looking at buying a RTT - some roof rack questions

[Box Rocket]

Downside to Yakima is they signed the greater canyon lands monument petition to shut moab down to motorized access. Spend your money with tepui

Ironic right? One of the most popular areas in the western states for vehicle dependent camping and they don't want you taking your vehicle with their new tent on it out there to enjoy it. I guess they're only pushing people to stay at the KOA. Definitely another reason to stay away from their products along with Thule and many others.

 

[Box Rocket]

To the OP, find some gutter mount feet from somewhere like Trail Tailor or Gamiviti that are tall enough to clear the factory rack and buy yourself a couple 4' pieces of 1x2" rectangular tubing and bolt them to the feet. Easy and simple and inexpensive as well as stronger than the Thule or Yakima bars.

Here's a few pics of a local guy that did just that on his BJ70 and again on his FJ60. He had a Tepui tent mounted to it and it was very solid.
Painted 1x2 tube


Gamiviti rack feet


Mounted


Top

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Yes, I make an adjustable gutter mount for the 80. Adjustable in 1/2" increments. They will easily clear the OEM rails.

Adjustable Gutter Mounts 40 55 60 70 80 Series

 

[Box Rocket]

Yes, I make an adjustable gutter mount for the 80. Adjustable in 1/2" increments. They will easily clear the OEM rails.

Adjustable Gutter Mounts 40 55 60 70 80 Series

Perfect!

 

[nuclearlemon]

To the OP, find some gutter mount feet from somewhere like Trail Tailor or Gamiviti that are tall enough to clear the factory rack and buy yourself a couple 4' pieces of 1x2" rectangular tubing and bolt them to the feet. Easy and simple and inexpensive as well as stronger than the Thule or Yakima bars.

that's how i've had my maggi mounted for almost a decade

 

[IdahoDoug]

Agree don't trust the factory racks for much - especially loads and a lot of rough secondary roads where the body of the truck is doing that "shimmy". It's murder on the light duty factory racks. Bummed to hear Thule signed it to - thanks for the input. Makes me glad a few years ago I was all hot for their new easy-load kayak system and opted to handle it myself (started lifting weights again).

 

[Qball]

Gamvity mounts are really nice and well made! Use what ever bar you can and done!

Although if you get one of those flat and low profile rack then you can do more than just RTT, once you go RTT then you will want extra gas and everything else too because you would want to get out there.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Take a good look at Alu-cab . The Alu-cab requires less support than any RTT and you carry stuff on top . Depending on where and how you wheel a traditional RTT can limited where and how you wheel do to height and construction

 

[dogfishlake]

Thanks for the heads up @nuclearlemon , those big money outfits are often cause for suspicion, that just nails it for me that they will not see my money and I will call them out anytime the topic comes up.

Rant over, couldn't help it!

 

[Box Rocket]

Take a good look at Alu-cab . The Alu-cab requires less support than any RTT and you carry stuff on top . Depending on where and how you wheel a traditional RTT can limited where and how you wheel do to height and construction

Can you describe what makes it need less support? They are similar in size and weight to other "traditional" tents if not heavier. Height difference is only about 3-5" depending on the tent when closed so don't see height being a limitation. As for construction being a limiting factor of soft shell tents, are you talking about things like tree branches or rocks making contact with the tent while wheeling? Genuinely curious since I haven't experienced limitations. I think all tents raise the COG and that should be taken into account.

 

[nuclearlemon]

Take a good look at Alu-cab . The Alu-cab requires less support than any RTT and you carry stuff on top . Depending on where and how you wheel a traditional RTT can limited where and how you wheel do to height and construction

not sure about the less support thing. the troopie version is 100# over my maggiolina and the defender one weighs even more...i'm guessing that weight helps with the structure/support.
i didn't see one for an 80
just use your rtt to push the tree out of the way

 

[jaymar]

Eezi-Awn K9 roof rack seems unbeatable to me. Gutter-mounted, not sure whether the legs will get it over the stock rack should you choose to keep it. (I'd delete it; cut it off if you don't want to mess with the bolts.)

Eezi-Awn K9 Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Roof Racks | Equipt Expedition Outfitters

BunduTec makes a quality aluminum clamshell (auto with manual backup) with 4-side entry, which allows you to use a bumper-mounted ladder for access. This dispenses with the cover, the fold-out process, legs, and (if you use bumper ladder) ladder. It also takes branch strikes a whole lot better than cloth, plastic, or fiberglas.

BunduTop

 

[Box Rocket]

The other option if you remove your factory rack is to just put bolts back in the holes left by the rack. No need to weld up the holes and repaint. Most people won't ever see the roof of the truck, and if you have a tent up there, then even less chance of seeing the bolts/holes if you're worried about it.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

not sure about the less support thing. the troopie version is 100# over my maggiolina and the defender one weighs even more...i'm guessing that weight helps with the structure/support.
i didn't see one for an 80

The Alu-cab is structural out of the box with two full length factory struts needing only 4 point of support. My info comes from seeing and talking with Rino at the 2016 EXPO where RTT was only supported by 4 corner point with no cross bars.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Can you describe what makes it need less support? They are similar in size and weight to other "traditional" tents if not heavier. Height difference is only about 3-5" depending on the tent when closed so don't see height being a limitation. As for construction being a limiting factor of soft shell tents, are you talking about things like tree branches or rocks making contact with the tent while wheeling? Genuinely curious since I haven't experienced limitations. I think all tents raise the COG and that should be taken into account.

I find height a problem often in our area of the country even though my top is only 5" above the roof, pictured is extreme. I do agree all RTT add COG but the lower the better

 

[MDarius]

Can someone help me understand the cost/benefit of an RTT over a ground based tent? I see:
Pros:
- Always there. Is that a pro? My rig sits at 7'4" with my rack, it would be higher with a RTT. No parking garages, can't fit in my garage at home, grabs branches, weight, etc.
- fairly fast set up...Maybe? I can get my ground tent set up in 10 minutes or less. That's not bad. At 7'4", is it $1000 easier to setup and take down a RTT?
- Packing is easier...Maybe? I need a rack with specific features for a RTT... Different than mine. That might be several hundred dollars. My ground tent required a couple bungees or straps. No big deal. Where do I put my camp chairs, sleeping bags, clothes, cooler, etc. If my roof is full of tent?
- Smaller footprint. Camp where you park. OK. I don't find that it's that difficult to place a 2 to 4 man tent.
-If the ground is wet you don't have to deal with the mud. OK. But I'm in Utah. The ground is wet 3 times a year.
-Lions. You're off the ground away from predators. Yeah, except every predator I know of can get on a car, other than gators. So, Florida camping wins.

Cons:
-Other than stated, climbing off the roof to pee in the night.
-I can't park under a tree or ledge unless there's clearance for the tent when it's setup.
-Seasonal mounting
-The weight is always there, even when you're not camping.
-Ok, already stated, but I need to buy the tent, buy the rack, buy the ladder, buy the vestibule. Maybe I fab them, but still...
-COG

What am I missing? I think they are cool as heck and I want one just to be cool! But other than being cool and expensive, why? I'm not being a jerk, just seeking enlightenment. Thanks!

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Are all sleeping quarters on top of a roof considered a RTT in this thread? I find it hard to classify fold out, clamshell, and crank up all together when they offer different pros and cons.

 

[nuclearlemon]

does your 10 minute setup include getting air mattress and sleeping bag and everything laid out? staking it? or is that just getting the poles and material in the air? is it an all weather (winter) tent? a good all weather tent will take up a lot of room also (look at the oztents...the small is 5' long and 1' diameter rolled up and still not as comfortable/durable in high winds as my maggi)

there are definite cons. my maggi takes up the entire roof, but doesn't affect mileage and i've pushed up trees going under low hanging ones. a soft fold over has room for other stuff on the rack but is a brick and won't stand up to trees as well. my rig already doesn't fit in parking garages without the rtt so no issue there. peeing in the night (easy to avoid the climb if you're a guy) does suck for women. weight on the roof is definitely noticeable.

plus side. i bought a well used maggi about seven or eight years ago and i've used it hard and i'm just now getting around to cleaning and recoating it and fixing the gel coat while maintenance on my ground tent was every year. comfort, no more air mattress or thin cots, you have a 4" mattress. you don't get the cold of the ground (some say cold breeze underneath, but i don't notice that at all with my maggi not sure about the soft tents). better in wind (again, some soft rtts have issues, but i have none with my maggi). if you've got a soft tent, your still about 10+ minutes setup. hard shell, 1 minute up, about 5 down. bedding is always there, so no time with that. i've camped in snow a few times, our last outlaws run was 6 degrees in when we woke up, and i've been in some brutal winds and have been unaffected. i travel 14+ hours any time i go see family and if i leave late and need to stop, i just pull off and in one minute i can be crawling into a nice bed.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I spend far more time finding a (perfect) flat spot than I spend getting set up.

 

[crikeymike]

perfect - just what I needed to know. Thanks!

Is there any benefit to the round yakimas vs the square thules? Is either better for a tent?

I have always preferred the Thules. The square tube has flat sides, so it's easier to add an awning too, if that ever comes up.
Also the RTT's use flat plates to clamp on. When clamping onto round tubes, they need to bend out and can look kind of funny.

I believe both Thule and Yakima tubes/poles are rated to carry the same. Using 2 or 3 cross bars would be adequate, and also easy to take off when you're not running your tent, like in the winter.