DIY rooftop tent

[TZ62]

I finally got my rooftop tent setup this weekend! I've never liked the boxy nature of the RTT's I see around here, and I wanted something that I could put up and take down by myself with minimal hassle, so this is what I came up with.

I had a friend make the custom roof rack about a year ago for roughly $600. It's designed to pretty much haul whatever the rain gutters will support weight-wise.

The tent I added is the one I always use when I camp, but now I can pitch it on the roof if I want, which means I can sleep 2 people on top and 2 people inside. That's pretty important to me when I've got my kids out in lion country. I used a couple of spare tent poles wedged into the rack pillars to provide the tension for the rain fly, which shelters the open back of the truck. And my favorite part of the design is that there's no rope needed to tie it to the ground, so no tripping over it in the middle of the night or after a few drinks.

This design required no modification to the tent, and I only had to drill 4 small holes in the platform to accommodate the tent's corner poles. The tension on the poles locks the tent in place on the rack. If I wanted, I could drive around with the tent pitched, albeit slowly.

 

[the gimpey one]

That's rather cool.

 

[BMThiker]

I like it!

 

[MANUCHAO]

Niiiiice !!!!

I like that very much...

 

[Coastline]

So, like I say to everyone who comes through my shop and asks my opinion of RTTs :"Do you drink?"

I asked that of a man, here, about this time last evening. His retort was that he doesn't even know what a beer tastes like. No matter, said I; what about soda, lemonade or lake water?

His brother came to my rescue and said, "he means, what do you do when you have to take a leak in the middle of the night and the wind is blowing and its raining." "Yeah", I added.

And, what if one should imbibe too much? I'd rather be on flat ground in that event.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Either you let fly from the rooftop (mine has twin doors) or use a wide mouth water bottle as a privy.

 

[tag3]

32 oz Gatorade bottle.

 

[patrickfinley]

I agree, in the US it's hard to necessitate an RTT. There are no lions that are going to eat you at night.

However in Tanzania were this poster lives, I'd much prefer to be up top. I would pack a pee bottle though.

So, like I say to everyone who comes through my shop and asks my opinion of RTTs :"Do you drink?"

I asked that of a man, here, about this time last evening. His retort was that he doesn't even know what a beer tastes like. No matter, said I; what about soda, lemonade or lake water?

His brother came to my rescue and said, "he means, what do you do when you have to take a leak in the middle of the night and the wind is blowing and its raining." "Yeah", I added.

And, what if one should imbibe too much? I'd rather be on flat ground in that event.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Depending on where you camp, there are plenty of reasons to be on the roof at night in the US. Bears, Mountain Lions, Wolves, Moose, etc. it's also often cooler and breezier, and fewer bugs. Once experienced, also hard to come down to a ground tent....

 

[Corey]

Depending on where you camp, there are plenty of reasons to be on the roof at night in the US. Bears, Mountain Lions, Wolves, Moose, etc. it's also often cooler and breezier, and fewer bugs. Once experienced, also hard to come down to a ground tent....

This...

 

[warezdog]

Depending on where you camp, there are plenty of reasons to be on the roof at night in the US. Bears, Mountain Lions, Wolves, Moose, etc. it's also often cooler and breezier, and fewer bugs. Once experienced, also hard to come down to a ground tent....

Exactly my thoughts. After BT in the 80's and getting to a PDS we all went with a strung hammock and used the rain poncho as a fly to get off the ground. So much nicer that finding someone to share a pup tent with!

 

[romey]

that worked out nicely! great job. i've seen a number of versions of this and well, it get's the job done, and that's all that matters.

for peeing, how about a funnel, plastic tube and out the window..

 

[ih88hi10]

How long does it take to set up the tent and can
you do it in the dark without more than a single
flashlight?

 

[ih88hi10]

for peeing, how about a funnel, plastic tube and out the window..

I have tried "indoor plumbing" with my RTT using a hose and a funnel
consisting of a bottomless 2 liter bottle connected to the female end
of the hose. The concept is simple. Pee in the funnel and it goes down
the hose. Then pour in some fresh water to flush out the pee and water it
down in the ground. Keeps the urine out and away from the campside too.
Lets just say it didn't work out. After one ATTEMPTED use,
I was back to using plastic bottles.

 

[ih88hi10]

Depending on where you camp, there are plenty of reasons to be on the roof at night in the US. Bears, Mountain Lions, Wolves, Moose, etc. it's also often cooler and breezier, and fewer bugs. Once experienced, also hard to come down to a ground tent....

I really have to wonder how safe from wild animals we really are.
Black bears (which is what we have in these parts) can climb to the
top of a 100' tree like nobody's business.
Adult bears can stand on their hind legs and peer right into a tent,
even when it's on the roof. And I don't think for a second they wouldn't
just claw away at the fabric to get to the goodies inside the tent if the bear
had lost its fear of humans as is often the case when it comes to campgrounds
where idiots feed the bears.

That said, I have been camping in a campground where the folks sleeping
in their p/u truck in the site next door had been repeatedly harassed by a bear
in the middle of the night. The bear reached in to their camper and grabbed a
bag of popcorn when they were in the truck. Even after attempting to scare it
away over and lighting a campfire the bear kept coming back. The bear did not
bother with our campsite though and we were in the RTT looking out at the
escapades.

I really don't worry about bears unless I'm in a campground. And I don't
assume for a second if the bear wants in, the bear ain't coming in.

When if comes to mountain lions... again.. they can climb. Easily.

I stayed in a CG once that had a lot of raccoons running around.
I know they can easily climb too and I thought it would be a good
test, fully expecting to see one on the roof at some point in the night
but it never happened. They were scurrying about on the ground
where a ground tent was set up and in the brush but was safe and
sound in the RTT.

 

[Mace]

You really think a RTT is safety from big animals or should be?

 

[IdahoDoug]

Life is full of false securities. Mine is that a bear curious about me asleep 7 feet off the ground atop a steel box is a couple seconds slower to be in actual and painful contact with me than if I am already laying down there at its feet. Hopefully I will use those couple seconds to my advantage, perhaps to click off the safety and slide to the other side of the roof. At that point, I would be digging my tactical advantage. And screaming like a little girl....

 

[TZ62]

How long does it take to set up the tent and can
you do it in the dark without more than a single
flashlight?

I can set it up alone in about 10 minutes. I pop the tent on the ground, rain fly and all, then just lift it onto the roof rack and snap the pole ends into the holes I drilled in the rack. The poles for the fly just slide down the side of the car and hook into the tie-downs on the fly. Pretty simple really. All I need is a headlamp.

 

[TZ62]

You really think a RTT is safety from big animals or should be?

No I can't really say that I do logically, but a few years ago while camping in northern Tanzania two female lions strolled into my camp while my kids were sleeping in a tent on the ground. I put them in the spotlight, and they just lay down right there and watched me. Didn't seem too motivated to leave, but not too interested in coming over to me for a tussle either. I (very slowly and without ever taking my eyes off those cats) moved my kids out of the tent and into the back of my LC. Then I sat/slept on the roof the rest of the night. They sniffed all around the truck, chewed up a couple of our water bottles, and oddly enough bit all the way through a can of mosquito repellant. But they paid me no attention on the roof, even with my spotlight. After that night, I've felt more at ease on the roof, though I do know that any predator out there could easily kill me in my sleep. For the most part they seem to leave cars alone. And we don't have the big camp grounds common in the states, which attract bears and coins with their dumpsters.

 

[Fast Eddy]

You really think a RTT is safety from big animals or should be?

Yup. You can hear them coming in time to break out the artillery.