Is the roof tent trend over?

[Fishenough]

With a diesel Grand Cherokee I was considering towing a trailer, but the RTT makes a lot of sense. I’m not ready to buy yet but I am looking and am considering one. If many are selling theirs then that’s good for me and other buyers.

Not an expert, but the concept makes a lot of sense. And I live in San Francisco and plan road trips to Prudhoe Bay, and to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and to Central America. I don’t want to haul a trailer when the diesel gets good gas mileage and with its large tank has a long range. An RTT should not have a large impact on fuel economy, right? Maybe 2-3 MPG loss?

Friend drove north with me in his 2020 Tacoma with his James Baroud, a couple nights of gear packed, watching his mileage as he last drove this route he had nothing on the roof of his truck and canopy. His mileage worsened by almost 2 mpg, your results with the 3L eco diesel may be slightly better.

My 4Runners mileage takes the same hit with a tandem kayak, rook box, and awning on the roof.

Bears and wolves walked the remote west coast beach we camped every morning, they were very happy to be up in the air

 

[Ozarker]

Bears and wolves walked the remote west coast beach we camped every morning, they were very happy to be up in the air

You mean the bears and wolves were up in the RTT with you?

 

[Fishenough]

You mean the bears and wolves were up in the RTT with you?

Still cold in the mornings in Canada ya know, all body heat is welcome

 

[Ozarker]

Still cold in the mornings in Canada ya know, all body heat is welcome

In the hills of the Ozarks, we just have three dog nights.

Rock on.....

 

[NatersXJ6]

People who sleep with bears for warmth generally smirk at the “three dog” crowd!

But don’t worry, Wolverine owners are rolling their eyes and trading knowing looks about the whole group!

 

[alia176]

Yesterday I went to Costco to git 2 rotisserie chickens for the dog and spent a little time walking around just looking at stuff for sale that fit into that category of "You Might Like To Have But Certainly Do Not Need". Costco has a LOT of that kind of CRAP on their shelves.

One of many examples that stood out to me were the folding chaise lounge chairs now on sale for $89.95. 2 years ago they were $49.95. Just one example of many items I saw that made me think about all this inflation and interest rate hikes as it relates to items we may "Want But Certainly Do Not Need".

Sorry Costco!

I don't care how nice your folding chaise lounge is they are not worth almost $100.00 with tax to me. $50.00-$60.00 maybe but NOT $100.00! Especially when nice rarely used low mileage nice chaise lounge chairs can be had at garage sales everywhere for $20.00 or less.

Rooftop Tents can certainly be placed in this category. $1500.00-$2000.00 several years ago for a nice top of the line tent and now these same manufacturers/retailers want $3500.00-$4000.00 for the same tent.

SORRY NO SALE!

Your new rooftop tent ain't worth anywhere near that amount of money no matter how KOOL it looks on the Mall Crawler! If you want a good rooftop tent ON SALE just hit Craigslist and Marketplace. You will have a far better selection there than at any local retailer has on their floor for 1/2 price or LESS!

I would be very concerned if I were a manufacturer/importer/retailer of any item that fits into that "Like To Have But Certainly Do Not Need" category. Our whole economy in the USA is built upon the buying and selling of goods and services. In this time of rampant inflation and interest rate hikes folks will have to continue to buy what they "Need". Does that mean they will continue to buy what they "Want"?

I say NO!

Economic survival in uncertain times is far more important than buying stuff you "Want"!

I am very fortunate that I can buy most anything I want at anytime. My thoughts walking around and looking at all this CRAP with all this price inflation made ME Say Ain't No Way In Hell would I pay that amount of money for many of the items now on Costco shelves no matter how bad I Wanted it!


I can't believe I am the only one that continues to think this way when it comes to shopping and the spending of discretionary income on CRAP I Want and Sure As Hell Don't Need!

I'm just amazed that someone feeds their dog two rotisserie chickens! Wowza.....

That's all I got.

 

[Todd780]

Right, leave ip you fancy tiny home unattende. What could possibly go wrong? ?

Would it be any different than leaving a trailer unattended to go exploring?

 

[Ozarker]

Would it be any different than leaving a trailer unattended to go exploring?

Conversion for high crime rural areas for stealth camping;

 

[Todd780]

Conversion for high crime rural areas for stealth camping;

Maybe the stealth camping version should be camo and come with netting and ghillie suits?

 

[The_Squid]

Maybe the "fad" is dying down, but they will remain pretty popular, I believe. They're certainly not for everyone, but I don't quite understand the "hate" they generate; if they're not for you, that's fine...

We still love ours.

 

[Ozarker]

Maybe the "fad" is dying down, but they will remain pretty popular, I believe. They're certainly not for everyone, but I don't quite understand the "hate" they generate; if they're not for you, that's fine...

We still love ours.

View attachment 782958

Sorry, what are we talking about, the cargo trailer, the RTT or the ice chest?

 

[DaveInDenver]

In the almost 30 years and two trucks I've had this old thing it went from solving a problem only known to climbers back in the 80s and 90s to being one of the original RTTs and wedges in 00s to I guess (hope?) fading back into a niche now.

 

[vintageracer]

I'm just amazed that someone feeds their dog two rotisserie chickens! Wowza.....

That's all I got.

Our dog Roxy is a 15 year old German Sheppard.

About a year ago she had quit eating much and got really thin and just laid around all the time. I would give her some scraps and my wife would complain by saying do not feed her table food.

My response then was she is 14 years old and dying. She is not eating all the fancy dog food you buy so what difference does it make?

That day I went out and bought a Rotisserie chicken from Costco. Cut it up and put some chicken in the bottom of her bowl with some dry dog food on top. She ate it up immediately! I began feeding her this twice a day.

She turned 15 years old in May. She has gained all her weight back, looks good and gets around OK for a 15 year old large dog.

The 2 chickens each week at $5.00 each is far cheaper than the fancy high Dollar can food my wife was buying that Roxy did not eat.

A win/win for everyone!

Anyone need a bunch of cans of FREE high Dollar dog food our dog did not like?

I better check the expiration date on those cans!

 

[lacofdfireman]

To me it all comes down to pricing. Prices have gone up so much the past few years that it has made it unaffordable for many. Many new Clamshell RTT’s are well north of $4k anymore. That’s just insane for what it is if you really think about it.
Used prices right now are about half of new but are the same as a new price in 2019. Prices have literally doubled on most things Overland in the past 3 years. Just stupid that some are still paying these new prices to me.

 

[agent00111]

I think RTT's definitely fill a need for a group of folks. For me, I used my RTT a *TON*, even just for going to the beach on the weekend. But two things change over times: the kids grow up (and dad gets wider!) and where all three of us could fit up there when they were young, not so much anymore. Second thing is that as I get older, I have less desire to climb up and down a jeep.

I know pull a Patriot X3 camper behind my jeep (a new 392) and I'm still considering getting an RTT: for quick trips it's just super nice to have it and not need to connect a trailer. But I think now I'm looking more seriously at the Ursa Minor J30 as if I'm with my boys, I'd use the RTT and they can use the patriot (or vice versa).

My comment on price: of course only get what you can afford. But if you can pay more for an RTT that's faster/easier to set up, you'll end up using it more.