alternative RRT options

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piecemeal

piecemeal

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Hello all!! I am in the process of putting together an expedition trailer and am having a hard time parting with the $ required to buy an RTT. I already have a $400 Kelty Marauder 2-3 man tent that's good for 4 seasons and has a pretty small footprint. I was thinking about putting together some sort of marine grade plywood base that folds up with piano hinges with some support brackets to mount this tent to instead of getting a whole new set-up. Obviously when trailering, the center of gravity on the trailer would be lower since the everything would be packed down inside the floor of the trailer. I know it'd be more of a pita to setup, but I think it might work.

Anybody ever try this route ??

Here's a link to the tent I have. The footprint of the floor is 92" x 58". I could potentially have the mini-ladder come up into the vestibule area if I made some sort of hoop for the stake out points to attach to....

Kelty Marauder Tent - 2-Person, 4-Season 3237H - Save 35%
 
why not? RTT is just a glorified tent anyway. I wolud imagine it wolud take you about the same amount of time to set up give or take a couple minutes. Use your saved $$ for something you need!
 
One thing to consider - setup & take down may sound like medium prioriy considerations in the planning stage, but in actual usage it turns out to be one of the biggest. Can you set it up in the dark or in the wind or in the rain/snow or when you're dog tired? Same goes for take down except hopefully the last - you should be well rested after a night's sleep - right? These are questions you need to answer when you're putting this together. On an extended trip with multiple destinations it becomes extremely important. It will determine if you actually want to stop for 1 night and go through the setup - take down routine - again.... Yeah, I just got back from a 10 day multiple beach camping run in Baja with multiple rig types including my RTT, 2 popup campers on Tacoma pkups, 4 expedition trailers, 1 ground tent and one guy slept in his rig. I love my RTT, but I don't have an awning yet and after being with and helping the guys with the trailers which direction I want to go, now. Trailer or keep the RTT and get an awning/room enclosure. Tent setup/takedown for my hardshell RTT is a couple of minutes either way, but setup for cooking and the rest is more of a hassle than a well set up trailer 'cause ya gotta pull it all out of the rig and set it up. Then pack it all back up when you're ready to roll. The pop ups were great, but were the least maneuverable due to the bulk. I guess it comes down to - whatever you want to put up with. You'll probably make changes as time goes on, 'cause there is nothing like real world testing. :cheers:
 
I personally use a tent cot and like it. I dont worry about wildlife or camp in snow so I set up on the ground which is rather quick. I usually set up on the downwind side of the truck so I dont have to listen to the buffeting all night (if its windy of course)

If I was in Africa it would be a different story> Dont need any big beasts sniffing around the "human burrito"
 
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piecemeal said:
Any specific brand or model better for the tent-cot route? If they are reasonably priced, I may give that a go
Click to expand...
@concretejungle might have a very lightly used model still for sale. I wanted to go that route but was already invested in a different sleep system and couldn't justify the expense for another piece of gear I'd rarely use.
 
@concretejungle might have a very lightly used model still for sale. I wanted to go that route but was already invested in a different sleep system and couldn't justify the expense for another piece of gear I'd rarely use.


You have something like a tent cot or an RTT for sale?
 
I was considering upgrading my james baroud to the new model but have decided it's not worth it. I'll keep using my RTT and loving it.
 
not sure, but i have a tent cot that i would practically (translate to: sale cheap!) give away if someone local wanted it....
 
concretejungle said:
not sure, but i have a tent cot that i would practically (translate to: sale cheap!) give away if someone local wanted it....
Click to expand...

North Cadillac isn't close to the Northeast part of Kansas is it ? I'd love to have a tent cot.
 
Tent cot is a wonderful starter for those who are cash strapped but now there are basic and I mean basic RTTs for well under a grand. I've had 4 different RTTs over the past 10 years. My fav was the Maggolina obvious the most expensive but we saw six inches of snow in Moab with no issues. Second is my Autohome large. Easy setup comfy. Most inexpensive Frontrunner. Great unit for a starter. And my current in use ARB Simpson 3. Pain to set up but oh so roomy. Easy take down. Just need strength to move her around Lotta choices. My buddy had a tent got and went to the built in JK unit. Talk about pricy Whatever you can afford is obvious I just go crazy. Lol


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