p1michaud said:
I’ve got a few questions about mounting a tent to a shell. I see in your post above that these guys have their tents mounted on their shell. Their rack is on the side of the shell instead of on top. My THULE rack has the 60” long rails that allow adjustment along the length of the shell and I’m not sure that this set up would be strong enough for a roof top tent.
Have you mounted any tents to this type of shell mounted rack before? Are shells capable of handling 500 lbs of static load? I’m curious of the long term performance with this type of mounting solution (i.e. long term vibration resistance and fatigue cracking)? Can you share any additional information there?
Yes we have mounted tents on this type of set up, and they are generally strong. I would DEFINITELY check with the shell manufacturer as to their top load limits. They could be unwilling to comment on any load on their campers ofr liability reasons, but it is worth a try. I don't know what shell you have, or what rating it would have, even guessing.
My next question is with respect to roof vs. trailer MPG? I’m curious to know what the larger MPG penalty would be for a Tacoma. The fact that you are towing a trailer with tent on it and other gear in it would incur some MPG loss but would it be larger than simply mounting the tent on the roof?
Depends on the roof tent you choose. An aerodynamic model will punish you much less than a trailer. But I have pulled my trailer wih my Landcruiser, and gottent what I thought was very good mileage. If you select a 'brick-like' tent, it will cost you several MPG, but much depends on the power of your vehicle, driving style and speed, etc. Comparing to a trailer, the trailer is out of the slipstream, but will add hundreds of pounds of additional weight. It might be MORE efficient on flat lands, and LESS efficient in the mountains.
But trailers have many other advantages you may wish to consider in your thinking process. I would say the choice depends on mileage traveled, use patterns, and the amount of gear you have to carry. I like my trailer, but don't always pull it along, sometimes I just use the Cruiser with a slim line roof tent.
I know - clear as mud, but we could have a long discussion on this subject, and consider a lot of details that we have not discussed here.
Mike S