200 series picture thread (36 Viewers)

[ToyotaIsLife]

16 inch KING coilover installed, BYE BYE STUPID 14 inch coilover

ZERO Preload 3.5 inch lift, 14 inch coilover had 2 inch lift maxed out preload.

Also installed BAJA KITS , upper and lower arms to handle the big boost in travel,

10 inches of cycling travel. Time to pull of the side of the road at 90mph.

 

[BVCOTaco]

Took the 200 series on an early morning Search and Rescue mission today. Had to grab a quick pic before we drove back down the mountain.

 

[Dan Higgins]

First camping trip of the year!

View attachment 1719644

Hey, Cody, how did the RTT work out? Also, that looks like a nice campsite. Where is it? Do you mind sharing?

 

[codyaustin5]

Hey, Cody, how did the RTT work out? Also, that looks like a nice campsite. Where is it? Do you mind sharing?

Funny you should ask. After we got back I returned it. It worked fine but was a lot of work and took valuable space up top. We are going back to a ground tent (I think rei kingdom 6). This way I can add the roofbox as additional storage space. It was cool being up high and we had 6 people come over to ask about it.

We stayed at Jacks Gulch up the poudre canyon.

 

[Markuson]

Funny you should ask. After we got back I returned it. It worked fine but was a lot of work and took valuable space up top. We are going back to a ground tent (I think rei kingdom 6). This way I can add the roofbox as additional storage space. It was cool being up high and we had 6 people come over to ask about it.

We stayed at Jacks Gulch up the poudre canyon.

Would love to hear your impressions and experience with the Kingdom six.… If you end up going that route.…

 

[Dan Higgins]

Funny you should ask. After we got back I returned it. It worked fine but was a lot of work and took valuable space up top. We are going back to a ground tent (I think rei kingdom 6). This way I can add the roofbox as additional storage space. It was cool being up high and we had 6 people come over to ask about it.

We stayed at Jacks Gulch up the poudre canyon.

These were my thoughts precisely, Cody, when I tried and then returned the Yakima RTT to REI. It felt like a good idea. But, at least that style of RTT, is a bit more work to setup and take down when I want to leave camp and then come back later in the day. The height of our vehicles doesn't help. I can see the nice hard top tents being considerably easier and possibly an option in the future. But they are much more expensive. So first we are going to use a combination of ground tent for "living space" and making our bed on top of our ARB drawers and folded 2nd row in the back of the LC. Of course, we only need to accommodate 2 people.

And thanks for the tip on Jack's Gulch. We haven't explored much west of FC and we need to get up that way.

Dan

 

[TonyP]

Soft shell RTTs seem like a lot of 'cons' for very few 'pros'.

 

[Dan Higgins]

It would seem that the most significant pro is lower cost.

 

[TonyP]

Than a nice ground tent?
Even my fancy pants Oztent is 1/2 the cost of a CVT, and you can stand up inside of it.
A hard shell RTT, I kinda get the appeal of.
But different strokes for different folks.

 

[Dan Higgins]

Ah. The comparison I was considering in my statement was to a hard top RTT. I have an Oztent as well. Or at least the Eyrie version. Which I picked up after my RTT experiment.

 

[Markuson]

Than a nice ground tent?
Even my fancy pants Oztent is 1/2 the cost of a CVT, and you can stand up inside of it.
A hard shell RTT, I kinda get the appeal of.
But different strokes for different folks.

If Tony’s OzTent packed shorter than 6 foot 6...I’d be all over it. But at that length, it destroys my dog’s best perch.

I was BERY impressed with Tony’s tent in Baja though. Wish tgey’d Make an extendable-main-pole version of the same tent...even if slightly heavier. I’d jump on it.

And ya, to me, an RTT is too limiting. I couldn’t have bombed through crazy turns at high speed in Baja...and would have almost certainly tipped over coming down the big drop toward the end of Steel Bender at cruise Moab (@TonyP -who was the ONLY person willing to spot me will likely agree).

I was jealous of Cole come camp setup time with his killer RTT...but in Moab, it would scare me having that Wright up there.

 

[Dan Higgins]

I think Oz has a new tent out that packs shorter. But it is not the same shape and the support system seems a bit complicated. My Oztent is long like Tony’s so I have to strap it on the roof rack. But I wouldn’t go wheeling with it. I would leave it in camp or leave it home. We sleep in the truck so that helps. For us the tent simply provides living space for an extended stay.

 

[Markuson]

I think Oz has a new tent out that packs shorter. But it is not the same shape and the support system seems a bit complicated. My Oztent is long like Tony’s so I have to strap it on the roof rack. But I wouldn’t go wheeling with it. I would leave it in camp or leave it home. We sleep in the truck so that helps. For us the tent simply provides living space for an extended stay.

They do. I was camped right next to one at Cruise Moab. Ken Romer’s daughter was in one (IIRC). It was nice, but it doesn’t carry the same appeal (to me) that their main models do. It’s more of a conventional tent. But at about $1K+ still...seems steep. I dunno. Whenever I finally get a proper roof rack, I might strap the big Oz up top for transport.

 

[OregonLC]

Having owned an REI ground tent, a CVT RTT, an OZ Tent and an Alu-Cab, I can say that sleeping on the roof is a fantastic 'mod' for the nomadic overlander. Being able to pop two latches and have my tent setup in 15 seconds is phenomenal. The CVT on the roof was much more of a pain, but it wasn't any more of a hassle than the REI tent when you take into account that my bedding was already in place. Added bonus was not having to worry about what the ground was like. The OZ tent is big and a fast setup, but it is anything but compact.

The biggest penalty to any RTT is weight and CG. If I were more into technical trails than remote camping I'd strongly consider losing the RTT, but for my style of overlanding the Alu-Cab is the bees knees. I'm never in one spot for more than a night and more often then not it's late to setup and early to tear down.

 

[Markuson]

Having owned an REI ground tent, a CVT RTT, an OZ Tent and an Alu-Cab, I can say that sleeping on the roof is a fantastic 'mod' for the nomadic overlander. Being able to pop two latches and have my tent setup in 15 seconds is phenomenal. The CVT on the roof was much more of a pain, but it wasn't any more of a hassle than the REI tent when you take into account that my bedding was already in place. Added bonus was not having to worry about what the ground was like. The OZ tent is big and a fast setup, but it is anything but compact.

The biggest penalty to any RTT is weight and CG. If I were more into technical trails than remote camping I'd strongly consider losing the RTT, but for my style of overlanding the Alu-Cab is the bees knees. I'm never in one spot for more than a night and more often then not it's late to setup and early to tear down.

Your points are the things I DO wish for with the RTT. My problem is that I don’t shy away from tippy, technical trails...and high speed cactus-dodging...where you’re literally fish-tailing around bushes, trees and cactus (like in Baja).

Other than that? Man...if the prices came down, and weight got closer to 150# on a hard-top pop up...I’d be tempted.

Saws sweet brand from Australia at Cruise Moab’s vendor night call a Swoop. Only 170 pounds...hard too. BUT...it was $5200! Man that’s steep...

 

[OregonLC]

Saws sweet brand from Australia at Cruise Moab’s vendor night call a Swoop. Only 170 pounds...hard too. BUT...it was $5200! Man that’s steep...

My Alu-Cab is only 167 lbs...

 

[BVCOTaco]

Having gone from small backpacking type tents to a CVT and now an OZ Tent RV-4 I agree with everyone above. The RTT was good for long trips where the majority of the trip was just driving back country roads like in southern Utah. I wheeled some prey hard trails with my RTT on my 80 series with now issues, but there is no high speed wheeling in an 80! With the wife and dogs it is easier with the OZ Tent and a couple of nice cots. I bought a large Yakima skybox and the OZ Tent fits inside along with other camping gear for the drive to/from our camping trips.

 

[TonyP]

According to the Alu-Cab website it's 176 lbs
Plus the rack to put it on, you're probably well over 200 lbs.

 

[linuxgod]

@Markuson, the James Baroud hard shells seem to range from 145-160# depending on the size. Granted they also start at $3300 (which is quite a bit less than $5200, but still pricey).

Hard Shell Tents — James Baroud USA

 

[OregonLC]

According to the Alu-Cab website it's 176 lbs
Plus the rack to put it on, you're probably well over 200 lbs.

76kg = 167 lbs.

Alu-Cab Africa - Expedition Tent

And yes with rack and bedding (not to mention, awning, hi-lift, lights) I'm well over 200 lbs. Again, this is an overland build not a trail build.