Idaho Savage
GOLD Star
To be fair, they’re not really engineered for the kind of stuff we’re doing.
Rooftop tent and base rack suggestions please
- Thread starter Fishinsea
- Start date
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That is the point of my statement.
To suggest that the Thule/Yakima towers by others as a viable long term offroad solution for carrying a load is ridiculous.
Due to a lack of funds my daughters 4 Runner was set up this way. In 5 months of light offroad use required replacement of three towers. Fortunately we found a used set on craigslist for replacements. They simply are not durable enough for long term heavy loads.
I skipped the rack entirely. Removed factory rack and used Gamiviti towers to mount directly to my GFC RTT with the GFC crossbars.
I’ve had the same yakama 66” round bars since 1994, so going on 30 years. They have been on my 60 -> Allroad -> g500 -> and now LX. 16 years with rain gutter towers (60 and g) and 21 with the current railgrab towers (All-road and LX, and my brother used the railgrab towers on his GC while I had the g wagon with gutters).
I off-road almost every weekend all summer and would argue that for ~6-8 months a year every day all winter as the roads are mostly snow/ice covered.
Another advantage over the others, switch vehicles, keep the rack.
For durability how many of you all have had the same Front runner, Prinsu, Gamiviti, …. For 28 years?
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Idaho Savage
GOLD Star
Much like everything else out there, neither Yak nor Thule are manufactured in the same place nor out of the same materials as they were 30 years ago. Hell, Yak was USA made up until the early 00’s. But I do agree, early Yak stuff was bomber as hell.
Great for you! I'm referring to the towers not the bars. I purchased new Yakima towers in the early 2000s. They lasted 3-4 years maybe. I replaced them with a Front Runner rack and ran that for 13 years. YMMV.
Like I said
Like I said I’ve had my Yakama railgrab towers for 21 years and my LX is their 3rd vehicle.
100% recommend the Expo ++ from Gamiviti. I have a hoist to take my tent on and off and use the rack all the time to haul lumber and ladders and stuff like that. I have very little noise from the rack. I wasn't sure how often id use the rooftop so I went economical and got the Iron Man for a starter tent. Actually use and like it a lot.
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iKamper skycamp is the go to, set up and break down in a minute or 2. The wedge rtt is great if you’re short, but 6’+ it is not ideal.
I concur… I love iKamper and worthy the price tag.
I found them very quality and ended up with both mini and the full size for different adventure trips.
Saw this new design today.
intrepidcampgear.com
Geo 2.5 Rooftop Tent
We're launching the next generation of rooftop tents, the Geo 2.5. Our patented design gives you all the benefits of the clamshell tent with none of the wasted time or space.
intrepidcampgear.com
Roofnest Falcon XL on FrontRunner Slimline. Mounts are Wheel Every Weekend (WEW). Super secure and theft deterrent. The tent is larger than the rack and rests on the exterior rails. (Overhangs about 5" on both sides. Flush to rails on front and back.) I use FrontRunner's rubber slot inserts which reduces all wind noise and creaking. ARB awning attached to the side rail on the rack. Closed awning tucks up nicely under tent overhang.
- Thread starter
- #33
Thank you, thats a big RTT for sure, i am leaning towards the Falcon pro, do you feel Roofnest is a good product ?
We like the big bed. And it is big! So far, the quality of the Roofnest has been great. Living in the mountains of Colorado I pull it off it the winter so it doesn't see much road salt. Nonetheless, it has helded up very well on rough, dusty roads and massive downpours.
As for the Pro, my neighbor just got one and it looks great. Smaller platform and bed space, but I like the vestibule set up.
Something else to consider is roof height. I went with the Falcon as it has one of the shortest roof lines of all RTT's. Similar is Go Fast Campers (GFC). I looked at GFC, but didn't feel the tent materials looked as durable as the Roofnest.
Roofnest is all re-marketing and rebranding an alibaba tent, so there are just much better choices for the money.
2HundyJTex
SILVER Star
Tossing this in for posterity sake with no endorsement…
gearjunkie.com
iKamper BDV Review: The Rooftop Tent for Adventure Gear-Lovers
We got an early hands-on experience with iKamper's latest rooftop tent, the Blue Dot Voyager. We came away impressed by its versatility, comfort, and value.
gearjunkie.com
Would you care to expand on why the round bars are better/more versatile?
Here is some right off the top of my head: More options for attachments, lower profile (for garages), less expensive, super easy to take on/off, small and easy to store when off the truck, wider bars (I use 66” wide, will go to 78” someday), for ski racks can easily swivel the rack down (like this) when no skis on top, and no real disadvantage I can think of.
And I can say enough good about wider bars, in my experience they give you more options and functionality than longer (as in F/R) stated racks. Personally I’d take the shorter LX rail with 78” bars than the longest safari rack.
