Did you do the Canvas Option ??
Hard Shell RTT vs soft RTT (1 Viewer)
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If I did not have what I have I would give Alu-cab gen 3 top honors for quality, size, durability.
I'm currently running a JB Grand Raid Classic on the 80. We love it! It's super quick to setup and take down, it's super comfortable and windy nights are a non factor now. It's also has low wind noise, can still carry 60# of gear on top of it, and did I say it's quick! Breaking camp I will start up the truck to go, then casually close the two front corners and close the rear on the bumper. Done. We fit all four of us up there right now but the kids are only 5 and 1, so we can't all fit up there forever.
Before that I had a Tepui Autana for a couple years that we loved too. We outgrew that tent with the second kid and I was planning on upgrading to a Autana XL but got a great deal on the JB so I went for it. The main decider was the thought of having to close up an even bigger soft shell tent every morning with 2 kids running around camp now instead of 1. My wife said she'd rather see me playing with the kids instead of climbing up and down the truck 10-15 times closing up our tent. I agreed.
I do miss our Tepui. It has a more rugged feel to it. It's like a treehouse vs a hotel room. Plus you get ground shelter with the fold over half and an Annex option for bad weather. In a perfect world, I'd want a Tepui but with a hard cover so it's much easier to open and close, or a JB with an optional annex to give some easy ground shelter. No perfect sleep setup I guess. iKamper does look promising though, if the quality makes it thru to production models.
Before that I had a Tepui Autana for a couple years that we loved too. We outgrew that tent with the second kid and I was planning on upgrading to a Autana XL but got a great deal on the JB so I went for it. The main decider was the thought of having to close up an even bigger soft shell tent every morning with 2 kids running around camp now instead of 1. My wife said she'd rather see me playing with the kids instead of climbing up and down the truck 10-15 times closing up our tent. I agreed.
I do miss our Tepui. It has a more rugged feel to it. It's like a treehouse vs a hotel room. Plus you get ground shelter with the fold over half and an Annex option for bad weather. In a perfect world, I'd want a Tepui but with a hard cover so it's much easier to open and close, or a JB with an optional annex to give some easy ground shelter. No perfect sleep setup I guess. iKamper does look promising though, if the quality makes it thru to production models.
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I think the soft top tents where the first iteration/version of the RTT with some hard tops around but where way more expensive. The way things are going now it looks like hard shells are where the $$ and innovation is going. I already see the prices going down and hopefully the design will allow a better weight savings.
The 1 thing that puts me off on the hard tops are the lack of 360 views you get with most of them. That's where the soft shells have them beat.
The 1 thing that puts me off on the hard tops are the lack of 360 views you get with most of them. That's where the soft shells have them beat.
bwesty
SILVER Star
I have a Maggiolina Extreme. The durability, ease of use and simplicity of a quality hardshell is a no brainer. They are also a lot more compact. Some of the better ones have built in load bars too haul bulky items up top as necessary.
I too have been considering going to a hard shell rtt to replace my soft shell.
Have any of you hard shell guys camped in the rain? Do the sides let water soak through? I don't plan on camping in the rain, but it could happen. We get some pretty bad thunderstorms in the summer once in a while and I do a little winter camping out of the LC too. I have an ARB Simpson right now that has a rain fly on it that sheds water pretty well, but it makes a racket if there is any wind at all and I have a hard time sleeping. The last trip out I actually got up at 1:00am and removed the rain fly because there was a slight breeze and the flapping was driving me crazy!
Have any of you hard shell guys camped in the rain? Do the sides let water soak through? I don't plan on camping in the rain, but it could happen. We get some pretty bad thunderstorms in the summer once in a while and I do a little winter camping out of the LC too. I have an ARB Simpson right now that has a rain fly on it that sheds water pretty well, but it makes a racket if there is any wind at all and I have a hard time sleeping. The last trip out I actually got up at 1:00am and removed the rain fly because there was a slight breeze and the flapping was driving me crazy!
originally, i had used yakima bars but since they are anti ohv, i changed homemade bars of rectangular stock and gamiviti mounts. i've since gone to a full custom sized gamiviti rack
i survived overland expo west 2015. a day and a half of monsoonal rain, followed by a dusting of overnight snow. the expedition there also involved some serious winds. a week later, i did a three day trip with some friends on the paradox trail and it rained every day...pretty much all day. only issues were wicking where the zipper on my maggiolina doesn't quite fit at the very bottom, but that was in some solid hard winds. dry and warm on both trips.
last year, i did notice that the walls didn't seem quite as waterproof, but i hadn't done squat for maintenance in eight years, so i got some canvas cleaner and sealer and i'm good to go again.
That is the info I was looking for. Thank you!
One more question related to the rack and your Maggiolina- Are there bars on the bottom of it or is the bottom flat? I just bought a Prinsu Rack to replace my current rack. The Prinsu has a slight lip on both sides that extend about .75-1" above the floor of the rack so my concern is that the maggiolina or another hard shell tent will need to be narrow enough to fit entirely inside the sides of the rack.
Are you guys able to store your bedding inside the hard shell tents?
the James Baroud hardshells have rails that are flush mounted in the body so the bottom surface is completely flat. I think many others including the Maggiolina are the same but have not seen in person.
bwesty
SILVER Star
Yes the Maggiolina are completely flat on the bottom with recessed cavities for mounting. Wind, rain....zero issues. They are quiet during heavy winds and seal up very well. All bedding stored inside.
Awesome! I definitely want to travel with the bedding inside. Leaning towards the Maggiolina Airland Plus XL, but still comparing and shopping. I'm 6'3" so long is necessary!
It looks like when I go hard shell I'll have to come up with something to elevate the tent a little or trim down the sides of the new rack.
I don't think any of them will be narrow enough to fit inside the rails. 
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
I was hankering after a hard shell RTT but never went out enough to warrant it, slept in the back of the 80, then a second hand Sahara folding RTT came up year before last so I purchased it. The cover had a couple of tears on the corners and the outer cover had a couple of repair patches where the ladder dug into it when pulled tight.
I never really had a lot of time to get out and about so never really thought about space saving.....until I put the tent on the full length rack the 80 wears, boy was I a happy bunny!
The space saved by having this style of tent means I get to carry 40 litres of extra diesel, 10 litres petrol (cooker), a second spare wheel, a pair of sand ladders, and a 5 foot Hi Lift jack. When opened up the inside is huge with plenty of space to sleep three, easy to get changed in, sit up watch TV and so on, bedding also stays inside.
The outer cover however is toast, a new one is being made 'as we speak', the main problem is the ladder which is normally left bolted in place, it just cuts it's way through the material despite reinforcing patches. As I usually carry a small two piece ladder to access the roof I decided to make the original RTT ladder removable, easy done with a couple of clevis pins. So the folding RTT ladder is in the back, the new cover completely flat, arrive on site, pull out ladder, clip onto RTT and setup.
The hard shells look really good and easily repaired so a definite plus, aerodynamic again is good, I go out a fair bit alone so carry as much as I can, the hard shell is unfortunately not an option I have.
I hear the OP about fuel savings, although there is a deflector on the front of my rack, I doubt it helps much with my breeze block tent but, I get around 25 MPG (Imperial) when loaded up, and with the extra 40 litres I guess I am good for around 700 miles, perhaps a little more?
Pro's and cons with both, future off road campers need to think of their own individual needs with this one.
Regards
Dave
I never really had a lot of time to get out and about so never really thought about space saving.....until I put the tent on the full length rack the 80 wears, boy was I a happy bunny!
The space saved by having this style of tent means I get to carry 40 litres of extra diesel, 10 litres petrol (cooker), a second spare wheel, a pair of sand ladders, and a 5 foot Hi Lift jack. When opened up the inside is huge with plenty of space to sleep three, easy to get changed in, sit up watch TV and so on, bedding also stays inside.
The outer cover however is toast, a new one is being made 'as we speak', the main problem is the ladder which is normally left bolted in place, it just cuts it's way through the material despite reinforcing patches. As I usually carry a small two piece ladder to access the roof I decided to make the original RTT ladder removable, easy done with a couple of clevis pins. So the folding RTT ladder is in the back, the new cover completely flat, arrive on site, pull out ladder, clip onto RTT and setup.
The hard shells look really good and easily repaired so a definite plus, aerodynamic again is good, I go out a fair bit alone so carry as much as I can, the hard shell is unfortunately not an option I have.
I hear the OP about fuel savings, although there is a deflector on the front of my rack, I doubt it helps much with my breeze block tent but, I get around 25 MPG (Imperial) when loaded up, and with the extra 40 litres I guess I am good for around 700 miles, perhaps a little more?
Pro's and cons with both, future off road campers need to think of their own individual needs with this one.
Regards
Dave
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Extra space on the rack is nice with the ARB. On our last outing I had the camp chairs and firewood up there along side the tent. I'm considering a basket attachment that I can remove when not needed that sits above the spare tire on the swing-out to help with extra space requirements.
yes, flat bottom. that's why the gamiviti i had made is custom sized
anti condensation mat, mattress, sheet, heated flannel blanket, sleeping bag liner, down comforter, two pillows and the ladder. great for long trips that you don't want to plow through on...just pull over, pop the tent and take a nap
Bludozer
SILVER Star
How do you have 0 set up time with a sleeping platform? I love sleeping in the back but the fact that I have to take everything out beforehand is the one thing that annoys me quite a bit - to the point where I'm actually considering an rtt for the first time.
On nights where you roll into camp later than expected itd be nice to just park, undo a few latches and hit the sack.
Well i store all my stuff uner the platform or on the roof rack. I have a flip up section that stores my sleeping bag and sleeping pad. The first night of a trip i have to role out a sleeping pad and sleeping bag. I geuss that is not zero time. Maybe 30 seconds or 1 min? After that on a multi day trip often i jusy let it stay out during the day while driving. If it bothers me sliding around i lift open the hatch and just jam it down inside.
Let me also explain some. I forget that some people use platforms that involve folding seats. I have no back seat and use a permanent full lenth sleeping platform with storage under it. The truck carries just me or me and my wife. So it works out great.
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1973Guppie
Supporting Vendor
1973Guppie
Supporting Vendor
this is exactly why I went with a harshell on the rack. I have a sleeping platform with drawers in the rear but it was somewhat a pia to pull it all out every night and put it back in. I got the smaller roof RTT so plan to sleep with that when there is just 2 of us. If the family all goes I can setup the bottom floor sleeping platform and the kids can watch movies down there off of the dash dvd player. Overall it just gives us more options and sleeping room.
