Roof Top Tents-My pet peeve

[DenverLX]

I have always hated Roof Top Tents, but this video brought up aspects I had never even thought of, good watch



Below is my summery of why I think they are dumb, but the video had additional points that were great too.

I camp 40+ nights a year, and I have never even thought about getting a RTT.
-RTTs are extremely expensive, like ridiculous, plus the roof rack, its crazy. Get airbnb's for a year instead.
-Wind Noise while camping: You'er on top of a truck, instead of using your truck or trees for a wind block. Your extremely exposed to all weather up there.
-Wind Noise while driving
-Reduced gas milage
-Reduced payload- these things weigh a ton, insane to put that weight on your truck
-They are not faster to put up than a regular tent
-How am I suppose to pee in the middle of the night? Do you realize how drunk I get while camping, seems straight dangerous to be that high
-How is my dog or a small child supposed to get up there?
-You can't camp at good spots: you can't go camp by the river or under that shade tree in the grass, nope its the parking lot for you
-You have to level the vehicle-What a pain in the ass
-Exposed: No shade, no tree cover for rain, no wind block
-They look really stupid, most people do not cam enough to have one of these
-No garages
-"Say what you will, I got my wife to go camping now because of a RTT" is not an excuse to own one. Your wife is weak, toughen her up or leave her at home bro.

But most of all, you don't even need a tent 80%+ of the time (in the rockies). If its not raining or bugs, why put up a tent at all? I sleep outside on a cot 90% of the time under the stars.
If you want to step up your sleep game get drawers and sleep in your truck. This is what I do when the weather turns on me. Way more shelter and its great.

Hopefully I never see a 200 with one again. Thanks for your time

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

Lol who beat your ass with an RTT?

 

[FerzLC]

This :
-How am I suppose to pee in the middle of the night? Do you realize how drunk I get while camping, seems straight dangerous to be that high

 

[RyanR]

There are pro's and con's for sure. I have owned a Hannibal, EEZ-Awn Series 3, Howling Moon StarGazer and a Tepui Autana Ruggedized so I feel I have a pretty good understanding of the conventional style tents.

The Hannibal and EEZ-Awn were the best. Heavy ass cotton canvas that breathes well, blocks the light, keeps you warm and the wooden base has far fewer condensation issues than the aluminum bases of the others. Never had a need for a bulky anticondensation mat where this was an absolute must in the Tepui. Frankly I would have kept my 20+ year old Hannibal forever but it was the smallest model and not really even suited to 2 adults.

Mostly I liked having a cozy place to sleep with bedding ready to roll with me at all times. I'd never pull off the ramp and pitch my tent and a truck stop or rest station for a quick rest but I did that with the roof top tent many times. I don't really do "campgrounds" so the whole sleeping in the parking lot was a pro for me. Any other time I am camping and bringing the LX the LX is driving to my camp regardless of tent camping or roof top tent camping.

All that said I prefer a cargo box on the roof and my tent on the ground and have abandoned the Roof Top Tent, primarily because I have two small children and a ground tent is just easier with late night bottle and potty needs.

 

[SteveH]

This meme seems appropriate.

 

[TeCKis300]

I've seen that video and he makes a lot of great points about the realities of RTTs. I've learned many of them firsthand having had a large CVT on my 100-series. Also seen it play out time and time again with buddies that have taken on RTTs.

That said, I'm not opposed to them. In the right setting, they are magic. It's situationally and trip type dependent whether it's the best tool for the job. Which is true of most every other piece of camping kit as well. That's why I don't care to commit to any larger built-in overland mods for my 200-series and prefer to keep it flexible for any use. Weight is a big factor. But also because of the mixed use and mixed trips. Much prefer being able to tailor it as needed depending on the trip at hand.

I have another RTT on the way. One that addresses many of the major cons of my first bookfold type RTT - weight, difficulty of setup, aero. I have a lighter weight GFC Superlite wedge type RTT coming next month. Super easy setup, low profile, and lightweight. One that I hope will be easy to attach and remove from the vehicle as needed for trips. I also have a hatch tent if I need to sleep 4, two up top, two inside. Or ground tent, or camper.

 

[RET2]

I've seen that video and he makes a lot of great points about the realities of RTTs. I've learned many of them firsthand having had a large CVT on my 100-series. Also seen it play out time and time again with buddies that have taken on RTTs.

That said, I'm not opposed to them. In the right setting, they are magic. It's situationally and trip type dependent whether it's the best tool for the job. Which is true of most every other piece of camping kit as well. That's why I don't care to commit to any larger built-in overland mods for my 200-series and prefer to keep it flexible for any use. Weight is a big factor. But also because of the mixed use and mixed trips. Much prefer being able to tailor it as needed depending on the trip at hand.

I have another RTT on the way. One that addresses many of the major cons of my first bookfold type RTT - weight, difficulty of setup, aero. I have a lighter weight GFC Superlite wedge type RTT coming next month. Super easy setup, low profile, and lightweight. One that I hope will be easy to attach and remove from the vehicle as needed for trips. I also have a hatch tent if I need to sleep 4, two up top, two inside. Or ground tent, or camper.

View attachment 2699910

You nailed it ... adaptability and one size does NOT fit all.

 

[BlackMammoth]

Big fan of RTT just not on vehicle roof.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

Big fan of RTT just not on vehicle roof.

View attachment 2699995

I like that trailer! Is that a custom build?

 

[grinchy]

In my early childhood, my parents had a rooftop tent that slept two adults and a child in 1977.
They put it on an array of subcompact Japanese cars but abandoned it as soon as modern (fiberglass sectioned poles) dome tents came into being.
Between hammock camping and ground tent seems like there are plenty of options that don't put so much weight up on the roof.

I do love the idea of rolling up to a flat site in the dark, unfolding the tent, and going to bed. But I don't have those kinds of adventures. We have to get into camp with four hours of daylight these days.

 

[MUDZLLA]

evolved from the RTT to a Pop-Up. Faster to set up. Can walk around, dance likes it's 1984. Thank god I sold it!

 

[Emcd]

I liked mine before I got too old. The mattress sucked and I rarely got a full night of sleep. RTTs are a younger person’s game.

 

[BlackMammoth]

I like that trailer! Is that a custom build?

Yes - but not by me. I bought it from another member

I added 200 AH in LifePO4 batteries and a DC-DC charger, along with 330 watts of solar and an MPPT controller. These made the trailer completely independent from the tow vehicle (from a power perspective).

 

[TeCKis300]

Big fan of RTT just not on vehicle roof.

View attachment 2699995

Hah, speaking of which. This is another possible avenue I'm considering. Really liking the configuration of your overland trailer. Interested in your take and going to watch my buddies to see how this config of camping works.

I just got done building this trailer for a buddy. Not exactly the way I would have configured it, but it was built to his wants.

Funny slippery slope. The bookfold RTT came from another buddy that had this waaay high up on a full size rack on the back of his 6" lifted Titan. All the pet peeve realities posted by @DenverLX. Difficult setup, 2MPG impact to MPG, way up in the air making it difficult for drunkenness and nighttime tinkles, and made off-road performance suffer because of the weight and high center of gravity.

I encouraged the trailer buddy to setup his rack/tent lower like @BlackMammoth 's but he wanted the height for annex and awning. He did compromise and bring it lower to some degree which can be lifted more by stabilizer jacks. Will see how this plays out for him, but I can see how it'll be overall easier to manage on a trailer.

Buddy with the Titan went for a Hardshell type RTT to ease setup and possibly improve aero.

I'm hoping for this. Model'd on @WesSiler 's photogenic rig. Keeping an open mind to see how offroad trailers work out for my buddies. My homebuilt one and a ridiculous Vorsheer XOC trailer.

 

[1world1love]

The thing that I rarely see anybody mention and one of my main gripes with an RTT on the truck is that most of the time, camp is just that. A place to cook, eat, and sleep. More often than not, we spend our days exploring the area we are in. Sometimes we get lucky and find a spot with good fishing and hiking right outside the tent door, but more commonly, we are driving trails, driving to trailheads, or just driving. No matter how fast an RTT sets up and takes down, it is still not something I want to do two or three times a day.

 

[BlackMammoth]

OK one thing that is immediately clear to me after owning the trailer with the RTT

---- Having the RTT at chest level is SOOO much better than on the roof ----

putting it up / taking it down / getting in and out.... Everything is better because it isn't on the roof!

 

[1world1love]

Hah, speaking of which. This is another possible avenue I'm considering. Really liking the configuration of your overland trailer. Interested in your take and going to watch my buddies to see how this config of camping works.

I just got done building this trailer for a buddy. Not exactly the way I would have configured it, but it was built to his wants.


Funny slippery slope. The bookfold RTT came from another buddy that had this waaay high up on a full size rack on the back of his 6" lifted Titan. All the pet peeve realities posted by @DenverLX. Difficult setup, 2MPG impact to MPG, way up in the air making it difficult for drunkenness and nighttime tinkles, and made off-road performance suffer because of the weight and high center of gravity.

I encouraged the trailer buddy to setup his rack/tent lower like @BlackMammoth 's but he wanted the height for annex and awning. He did compromise and bring it lower to some degree which can be lifted more by stabilizer jacks. Will see how this plays out for him, but I can see how it'll be overall easier to manage on a trailer.

Buddy with the Titan went for a Hardshell type RTT to ease setup and possibly improve aero.

I'm hoping for this. Model'd on @WesSiler 's photogenic rig. Keeping an open mind to see how offroad trailers work out for my buddies. My homebuilt one and a ridiculous Vorsheer XOC trailer.

That Vorsheer XOC is an amazing piece of work though, and the company is really top notch for customer support. I'd buy one in a second and am looking closely at the XER.

 

[ElJayBird]

Also not a fan of RTT's - mostly because of the wind noise. I like to sleep in a hammock or in my hard-sided, heated and insulated off-road camper, which is basically and silly expensive tent.

 

[Artie]

Your gripes pretty much align with ours when we considered these. We have kids, like to pee and like to leave camp to explore without packing camp up. These plus a seething hate for money made us buy a Conqueror camper at probably 20x the cost of a RTT. Totally worth it.

 

[Lester did that]

I agree with everyone that hates RTT's. I also agree it is a matter of personal choice. Any roof storage is gone. Height clearance is always cut down. Top heavy. The list goes on for me. But they do give that I go camping image and it is a talking piece. I think if you go on short weekend trips and don't need the extra storage on top and don't mind spending the money I guess it's kinda a neat way to camp. And you don't mind lugging it around and have a tall garage.

I prefer something I can stand up in and walk around. I'm 6'4". I also prefer a queen sized air mattress, sheets, real pillows and a feather tick. I also like to be able to fit 2 camp chairs and a side table in the tent. On the ground where I can walk in and out off. Needs to be set up and broken down in 15min or less. Should not take up that much space.

This is our set up. It's so comfortable for long trips. Even broke a few folks that said they would never go camping. I let them stay in the big house and just pop the two man tent we always carry for my wife and I to sleep in. When they come back for more I stick them in the tent and reclaim the big house.

Can't have that space with a RTT. Less than 1/3 the cost. Not even sure what the difference is with weight. The tent is less than 20lbs not sure the awning but less than 50lbs. Oh yeah, you can also just set up the awning super quick. That comes in use every year when we go to Ocracoke island out on the beach. Killing a lot of birds with one stone that weighs 3. Not 30 stone and serves one purpose.