I'm very new to this concept of overlanding, and still in the exploration and information gathering stage. My question is for those of you who have used 3/4 and full height bed racks. My thoughts are to use one of these for putting a roof top tent on. I know there are other aspects such as center of gravity and awning heights, but what about gas mileage between the two? I'd think that having the tent lower on the bed would improve wind resistance while driving, but I was hoping those of you with real experience with them would be able to weigh in your experiences.
3/4 vs full height bed rack fuel economy
- Thread starter tsmithmtb
- Start date
arctic04trd
Member
Hey there,
I have been lurking for a long time on ExPo, but this is my first post. I will share my experience and thought behind why I run a cab-height RTT.
I initially bought a canopy, coming from a tonneau cover. More space and security. My plans were to sleep inside the shell, but that was short lived after I found my RTT on Craigslist for a deal I couldn't pass up. So I mounted it on some rails. This setup proved way to unbalanced. My cog was moved much higher, and I knew I planned a small lift, so it was only going to get worse. Also, fuel mileage suffered, but since I don't have to drive a long way to reach gravel roads and some good camping and traveling areas, it doesn't affect me as it might some.
Last spring, I got a custom aluminum bedrack fabbed up for my tent. It moves the tent to cab high, and is much more stable on the highway and curvy BC backroads. I love the setup, and wouldn't go back to a higher mounted tent. A 3/4 high is a good compromise for space, and I guess I never really though of this option. The only thing I had on my mind was moving the tent to below/at can height. But a cab high rack would seem to me a waste. At that point, an enclosed shell would be better suited for camping/over landing.
Or maybe a softtopper would be good. Any kind of weather/element proof structure is a great thing to have while out in the backcountry. As it happens, I am working right now on designing a canvas "blanket" of sorts for my bedrack.
Not to bore you, and to sum up: I chose cab high because of my negative experience with my canopy/RTT setup. Everything depends on your needs and wish list. If I had to redo it, I would consider not designing the sides of my rack like this / \ and more like this | |. This would make internal storage greater.
Cheers and good luck with your bedrack.
I have been lurking for a long time on ExPo, but this is my first post. I will share my experience and thought behind why I run a cab-height RTT.
I initially bought a canopy, coming from a tonneau cover. More space and security. My plans were to sleep inside the shell, but that was short lived after I found my RTT on Craigslist for a deal I couldn't pass up. So I mounted it on some rails. This setup proved way to unbalanced. My cog was moved much higher, and I knew I planned a small lift, so it was only going to get worse. Also, fuel mileage suffered, but since I don't have to drive a long way to reach gravel roads and some good camping and traveling areas, it doesn't affect me as it might some.
Last spring, I got a custom aluminum bedrack fabbed up for my tent. It moves the tent to cab high, and is much more stable on the highway and curvy BC backroads. I love the setup, and wouldn't go back to a higher mounted tent. A 3/4 high is a good compromise for space, and I guess I never really though of this option. The only thing I had on my mind was moving the tent to below/at can height. But a cab high rack would seem to me a waste. At that point, an enclosed shell would be better suited for camping/over landing.
Or maybe a softtopper would be good. Any kind of weather/element proof structure is a great thing to have while out in the backcountry. As it happens, I am working right now on designing a canvas "blanket" of sorts for my bedrack.
Not to bore you, and to sum up: I chose cab high because of my negative experience with my canopy/RTT setup. Everything depends on your needs and wish list. If I had to redo it, I would consider not designing the sides of my rack like this / \ and more like this | |. This would make internal storage greater.
Cheers and good luck with your bedrack.
MOguy
Explorer
I am a Jeep guy so my experience experience is not exactly what you seek but here is my input.
I have two racks for my wrangler. One rack is as as high as the roof line and even empty it has a very noticeable impact on my gas mileage, even more than towing a low profile trailer.
The other sits just above my spare tire but even when loaded really doesn't go above my roof line. It has no noticeable impact on gas mileage even loaded.
I have two racks for my wrangler. One rack is as as high as the roof line and even empty it has a very noticeable impact on my gas mileage, even more than towing a low profile trailer.
The other sits just above my spare tire but even when loaded really doesn't go above my roof line. It has no noticeable impact on gas mileage even loaded.
I have a roof top tent mounted on my Nissan Frontier such that the tallest point is about level with the cab roof. As best I can tell, I gained nearly 1 mpg in mixed highway/city driving compared to no tent and an open pickup bed.
I imagine that I would have lost some mpg's with the tent sticking up.
Coincidentally, the lower mounting of the RTT prevents anyone from casually walking off with hard cases in the back of the truck; they don't fit through the gap.
I imagine that I would have lost some mpg's with the tent sticking up.
Coincidentally, the lower mounting of the RTT prevents anyone from casually walking off with hard cases in the back of the truck; they don't fit through the gap.
