RTT mounting, front or rear opening?

PCRover

PCRover

Adventurer
I am pondering the direction that I should mount my EziAwn RTT on my Defender 90. The choices are either open toward the front or rear, I do not want it to open on the side.

When opening to the front I will have an elevated entrance platform to the tent created by the 2'-3' of rack space left open toward the rear.

When opening to the rear it would allow side curtains to be installed and used as a privacy room for changing or whatever.

Anyone have any personal experiences or thoughts on this?
 
H

HDM

Observer
Mounted forward and opening over the hood allows one distinct advantage that could be significant for some users - a smaller total footprint - basically, if you can park the truck, you can open your tent. In your case, it sounds like it would also allow partial use of a roof rack which is handy.

I've mounted my tent forward and back on the roof and find the truck handles better with it mounted in the rear - probably because I have heavier springs on the rear axle. It was also MUCH easier to pack the tent up when mounted that way.

Question, why not open to the side...just curious?
 
K2RVR

K2RVR

Adventurer
I've done all 3 mounting methods and like the look of it over the front and the spare space for storage and a platform for putting shoes on or making coffee being very nice. It also makes it easy to pack up as you can crawl onto the platform and tuck in the tent from being up there.

However, I like the tent off the back even better as it gives great rain/sun protection when working in the back of the rig, and I can use the changing room. I live in Oregon so protection from the rain is important.
 
FourByLand

FourByLand

Expedition Leader
K2RVR said:
I've done all 3 mounting methods and like the look of it over the front and the spare space for storage and a platform for putting shoes on or making coffee being very nice. It also makes it easy to pack up as you can crawl onto the platform and tuck in the tent from being up there.

However, I like the tent off the back even better as it gives great rain/sun protection when working in the back of the rig, and I can use the changing room. I live in Oregon so protection from the rain is important.
Click to expand...

Any photos with the tent mounted of the Discovery?
 
K2RVR

K2RVR

Adventurer
Sideways is great. The challenge is that if the rig has a basket, and the outside dimensions are wider than 45 inches, you may need crossbars on the basket. Doing sideways mounts on regular crossbars are easy. On a Disco with an SD rack, you may need to configure something to lift the tent over the base of the basket to allow it to open (rather than sitting lowered into the rack), i.e. crossbars. on a rack with crossbars and no basket it is not a concern.

The other aspect is that some like the tent to act as an awning over the tailgate/door area so they have protection from the elements when cooking ar gathering/packing gear. It's really more of a personal preference and vehicle setup thing...

In Gary's situation, Judging from the picture in his Avatar, I am thinking mounting off the rear or side would be easiest with standard crossbars (i.e.Thule or Yakima), as he does not have a basket. Mounting off the front would take some thought on a D90.

Edit: Outside of Gary's situation... Some tents may need crossbars regardless of width of the upper bars if using a basket. Just something to keep in mind. Best bet is to call your preferred tent vendor and ask. There are some really knowledgeable folks selling tents here that can provide good assistance. I would trust most, if not all, of the folks selling tents that are active on this board. All seem like good people that love the sport.
 
Last edited:
xcmountain80

xcmountain80

Expedition Leader
Yeah I refrained from a front mount for weight distribution, not to mention a didn't have the cool Hannibal ARB mount. I recently acquired a Hannibal rack for a Jeep xj and cut the side off (not that you need a roof rack for figment) but it will sure make it a heck of allot easier for removal and installation on short notice. I have yet to use the side mount but like it because it doesn't get in the way of my rear lift gate. I also have an awning to deploy on the Driver side.


Aaron
 
PCRover

PCRover

Adventurer
Sorry, the Avatar is old. Here is the current state of the D90. I will need to remove the Front or rear rail to allow the tent to open. Removing the front or rear rail can be done and still look proper enough. No reason to do it to either side.

IMG00205.jpg
 
FourByLand

FourByLand

Expedition Leader
Very nice, Gary.


I say mount the tent to the front and put down some sort of flooring and use the rear as storage or as a porch.

Looking forward to more pics.

:clapsmile
 
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