I was planning on purchasing a RTT for my LC for about the last year. I spend a lot of nights camping on the salt flats, and really like the idea of being off of the ground. However, all of the roof top tents I looked at were very heavy (100 pounds plus), and took up most of the rack. Since I need the interior to transport large model airplanes (why I am on the flats to begin with), I need to keep the camping gear on the roof.
I purchased a cot tent a few years ago, and found it big enough (barely), and very comfortable for sleeping. I had been simply strapping it to the roof and lifting it down each time I wanted to use it. I started thinking about how I could mount it to the roof and turn it into a small, light, RTT. The Cot Tent I used is the regular size. They do sell larger ones, however - the bigger ones require additional supports on the ends that would limit the mounting options and possibly require additional supports or modifications that I didn't want to do.
Doing the mod is easy. I removed the two legs and used eye bolts to mount it to a set of large RTT mounts from slimline. I also removed the pins that allow it to act as a chair so that it would be easy to open / close. I purchased an telescoping ladder for about $60, and designed and had made a custom cover.
I should note that I have this mounted on my SlimLine II roof rack that makes it really easy. However - by adding some 1"OD tubing on the sides, this could easily be mounted to any rack or cross rail using some U bolts.
Pros: Easy to install by myself since it only weighs about 25 pounds, provides decent shelter for 1 person, comfortable sleeping platform, small enough to allow me to load my kayak, bikes, road shower, etc. on the rack with camping gear, is very low profile (creates no wind noise and minimal drag), I can pull into the garage with it on the roof, and is easy to store in the garage when I'm not using it. Plus you can build this with the cover for less than $300. Also - the tent can be easily returned back to original if you don't like it on the roof.
Cons: This is really only big enough for 1 person to sleep in - and that is it. Don't think you are going to be sitting up playing cards in it. These tents aren't really meant for long-term use - but for the 10 or so times I am realistically going to use it a year - the durability should be fine
. Because of the size, I could see condensation being an issue in high-humidity areas. This is a challenge with the tent size - not really to do with having it on the roof.
I purchased a cot tent a few years ago, and found it big enough (barely), and very comfortable for sleeping. I had been simply strapping it to the roof and lifting it down each time I wanted to use it. I started thinking about how I could mount it to the roof and turn it into a small, light, RTT. The Cot Tent I used is the regular size. They do sell larger ones, however - the bigger ones require additional supports on the ends that would limit the mounting options and possibly require additional supports or modifications that I didn't want to do.
Doing the mod is easy. I removed the two legs and used eye bolts to mount it to a set of large RTT mounts from slimline. I also removed the pins that allow it to act as a chair so that it would be easy to open / close. I purchased an telescoping ladder for about $60, and designed and had made a custom cover.
I should note that I have this mounted on my SlimLine II roof rack that makes it really easy. However - by adding some 1"OD tubing on the sides, this could easily be mounted to any rack or cross rail using some U bolts.
Pros: Easy to install by myself since it only weighs about 25 pounds, provides decent shelter for 1 person, comfortable sleeping platform, small enough to allow me to load my kayak, bikes, road shower, etc. on the rack with camping gear, is very low profile (creates no wind noise and minimal drag), I can pull into the garage with it on the roof, and is easy to store in the garage when I'm not using it. Plus you can build this with the cover for less than $300. Also - the tent can be easily returned back to original if you don't like it on the roof.
Cons: This is really only big enough for 1 person to sleep in - and that is it. Don't think you are going to be sitting up playing cards in it. These tents aren't really meant for long-term use - but for the 10 or so times I am realistically going to use it a year - the durability should be fine