Rooftop tent question
- Thread starter WHW
- Start date
TLar25
Member
It will negatively affect your gas mileage, and possibly keep you from parking in a garage depending on your vehicle/tent etc. They also do get stolen off of people's cars, but that is probably more area dependant. Are you mounting to the factory roof rack or something aftermarket?
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Lemsteraak
Adventurer
We need to know more to advise. Light tents are always a good idea. Take the mattress out and should be easy to take off and put on with two people.
Softshell tents are as aerodynamic as a church and the fabric covers tend to get hurt by the sun
Hardshell tents are a better choice. Still, they can help or hinder fuel mileage depending on what you get. Some tent have been tested in wind tunnels, others ..... hurt your mileage. Ones made of ABS plastic unless treated get brittle with UV so aren't probably a good idea. Don't know much about aluminum ones, that might be the best choice.
Yes, you can keep a tent on full time. My tent is heavily reinforced white fiberglass and actually improves the handling and stability of a very boxy van. Don't notice a difference in mileage with the added weight or windage but this is a special case.
Softshell tents are as aerodynamic as a church and the fabric covers tend to get hurt by the sun
Hardshell tents are a better choice. Still, they can help or hinder fuel mileage depending on what you get. Some tent have been tested in wind tunnels, others ..... hurt your mileage. Ones made of ABS plastic unless treated get brittle with UV so aren't probably a good idea. Don't know much about aluminum ones, that might be the best choice.
Yes, you can keep a tent on full time. My tent is heavily reinforced white fiberglass and actually improves the handling and stability of a very boxy van. Don't notice a difference in mileage with the added weight or windage but this is a special case.
Lemsteraak
Adventurer
OK, I can see why you are asking. I'm not familiar with IKamper so I went to their website. I believe you are referring to their Skycamp 3.0?
They advertise that this tent alonei is 165 Lbs. If you ask both Thule or Yakima what their sport bars are rated for, 165 pounds. If you read their fine print, that is 165 pounds, including the weight of their racks. In other words, they aren't testing for these loads. Oh, but don't worry, iKamper says that they advertise that "We conducted over 2,175 miles (3,500 km) of driving test across various environments, including highways and unpaved roads ........" That tells me that they are asking their customers to test and you would also be testing your sport bars for above their ratings ..... you get the idea, I don't like what I'm reading. I could go on but I hope you get the idea.
I'm sorry if I seem harsh, but when planning a long expedition, your need to "read the fine print", so I probably look at this entirely differently. I would suggest, turning the whole question around. Ask yourself, what do I wish to achieve here? Think of a roof tent, not as a vehicle accessory, but as a piece of your expedition equipment, like your sleeping bag. You buy one that suits your needs for the journey or voyage and it will last a lifetime. Buy your roof tent to suit you and your needs, not what you think works for your vehicle and you will be your companion for a very long time.
They advertise that this tent alonei is 165 Lbs. If you ask both Thule or Yakima what their sport bars are rated for, 165 pounds. If you read their fine print, that is 165 pounds, including the weight of their racks. In other words, they aren't testing for these loads. Oh, but don't worry, iKamper says that they advertise that "We conducted over 2,175 miles (3,500 km) of driving test across various environments, including highways and unpaved roads ........" That tells me that they are asking their customers to test and you would also be testing your sport bars for above their ratings ..... you get the idea, I don't like what I'm reading. I could go on but I hope you get the idea.
I'm sorry if I seem harsh, but when planning a long expedition, your need to "read the fine print", so I probably look at this entirely differently. I would suggest, turning the whole question around. Ask yourself, what do I wish to achieve here? Think of a roof tent, not as a vehicle accessory, but as a piece of your expedition equipment, like your sleeping bag. You buy one that suits your needs for the journey or voyage and it will last a lifetime. Buy your roof tent to suit you and your needs, not what you think works for your vehicle and you will be your companion for a very long time.
It doesn’t matter how “waterproof” any given rooftop tent claims to be when folded up, they all let water in eventually.
In winter, when not using the tent a lot (if at all), mold WILL develop if you don’t air your tent out regularly.
Obviously, if you live in Southern California, this is much less of a concern than if you live in Seattle, albeit rain is rain, and Cali does indeed get rain.
Taking the tent off your vehicle, and putting in dry storage in your off-season will alleviate all of the above.
In winter, when not using the tent a lot (if at all), mold WILL develop if you don’t air your tent out regularly.
Obviously, if you live in Southern California, this is much less of a concern than if you live in Seattle, albeit rain is rain, and Cali does indeed get rain.
Taking the tent off your vehicle, and putting in dry storage in your off-season will alleviate all of the above.
Another trick that we use for our Autohome Columbus RTT storage is to drop in some rechargeable desiccant packs. We make them up ourselves by buying bulk desiccant balls, then dropping them into discarded pill vials with holes drilled in the removable tops. They turn color as moisture is captured, going from orange to green so you know when to exchange them. Recharge process is pouring them into a flat cookie sheet, putting them in an oven and heating them until they turn orange again. Typical period of viability seems to be around a year or nine months depending upon the humidity in the dry storage area. You can also buy them pre-packed and recharge them for re-use.
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Fishenough
Creeper
Take mine off in the winter and place it well protected in the corner of a shed - but camped a dozen nights in March and April so it doesn't stay there long. But this is also to protect it from snow loads and save a little gas driving up our local ski hill. It's on a strictly recreational ride used on our BC backroads, but tempted to make a pulley system to hang it from the carport roof as we have a few routes we visit that are very overgrown and sized for hikers and ATVs only.
My Autohome Columbus is probably approaching 20yrs old by now, and it's been with me for the last 12 years, I think. I don't have a garage with 9' door so it lives full time on the landcruiser outside. No leaks, no issues, no mold, etc because I dry it out after an extended trip or if I had to close it during a rain event. I really should've waxed the exterior fiberglass surface and now regretting the minor cracking that has appeared.
As stated already, you MUST distribute the tent weight + your body weight evenly among three or four load bars that are sitting on proper towers or supports. I use four load bars because I have other things that are contributing to the final weight. A 2025 4runner has very little dynamic weight carry capacity, but do study up on dynamic vs static load carrying capacities before plunking down the dough for a sexy solution with lots of YT vids and junk. Look for bad reviews, not just the good ones.
As stated already, you MUST distribute the tent weight + your body weight evenly among three or four load bars that are sitting on proper towers or supports. I use four load bars because I have other things that are contributing to the final weight. A 2025 4runner has very little dynamic weight carry capacity, but do study up on dynamic vs static load carrying capacities before plunking down the dough for a sexy solution with lots of YT vids and junk. Look for bad reviews, not just the good ones.
I’ve had my rooftop tent on my Outback for over a year now with no issues. Just make sure your roof rack is rated for dynamic and static load limits. The only real downside is reduced MPG and a little wind noise. But if you’re camping often, it’s worth it. You might want to see the rooftop tent collection from a few brands before deciding—some are way more aerodynamic than others.