Roof Top Tent (RTT) Questions

[G8rRanger]

What a beautiful rig you have! Thank you so much for the picture. Love your cute dog too!

Also, thank you so much for your opinion. I have heard great things about Tuff Stuff Overland's products, and their customer service. I went to the Expo last year, and they had four tents in their booth. Everything was all set up and you could clime in all of them. I laid in all of them, and the mattresses were really comfortable.

Thank you for letting me know about that vent mat (Hypervent) too! I have not heard of something like that. That would be a great addition to a RTT if you could get it, plus the mattress, and all of your bedding to fold up in the cover or shell. Fingers crossed.

Randun, you are asking great questions and are appreciative of answers, so I'll jump, though I am only slightly less noob-ish than you. The people on this site are a trove of helpful information and I do not see the snobbishness that some sites have toward new and curious people. Very encouraging.

The rig shown in plh's picture above is the exact one my wife and I bought, The Tuff Stuff Ranger. Being one, I had to have one named "Ranger', I guess. I did a few months worth of analysis-paralysis and my wife and I decided on the Tuff Stuff for value. Lots of favorable reviews and their price was just right for us. Bought the tent, annex and rack (all of which I needed) for a fair price, and they had a package that encouraged it. Delivered only a week later than our optimistic hopes. Customer service from Tuff-Stuff was exceptional. Video tutorials very helpful and installation was a snap. Figured a way to get it from the ground to the Tuff Stuff rack over the bed of my F150 Crew Cab with no other lifting. (I am 60 but in fair shape for that age. YMMV) Did a full driveway set up and I am really happy with it. 2 manufacturing issues from the factory but unimportant overall. Minor gripe that the anti-condensation mat we also purchased does not have a factory means of securing but I gaff taped it for now. Other, better suggestions available on this site. I modified the ladder by drilling an extra set of holes so it does not project out as far as designed. I had purchased an LED light kit that was excellent for running power from inside the truck up into the tent. We will put a porta-potty in the annex for overnight needs, then get it out of there during the day.

Our maiden voyage is this weekend at a site pretty close to home, so if we run into problems we can adapt but we won't. (Fortune favors the prepared, as Pasteur once said.) We do NOT have any ambitions of overlanding. We are older, have BT DT in various prior lives and want the joy of the out-of-doors without the cost of hard sided caravans/RVs, etc. We only plan to use our RTT in National Parks, etc with established sites. Have a bike rack and trying to figure out how to stow kayaks and we can handle just about anything. The RTT advantages of avoiding site selection/prep, not to mention the fact that rain goes where it wants to but we will be high/dry is a big plus for a guy that has spent enough days of his life in the field, cold/wet/dark. I won't mention any names, but adding a porta-potty to our pack list will allow a 60-year old bladder to effect relief in the middle of the night without getting kitted up for a trip in public to the bath house, which would have demanded the presence of her husband. (Oops. I let it slip who the issue was about, didn't I?) Seriously, with the annex around the ladder, you can climb down in your altogether and none's the wiser.

"Anything that can be done can be overdone", and "No one ever complained about having too much ammunition / firepower." are two of my guiding principles. I intend to way over-pack, over-prepare and over-do but that way I won't be too cold/wet/hungry and, more importantly, neither will my distaff head.

 

[plh]

Bought the tent, annex and rack (all of which I needed) for a fair price, and they had a package that encouraged it.

Annex - I would not consider owning a RTT without an annex (with floor). We also did the pota-potty here in the nights. Dog slept in the here, Table and chairs, good shade, good ventilation, good place out of the wind, rain, mosquitoes. Something you don't think you need, but once you have it - a game changer.

Down side - it did not pack away in the RTT/Cover and its quite a lot of material to take into account to store when traveling.

 

[G8rRanger]

Annex - I would not consider owning a RTT without an annex (with floor). We also did the pota-potty here in the nights. Dog slept in the here, Table and chairs, good shade, good ventilation, good place out of the wind, rain, mosquitoes. Something you don't think you need, but once you have it - a game changer.

Down side - it did not pack away in the RTT/Cover and its quite a lot of material to take into account to store when traveling.

Agree 100%. The Tuff Stuff videos set the expectation to store the annex apart from the RTT so I planned on that. Working on a solution to getting the ladder out of the way during the day. May not be one with the present configuration, but that would really make the annex livable space.

 

[Randun]

Randun, you are asking great questions and are appreciative of answers, so I'll jump, though I am only slightly less noob-ish than you. The people on this site are a trove of helpful information and I do not see the snobbishness that some sites have toward new and curious people. Very encouraging.

The rig shown in plh's picture above is the exact one my wife and I bought, The Tuff Stuff Ranger. Being one, I had to have one named "Ranger', I guess. I did a few months worth of analysis-paralysis and my wife and I decided on the Tuff Stuff for value. Lots of favorable reviews and their price was just right for us. Bought the tent, annex and rack (all of which I needed) for a fair price, and they had a package that encouraged it. Delivered only a week later than our optimistic hopes. Customer service from Tuff-Stuff was exceptional. Video tutorials very helpful and installation was a snap. Figured a way to get it from the ground to the Tuff Stuff rack over the bed of my F150 Crew Cab with no other lifting. (I am 60 but in fair shape for that age. YMMV) Did a full driveway set up and I am really happy with it. 2 manufacturing issues from the factory but unimportant overall. Minor gripe that the anti-condensation mat we also purchased does not have a factory means of securing but I gaff taped it for now. Other, better suggestions available on this site. I modified the ladder by drilling an extra set of holes so it does not project out as far as designed. I had purchased an LED light kit that was excellent for running power from inside the truck up into the tent. We will put a porta-potty in the annex for overnight needs, then get it out of there during the day.

Our maiden voyage is this weekend at a site pretty close to home, so if we run into problems we can adapt but we won't. (Fortune favors the prepared, as Pasteur once said.) We do NOT have any ambitions of overlanding. We are older, have BT DT in various prior lives and want the joy of the out-of-doors without the cost of hard sided caravans/RVs, etc. We only plan to use our RTT in National Parks, etc with established sites. Have a bike rack and trying to figure out how to stow kayaks and we can handle just about anything. The RTT advantages of avoiding site selection/prep, not to mention the fact that rain goes where it wants to but we will be high/dry is a big plus for a guy that has spent enough days of his life in the field, cold/wet/dark. I won't mention any names, but adding a porta-potty to our pack list will allow a 60-year old bladder to effect relief in the middle of the night without getting kitted up for a trip in public to the bath house, which would have demanded the presence of her husband. (Oops. I let it slip who the issue was about, didn't I?) Seriously, with the annex around the ladder, you can climb down in your altogether and none's the wiser.

"Anything that can be done can be overdone", and "No one ever complained about having too much ammunition / firepower." are two of my guiding principles. I intend to way over-pack, over-prepare and over-do but that way I won't be too cold/wet/hungry and, more importantly, neither will my distaff head.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this response to me. I really appreciate your time and your help! Everyone has been SO nice on this forum and I love being apart of it.

You bring up so many points that have been running through my head. Thank you for that and for the clarification.

You and your family seem like my kinda people. Enjoying the joys of the out doors and getting out into it as much as you can.

I just looked up the Tuff Stuff Overland Ranger RTT. What a beautiful tent! I can't wait to hear how your maiden voyage goes this weekend. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your opinions on your interactions with TSO too. I have heard amazing things about this company, how they handle their customer service, and how they deal with issues that arise.

 

[Randun]

Annex - I would not consider owning a RTT without an annex (with floor). We also did the pota-potty here in the nights. Dog slept in the here, Table and chairs, good shade, good ventilation, good place out of the wind, rain, mosquitoes. Something you don't think you need, but once you have it - a game changer.

Down side - it did not pack away in the RTT/Cover and its quite a lot of material to take into account to store when traveling.

Thank you so much for your opinion on the annex room.

In my research on the annex room I too learned that not all companies give you a floor. I assumed they did, bad on my part. I will definitely be getting an annex room with a floor. I may not use the annex room in every trip I go on, but I will be glad that I have it when I need it.

 

[Randun]

Agree 100%. The Tuff Stuff videos set the expectation to store the annex apart from the RTT so I planned on that. Working on a solution to getting the ladder out of the way during the day. May not be one with the present configuration, but that would really make the annex livable space.

I have seen the same thing and have been told the same thing by a lot of my friends that have them.

Your statement about the ladder, question, does your tent come with one of those telescoping ladders, or does it come with the original style ladders. If it is a telescoping one, couldn't you just push the ladder into itself and it could hang above you when it is not being used? If it is the original style ladder, I don't know what you could do with it as I think those are constantly in the down position so to speak (i.e. like you said being kind of in your way during the day).

 

[G8rRanger]

I have seen the same thing and have been told the same thing by a lot of my friends that have them.

Your statement about the ladder, question, does your tent come with one of those telescoping ladders, or does it come with the original style ladders. If it is a telescoping one, couldn't you just push the ladder into itself and it could hang above you when it is not being used? If it is the original style ladder, I don't know what you could do with it as I think those are constantly in the down position so to speak (i.e. like you said being kind of in your way during the day).

The model RTT I have from TSO only has the standard (non-telescoping) ladder. I just found the height/angle I wanted, marked it and drilled holes to lock it in place there.

 

[kdeleon]

The model RTT I have from TSO only has the standard (non-telescoping) ladder. I just found the height/angle I wanted, marked it and drilled holes to lock it in place there.

Mine is the older tuff stuff, comes with the standard ladder. What i do is just shorten the ladder and strap it at the folded/stowed position (obviously with no one upstairs). I remember seeing this in a video in one of the other similar RTTs (they all seem to be all the same build). And yeah i am impressed by this tent, still holding up nicely in 3 years of use. The annex gets rarely used due to the bulk and weight, but otherwise a great option when camping in the cold, with a buddy heater in the annex.

 

[Randun]

The model RTT I have from TSO only has the standard (non-telescoping) ladder. I just found the height/angle I wanted, marked it and drilled holes to lock it in place there.

Great idea.

I just looked up the other telescope ladder on their website, and it would fit your tent if you wanted to go down that road. Just an option.

The ladder can be viewed here:

Telescoping Ladder, 102 Inch, 330 Load Capacity

Roof top tent ladder not comfortable enough? No worries we have you covered at Tuff Stuff Overland with our telescoping 102 inch extension ladder.

tuffstuff4x4.com

 

[Randun]

Mine is the older tuff stuff, comes with the standard ladder. What i do is just shorten the ladder and strap it at the folded/stowed position (obviously with no one upstairs). I remember seeing this in a video in one of the other similar RTTs (they all seem to be all the same build). And yeah i am impressed by this tent, still holding up nicely in 3 years of use. The annex gets rarely used due to the bulk and weight, but otherwise a great option when camping in the cold, with a buddy heater in the annex.

Great ideas! Thank you so much for sharing.

That is great to hear that your RTT is still going strong after 3 years too.

I looked up on their website and you can buy a new ladder for your tent if you would like. The ladder can be viewed here:

Telescoping Ladder, 102 Inch, 330 Load Capacity

Roof top tent ladder not comfortable enough? No worries we have you covered at Tuff Stuff Overland with our telescoping 102 inch extension ladder.

tuffstuff4x4.com

 

[Randun]

I have scanned this thread. I have over 25 years using RTT's on many vehicles from hard core off roading to overland traveling.

What I see here as in many discussions about the RTT's. It comes down to Price, Quality, Size, Price, Weight, Speed (of set-up and take down), Price.

All Rtt's will reduce fuel mileage! Some are better then others. Just as adding fuel cans, storage boxes to the roof of any vehicle.

Particleboard is very heavy but cheap. Plywood is stronger and lighter then Particleboard. Particleboard is cheaper. Plywood is heavier then Fiberglass. Fiberglass is lighter but more expensive them plywood. Get each of them wet and see which will last the longer time.

Price guides over 80% of the tents bought. Though in the last couple of years the change is taking place.

Quality comes at a price. We all want the best quality and for it to last. If you let the price set your limits of what you buy. You will make a better discussion on your next couple of RTT's you buy. Generally the 3rd. or 4th one, you will figure out, cheap is cheap.

Size is important! You will need enough room for sleeping. They are not built as a ground family tent. You know where you see advertisements of the family sitting around playing cards in the tent. RTT's are built as a sleeping space. Smaller is sometimes best! smaller tents can hold in the warm air when it is cold.

Price is only one factor in buying a RTT. If you are not sure you will like the consept then maybe buy a cheap RTT for a year, then if it looks as if this is apealing to you then go and get a quality RTT.

Weight is a problem for some vehicles as they may be to top heavy. Overlanding weight is a problem and everything has a trade-off. Light is better, but a light ground tent with a bad nights sleep can kill a adventure very quick. The better mattress will generally be a few pounds more, but if that is what it takes for a good nights sleep it is worth it. Think "Happy Wife, Happy Life".

The set-up speed and take down, can be important if your late getting into camp or it is just starting to rain. If your moving camp almost every day then speed and ease of setting up and storing become more important. Storing a wet tent is a good way to get mold growing on the cheap materials. The top of the pile is the Autohome RTT's that is not a problem with them. I am not recommending that you store it wet. See the 4 paragraph from the top and think about putting it away wet.

Price again! You get what you pay for! Cheap is cheap for a good reason. Lower quality of materials, labor or both.

This is not just my $.02 this is the whole dollar, and for free.

Da Frenchman

Thank you so much for your opinions and for taking the time to let me know your thoughts (pros and cons) on RTTs.

To me it is coming down to quality, size, price, and speed. I like your discussion points on all of these. You bring up such important points. Thank you for that.

I'm really leaning towards getting a RTT. It seams like a good move for me, and an investment in a product that will solve some issues as well.

 

[Eric K]

Just purchased a RTT and had my first use of it over the weekend. So here's my complete newbie pros and cons:

Pros:
sleeping on the hard ground was not something I was looking forward to, my RTT is very comfy and will probably lead to more camping.
Tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads don't take up room in your vehicle as they are on the roof

Cons:
going somewhere? you have to break down your tent and reset it up. I went with a tent that was pretty quick (gofsr.com adventure tent, under 5 minutes to setup or breakdown) so that negates this one a lot.
gas mileage of course
vehicle handling
we had some condensation, but it was cold out and we didn't really vent it at all (because I am a wuss and don't do the cold) so that is probably partly our doing

at this early stage, I think it's a great purchase for us. Since it will lead to more camping and less hotels, I think it's going to pay for itself on savings.

 

[Randun]

Just purchased a RTT and had my first use of it over the weekend. So here's my complete newbie pros and cons:

Pros:
sleeping on the hard ground was not something I was looking forward to, my RTT is very comfy and will probably lead to more camping.
Tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads don't take up room in your vehicle as they are on the roof

Cons:
going somewhere? you have to break down your tent and reset it up. I went with a tent that was pretty quick (gofsr.com adventure tent, under 5 minutes to setup or breakdown) so that negates this one a lot.
gas mileage of course
vehicle handling
we had some condensation, but it was cold out and we didn't really vent it at all (because I am a wuss and don't do the cold) so that is probably partly our doing

at this early stage, I think it's a great purchase for us. Since it will lead to more camping and less hotels, I think it's going to pay for itself on savings.

What a great review! Thank you so much for your time and your help.

I agree with you completely. Everyone that I have been talking to about RTTs say how comfortable they are. Due to this, I could see your point of them leading to more camping too.

You chose a beautiful RTT. Does your tent come with built in ventilation at the top for condensation? Some of the RTTs that I have been looking into come with ventilation slats and some don't. It is good to hear that this is something that would probably be necessary.

Have fun out there and thank you so much for your opinions.

 

[Eric K]

They have vents on the side of the tent that can be opened and closed, but I don't think it has them on top. Though I have only used it twice, so what do I know?

 

[Randun]

They have vents on the side of the tent that can be opened and closed, but I don't think it has them on top. Though I have only used it twice, so what do I know?

Thank you for the update. I really appreciate it.