bluedog- Nice Cruiser. :drool:
Great question. I use both my RTT (Maggiolina) and ground tent (currently using an REI 2-man) frequently and switch between the two, year 'round, depending on the trip. All things being equal, I prefer the RTT but I often wonder why people are so enamored with some of the RTT models. I've gotten to see/experience just about every one of the RTTs in the field. Some of them take longer to setup than any ground tent I've owned, aren't quiet, comfortable (IMHO) or weatherproof due to cheap materials/poor workmanship yet many Expo members say they're "great". On the other hand, a few of the RTTs setup in minutes, are nearly as quiet and comfy as our bed at home and stand up to years of use/abuse but aren't considered as good of a value by some due to a higher purchase price. Different strokes for different folks I guess...
Just an observation: I see a lot of pics of of the "newer" RTTs being setup in Expo member's driveways but not so many from out in the field, yet. I'm curious how these models (both the tent and tent-covers) will fare after a few years of travel and dozens of deploy/stow cycles?