Mt. Jefferson RTT on raised truck cap

[Pilotamis]

I'm thinking about using a Leer 180XL http://www.leer.com/180XL and a Mt. Jefferson RTT together. Is this possible with the raised height of the truck cap? What can I expect for MPG loss given the additional height of the setup? Will there be enough room to add an additional roof rack over the cab of the truck? Am I still going to be able to add an awning to the cap? I don't see why I can't do any of these but I'm not familiar with RTT's and won't have any chance to see one for awhile. By then I'd like to have my plan laid out and just the details left.

Also, can you mount the RTT so the annex is off the back of the truck? We'll be traveling with my 5 and 7 y/o and like the idea of them "inside" the annex when they sleep in the back of the truck.

 

[justrom]

I think the biggest challenge with having the tent that high up will be accessing it to unzip the cover, release the straps, tuck in all the excess material when folding, etc. Mine is mounted on a bed rack and I stand up on the rear tires and sides of the bed to open and close the tent. You'll probably have to carry a small step ladder in the truck to get up high enough.

You can mount it so the annex opens backwards. The mounting rails are normally configured to open over the side, so you'll have to change their orientation when you first get the tent. Not a big deal. The Annex has to be taken on and off each time you fold the tent by sliding it through a channel along the hinge line of the tent base. Takes a little time and is harder when it is way over your head.

The other issue I see is interference with the tailgate and hatch on the canopy. The annex wants to hang straight down from the hinge line on the tent so it'll be laying against the truck. Not sure about other tents, but in our CVT the "door" on that side of the Annex is really just a zipper flap (no bug netting) which is smaller than the wall of the Annex. I don't think that it would allow you to open the tailgate and the canopy hatch to access the truck bed without stretching /bulging the Annex in some really weird directions. I would certainly want to try (rent a tent or test fit) before you buy to ensure it'll work the way you want.

Awnings on the side should be no problem, they usually attach to the bars of the roof rack so as long as your tent isn't hanging out over the sides it shouldn't interfere. The height may be an issue for set up and pack up, same as you have with the tent.

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to put an additional rack over the truck cab. They'd be different heights but still functional for carrying cargo. There are several examples on here of trucks with both cab and canopy cargo racks.

I don't have any data on the MPG loss. I would GUESS in the range of 5+, but I think it would depend a lot on how big of a truck you've got and how much / how fast highway driving you're doing. It would probably be closer to 10 MPG on my little Tacoma.

 

[EZE]

It looks like on the cvt site the mt Jefferson is mounted on a Tacoma which has a roof rack over the cab so you should be good to go there.

You can mount it so it opens off the back but justrom makes a good point about the hatch for the canopy interfering with climbing up. Have you considered the mt Shasta? The fold out of the sleeping area would go over the hatch for the canopy and attaching the annex room would still give you the room at the back of the truck and unencombered access to the rtt.

As far as mpg goes we've got a mt rainier ontop of our xterra which nocks off 2-3 mpg when driving 70-75.

I also don't see why you couldn't also have an awning. I think it would just depend on your rack system.

 

[gdlals]

I have one of these tents. The overall base of the tent is around 4' wide by 7' long (like a sheet of plywood). This is the size when it is folded up.
The annex opens off the long side of the tent, so if you wanted the annex off the back of your truck you would have to mount the tent sideways and that wouldn't work.

Folded it's around 6-8" high so it will cause a little extra wind resistance, probably something like a mattress mounted on top of the truck.