Hardshell RTT vs Truck Canopy

[Dsprite]

Hello everyone,

I'd like to get some feedback and personal inputs based on your experiences using a RTT setup vs a truck bed canopy. Have any of you switched from one to another? What motivated you to choose one over the other?
I'm currently in the process of building out my 21' Tundra DC for some vehicle travel across Western Canada and USA and up to Alaska. I won't be doing it all at once but Next spring I plan to drive to down to Utah and California for a few weeks. I've been using a ground tent my whole life but am looking to avoid sleeping on the ground for several reasons:

1. I'd like a faster setup and put away time.
2. Create a better barrier between myself and the critters.
3. Increase security and protection from the element, wildlife and people.

I'm currently looking at a RTT + truck bed load bars or a truck canopy with a sleeping platform setup I will build out with storage underneath. I've read some horror stories of people finding paint damage from truck canopies moving around, has anyone experienced this?

Any insight or input on this topic would be great. I've read enough articles online but would love to hear some personal real-life experiences and applications.

Thank you.

 

[rruff]

I wouldn't worry about paint. If you use cushion tape and clamp it down well, there shouldn't be an issue. The raptor-liner you mentioned in another post would be a good solution after the fact, if necessary.

I've lived in a short canopy, that wasn't tall enough to sit up comfortably. I later built one that was, with vertical sides. Night and day difference for comfort. I would say being able to sit up is very important on long trips... and long days of inclement weather... heck even for cold evenings/nights.

An easy way to build one is to use a stitch/glue style (minimal interior structure) with a single layer of marine ply (probably 6mm). Add a thin layer of insulation to the inside, and fiberglass the outside (6oz cloth or less). It needs to be curved for structural stability, but this also allows you to make an aero shape. The one below is tall enough to stand in (if you aren't too tall) and has a sleeping berth, but it's easy to scale down. It bulges 8" on each side and the top. The front piece is carved styrofoam covered with FG, added for aero.

 

[alaskantinbender]

Some of it depends on what bed length you have. I sleep solo in the back of my Old land rover on a bed platform with a basic kitchen set-up. It has 6 feet of useable length and I can easily sit up and have a center aisle. In my Gladiator the bed is only 5 feet so that is a no-go for sleeping inside. So I use a topper with wedge style RTT. The wedge is quickly set up and folds from the open tailgate. Much nicer solo than the side folding or clam shells. One thing to note is that sleeping inside is the only way to stealth camp as the RTT is too obvious along the road or in rest areas. Lots of junk is stored in the back of the rover, but you get the idea.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

I've done the RTT on a jeep, an RTT on bed rails, and finally an Rtt on a canopy, so I'll share what I know; I would suggest first figuring out your preferred lifestyle with the vehicle. Do you want to "live around", or "live in" the truck? What I mean is, the truck can be a moving sleeping platform that carries things, but your living space - cooking, exercise, leisure, bathroom, etc. - all take place "Around" the vehicle in a "live around" situation, mostly outside with the elements. A "live in" situation means that you have the space to cook, bathroom, etc. inside the canopy and gives you a place to retreat to when the weather turns foul.

If you go with a tent and load bars (which is what I originally had), dirt will be an issue. Dust and grime gets everywhere; I used Action Packers with weatherstripping so my kit was fairly protected, but I found that just grabbing and moving the boxes would mean my hands got filthy and I would transfer that dirt to whatever I touched next. It was a constant battle of trying to keep things clean - no one likes a dusty handprint on their dinner plate after all! Mechanical bits like fridges are not going to last as long out in the elements either. This approach also forces a more "modular" approach -- for us, gear had to be in boxes, and those boxes tended to get rearranged every time, and we couldn't leave them in there all the time for fear of theft. But, it was easier to use our truck as a truck with this setup, as the camping gear didn't stay in the rig full time, so it wasn't all bad and some folks might need that flexibility. You may also find you need to move one box to get at another, and the load bars can make accessing this stuff a bit harder if you have to crawl into the far end of the bed to grab something (a few scrapes on my back and head to prove it!). For us, this also often means packing and unpacking is a bit slower - you may want to strap these boxes down for instance, which is an extra step before you use them or head out, and is just one more thing to fiddle with and to lean/stretch around the load bars to do. Security is more of an issue, too, as nothing is stopping someone from coming by and grabbing your boxes of things. For occasional weekends, the load-bar-rtt method with camping gear in boxes works great. If you are messing with it every day for a month or two a year, these little things do get wearisome.

We currently have a canopy setup, and the dirt can still be an issue so I recommend looking at positive pressure systems as ours works pretty good. But the big advantage of this is the ability to more permanently mount things -- not saying you can't do this with bed rails, but the increased security and structure of a canopy allows for a bit more convenient water, electrical, and storage solutions for us. Our fridge and drawers slide easily so we can access anything we need without doing the "action packer shuffle". Our gull wing side access means we have rows of accessible things like the bucket, water jug, fuel, etc. from the sides. Nothing has to be moved in order to get at other things, so our "live around" situation is faster and more comfortable. And when we do grab stuff, it's clean because it's been inside the whole time.

If you wanted to do a "live in" model, the only option really is the canopy, but that will be a compromise on storage space. The downside to this is that most canopy sleeping solutions that allow you to "live in" will only house two adults comfortably, maybe a child on a bunk in the bed if you are using a wedge camper or one that cantilevers over the cab, but then this compromises your volume of storage. When you have to "live in" a space, there's less places to put things.

What we settled on was a canopy with load bars for an RTT. Canopy campers tend to be quicker to setup and tear down than an RTT, but an RTT on a canopy allows you go bigger than two people - you can easily get a 4 person tent on top of a canopy that opens off the side of your rig, and maximizing the volume inside the canopy means you have room for everyone's gear too. We still very much "live around" our truck, but the canopy makes that easier and cleaner day to day, and we have an awning with a room that gives us a space to be out of the elements.
Setup and Teardown of camp for us is measured in minutes - the longest part being the tent, which we intend to improve with an upgrade. You mentioned this was important to you, so check out the iKamper or even better the 23Zero options as those are hardshell RTTs that appear to have very quick setups. The other "living things" are all super accessible and easy to grab. And thanks to the security of the canopy, our truck stays equipped year round, so we can easily hit the boonies after work on a whim.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Some very insightful comments being posted. I’m solidly in the canopy camp. More secure in weather without the setup. My first canopy was a cab-hi Snugtop, very good quality. You can sit up if you’re sleeping on the “floor” but not if you’re on a platform. My current is a hi-top Leer, not the same QC but I can sit up on my Roll-a- Cot which is nice. As I get older ?‍♂️ I find getting up and down on the tailgate to be a chore. I’m looking at different styles with barn doors for easier access. Have you considered something like the Overland Camper? Best of both worlds.

 

[alaskantinbender]

Some very insightful comments being posted. I’m solidly in the canopy camp. More secure in weather without the setup. My first canopy was a cab-hi Snugtop, very good quality. You can sit up if you’re sleeping on the “floor” but not if you’re on a platform. My current is a hi-top Leer, not the same QC but I can sit up on my Roll-a- Cot which is nice. As I get older ?‍♂️ I find getting up and down on the tailgate a chore. I’m looking at different styles with barn doors for easier access. Have you considered something like the Overland Camper? Best of both worlds.

I agree climbing on the tailgate can be a chore. My Jeep rear bumper has a step on each side making it easier for now. But my rover has a step with a swing open door, very easy to get in and out. Probably the easiest access I have used was an old six-pac camper with a full-height door in the back. The tailgate could still close over the back. I used a folding step stool that would fit in the back between the door and closed tailgate. Some of the newer pop up campers use a 1/2 height door that makes my back hurt thinking about the contortions geting in and out.

 

[rruff]

As I get older ?‍♂️ I find getting up and down on the tailgate to be a chore.

Not too hard to put a step on it.