LX570 Tent question

[MTKID]

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why anyone would ever have a RTT. I mean, they are very expensive and heavy. I imagine they decrease gas mileage and increase noise. They take longer to set up than a ground tent. Your truck has to be level. They are difficult to take on and off, and where do you store the thing? I would still need ground tents for rafting/backpacking/ext. You can’t fit your truck into a garage, or get under branches off-roading or put cargo items or sports equipment on your roof. You have to sleep at your car instead of by the river or out of weather or some other nice place. Your very exposed to the elements on a roof of a car. Your dog and/or kids can’t access it. Mostly my grip with them is that I tend to get pretty drunk when camping and I don’t want to climb on and off my roof at night and I also have to pee to much to be up there. And, in my opinion, they look extremely stupid.

I camp 30-45 nights a year in Colorado/Utah/Alaska/ext and I sleep outside without a tent 75% of the time. My wife and I slept outside without a tent 18 nights in a row last year. Otherwise I sleep in my trunk (I have drawers to make a sleep spot) or I set up a tent that cost a couple hundred dollars and takes 3 minutes to set up. I prefer to spend the money on camping or truck accessories that are universally useful.

I’ve also had a couple RTT’s and slept in sub-zero temps comfortably with my 6yr old at the time. Same gear you’d sleep in at those temps on the ground. My first RTT was only 3-400$ before they became popular. It was perfect for us at the time. Since then we have slept all five of us in the newer CVT. Kids were small but now that they have gotten larger I sleep outside while the rest of the family enjoys it up there. My wife really slept better up higher with her babies in the bear country we sleep in. My tents have always allowed us to keep all our sleeping bags, pillows and extra bedding up there during a trip and still closed easily. Mostly down items. I’ve even had bikes up there once, on top of the tent, simply strapped down.

However, to @Taco2Cruiser point, it is a noticeable increase in center of gravity, and could make some trails impassable because of trees but I haven’t experienced that circumstance in Montana yet. We can cut a limb if need be.

But since my kids are getting bigger, it no longer fits all five of us, and I think my wife is less nervous with teens in bear country instead of toddlers, I’m transitioning back to ground tents. I enjoyed my trips with our RTT’s and I’ll enjoy them still with ground tents.

To the OP question from years ago, I didn’t like the weight of a full roof rack (I had the gamiviti) so I purchased just the universal 100/200 series roof rack feet (couple of vendors offer these) and had a custom bracket made to fit round aluminum cross bars and I like how light they are and how easily I can put them up there.

Btw, it was a pain when my six year old was drunk, trying to get him up there

 

[rlynch356]

IMHO, after owning a few RTT's and putting them on the AT horizon trailer I had. I am using an OZ Tent RV5. With cots and pads, setup is easy with most time pounding in the pegs (6 normally), and I'm drinking a beer watching the RTT people level out the truck, never mind opening it.

sleeps 4 easily (2 on cots, 2 kids on pads),
I can heat it, the dog can sleep in it.
I can stand up to get dressed.
I can leave it and drive off..
It weighs 1/4th what a RTT weighs, so off road its not horrible like an RTT is.
I can use the factory rack.
I can take a pee at night without climbing down a ladder at 4am..
Etc..
you get the picture...


if you go this route, buy a Drifta Bag for it, its much bigger than the one supplied and you can literally shove the tent in and zip It up and your done.
the cots take longer than the tent to take down ( I use Helinox cots as well which pack small)

I'm done with the cool guy BS.. except for the cots.. the cots are totally Cool guy stuff.

If you have 2 people and are moving everyday, don't have a dog, and are fine with staying with your truck when you pitch it, they have their place.
Buy an Eezi-awn tent, its actually worth the money.