I've been searching for an inexpensive RTT for very occasional use for some time now. I certainly understand the value of the more expensive tents, and I'm not arguing that they're not worth it, just that I _personally_ can't justify $1,000+ for a tent for what amounts to additional convenience for me. That's really what the RTT means to me - convenience. Convenience of not having to find suitable spots to erect a tent, and less concern of the desert critters finding their way into my bed at night 
I don't plan on month long boondocking in the middle of the jungles, so it's not an absolute need to me.
For me, 95% of the time, "camping" for me is a single night. I haven't done more than 2 nights in well over a decade now, and given the current life situation, I MIGHT (and I stress might, lol), do a long weekend once a year at the absolute most. I won't be camping in temp extremes one way or the other, as due to medical issues, cold weather is just plain painful for me and I don't want to be sweltering in the summer heat of the desert here. If inclement weather pops up, I'm much more likely to wait it out in the truck, or pack up and go home than to wait it out in a tent.
So I don't have a need for an all weather, super heavy duty tent. I was thinking a soft limit of around $500 to be the limit of what I can justify to myself..beyond that, I'll deal with the inconvenience of a ground tent and finding a suitable place to erect it. Then, there is an additional issue that one of my primary camping vehicles has recently become a Suzuki Vitara with a wee little 4 banger. Unloaded, it will maintain freeway speeds OK, but passing pretty much doesn't happen. Any mountain grades is a bit of a struggle, and the thought of putting a big, heavy, brick on the roof doesn't sound like an awesome idea to me, lol. Sleeping inside the car isn't really a viable option either, as it's a pretty small vehicle, which means leaving a bunch of gear outside at night which I'm not hugely wild about. There's also a lesser concern of being that I typically play in the desert, the inside gets filthy with dust FAST. Yes, I'm a bit of a pansy in that regard that I don't really enjoy sleeping in a dust bowl, lol.
Then, last night, I randomly found this neat little thing - http://top-tent.com/tentunits/moabtent, intended to be a small, trailer based, folding tent. Given the dimensions/weight, it looks like a would be a good size to put on the roof of my little Suzuki as well. At $650 shipped, it's a little beyond my intended budget, but doable. I've got enough materials on hand to build out the remainder of what is needed, so that shouldn't be an issue either. I also very much like the "Made in the USA aspect"
Any experience with these? I did see the thread here where the guy was talking about building them a few years ago, but didn't find much beyond that. I understand it may not be up to the caliber of the more expensive tents, and that the DIY aspect usually means some compromises here and there, and I'm OK with that.
I don't plan on month long boondocking in the middle of the jungles, so it's not an absolute need to me. For me, 95% of the time, "camping" for me is a single night. I haven't done more than 2 nights in well over a decade now, and given the current life situation, I MIGHT (and I stress might, lol), do a long weekend once a year at the absolute most. I won't be camping in temp extremes one way or the other, as due to medical issues, cold weather is just plain painful for me and I don't want to be sweltering in the summer heat of the desert here. If inclement weather pops up, I'm much more likely to wait it out in the truck, or pack up and go home than to wait it out in a tent.
So I don't have a need for an all weather, super heavy duty tent. I was thinking a soft limit of around $500 to be the limit of what I can justify to myself..beyond that, I'll deal with the inconvenience of a ground tent and finding a suitable place to erect it. Then, there is an additional issue that one of my primary camping vehicles has recently become a Suzuki Vitara with a wee little 4 banger. Unloaded, it will maintain freeway speeds OK, but passing pretty much doesn't happen. Any mountain grades is a bit of a struggle, and the thought of putting a big, heavy, brick on the roof doesn't sound like an awesome idea to me, lol. Sleeping inside the car isn't really a viable option either, as it's a pretty small vehicle, which means leaving a bunch of gear outside at night which I'm not hugely wild about. There's also a lesser concern of being that I typically play in the desert, the inside gets filthy with dust FAST. Yes, I'm a bit of a pansy in that regard that I don't really enjoy sleeping in a dust bowl, lol.
Then, last night, I randomly found this neat little thing - http://top-tent.com/tentunits/moabtent, intended to be a small, trailer based, folding tent. Given the dimensions/weight, it looks like a would be a good size to put on the roof of my little Suzuki as well. At $650 shipped, it's a little beyond my intended budget, but doable. I've got enough materials on hand to build out the remainder of what is needed, so that shouldn't be an issue either. I also very much like the "Made in the USA aspect"
Any experience with these? I did see the thread here where the guy was talking about building them a few years ago, but didn't find much beyond that. I understand it may not be up to the caliber of the more expensive tents, and that the DIY aspect usually means some compromises here and there, and I'm OK with that.
