Mounting a rooftop tent...

[4RunAmok]

I have a problem I need a solution to...

I have a roof mounted tent, and I have a Yakima rack with the tubes (not the square ones like Thule).

I need new mounts, the u-bolts tended to shift while driving, and they weren't very reliable while sleeping in it.

I'm prepared to have something machined if I need to, but is there a clamp out there that already exists that one of you know about and I do not?

The tubes are about 1" in diameter and the tent tubes are about 7/8 in diameter. See attachment.

I imagined perhaps a block, with two holes, cut down the center held together with a bolt in the middle, or something like this.

I also though that maybe something from a drum kit might be tough enough?

And I thought I'd put your minds to work first before I head off to a machinist to pay through the nose for 4 pieces of 1-off work!

 

[HMR]

What kind of RTT is that? Looks like a funky mounting setup.

I had my RTT mounted to the round Yakima bars for awhile but ditched them in favor of the Thule's. I love the Yakima Landing Pads due to the ability to move them around so easily. My only problem is how high they keep the RTT above the roof.

I wracked my brain trying to combine the Yakima Landing Pads with the Thule Crossbars.
Take a look at this pic:

If you pop the cap off, the area I circled has a little notch that's just about perfectly shaped for holding a Thule square crossbar. If my fab skills were better, I would've been able to build a bracket to make it work. Just wanted to throw that out there as it might be something to investigate if you go to a custom fab shop. It would allow you to preserve your Landing Pad/Rail combo while providing a sturdier base for your RTT. I'd stay away from Drumkit hardware- not strong enough and won't last long in the weather.

I ended up building my own custom setup using 2 sets of loadbars.
One set stays on the RTT:

And the other is semi-permanently attached to my shell:

Once I lower the RTT onto the shell it takes all of 5 minutes to secure it with these little clamps I made from stainless steel parts found at the local hardware store. Notice I kept the landing pads so I can still use my Yakima racks when the RTT isn't installed:

I've got several thousand miles on this setup now and it hasn't budged.

Hope this helps!

 

[arcteryx]

This was my problem too. Simple solution for me though. I am not sure what brand tent you have, but this worked for me.

Once the tent is on the bar, it has three ways to go, vertical, horizontal and front/back. Vertically and front to back, there was a very slim gap (like you said, maybe 1/8 inch), so I was not too concerned about this movement.

Horizontal slide was a different matter though. I have an older setup, so the parts have changed slightly. What I did was brace each side of the tent foot, meaning I put a brace on each side of the RTT bracket. This is what I mean. I had 4 of these on each bar and tightened them down really good. The thing did not move at all during a 700 trip.

I know it's kinda hard to imagine without pics. Hopefully it helped though.

Cheers,
Jason

 

[4RunAmok]

Here's a couple ideas I've found since starting this thread here and other locations. See attachments.

The tent is an Oasis II, found here http://www.everythingsuv.com

This Gibraltar drum clamp is looking better and better for ease of use and quick disconnect the more I look at it. I'll be headed to Guitar Center tomorrow to look at some of them.

 

[LawlerClan]

How well does the cap support the RTT

What kind of RTT is that? Looks like a funky mounting setup.

I had my RTT mounted to the round Yakima bars for awhile but ditched them in favor of the Thule's. I love the Yakima Landing Pads due to the ability to move them around so easily. My only problem is how high they keep the RTT above the roof.

I wracked my brain trying to combine the Yakima Landing Pads with the Thule Crossbars.
Take a look at this pic:

If you pop the cap off, the area I circled has a little notch that's just about perfectly shaped for holding a Thule square crossbar. If my fab skills were better, I would've been able to build a bracket to make it work. Just wanted to throw that out there as it might be something to investigate if you go to a custom fab shop. It would allow you to preserve your Landing Pad/Rail combo while providing a sturdier base for your RTT. I'd stay away from Drumkit hardware- not strong enough and won't last long in the weather.

I ended up building my own custom setup using 2 sets of loadbars.
One set stays on the RTT:

And the other is semi-permanently attached to my shell:

Once I lower the RTT onto the shell it takes all of 5 minutes to secure it with these little clamps I made from stainless steel parts found at the local hardware store. Notice I kept the landing pads so I can still use my Yakima racks when the RTT isn't installed:

I've got several thousand miles on this setup now and it hasn't budged.

Hope this helps!

Not to hijack the thread but how well does the cap support the RTT? I am interesteded in mounting one on my cap but am concerned it won't handle the weight too well. I have a 04 Tacom double cap with an ARE cap.

 

[HMR]

Not to hijack the thread but how well does the cap support the RTT?

Works great.
More discussion on that topic here.

 

[elcoyote]

I would use 2 of the Yakima SNARs (Uninversal Snap Arounds) at each mounting point, one on the rack bars, the other on the tent tubing then bolted together. Just my 2 pence

 

[articulate]

I also though that maybe something from a drum kit might be tough enough?

They'll rust; they're just not made for exposure to the elements on a constant basis. And I've stripped bolts on several drum clamps and cymbal stands over the years during tear-down and set-up. The rock-n-roll life might be a rough one, but it's no Baja road

 

[articulate]

I would use 2 of the Yakima SNARs (Uninversal Snap Arounds) at each mounting point, one on the rack bars, the other on the tent tubing then bolted together. Just my 2 pence

Ah, yeah. Similar:

 

[K2RVR]

Ah, yeah. Similar:

Hey 4RunAmok,

Mario and Mark have what I think is the best solution for the OasisII you have. The SNAR http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=97 can be found fairly inexpensively at most rack shops.

I couple 2 together with one going around the Oasis support bars and one around the Yakima bars. Adding little rubber strip (Bicyce inner tube type)between the Oasis bar and the snaparound gives it a firm bite on the Oasis bar. This also makes taking the tent on and off the vehicle very simple.

 

[4RunAmok]

How well does this keep it from shifting?

That solution, while practical, doesn't look like it does much if the whole thing wishes to shift forward or backward.

I'm also thinking I might want to mount the tent narrow side foward (in stowed configuration) instead of wide side forward.

With the wide side forward, the tent's legs run parallel to the Yakima rack.

The Drum clamp would allow this off-by-180 mounting real easy, with the added advantage of a quick release on one side.

Guitar Center was closed when I went. So I wasn't able to try anything out.

 

[4RunAmok]

Ok, in an effort to mount the tent in it's proper orientation, with the legs perpendicular to the yakima, rather than parallel to it, I purchased 4 of these clamps shown in the attachment.

These are the hardened steel Gibraltars, so I shouldn't have to deal with stripping or fractures in the casings like I used to deal with as a roadie back in the day with Gibraltars aluminum casted parts. I picked up two of them at Guitar Center tonight, and ordered 2 more online.

The main reason I chose these is because I like the idea of quick release on the top portion.

I will have to add a 1/4 inch thick rubber tubing to the tent frame, because the opening in the bracket is 1.5 inch. But the rubber will also add some cushioning so this isn't a bad thing...

Check them out:

 

[K2RVR]

Very cool Gibralter clamp. I'll have to check it out.

How well does this keep it from shifting?

That solution, while practical, doesn't look like it does much if the whole thing wishes to shift forward or backward.

I'm also thinking I might want to mount the tent narrow side foward (in stowed configuration) instead of wide side forward.

With the wide side forward, the tent's legs run parallel to the Yakima rack.

The Drum clamp would allow this off-by-180 mounting real easy, with the added advantage of a quick release on one side.

Guitar Center was closed when I went. So I wasn't able to try anything out.

What I do for a parralel bar mount is run the legs (bars) of the tent on the outside edge of the of the Yakima bars. This keeps them from rotating to the inside and the bars cannot rotate farther out as they are at their farthest position. I have only done this configuration a few times but it seems to work well. Perpendicular to the bars is fine if you don;t mind entering from the back of the vehicle. It is more stable and aerodynamic. The ladder just need so be secured well to the Yakima bars and the tent with the nylon straps so it doesn't skew sideways a but and cause more drag.

How long have you had the Oasis?

 

[4RunAmok]

I've had the Oasis since early December, got a good deal, I bought a used one from an employee at everythingsuv.com. She sold her 4runner and no longer needed the tent.

By the way, www.everythingsuv.com has the coolest cargo bungees called Earthstrap. I picked up one to secure the ladder.. The link goes right to them. I tried using those nylon straps without any luck, that lasted about oh, 5 minutes before I used the Earthstrap, and the thing didn't even rattle.

We've camped in it once, but it was way too cold to enjoy the thing, something like 30 degrees in Anza Borrego in the middle of December.

What about yours?

By the way, you noted the part where the large section of the clamp is 1.5 inches? You'll need to put something to upsize the tent legs. I'm looking for a solid piece of rubber that I'll trim down to 1.5" and drill out a 1" hole to fit around the tent leg.

 

[K2RVR]

I have seen those straps. Very cool but I could never justify it over a 50 cent bungee cord.

As far as the tent goes, I have had it for about 3+ years when I first started selling them.