Roof Top Tents, what is all the hype about?

[bcrez]

I am trying to justify spending upwards of $2k on a piece of gear like a RTT. They seem to be EXTREMELY over priced when looking at the quality of the actual tent. I have a few specific questions for those of you who rock a RTT and are satisfied... or for those of you (if there are any willing to come forth) who hate your RTT, I would love to hear your plight.

Questions:

1. Do the side walls of the tent stay dry during heavy, sideways rain?

2. Does the elevated position of the tent create an excessive amount of drag when making camp in an exposed area with high wind?

3. Have you ever not been able to deploy the tent due to height?

4. When packed is the tent completely sealed... does sand or water ever find its way inside the tent?

5. Maggiolina (fiberglass Box) Vs. Traditional fabric tent?

 

[Corey]

There is a ton of threads in this section on roof top tents.
I prefer Maggiolina since they are aerodynamic, breathable, and water proof.

 

[spressomon]

I'm with Corey: Maggiolina is my preference (used to own and heavily used a medium Gran Tour...before that had an Overland). Virtually impervious to windy conditions; in other words no tent fabric flapping when you're trying to sleep. As aero on your roof as an RTT gets. Quick and easy to deploy and pack back up. Bedding including comforter and pillows can remain in the bed so you don't have more unpacking/packing to deal with.

They do take up more space on your roof since they don't hinge into 2-halves...but that's the trade-off. If you have more than 2-people to house then you'll probably need to look at a fabric type RTT such as the ARB, Eezi-Awn, Hannibal, etc. type designs as they are available with up to king sized mattresses (or larger!). And compared to a larger fabric type RTT you don't have as much room for duffle bags, etc.

 

[bcrez]

There is a ton of threads in this section on roof top tents.
I prefer Maggiolina since they are aerodynamic, breathable, and water proof.

I know, but I have specific questions that I have not been able to find the answers to by searching... if you know of a thread with these same/ similar questions I would love a link.

 

[WASURF63]

Previously owned Columbus Variant XL and Maggiolina Grand Tour RTT's.
Used them both in severe PacNW weather.
Neither ever leaked anywhere when packed away or during significant extended downpours.
Maggiolina was very stout and warm in high winds. Columbus moved around a bit in wind but was more roomy and much quicker to deploy.
No comment vs traditional RTT.

 

[constructeur]

bcrez-

Finding value in an RTT is really dependant upon your specific needs/adventures. I know that one can find better quality traditional tents for less than 1/2 the price but you have to keep in mind that you're buying from a niche market, and the pricing reflects that.

 

[elmo_4_vt]

Questions:

I use my tent on a trailer, so the "roof" height is only about 5ft. Comments may be different than what your expecting.

1. Do the side walls of the tent stay dry during heavy, sideways rain?
I've only been in heavy, sideways type rain once with my eezi-awn, but yes, the inside of the tent walls were dry to the touch. I did get some rain in through the big screen on the back because I didn't realize it was coming in at our feet until things were a little wet, but I'm confident that if I'd zipped then window up earlier it would have solved that problem.

2. Does the elevated position of the tent create an excessive amount of drag when making camp in an exposed area with high wind?
Set up, my the top of my tent is around 8'-9', but it's on a trailer, so it has never been a problem, and behaved FAR better then some of the other standard $200-300 tents that were around me on the ground in a storm with high winds.

3. Have you ever not been able to deploy the tent due to height?
Can't put it up in my 10' garage, but that's probably not what you meant. :sombrero:

4. When packed is the tent completely sealed... does sand or water ever find its way inside the tent?
It's always been completely dry and clean, or at least as clean as it was when the cover was put on.

5. Maggiolina (fiberglass Box) Vs. Traditional fabric tent?
I needed room for a kid, plus I wanted a changing room, so that mandates a fabric tent, or at least a fiberglass box PLUS a fabric tent.

-

 

[cnynrat]

I've only had my Ezi-Awn since March, so I can't answer all your questions, but maybe this helps with another point of view:

Questions:

1. Do the side walls of the tent stay dry during heavy, sideways rain?
Haven't had it out in the rain yet.

2. Does the elevated position of the tent create an excessive amount of drag when making camp in an exposed area with high wind?
Mine is on a trailer, so not as high as it would be on a roof rack. I get a some noise from the fly rustling around in windy conditions, but the heavy weight of the fabric on the Ezi-Awn helps mitigate that IMO. The tent itself doesn't seem to flap or make much noise. It's no worse than any nylon ground tent I've slept in.

3. Have you ever not been able to deploy the tent due to height?
No, but again mine is not as high as it would be on the roof. Also, living out west it seems like I'm mostly in the desert or fairly open forest. Dense forest is the only time I could imagine this possibly being a problem, but even there I can't imagine not being able to find a spot to deploy the tent.

4. When packed is the tent completely sealed... does sand or water ever find its way inside the tent?
Never had any dust or water intrusion when the tent was packed up.

5. Maggiolina (fiberglass Box) Vs. Traditional fabric tent?
I think there are tradeoffs either way. Certainly, you get more interior space with the Ezi-Awn compared to the Maggiolina.

Some other observations you didn't ask about -

• IMO, you shouldn't expect to see major benefits in terms of set-up or tear down time. Probably a bit quicker to get set up compared to a ground tent, but not enough to justify the cost on that basis alone.
• This comment is specifically about the Ezi-Awn: The mattress isn't very comfortable in our opinion. We supplement it with Thermarest pads, which adds to set-up & tear down hassle. They do sell a new "firm" mattress option, which may help.
• Particularly in the desert, it is nice to not have to worry too much about finding a flat, rock free place to set up a tent.
• You can pack some of your bedding in the tent, so you save some space in your vehicle. Depends on your situation how much value that has to you.

 

[Corey]

I know, but I have specific questions that I have not been able to find the answers to by searching... if you know of a thread with these same/ similar questions I would love a link.

Some of this was touched on in this thread, but I will give my input.

Questions:

1. Do the side walls of the tent stay dry during heavy, sideways rain?
Yes, I have had mine in the rain, heavy at times.
2. Does the elevated position of the tent create an excessive amount of drag when making camp in an exposed area with high wind?
Have not had mine in super windy conditions yet, only slight wind.
3. Have you ever not been able to deploy the tent due to height?
Pretty easy for me, I stand on the rear bumper or the right rear tire to crank it up, I will include a video on how easy it is to set up.
4. When packed is the tent completely sealed... does sand or water ever find its way inside the tent?
On the Maggiolina no.
My tent is on the roof 24/7 in the rainy PNW, and after I open it up in spring from a soggy winter it is bone dry and dust free.
5. Maggiolina (fiberglass Box) Vs. Traditional fabric tent?
I like the fabric, they say it will never fade or loose its waterproofness, read more here on the dralon fabric, and an FAQ here.

As you can probably tell, I am gung ho on these tents.
Its gotten me back into camping and agrees with my back.

And the video
And yes, I am working on the gut

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4927PoLecY"]YouTube - Setting up the Maggiolina roof top tent Part II[/ame]

 

[bluedog]

I have the large Camping Lab tent. over kill in the size department but I love just everything about it.

1. Do the side walls of the tent stay dry during heavy, sideways rain?

No, leaks so far and been in some heavy rain and wind

2. Does the elevated position of the tent create an excessive amount of drag when making camp in an exposed area with high wind?

Set it up in some pretty strong wind with no issues. The drag is when you are driving, along with some noise

3. Have you ever not been able to deploy the tent due to height?

Not yet.

4. When packed is the tent completely sealed... does sand or water ever find its way inside the tent?

drove 5+ hrs. in the rain and the cover did it's job.

5. Maggiolina (fiberglass Box) Vs. Traditional fabric tent?

Can't comment on the Maggiolina tents but I can see the advantages.

I think the only thing I would want different about my tent is: I would like to be able to climb in and out protected from the elements. I have seen some like this.

And, mine has the storm flap on the outside of the screen. The flap also zipps up. So to open or close the "door" I need to open the screen first, and roll the door all the way up, half way up isn't really an option.

I can set up my RTT much fast than my ground tent (even with climbing all over the truck). Also the GF likes the fact that we are not on the ground, no bugs, no moisture from the ground. Bedding just folds up with the tent.


B.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

I paid $800 for my RTT about 5 years ago.

It's held up great in heavy winds, heavy rain (as long as the windows/end flaps are closed:snorkel and even heavy wet snow.

The mattress is thin, at least for my back. My wife and son do fine with it, but I supplement with a self inflating air mattress.

My fabric is just now starting to fade from the sunlight, but it's been used a lot.

I like the simplicity of it, the compactness, etc.

Biggest thing for me, is with my back, I have a hard time getting up and out of a ground tent. With the RTT, I open the flap, and back out and down the ladder.


My wife likes the fact that we are in the air, and the critters are on the the ground:coffeedrink:


Having slept in ground tents, backs of vehicles, and even just on the ground (in my early years!) I really like the RTT option.

Can't comment on the Maggolina style vs. canvas top, as I've never even seen one up close yet.

 

[The Swiss]

I have a Maggiolina. Never had problems in heavy rain or gusty winds. No leaks even after heavy thunderstorm or days of rain.

The height issue; I never had any problems setting it up because of the height camping but, when I still had it on my Jeep, was not able to set it up in the garage to fully let dry. Prefer my current combo of having it on the trailer.

For about two years, my RTT was permanently mounted on the Jeep. The fiberglass box of the Maggiolina protects it very well when closed, never had any water leaking in.

I like the firm fiberglass roof over my head of the Maggiolina. The advantage of the traditional RTT is significantly more space and more interior height.

Just be forewarned. Once you slept in a RTT, a ground tent will just not feel the same anymore.

 

[1leglance]

I am trying to justify spending upwards of $2k on a piece of gear like a RTT.
Only you can justify the cost of something....and often when someone post a leading group of questions like this they are NOT interested, but I will give it a shot.


They seem to be EXTREMELY over priced when looking at the quality of the actual tent.
Have you had contact with any actual tents? It is really hard to judge something without first hand experience. Maybe someone in your area can join you on a trail run?

I have had 2 tents, a Autohome Columbus which is a hard top tent that opens like a V...
and a Hannibal fabric tent...
My wife & I usually sleep in the tent but I have also shared it with my son when he was 10.

Questions:

1. Do the side walls of the tent stay dry during heavy, sideways rain?
Both my tents stayed very dry, the Hannibal did better due to the rain fly.

2. Does the elevated position of the tent create an excessive amount of drag when making camp in an exposed area with high wind?
I have had both tents in 50+mph winds and while the Hannibal made a bit more noise, neither was as awful as my ground tents have been.

3. Have you ever not been able to deploy the tent due to height?
Since I know how tall my tent is and can look at where I park then I have not ever had a problem.

4. When packed is the tent completely sealed... does sand or water ever find its way inside the tent?
It is not completely sealed as it would never dry out from being wet, but nothing gets in if that is what you are worried about.

5. Maggiolina (fiberglass Box) Vs. Traditional fabric tent?

I really loved the super fast setup of the Autohome tent, however I was always worried about rain getting in due to no fly.
The Hannibal was a killer tent with a ton of room.

But if I was doing everything all over again I would get an Eezi-Awn T-top so I could have the changing room access without leaving the enclosed area

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

roof top tents have significant advantages and disadvantages.
If it's too much gear and expense, a good ground tent like a Springbar is probably a great option.

However, if you move place to place, the rooftent wins.
If you basecamp the entire trip, ground tent wins.

I have a Maggiolina and love/hate it

 

[Hill Bill E.]

However, if you move place to place, the rooftent wins.
If you basecamp the entire trip, ground tent wins.

That's why I mounted mine on a trailer:coffeedrink:

Of course, that brings up it's own "Pro's and Con's".