Wind noise and the daily driver

[Blackdiamond925]

How important is form factor when it comes to wind noise? It's one of those selection criteria that seems a bit nebulous if you haven't had a RTT before.

I've done my tent research, installed a roof rack (Frontrunner), and I'm going to push the button and buy a rooftop tent soon. I need some space on the rack that's not all tent, so my selections are all fold out models, rather than hard shells, which tend to take up all the rack space.

My Jeep (JKU) is my daily driver, four days a week, and although I plan to have some sort of quick disconnect system for offloading the tent, I have to be honest with myself and admit it's going to be on more often than not.

My top pick, based on my objective criteria is the Eezi Awn 1600. I'm wondering if I'm making a noise related mistake by not getting something more streamlined like the much more expensive iKamper Skycamp, or a Tepui Low Pro.

My next trip is probably 10,000 miles through Mexico and Central America, so highway driving is a major consideration.

Thanks for your help!

--gary

 

[shade]

Welcome to ExPo! ?

I'll let others comment about specific models, but one consideration that can make a difference is how much space an RTT has for storing bedding. I'm more concerned with having a comfortable mattress and a thin RTT, and I use down bedding, so it's not an issue for me to store bedding in a compression stuff sack outside of the RTT. It literally takes seconds for me to stuff or unpack it. Otoh, some people find this a major feature, and prefer an RTT that allows leaving bedding stored inside.

Another factor is weight. Adding the weight of the rack, RTT, and anything else you carry on the roof to your vehicle will change its handling. If your Jeep has a soft suspension and a lot of travel, you may decide to stiffen it up if the roof load makes it flop around too much.

Sounds like a fun trip coming up. I used an RTT for one of the same length through North America's Pacific Northwest and the ease it offered was very much appreciated.

 

[Blackdiamond925]

Thanks for the great reply! My Jeep is pretty full when on trips, so I really want a tent that will store bedding. I'll have to think about a stuff sack though, that might work.

I wonder if I'll regret the 30 pound difference between a 150 pound a 120 pound tent. I've weighed the vehicle full at the Baja ferry, and it was at capacity, so I'm already planning to reduce weight when the tent goes up. The suspension is upgraded (AEV Dualsport 2.5), but I wonder if I'll want something more robust when it's all said and done. The wisdom of doing suspension upgrades last makes a lot of sense. I did it close to last, but maybe not close enough. I'll be on the lookout for that flop.

 

[ttengineer]

Jeeps are pretty loud to begin with unless you’ve added material inside to help mitigate this.

The iKamper would cover the whole roof like any other hard shell unless you got one of the newer 2 person versions which is significantly shorter packed up.

Wind noise is a function of aerodynamics, so if you already have a rack, and plan on adding storage in addition to a RTT, I’d say not to worry about tent wind noise since all the other stuff will negate any benefit from tent shape.

If you really are considering an investment like an EZI AWN, and want something less noisy for DD duties, I’d suggest going back to the drawing board and looking into an Ursa Minor top for the JKU. You’d still have the whole roof for storage on trips, but you’d gain a pop top tent that is virtually indistinguishable from normal hardtop wind noise when not loaded down all while maintaining the RTT function and appeal. Yes they are expensive, but long term durability, fit and function, as well as resale value would make up for the initial investment, IMO.

It’s really the only option if wind noise and storage room are your primary concerns. Otherwise it’s honestly either go hard shell or deal with the noise.



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[NatersXJ6]

I can answer from direct experience. I have a JKU and used to have 2 of the small Tepui Ayers on a Gobi rack. Wind noise (and gas mileage) were pretty bad. Most of the noise was the “drumming” of the wind channeled between the bottom of tent(s) and top of roof. Really bad bug accumulation too.

After I went to one tent, Tepui Kukenam, I played with positioning a bit. Moving it farther back was key. Wind noise went mostly away, and zero bugs on the front of the tent. This makes me believe the tent is mostly in the pocket of air on top where it separates from the windscreen deflector. I’m not any sort of aerodynamics guru, but I jumped about 2 mpg, got quiet, and lost bugs... no bugs no air impact eh?

The tent rode up there undisturbed for about 3 years or so before I pulled it off to put on a trailer. I want to say it overhung the rear bar of the rack by maybe 8” or so, not sure exactly, and the 48” side faced forward (tent opened backwards). Extra gear goes on the sunroof panel, and it makes a really slick porch in camp!

Have fun, and don’t be afraid to move it a bit, but be sure to mark the location when you get it right! You probably won’t remove it often, it is just too much PITA.

 

[Blackdiamond925]

Great advice! It's kind of counter intuitive to put it towards the back of the rack. I may adjust my plans a bit and try it there. I should have enough room for Maxtrax (already mounted in the front) and a couple medium size boxes. I could put the boxes in the front and have the tent all the way back. Was planning to have the boxes in the back.

|| (maxtrax) ▀ (boxes) ██ (tent)

Have fun, and don’t be afraid to move it a bit, but be sure to mark the location when you get it right! You probably won’t remove it often, it is just too much PITA.

 

[Blackdiamond925]

Yes, the iKamper leaves me about 7 inches of space, which is nearly nothing, maybe Maxtrax with some tent overhand on the back.

I considered the Ursa Minor for a year before deciding against it, mostly because I think it requires an intentional interior build to go with it, and I didn't want to modify the interior again.

Sounds like I'll need to get used to the noise.

Jeeps are pretty loud to begin with unless you’ve added material inside to help mitigate this.

The iKamper would cover the whole roof like any other hard shell unless you got one of the newer 2 person versions which is significantly shorter packed up.

Wind noise is a function of aerodynamics, so if you already have a rack, and plan on adding storage in addition to a RTT, I’d say not to worry about tent wind noise since all the other stuff will negate any benefit from tent shape.

If you really are considering an investment like an EZI AWN, and want something less noisy for DD duties, I’d suggest going back to the drawing board and looking into an Ursa Minor top for the JKU. You’d still have the whole roof for storage on trips, but you’d gain a pop top tent that is virtually indistinguishable from normal hardtop wind noise when not loaded down all while maintaining the RTT function and appeal. Yes they are expensive, but long term durability, fit and function, as well as resale value would make up for the initial investment, IMO.

It’s really the only option if wind noise and storage room are your primary concerns. Otherwise it’s honestly either go hard shell or deal with the noise.



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[ttengineer]

Yes, the iKamper leaves me about 7 inches of space, which is nearly nothing, maybe Maxtrax with some tent overhand on the back.

I considered the Ursa Minor for a year before deciding against it, mostly because I think it requires an intentional interior build to go with it, and I didn't want to modify the interior again.

Sounds like I'll need to get used to the noise.

I’ve seen a few people use ladders for Ursa minors because they were in the same boat for interior space.


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[Lemsteraak]

Aerodynamics isn't intuitive. Round bars have a lot of noise and drag. I'ver found that a well designed tent is quieter than naked bars. You can put streamers on the tent, like they did on the GT40 in "Ford vs Ferrari" to help visualize what is happening with the air.

If you notice stuff like the front of your tent is covered in bugs, that means it is directly in the airflow. Moving it back may help the airflow. I used to think having the tent as close to the roof as possible was best. Turns out if you allow air to flow easily between the tent and roof is a good thing. I've noticed that the soft fabric tents are bricks. Tents that are wider than the vehicle create some sort of end plate effect that creates a lot of drag.