Box Rocket
Well-known member
95 lbs
RTT on a sedan
- Thread starter rocktor
- Start date
95 lbs
grogie
Like to Camp
I agree that an Ayer would be a good fit for an Accord. Here is an Ayer on my trailer, which has a 3' x 5' lid. It's not a wide tent, being about 46" wide. For two, it's like sleeping in a double bed, but longer. It's comfortable, and you'd certainly get better mpg then either my Liberty or Wrangler. 
I know this has been discussed to death elsewhere, but wanted to get some opinions about lighting solutions in RTT. I just bought a Goal Zero Sherpa 100 http://www.goalzero.com/p/207/sherpa-100-power-pack primarily for my Macbook, but wondering if I could use it for tent lights too?
Box Rocket
Well-known member
I agree that an Ayer would be a good fit for an Accord. Here is an Ayer on my trailer, which has a 3' x 5' lid. It's not a wide tent, being about 46" wide. For two, it's like sleeping in a double bed, but longer. It's comfortable, and you'd certainly get better mpg then either my Liberty or Wrangler.
Good looking setup. FYI (in case you didn't see them) there are "slits" in the lower tent skirt for the tension rods to go through into the tent base so that the skirt doesn't have to bunched up above the tension rods and make for water to puddle.
Lemsteraak
Adventurer
OK you chuckleheads, let's get back on topic. The question put to us is "can you put a RTT on a Honda Accord for a cross country trip?"
Yes, you aren't crazy, a RTT is a great solution and gives you all sorts of great travel options. I've crossed the country many times with a RTT and think they are the best here. North American wilderness is pretty tame, I like a ground tent for camping. If you want to camp in a truck stop, this is a different animal and a RTT works great. We would stop and camp in Wal-Mart parking lots and all sorts of crazy places. The best one is staying with friends, you have your own bedroom so you aren't putting them out a bit.
The next question is what sort of RTT works best for a sedan? I would agree with Colin Hughes that the hard shell RTT has it all over a folder. Folding RTT work well for expedition use. Hard shell tents are quiet and aerodynamic as they are sized for the vehicle. Don't get one that is too wide, if it extends over the sides of the roof too much, you get a weird end plate effect that hurts mileage.
I found that a hard shell drops your MPG about one to two percent, depending on the tent. The old square hard shell aren't as good. I tried a folder and found they work OK if you keep your speed under 55 but at 80 - forget it.
Simplicity is a huge factor too. When you are crossing the country there are times where you just need to stop. I've stopped at a rest stop to take a nap and listened to folks try to figure out what the thing is on the car, they had no idea I'm trying to take a nap inside. I've talked to state police about if it is legal to camp there and they told me that I wasn't camping, I was resting and that is what the rest stops are for. My wife is a real girly girl and either she like to stop at four star hotels or use the roof tent. Our last trip through South Dakota the tent saved us. Near Sturgis, there were bikes everywhere and she was scared, no problem, they don't camp at least the scary ones don't so she was really happy. We didn't stay at a hotel until we got to Georgia.
The last question is safety. As you can see from the drawing above, you get a lot of lift and a venturi effect when the wind is forced between the tent and the roof. I would get a name brand set of load bars, and make sure you have at least a 28 inch spread between the bars, I like at least 30 inches. If you can't get this, have tracks installed, like on a SUV, they look pretty cool on a sedan and are really strong. I set up a Prius this way once and it worked out great.
Yes, you aren't crazy, a RTT is a great solution and gives you all sorts of great travel options. I've crossed the country many times with a RTT and think they are the best here. North American wilderness is pretty tame, I like a ground tent for camping. If you want to camp in a truck stop, this is a different animal and a RTT works great. We would stop and camp in Wal-Mart parking lots and all sorts of crazy places. The best one is staying with friends, you have your own bedroom so you aren't putting them out a bit.
The next question is what sort of RTT works best for a sedan? I would agree with Colin Hughes that the hard shell RTT has it all over a folder. Folding RTT work well for expedition use. Hard shell tents are quiet and aerodynamic as they are sized for the vehicle. Don't get one that is too wide, if it extends over the sides of the roof too much, you get a weird end plate effect that hurts mileage.
I found that a hard shell drops your MPG about one to two percent, depending on the tent. The old square hard shell aren't as good. I tried a folder and found they work OK if you keep your speed under 55 but at 80 - forget it.
Simplicity is a huge factor too. When you are crossing the country there are times where you just need to stop. I've stopped at a rest stop to take a nap and listened to folks try to figure out what the thing is on the car, they had no idea I'm trying to take a nap inside. I've talked to state police about if it is legal to camp there and they told me that I wasn't camping, I was resting and that is what the rest stops are for. My wife is a real girly girl and either she like to stop at four star hotels or use the roof tent. Our last trip through South Dakota the tent saved us. Near Sturgis, there were bikes everywhere and she was scared, no problem, they don't camp at least the scary ones don't so she was really happy. We didn't stay at a hotel until we got to Georgia.
The last question is safety. As you can see from the drawing above, you get a lot of lift and a venturi effect when the wind is forced between the tent and the roof. I would get a name brand set of load bars, and make sure you have at least a 28 inch spread between the bars, I like at least 30 inches. If you can't get this, have tracks installed, like on a SUV, they look pretty cool on a sedan and are really strong. I set up a Prius this way once and it worked out great.
Thank you for your insightful response
I will be staying with friends along the way but I will also be spending significant amount of time in various national parks etc. I am a kitesurfer so If I find a windy lake on the way and can just camp etc, would love to do that by the water. Basically this trip is supposed to be a once in a lifetime thing. I am starting a job and my career is going to take off and I will never ever be able to take so much time off before I retire.
Anyways, the reason I want to go with a RTT and not a ground tent is for obvious reasons that everyone does. I dont want to spend time finding a level camping spot and next half hour setting up the tent. Also be able to camp where I can camp for free, and take off early in the morning.
I love the idea of pulling the thing out in rest stops. Are you saying that the fold up soft tents may be seen at camping and Hard top ones just seen as resting on top of the car? That is a huge advantage right there.
I am getting a name brane Roof rack and load bars but pardon my ignorance here, what are tracks?
I will be staying with friends along the way but I will also be spending significant amount of time in various national parks etc. I am a kitesurfer so If I find a windy lake on the way and can just camp etc, would love to do that by the water. Basically this trip is supposed to be a once in a lifetime thing. I am starting a job and my career is going to take off and I will never ever be able to take so much time off before I retire.
Anyways, the reason I want to go with a RTT and not a ground tent is for obvious reasons that everyone does. I dont want to spend time finding a level camping spot and next half hour setting up the tent. Also be able to camp where I can camp for free, and take off early in the morning.
I love the idea of pulling the thing out in rest stops. Are you saying that the fold up soft tents may be seen at camping and Hard top ones just seen as resting on top of the car? That is a huge advantage right there.
I am getting a name brane Roof rack and load bars but pardon my ignorance here, what are tracks?
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Personally, the only advantage I see to a hard-shell is aerodynamics and fuel economy. To make that worthwhile you need to try to find a hardshell that isn't much wider than the roof. I'm sorry but that makes for a VERY small tent since the hardshell ones are only as big as their closed footprint. I'm not a big guy but that amount of cramped space would get old fast on a long trip and for that matter I'd be just as well of to sleep in the car. Yes, you'll take a bit more of a hit on gas mileage with a folding RTT, but with a very compact tent like the Tepui Ayer than has been mentioned, you keep a small footprint but have much more space when it's open and that makes for a much more comfortable sleep which in turn will make the trip more enjoyable.
Lemsteraak
Adventurer
If you are setting up your car for attachments on the roof, going to the expense of tracks makes sense. I'm always carrying things, so my racks take a lot of abuse. Both Thule and Yakima sell kits to make the job easier, but it still isn't for the faint of heart because you have to drill holes in your roof.
http://www.yakima.com/shop/racksystems/permanent-installation/tracks54-w-60hardware
Here is what my "rig" looks like in full expedition mode, well the boat anyway. Yes, I could sleep in the boat, it is just that the tent is way more comfortable.
You can save a little money by buying the tracks new but buy the towers and bars used, like off craigslist, because they are very common as just about every SUV uses them.
Getting back to the relative merits of folders vs pop-ups, I don't think footprint size is a good measure of comfort. The tent shown above is actually bigger with a 52" width as opposed to the 48" width of the folding tent that was mentioned. We now have a smaller tent as I felt our old pop-up in the picture was too large. One place where I use my tent is winter camping. This is really where you want a "hard shelled" tent as they can extend your camping season. Pop-ups are much warmer, they have insulation and even a winter hood that can trap even more warmth. I think of them more like a sleeping bag, bigger isn't necessarily better, as you may want a thinner mummy bag for cold weather. The other advantage is that you can close them up when wet because they don't really get wet like a folder. When the sun is out, you pop the tent back open and air it out, my folding tent just stays damp, and then it collects dirt. I could go on but you get the idea. I live in an area where we measure rainfall in feet, the storms are epic here.
Another place where a pop-up has it all over the folder is value. I bought the tent shown above for $1400 back on 2001 and sold it here on the Portal for $1600 in 20010. Folders are much cheaper to buy because they are made in China, but I'm not sure they are cheaper to own.
http://www.yakima.com/shop/racksystems/permanent-installation/tracks54-w-60hardware
Here is what my "rig" looks like in full expedition mode, well the boat anyway. Yes, I could sleep in the boat, it is just that the tent is way more comfortable.
You can save a little money by buying the tracks new but buy the towers and bars used, like off craigslist, because they are very common as just about every SUV uses them.
Getting back to the relative merits of folders vs pop-ups, I don't think footprint size is a good measure of comfort. The tent shown above is actually bigger with a 52" width as opposed to the 48" width of the folding tent that was mentioned. We now have a smaller tent as I felt our old pop-up in the picture was too large. One place where I use my tent is winter camping. This is really where you want a "hard shelled" tent as they can extend your camping season. Pop-ups are much warmer, they have insulation and even a winter hood that can trap even more warmth. I think of them more like a sleeping bag, bigger isn't necessarily better, as you may want a thinner mummy bag for cold weather. The other advantage is that you can close them up when wet because they don't really get wet like a folder. When the sun is out, you pop the tent back open and air it out, my folding tent just stays damp, and then it collects dirt. I could go on but you get the idea. I live in an area where we measure rainfall in feet, the storms are epic here.
Another place where a pop-up has it all over the folder is value. I bought the tent shown above for $1400 back on 2001 and sold it here on the Portal for $1600 in 20010. Folders are much cheaper to buy because they are made in China, but I'm not sure they are cheaper to own.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
I'm not going to argue with you about it. All of the things you mention in your last post as pros of the hard shell is nothing more than personal preference. You're making wildly inaccurate claims like that a folding tent can't dry out by opening it up when the sun is out. They work just the same as your hard-shell as far as that goes. Its neat that you live somewhere where they measure rainfall in feet and I'm sure you walked to school up hill both ways when you were younger too. Folding tents are not cheaper because they are made in China, sorry. And for the record, not all folding tents are made in China.
.
Rocktor, I think you've got lots of opinions here to go on so I won't worry about getting into any further debate. But I'm here if you have any additional questions and let me know if I can help you out with a tent.
Folding tents are not cheaper because they are made in China, sorry. And for the record, not all folding tents are made in China..
Rocktor, I think you've got lots of opinions here to go on so I won't worry about getting into any further debate. But I'm here if you have any additional questions and let me know if I can help you out with a tent.
MANUCHAO
Aventurero
i have owned both Eeze Awn, and now a columbus variant. both great tents, and both not cheap.
canvas tent easy to set up, hard to put away..especially under the rain. waterproof to heavy rains for three days straight. Stopped raining on the fourth day, but im sure it would have been no problem, noisy in windy condition, needs staking out to deal with flapping. tent made in South Africa.
hard shell tent easy to set up and put away even for my 14 year old nephew. smaller yes, uncomfortable on long trips...hell no, quiet on windy conditions, great under the rain as well... made in Italy.
where is the tepui made at?
there is a good tread going around about proprietary fabrics and waterproofness.
to the OP if this is an item you looking at using just for this trip and selling once the trip is over, go with a chinese brand. if you going to keep it for a while spend the time and do some research...
i sold the canvas tent cause the wife could not physically set it up/put it away on her own...
canvas tent easy to set up, hard to put away..especially under the rain. waterproof to heavy rains for three days straight. Stopped raining on the fourth day, but im sure it would have been no problem, noisy in windy condition, needs staking out to deal with flapping. tent made in South Africa.
hard shell tent easy to set up and put away even for my 14 year old nephew. smaller yes, uncomfortable on long trips...hell no, quiet on windy conditions, great under the rain as well... made in Italy.
where is the tepui made at?
there is a good tread going around about proprietary fabrics and waterproofness.
to the OP if this is an item you looking at using just for this trip and selling once the trip is over, go with a chinese brand. if you going to keep it for a while spend the time and do some research...
i sold the canvas tent cause the wife could not physically set it up/put it away on her own...
Lemsteraak
Adventurer
Ouch, I didn't mean to make wildly inaccurate claims. I thought that this is what Rocktor was looking for was opinions. I'm a sailor and not a 4x4 enthusiast so I was just trying to give a different perspective to the discussion. I've seen the Tepui tents and like them, and no I'm not trying to sell one brand over another, I don't really care, I'll go now.
Cascadia-vehicle-tents
Supporting Sponsor
For what it is worth I would be careful about a hard shell with the load bars being under a certain length a part. I have seen the tents bend from not much holding them and to much overhang. You need to have at least 36"-42" between the bars or a 3 bar system. Your vehicle as far as I can tell would not be a good candidate for a hard shell. It is to curvy and the bars would be too close.
As far as soft tents go there are quite a few that will work. For smaller tents Tepui and myself have one that is in the 48"x 48" range (closed) We have ours available in July. Starting at $795.00 and $895.00 with the overhang (annex rooms $150.00 extra , they have 4 walls,3 doors and a floor.). You also can go bigger depending on how many you would like to sleep. If you have any questions please let us know.
Thank you,
Bobby
As far as soft tents go there are quite a few that will work. For smaller tents Tepui and myself have one that is in the 48"x 48" range (closed) We have ours available in July. Starting at $795.00 and $895.00 with the overhang (annex rooms $150.00 extra , they have 4 walls,3 doors and a floor.). You also can go bigger depending on how many you would like to sleep. If you have any questions please let us know.
Thank you,
Bobby