In Search Of a large Roof Top Tent or Roof Replacement for 2014 JKUR

Jeepsies

Jeepsies

New member
Hi all,

New to the forum and still learning about the proper etiquette, but hoping some of you knowledgable Jeep overlanding folks will help me out.

My family is looking to buy either a RTT or a Roof Replacement. We really liked the AT Overland JK Habitat which is no longer in production because of it's interior size and ease of deployment and retraction. (By the way if anyone has one of these for sale please let me know via PM)

There are three of us. (Myself 145 lbs, Wife 125 lbs, and an 18 month old son who is growing like a weed. (30lbs currently but obviously that is going up regularly)

We have a 2014 JKU Rubicon. It is fairly well equipped for off-roading and we've been off-roading all over the nation. But we're ready to start our overlanding adventure.

Our tent requirements (In priority order)
1. Sleeps 3 comfortably
2. Easy deployment and retraction
3. All season tent
4. Power (we travel full-time but work for ourselves and still need to work in the mornings)
5. Tent will have limited impact on off-roading without needing to be removed. (and can handle being beat up by branches and the like)
6. Price (always a factor, but willing to pay the price for the right unit.)

Our goals:

1. Overland in the USA at first.
2. Take it down to Mexico in 2019.
3. Then perhaps take our Jeep across the pond. (Ship the Jeep to Europe and travel around a bit maybe?)

So far, these are the ones we've looked at in person and our concerns. We're open to other suggestions if anyone has one we should look at.

Roof Top Replacement
Ursa Minor Vehicles J30
Pros: Light weight, easy deployment and retraction, high quality, highly recommended by friends, power inside the tent (for work)
Concerns: Space. With three of us we're just not sure it will work out. So far this has been our first choice, but not sure I want to drop $10K on a unit, have my hardtop replaced and then realize it isn't what we had hoped for.

Roof Top Tents
Alu-Cab Generation III
Pros: Light weight, easy deployment and retraction, easy add ons of awning and cargo rack on top of the tent, power inside the tent
Concerns: Space. Again with three of us, we're just not sure it will work well. Also the entrance flaps only zip down which means you need to crawl over them when accessing the tent. If it is raining etc, not good.

James Baroud XXL Grand Raid
Pros: Size of interior space, easy deployment (not sure about power options)
Concerns: weight, wind noise, more challenging retraction than the others we've looked at.

I'm hoping the community here will help us navigate these waters, provide suggestions for tents we should be looking at that we may have missed and give me any feedback or advice. Thank you in advance.

Respectfully,

Eric (aka Jeepsies)
 
J

JDaPP

Adventurer
At has a version of the habitat called the vehicle habitat that they say they can set up to be very close to the JK habitat
 
J

JARunning

Member
I absolutely love my Ursa Minor j30, with 2 adults.
3 bodies (even with one being a small kiddo) would indeed be rather tight though.

One possible solution could be to sleep one person down below in the jeep with seats folded down, but that makes it tricky getting in and out of the top and kills most of the already limited storage space inside.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
A

autarkus

Member
I literally picked up my J30 yesterday after the guys installed it. They put a huge amount of effort and care into the product and they have it well sorted out. That said, I would strongly recommend finding an owner nearby to have a look at the top to see if it suits your needs. It helped me to decide.

One of the other contenders I had in mind was Maggiolina. They have some nice looking options, though I haven't seen them in person.

Last (unsolicited) thought might be towards getting a trailer, like a teardrop. It can cost a larger chunk of cash than even the J30, but it add some other versatility.
 
KellyM

KellyM

Adventurer
I have a J30 on my 2013 JKUR and also have an M101A3 trailer that I modified with a CVT Mt. Denali extended RTT. If you are in or near Southern California (LA County), you are welcome to come check them out. I might be willing to part with either the J30 or trailer or both .
 
Jeepsies

Jeepsies

New member
Thanks all for the responses. I think we may have landed on the IKAMPER Skycamp. Have y'all seen that and does anyone have experience with this unit? I've talked with several owners and they all seem very pleased with it. It sleeps 4, deploys in seconds and retracts just as well. I agree with Jeep or Tacoma that there is a huge hole in the market. But the Skycamp might be our answer.
 
larock1971

larock1971

Member
Just my opinion, the J30 will be a tight fit for three in both sleeping and available storage. Some do it though. Combined with a Goose-Gear floor and 60 delete would help maximize space and give an option for "down stairs" sleeping.

It looks like your in the NW...I see a J30 for sale on Craigslist in Washington.

Another option, though more expensive and less proved is the American Safari JXL Camper. There was one one display at last year's Overland Expo. Looked like a nice platform just too pricy for me.
 
Jeepsies

Jeepsies

New member
larock1971 said:
Another option, though more expensive and less proved is the American Safari JXL Camper. There was one one display at last year's Overland Expo. Looked like a nice platform just too pricy for me.
Click to expand...

I took a look at the JXL. Nice set up but because of my off-roading addiction I really don't want to extend the Jeep and alter the departure angle. But thanks. Really interesting stuff!
 
rubicon91

rubicon91

Explorer
Jeepsies said:
Hi all,

New to the forum and still learning about the proper etiquette, but hoping some of you knowledgable Jeep overlanding folks will help me out.

My family is looking to buy either a RTT or a Roof Replacement. We really liked the AT Overland JK Habitat which is no longer in production because of it's interior size and ease of deployment and retraction. (By the way if anyone has one of these for sale please let me know via PM)

There are three of us. (Myself 145 lbs, Wife 125 lbs, and an 18 month old son who is growing like a weed. (30lbs currently but obviously that is going up regularly)

We have a 2014 JKU Rubicon. It is fairly well equipped for off-roading and we've been off-roading all over the nation. But we're ready to start our overlanding adventure.

Our tent requirements (In priority order)
1. Sleeps 3 comfortably
2. Easy deployment and retraction
3. All season tent
4. Power (we travel full-time but work for ourselves and still need to work in the mornings)
5. Tent will have limited impact on off-roading without needing to be removed. (and can handle being beat up by branches and the like)
6. Price (always a factor, but willing to pay the price for the right unit.)

Our goals:

1. Overland in the USA at first.
2. Take it down to Mexico in 2019.
3. Then perhaps take our Jeep across the pond. (Ship the Jeep to Europe and travel around a bit maybe?)

So far, these are the ones we've looked at in person and our concerns. We're open to other suggestions if anyone has one we should look at.

Roof Top Replacement
Ursa Minor Vehicles J30
Pros: Light weight, easy deployment and retraction, high quality, highly recommended by friends, power inside the tent (for work)
Concerns: Space. With three of us we're just not sure it will work out. So far this has been our first choice, but not sure I want to drop $10K on a unit, have my hardtop replaced and then realize it isn't what we had hoped for.

Roof Top Tents
Alu-Cab Generation III
Pros: Light weight, easy deployment and retraction, easy add ons of awning and cargo rack on top of the tent, power inside the tent
Concerns: Space. Again with three of us, we're just not sure it will work well. Also the entrance flaps only zip down which means you need to crawl over them when accessing the tent. If it is raining etc, not good.

James Baroud XXL Grand Raid
Pros: Size of interior space, easy deployment (not sure about power options)
Concerns: weight, wind noise, more challenging retraction than the others we've looked at.

I'm hoping the community here will help us navigate these waters, provide suggestions for tents we should be looking at that we may have missed and give me any feedback or advice. Thank you in advance.

Respectfully,

Eric (aka Jeepsies)
Click to expand...

There are a couple of the Habitat Jeeps for sale I believe 2 actually. I dont know if they would part with the top or not. My opinion on the J30 is this. I love it however 3 of you would not be fun up top. Now there is someone who travels with his 2 kids and he has the 60% goose gear delete and he sleeps down stairs and his kids sleep upstairs. That could be an option with the J30. Outside of that I would imagine a RTT.
 
C

ClearwaterScott

Observer
A little late to the conversation, but we just wrapped up the first season in our Ikamper. Lots to love. A few disappointments.

Size - its awesome. My wife 8 and 10 year old easily fit. I opted mostly to sleep in the annex but could have fit without trouble.

Deployment - my wife is petite and 5’2. She was able to setup and take down the tent on her own. The only struggle for her was take down accessing the ends of the tent to make sure it was all folded inside the hard shell, an issue with any RTT.

Durability- We did the poly/canvas option (cant recall details right now) and it weathered well. Stitching and construction seems like it will hold up well over time.

Issues
Moisture - we are seemly always caught in at least one major rain storm when we are out. The tent handled it fine but venting can be a challenge. It may take some more playing with the setup, would be simple had they kept the overhang for the windows as was included in the prototypes and restored in the new hard top model they just released.

Customer service - The unit was like 8-9 months past initial delivery date. There were shipping issues and other challenges a new company faces. But they seem to struggle to communicate with their customer base. Definitely will need to improve. Perhaps they will get that resolved with maturity. I dont know if the delivery times have improved.

happy to answer any specific questions you might have, if you are not already past the deliberations.
 
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