Roof top tent for a family of four which one?

cvanhook

New member
I am looking to buy a RTT in the near future that will comfortably fit my wife and I and our two kids. I am currently looking at CVT, Tepui, and 23zero. I am just curious what folks experiences are with these tents, the pro's and cons of each one etc. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 

harbinger808

Adventurer
i was in your boat a year ago and ended up with a Hannibal 1.6M ( a bit tight ) Stargazer with annex. my kids love that they can look up and see the clouds or stars while we are in there. i choose howlingmoon since i always saw them australia and south africa. they are tried and true and great build quality!
 

stingray1300

Explorer
I went through the "research" phase of an RTT purchase 3 years ago. I ended up with a Tepui Gran Sabana (4 person). Why? 1 simple, and yet very often overlooked feature: customer service. Period. CVT dropped the ball so many times, I gave up. I know nothing of 23___. Bear in mind, there are a LOT of newcomers to the RTT market. I would personally run from most of them, just because they're newcomers. Tepui had/has everything I want(ed) in an RTT. They answer their phones. They answer all questions. They make right, any problems immediately.
 

cvanhook

New member
Thanks for your input guys. Yes good customer service is worth a lot to me. This is a huge purchase for us and I want a good quality tent from a company that will stand by their product and also a tent that my family will get years of use out of. There is a 23zero dealer local to us and we are going to go have a look at their tents sometime next week mostly because I have never seen a RTT of any kind in person. I cant seem to find any dealers for tepui or cvt anywhere near by. These three companies all seem to make a good quality product from what I can see and read online, I guess its just matter of choosing the one that best fits what we want and need in a tent and within our budget. If anyone has anymore more experience I would love to hear it.
Thanks!
 

rickc

Adventurer
cvanhook: too much info missing! What vehicle are you putting this mammoth tent on? How big are your kids? I was looking at the same but had to rethink; my truck has a 5.5" lift and even at 6'1" I have to use a step ladder to do stuff up top. I'm a single dad with a tall 12yr old daughter, an about to-be-really-tall 10 yr old son and as-yet-to-be-determined 7 yr old daughter. Our situations are all different but for me, my vacation periods are limited and planned around my kids. When it's just me, I want to escape for weekends; to be honest, my long box is big enough to sleep in very comfortably but when the kids are with me, my options were a regular tent or a combo-approach. I ended-up with an ARB Simpson III; OK for me and my two younger kids for now and a small tent for my eldest; she's at an age where she wants her own space anyhow. This is the plan; I only installed my RTT last week.

Back to practical issues; the big RTTs weigh a lot so you must consider what your vehicle top and cross bars/whatever are rated for; there are loads of pictures on the Internet of big RTTs on vehicles with really flimsy looking support mechanisms. It's hard to get good information about this. Do the homework! You don't want cross bars or towers collapsing; this happens; broken supports, trashed car roof and no where to camp. You will need a minimum of three cross bars (if this is your support route) and you have to ensure that your vehicle roof is rated for both the in-transit weight and the static weight.

A comment about customer service; read between the lines. RTTs are not rocket science so customer service for an RTT should not be a big issue; these things should last a long time and be really easy to maintain. Read lots of reviews and pick the one that has great construction and use comments; do this and customer service should be unnecessary. This said Tepui, a USA-based company has taken the time to develop a fan-base; a really smart move. They have owners meets and rallies; great marketing.

Good luck
 
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cvanhook

New member
Rickc, thanks for the feedback I appreciate it. Our kiddos are 6 & 9 so I want a tent that has room for us as the kids grow. I am planning on building a trailer to mount the tent on but until that is done it will have to go on our Tahoe which hopefully will only be on it for a short time.
Thanks
 

rickc

Adventurer
cvanhook: I did a quick scan on the Internet and found this on a Tahoe owners group website: "Notice: Loading cargo on the luggage carrier that weighs more than 200lbs. or hangs over the rear or sides of the vehicle may damage your vehicle. Load cargo so that it rests on the slats as far forward as possible and against the side rails, making sure to fasten it securely". Apparently this was in the Tahoe owners' manual and is specific to the factory luggage carrier; I'm sure you are good to go higher with a triple cross bar set-up. If you have side sliders and two cross bars, go hunting for a wrecked Tahoe and get a third (or even fourth) cross bar.

Good luck!
 

stingray1300

Explorer
rickc/et all: weight rating is always given as "dymanic" load rating. That refers to the load capacity while driving down the road, with all the bumps and windage issues. Now, for an RTT, you need to look at what is called "static" load. That means, basically, standing still, what will the roof hold. You can almost count on a 400% increase in useable load rating. E.g., my SnugTop truck cap is rated at 200# dynamic. My Thule rail/rack system (w/2 cross bars) is rated for 750#. A Gran Sabana @ 150# plus 350# of "us", plus another 50# of gear is no sweat. And after 3 years of camping and traveling, there are still no stress cracks or other evidence of overloading. So, no worries. - learn the facts. It'll save your bacon!
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Another thing to think about that sets Tepui apart: just about any RTT less than $3,000 is made in China. The Tepui difference is that they have a paid employee - in China - checking QC on every tent. CVT, 23___, Smittybuilt, ARB.... NO body else has that. ;)
 

rickc

Adventurer
stingray1300: you are spot on, hence my comments regarding roof rack and vehicle roof loading; it's really hard to get the static and dynamic load ratings from the truck canopy suppliers; I tried and only a few gave numbers. Another critical point missed out earlier is the effect of a big, heavy RTT on the handling of a vehicle. I have seen broken bar towers first hand (fortunately not mine) due to an excessively over-loaded roof rack. I went with an ARE CX HD cap with an internal aluminum rack to which the cross bars attach; no load on the canopy top at all, good for 550lb dynamic, not that I'd ever put that much up top.

As you said" learn the facts"; I said "do your homework"; same thing. Most cross bars are rated for around 70 to 80lb each; my Rhino Rack HD2500 cross bars, about as "HD" as you can get, are rated for 165lb for two, 77lb for one (dynamic). these bars are for extra storage and sea kayak transport up front on my metal cab roof. Oddly, Rhino don't recommend using the 2500 systems for RTTs. I've been a Thule guy for over 20 years, sea kayaks and bikes, never a RTT so this is new territory for me. I have no doubt that the manufacturers have a pretty big safety margin built into their specifications. What Thule system do you have?

It's interesting that the cross bar manufacturers all have similar web tools to specify an appropriate cross bar system by car/truck make/model/year but none of these tools ask what the intended purpose is. Maybe as more of us buy RTTs this will change.
 

stingray1300

Explorer
Thule rated the rack/rail system I bought at 750# static. I also added a 3rd cross bar. (6 towers). It is just the generic rack/rail system. What I did do, was to drill and fill each and every mounting hole. Most installers only fill every other hole. The way I did it splays the load across the fiberglass bed cap better, with more integrity.
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Also, I didn't know there was ANY truck cap maker that would offer even a guess at a static load rating! SnugTop wouldn't touch that subject with a 10ft pole. I just went with the rating of the Thule rack. It's worked out so far.
 

cvanhook

New member
Thanks for the great feedback everyone I appreciate it. Like I said we are shopping around right now looking for the best option for our needs and budget still a ways out from purchasing, but everything is still an option at this point. Smaller tent with an annex to sleep one person in or everyone in a large tent. Looking at all options right now. The one thing I don't want to do is cheap out and buy a tent of poor quality. I could be wrong but from what I see cvt and tepui are probably pretty high on the list as far as quality of their product goes but I am still looking at other manufacturers. Thanks again everyone for all your insight you guys are a big help, much appreciated!
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
I know it can be tricky to make a decision when you don't have a dealer close by to see them in person. Feel free to contact me and I can talk you through any of your questions and do my best to make up for not having one to check out in person. BTW, where are you located? Maybe I can find a customer near you that can show you their tent.
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Here's my cell number if you have any questions 801-710-8110 and remember 10% discount on Tepui for forum members.
Adam
 

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