less than a minute without the extra fluff.

We have the Frontrunner Typhoon Bag on top of the Grand Raid (actually 2 fit perfectly up there side by side) and their Stratchits are the easiest ratchet straps I’ve ever used for securing gear. We’ve done 20,000 plus miles with gear up there and it’s been 100% waterproof through crazy storms. We started out loading it too much and I would advise against it - makes the tent deployment a struggle. I wouldn’t go above 50 lbs.
Also, if someone has to get up there to retrieve gear and strap everything down, it has to be someone light. I only let myself or my daughter do it bc we’re both under 120 lbs and even then you have to be very careful and stay close to the tent edges bc the tent will give a bit (I’m sure James Baroud or someone will yell at us for ever getting up there at all but when you’re in a rush and need something you do what you have to do!). Also, with all of the ladders we have we still use a simple little Moki door step from Amazon if we need to get up there quickly. The little things help!

great thanks for the input
Love the user name btw lol
Will post pics when the whole thing is up

 

[BMThiker]

I'm not in the buyer's market right now, but if money were not a concern, I'd be looking at this one real hard.

 

[jocww]

Anybody know anything about Antidote RTTs I see them all over facebook and craiglist.

 

[cruiserpilot]

great thanks for the input
Love the user name btw lol
Will post pics when the whole thing is up

So, update? I can add a bit to what Arnott1t & BrewsterII mentioned. My Autohome extreme is older and doesn’t
keep no-see-ups and smaller biters out. I’m going to Velcro a better screen in for those days. I’m on the
fence about upgrading to newer version as the Canadian distributor closed. But quality wise they can’t be beat.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Anybody know anything about Antidote RTTs I see them all over facebook and craiglist.

first impression - no such thing as low profile comfortable mattress if you are older than 40. LOL.
But I’d be sceptical if you see them on Facebook and craigslist. Craigslist means they don’t want
or like them. Best to contact sellers and see why. If you see a different roof tent on their vehicle
it means there is a problem or deficiency somewhere.