Clamshell vs. 360° Hardshell RTT

[monkeyodeath]

I've been car camping for the last few years in a real basic Leer truck shell on the back of my Tacoma.

Recently got a different rig (still a Tacoma) and realized how much I miss having an actual, open truck bed. So I'm thinking of getting a hardshell RTT instead.

Will probably be using this mostly solo. I'm about 5'9". Looking for a comfortable place to sleep, maybe sit and read during inclement weather. I do a fair amount of desert camping, so something that's comfortably ventilated would be nice.

Right now, I'm trying to decide between a clamshell design like the Autohome Discovery or a 360° design like the JB Explorer.

I like that the clamshell designs are cheaper and lighter -- would rather avoid strapping a ton of weight to my rig that high up in the air. It also seems like the increased headroom (at least in the front) might be nice for sitting upright with a book. Given that I'm short, I'm not super-concerned about being too long for whatever RTT I end up getting.

With the 360° designs, I like the increased views, the potential for more ventilation, and the fact that they seem a little more spacious inside.

Are the 360° views worth the extra weight and money for a solo traveler? Does the clamshell design vent adequately in warmer weather? Is the clamshell more comfortable for sitting upright?

Wondering if folks with more practical experience with these might be able to chime in with their experiences.

 

[80t0ylc]

I have a CVT "clamshell" that I've had for approx 5 yrs now. I have not spent time in it during the day, even bad weather. I just use it for sleeping. But have read in it before sleeping on occasion. Either would work IMO. Lots of headroom at the higher end on clamshell. I'm 5'9" myself and find when turning over at night, sometimes kicking the roof, especially if parked with slight downhill on foot end of tent. Tend to slide down hill if not level...lol. Also, if you bring lots of pillows to prop up on for reading, if it's raining and sides of tent are wet on outside, try not to let bedding or pillows push or rest on tent material. It can cause moisture to wick through tent fabric if bedding is left on tent fabric for longer than a couple of minutes or so. But that's only in wet weather. I have a combo Coleman 2 speed fan & 2 position tent light. I have not camped in it in hot night temps, but you might want a fan for nights with no breeze.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Personally I found a clamshell is great if your clearance is minimal up front. If the tent is pretty much going to cover your entire bed, then getting in the front of a full pop tent to close (from the middle of the tent) can be annoying. A clamshell just closes on one end, and that is easy to access from the back of your rig. I went through waay too many RTT's in too short a period haha. When I had my Autohome Columbus, I found it difficult to close with minimal bedding + a ladder inside. However the Hannibal Impi I replaced it with did a great job of holding my bedding + ladder and closing nicely.

On that note I also had a Rocky Mountain Outdoors Hardshell tent and it had plenty of room for bedding, ladder, pillows, and extra blankets. Biggest drawback was getting up front and closing the tent without sideloading the hinges. If you buy a hardshell that's electric or uses a rotating handle to open and close then that's a moot point.

If you plan on sitting up in a tent, then a full pop up is the way to go. Being limited to one side of a clamshell would get old fast in poor weather. In that respect, a clam shell is great in windy conditions as you simply park so the wind flows up the tent rather then against it.

I'm buying another tent hopefully this weekend and it will be a full pop up. Hopefully the side hinges will feel sturdier then the Rocky Mountain Tent and I wont have to worry so much about side loading when closing. Especially if the tent ends up being close to the cab.

 

[jjohnson1892]

No experience with a clamshell, but I'm really happy I went with the JB Explorer for the venting alone. I've only used it solo so far, and I like to be cooler when I sleep, so being able to open the whole tent up (essentially) is huge for me. I've been up in it in bad weather, and the headroom is perfectly fine for me to hang out in.

As far as I am aware, there is little to no difference in weight between the JB clamshell tents, and the 360 tents. Clamshell has more headroom to sit upright though, but if you get a chance to crawl into an Explorer (or other 360 tent), you may find it sufficient.

 

[jpachard]

I went best of both worlds with the jb space. Got the headroom advantage at the one end along with more space in the foot area. I haven’t had it out in windy conditions so I can’t comment on that aspect.


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