Sure-Fire Ways to Improve Your Roof Top Tent

[Rattler]

Very nice!



I was looking at using the new Rustoleum NeverWet to improve the waterproofing of the canvas, since parts of mine mine get soaked through in long or heavy rains, but I haven't read the best reviews. I'll definitely be looking at the Starbrite.

My tent has been through some hellacious downpours over the years. Most of them while camped next to Lake Superior. I was getting some little leaks on the seams. I went a little extra on them. Everything seems to be back to normal. Plus I still have enough to do it again.

 

[compactcamping]

For seam sealing RTTs that do not come with their seams taped, I would recommend McNett / Gear Aid Seam Grip.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

wreckdiver, I have to say "Thank you!" I got the webbing clips in the mail yesterday, and I himmed and hawed about getting into doing the buckles, not knowing what to expect. Well, I think I had the first strap apart (buckles and Velcro) in about 2 minutes. The second one took me 1 minute.
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Now it is just a matter of unbuckling the straps instead of fighting those blasted D-ring buckles and the Velcro! Now I have to do the same with the 1" straps for the tent itself. I just have to figure out the best way to lash the strap ends to keep them from flapping around. Any ideas?
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I did do a little something extra with the straps, I made new webbing hold-downs out of 1/8" stainless steel to replace those .064" aluminum ones the tent came with. Talk about a LOT more secure! I'll get some pics in a couple of days....
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Again - Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Haha you are very welcome! Glad to hear my little idea worked for other folks! They are all 1" straps, so all of the Velcro bits are now buckles on my tent. So much nicer. I really don't get why they don't come this way from the factory. As for getting the excess strap more secure, I was planning on trimming them and melting the ends to look neat. Another idea was to throw a little slide on there that I could thread the strap through. That idea seems to be winning right now, but I'm still trying to come up with something ingenious

That sounds stout, can't wait to see the pics!

My tent has been through some hellacious downpours over the years. Most of them while camped next to Lake Superior. I was getting some little leaks on the seams. I went a little extra on them. Everything seems to be back to normal. Plus I still have enough to do it again.

I read up on it and it seems like a great choice. On mine, the waterproofing wasn't applied as evenly as it should have been, so it needs a little something extra.

 

[stingray1300]

The tent straps are 1" webbing, but the cover straps are 1 1/2".

Anyway, here are a few photos of my new stainless 'anchors'. Notice the difference in thickness from the .064" aluminum anchors to the 1/8 (.125)" stainless steel anchors. And of course, don't miss my new swanky "buckles". They're tan in color, but who cares? They are unique!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Beefy!

The anchors on my CVT are a bit different. They are made of plastic, but there is a screw that goes straight through the nylon webbing to secure it.

 

[stingray1300]

How old is your Tepui? The anchors on mine are (were) plastic *for the tent*. The weather cover, with the 1 1/2" straps utilized those cheesy aluminum anchors.
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I just finished swapping out all the anchors. The plastic ones this time that pull the tent tight. First thing I did was drill out the holes to accept a larger #10 screw. Then, since I have plenty of strap now that the D ring is gone, I wrapped the new stainless steel anchor with the webbing strap. So the screw that goes through the webbing now has to go through it twice (see photo). Now the whole tent will have to fall apart for the webbing to pull apart from the tent.
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[CrewServed]

What a great thread! There are tons of clever ideas I'm excited to try (especially that side release buckle mod!).

I have a question, and I'm not sure if this is the right place for it. Anywho, I'm looking for an installation manual for the ARB Simpson III. I'm installing a new bed rack and the orientation of the tent's mounting rails will change by 90°. I can't find my own manual and either my Google-**** is weak or the manuals aren't easy to find on the internetz. Either way, I need your help, guys!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

How old is your Tepui? The anchors on mine are (were) plastic *for the tent*. The weather cover, with the 1 1/2" straps utilized those cheesy aluminum anchors.
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I just finished swapping out all the anchors. The plastic ones this time that pull the tent tight. First thing I did was drill out the holes to accept a larger #10 screw. Then, since I have plenty of strap now that the D ring is gone, I wrapped the new stainless steel anchor with the webbing strap. So the screw that goes through the webbing now has to go through it twice (see photo). Now the whole tent will have to fall apart for the webbing to pull apart from the tent.

That is very clever and looks super tough. I like it. Remember, my tent is a Cascadia, not a Tepui. All of my anchors are the plastic type. I may have to change them to the uber beef design you just showed off. Nice work!

 

[el taco loco]

What a great thread! There are tons of clever ideas I'm excited to try (especially that side release buckle mod!).

I have a question, and I'm not sure if this is the right place for it. Anywho, I'm looking for an installation manual for the ARB Simpson III. I'm installing a new bed rack and the orientation of the tent's mounting rails will change by 90°. I can't find my own manual and either my Google-**** is weak or the manuals aren't easy to find on the internetz. Either way, I need your help, guys!

I can't help you directly with your question, but will add that when I purchased my RTT second hand, the rails had been cut to mount on the short dimension of the tent. This meant that the hinge was at the rear in my case, which was 90° off from where I wanted it.

I had to order new mounting rails in order for them to be long enough to orient the tent so that the hinge was on the side of the vehicle when the tent was mounted. I hope that makes sense.

 

[CrewServed]

You can actually answer my question! I know that I'll have to cut the rail, no problem there. Will the holes on the rails still match up with the holes in the floor of the RTT in the perpendicular orientation?

I guess I could just go outside and measure it, though...

 

[wreckdiver1321]

You can actually answer my question! I know that I'll have to cut the rail, no problem there. Will the holes on the rails still match up with the holes in the floor of the RTT in the perpendicular orientation?

I guess I could just go outside and measure it, though...

Yes, they will. The rails are designed so that they can be bolted on in either direction. The bolt pattern on the tent is an exact square in the very center, so everything lines up whether the rails go front to back or side to side. Like you said, you'll have to cut off the excess rail, but they will bolt up just fine.

 

[CrewServed]

Yes, they will. The rails are designed so that they can be bolted on in either direction. The bolt pattern on the tent is an exact square in the very center, so everything lines up whether the rails go front to back or side to side. Like you said, you'll have to cut off the excess rail, but they will bolt up just fine.

Outstanding! Thanks for the info.

 

[stingray1300]

I came to a realization while working on my RTT, and it is this: If you have ever wanted a really nice set of offset ratcheting box-end wrenches, the time is now if you have an RTT. I have a set of Craftsman. Couldn't imagine doing an install/maintenance on the RTT without them. They make life SO much easier..
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Just thought I'd throw that on the table...

 

[parapyropig]

Pretty cool how many of us had the same ideas - great minds, as they say. :victory:

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I came to a realization while working on my RTT, and it is this: If you have ever wanted a really nice set of offset ratcheting box-end wrenches, the time is now if you have an RTT. I have a set of Craftsman. Couldn't imagine doing an install/maintenance on the RTT without them. They make life SO much easier..
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Just thought I'd throw that on the table...

THIS!!!!