Roof Top Tents and wind

[Jo-el]

After a week long trip in southern Utah camping in tents I’m done with it! The nights of wind made the trip pretty miserable and not as relaxing as I had hoped. So what I’m wondering is, would roof top tents would be any better? Anyone with experience please chime in! I have another family trip coming up in May and would really like to not have ground based tents.


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[jacobconroy]

RTTs are still tents. I have a Baroud Space and it is pretty taught when open. Now that I think about it, I've never been awakened in the night from wind noise in it. I will say that if the wind is blowing hard enough to rustle a ground tent it will probably rock a car. You notice this when you are sleeping on the top of said car.

I certainly have been woken up when in cuben tents though. So, I'd say yes, RTTs in general are more stable than ground tents.

 

[Jo-el]

Thanks! Rocking would even happen in a hard sided trailer.


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[crazysccrmd]

What made it miserable, wind noise and tent material flapping? If so those are both going to happen with any soft style RTT. Hardshells might be a little better with less tent material and a fixed upper roof to limit movement. A ground tent with sloping walls and a full coverage rain fly will be much quieter and more stable than any RTT.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I've had to fold up the WilderNest on more than a few occasions in Utah wind. I think a RTT is worse in some ways than a ground tent since being up off the ground you lose some ability to shelter with landscape or vegetation (what there is of it). My $0.02 is a complete hard side or at least a hard side and roof pop-up (Four Wheel Camper) is better than any complete soft sided camper or tent.

 

[NatersXJ6]

I’ve had a lot more “wind noise” and flapping in my RTT than i ever had in a ground tent. I’ve also had to strap down the ladder side to keep the tent from wanting to fold.

However, setting up in the wind is much easier than a ground tent, and the frame doesn’t bow in or flatten on the upwind side like lots of hoop ground tents.

I’ve also never had to chase a RTT across a field like you occasionally get to do with a ground tent.

 

[Jo-el]

Thanks for the input and experience.

What made it miserable? I think it was mostly the sand being kicked up and under the rain fly (using black diamond megalite) and the wind slamming the tent and the noise that followed. I’ve developed system that keeps the tent much tighter than stock method. Was up one night watching the carbon mid-pole waving back and forth. Winds had to be in the 30 range at Goose Neck State Park, and even higher at Dead Horse State Park in Moab. At lower winds the mid is really stable and really comfortable.


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[Jo-el]

I’ve looked into the four wheel popups for years - very interested. Anyone have any experience with the AT Habitat?


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[Jo-el]

I’ve had a lot more “wind noise” and flapping in my RTT than i ever had in a ground tent. I’ve also had to strap down the ladder side to keep the tent from wanting to fold.

Wow! That must have been some serious wind!!

And if you had to chase the RTT down there might be some bigger problems!




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[crazysccrmd]

I’ve looked into the four wheel popups for years - very interested. Anyone have any experience with the AT Habitat?


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The AT Habitat is basically just a big tent on top of the truck and will be just as noisy as any other RTT. A wedge style RTT or pop up would be one of the better options for camping frequently in winds and allows you to position the point of the wedge into the wind to reduce the effects on the tent material.

 

[CMARJEEP]

A good portion of my camping is in the desert where it is usually windy. I just sold my soft shell RTT and bought an Autohome Maggiolina and the main reason was the soft shell RTT was extremely noisy in wind. The material flapping made it almost impossible to sleep. I haven't used the Autohome yet but from everything I've read they are 100x better in wind.

 

[pluton]

The best type of ground tent in the wind is a four season tent that doesn't have screen material anywhere near the ground. Solid sides up to 18" to 2' largely solves the dust blowing in along the ground problem. The super vented 3- or 2-season tents whose walls are composed mostly of screen material are terrible as soon as it gets windy.
As for wind, well...wind is the most annoying feature of desert camping, period. In eastern Oregon for the 2017 eclipse, I slept in the back of my 4Runner (that has stiff OME springs and shocks) and that was rocking all night from the gusty winds.

 

[Dozer Dan]

Here in Ireland high winds is a very common problem so from experience hard shell roof tents are the best. Soft, or clamshell, tents are terrible. Most ground tents are pretty bad too.
The key is the tent material being completely taught. This will reduce wind noise but it will not eliminate it. An important distinction is wind noise and flapping. Wind noise you can sleep though, flapping you can't! A good hard shell tent won't flap. I have a James Baroud myself and I think it's pretty good for wind noise.
I sleep with earplugs in on windy nights, it helps reduce wind noise a lot too.

 

[kdeleon]

If you take out the rain fly on the soft shell, that will take care of the flapping noise. The caveat is it only works if you are certain it wont rain . The problem with the fly is it's not supported tight as you would compared to a ground tent. I dont know why the makers can't add grommet holes for those situations.

Fwiw, my kids sleep thru all that noise which all that matters so hasnt bothered me. Kinda like white noise for them.

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[spressomon]

Authohome Maggiolina was, from a wind noise perspective, the most impervious to wind noise due to the nearly 'tight as a drum' walls of all the RTT's I've owned and used. Its fairly easy to determine if a RTT/tent is going to be noisy in the wind...by looking at how loose or taut the fabric of the tent is when erected. If I had to guess I'd say 90% of RTTs...are going to require ear plugs. Or more. The landscape is littered with them...