Just wanted to circle back and say the Thermarest mat's seem to be doing a decent job as an anti-condensation mat.
Sure-Fire Ways to Improve Your Roof Top Tent
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Just wanted to circle back and say the Thermarest mat's seem to be doing a decent job as an anti-condensation mat.
Perhaps talk to a local boat shop? They should know someone who makes custom covers/awnings/etc for boats. Surely they could do something similar for your tent. It might not be cheap... but then neither was your tent. Fortunately my JB stays inside whenever it's not in use so it's not something I've ever really thought of.
And I knew I shouldn't have gone through this entire threat... I now have a new mattress topper and some LED lights coming... unfortunately camping season up here is mostly finished, but they'll be great for next spring/summer.
mikeyb1976
Member
I think this is the biggest issue people have. Some would say just leave it on the roof year round. We also have the issue of height- I'm 5'6", wife is 5'2", and it's on a Ford Expedition.
I've had to take ours off because the wife needed the truck and had to go into a parking garage with limited clearance. We have a Tepui Autana 3-person.
What I end up doing is:
1. Open the tent and empty the insides; bedding, mattress, etc.
2. Remove the tent cover
3. Remove rain fly (optional, it's like 5lbs with the bars)
This is much, much lighter. However, in 10-15 years when I'm in my 50s, I don't know how well I'll be able to manage putting it on/off.
I've thought about building a 2"x4" ramp system for the tent. Basically it would look like the letter N w/o the right upright.
Now that I think about it, I wonder if a drywall lift would work. Weight the base (or long outriggers), and it should be capable. Hmmm...
We eventually plan on getting a Tacoma, so a bed rack might be easier for on/off. Hopefully it'd be low enough to clear the garage door so I can use a ceiling hoist. Garage has 10'3" ceiling, but a 7' door. Go figure.
mikeyb1976
Member
I don't know if I posted it earlier, but I replaced the ladder hold-down strap on our Autana. You know, the one that clips in the middle of the bloody tent? I can't reach it from the side with the stepstool we bring. I replaced it with a strap that buckles on the side. So now my wife doesn't have to crawl out the sunroof across the roof to try and reach the clip.
We also picked up a Swiffer mop last year. For the bug-front of the RTT cover. The mop breaks down into shorter pieces, so it's easy to store in one of the bins.
The wife also likes to make it homey... so we have these little LED solar lanterns that clip onto the D-rings, providing a little bit of light.
We picked up a couple of short chairs from Cabelas, kinda like beach chairs. That way if weather is bad and we're not driving anywhere, we can sit comfortably in the RTT.
We also picked up a Swiffer mop last year. For the bug-front of the RTT cover. The mop breaks down into shorter pieces, so it's easy to store in one of the bins.
The wife also likes to make it homey... so we have these little LED solar lanterns that clip onto the D-rings, providing a little bit of light.
We picked up a couple of short chairs from Cabelas, kinda like beach chairs. That way if weather is bad and we're not driving anywhere, we can sit comfortably in the RTT.
G8rRanger
New member
I have an F150. My wife and I are both 60 and plan on doing this for the next 10 years, at least. We just got a Tuff Stuff Ranger and a Tuff Stuff rack to load it over the bed. My plan is to use leverage to get one end on the dropped tailgate and dead lift /stand it up from there, like a tire flip. Then, once it's on the tailgate/bed, lean it onto the rack and dead lift it up. Let the tailgate and the rack take a lot of the load. Might not work, and we will find out when I unbox it when it arrives tomorrow. I'm reasonably fit, better than the average 60-year old, based on my eyes and my years in a CrossFit gym. We will see.
Joined here just so I could thank everyone for the ideas and to let everyone know I found a great, easy way to remove the RTT if you have enough room in your garage! I just used a couple of 2x4's instead of using what it came with and painted them black. On and off in 2 minutes!
Now time to order some new cam straps for the sides, velcro is a goner. What type of material is everyone using for the straps, polypropylene, or nylon?
Now time to order some new cam straps for the sides, velcro is a goner. What type of material is everyone using for the straps, polypropylene, or nylon?
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BorealOverland
Active member
Hi guys..
I’ve been reading through this (older) tread and see many people try and figure out ways to stop condensation underneath the matras..
Maybe I am missing something but there are special anti condensation mats for sale for a lot of the popular RTT brands..
Alu Cab, Autohome, Sheepie, IKamper..
I have one for my SHEEPIE YUNA 140 (FSR in the USA is like the same RTT) and it works perfect for me in wet and colder climates.. think Scandinavia..
It also helps with a bit of extra comfort.
daktent.nl
I know it’s a Dutch site but just to give you some ideas.
Maybe this could be helpful for some..
Cheers, Steve
I’ve been reading through this (older) tread and see many people try and figure out ways to stop condensation underneath the matras..
Maybe I am missing something but there are special anti condensation mats for sale for a lot of the popular RTT brands..
Alu Cab, Autohome, Sheepie, IKamper..
I have one for my SHEEPIE YUNA 140 (FSR in the USA is like the same RTT) and it works perfect for me in wet and colder climates.. think Scandinavia..
It also helps with a bit of extra comfort.
Anti-condensmatten
Een Anti-Condensmat zorgt ervoor dat je minder condens krijgt in je daktent en geeft extra comfort tijdens het slapen. Klik hier voor alle info.
daktent.nl
I know it’s a Dutch site but just to give you some ideas.
Maybe this could be helpful for some..
Cheers, Steve
BorealOverland
Active member
See my last post.. easy peasy
Would have to search but there was someone on here that cut into the bottom of their tent to access from a a hole they cut into their truck cap so that they could be contained inside the truck bed if there was bad weather.
How about comfort? Were you happy with the additional padding that the Thermarest provided? It's nice that it serves two purposes and you could potentially pull out a mat to sit on.
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I suppose they added a little more comfort and seemed to help with condensation so money well spent.
Roger, thanks. Trying figure out what is the most bang for your buck and offers more then one use. I come from the backpacking world where everything has to have at least two uses.
So I have some indoor/outdoor carpet from a different project i was going to use to line the floor to help with anti-condensation. Trying to figure out if $80-100 of thermarest sleeping pads between the carpet and the mattress is worth it if it provides additional anti-condensation AND provides additional comfort to not need/want a mattress topper or air mattress.
Oh and this is a great thread - I got a lot of great ideas for outfitting my new Outlander XL I just got.
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