turning it sideways

[Jeep or Tacoma]

why are all the tents sideways mounted? I have a jeep with a sunroof an and it seems to me that if I turned the tent sideways and gained access through the sun roof I would have access to the tent from within the vehicle sorta like a poor mans flip pac. AmI missing something?

 

[Happykamper]

I have the tepui Autana opening to the back of my JKU. Makes it easy to get drinks snacks from rear . Plus it serves as an awning in rear for the fridge and things. So access and only need one side awning .

 

[TheFutur]

When i put my tent on my truck i have it open over the tailgate

I prefer it that way as it gives me shelter when accessing my trucks bed and it leaves enough room on my roof for 2 kayaks.

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

good to hear

I am not the only one thinking this way.

 

[Happykamper]

We now have a triple for rear deployment !!! Does that even remotely sound right ?

 

[Kevin108]

Pros: It hangs over the rear, offering some weather protection for the interior when the back door is open.
Cons: If you're going to open the door more than once or twice, you need to remove the ladder.

Ours opens over the back because it's how my wife asked me to install it. Wanting her to be involved and comfortable, I complied. As an afterthought, I realized it's the best configuration since we're still using the OEM roof rack. The weight distribution is optimal in this setup. Opening to the side, I could conceivably place the entire weight of the tent plus myself on one rail of the OEM rack, and I don't know that it would like that.

Also, I made a quick release for the ladder with 1/4" clevis pins but if you take the ladder off and someone is in the tent, you have to make sure they're on the supported half.

 

[NatersXJ6]

Going back to ... Back

When I first got my RTT, I mounted it opening sideways. Then I quickly turned it to open over the rear. after a couple of years, I decided to turn it sideways again and now I'm regretting it. I will be turning it to the rear soon I think.

Rear Pros:

some more shelter than the tail glass provides
Easier to access the side window tension rod holes (this is the biggest pro), allowing much safer and faster setup
Can go out the front door onto the roof rack. Kids love this. also nice for shoe and duffel placement
sometimes it is easier to camp in tight spots, against trees, or parked with multiple vehicles in a tight spot
Easier to determine if vehicle is level front to rear... Subjective, but it seems easier for me to park tail down slightly and still sleep well.
easier to open and to reach across the top of tent with it closed
You are never on the wrong side of the vehicle.

Rear Cons:

Door opens within 1-2" of ladder (Tepui Ayer and Jeep JKU)
On my tent the travel cover has to open back or forward, hanging over your work area or flopping onto your rooftop gear. I will probably fix this with some custom sewing next time I rotate it.
must remove CB antenna to close tailgate with tent open. I have a quick release, but still forget (or the kid does), and have come close to breaking my antenna several times.

Side Pros:

Travel cover hangs under ladder in "dead space"
No antenna concerns

Side Cons:

Travel Cover covers back door of Jeep, inevitably kid decides this is the ONLY door that can be used for whatever she needs.
Reaching the front tension rod that is over the center of the Jeep Roof is a really sketchy activity, especially in rain, snow, ice.
Tucking material across the center of jeep roof after folding is also a difficult reach.



All in all, this is a "to each his own situation", but it is also the Internet, so everyone else is automatically wrong! Except for those that agree with me... they are simply not wrong until I change my opinion!

 

[Happykamper]

I usually leave the rear door open when I'm in camp, so ladder is not a problem .

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

I got it on the side, but with the Xterra, it's a hatchback, so I can take shelter under the hatch and the tent, and the rear door that's accessible from under the tent in poor weather.

 

[Airmapper]

I got it on the side, but with the Xterra, it's a hatchback, so I can take shelter under the hatch and the tent, and the rear door that's accessible from under the tent in poor weather.

Same here with an Xterra. I did it that way for the reasons above plus my awning is off the drivers side, so I get some form of shelter on 3 sides of the vehicle when fully set up.

And as of yet it's never rained on a camping trip since I've had it. That's the way it usually works, if I'm thinking ahead it doesn't happen, if I'm not prepared it does.

I don't know though, I might try it the other way one day if it's not much issue to rotate the mounting tracks. I did like what NatersXJ6 said about roof rack access from the front, be great for transferring items to/from the tent without packing it up and down the ladder.

 

[Outside somewhere]

Tucking material across the center of jeep roof after folding is also a difficult reach.

Not a fan of harbor freight but I picked this up for $10 with a coupon. Guess it's usefulness to you would depend on if your lifted/how much but it's been indispensable when folding the RTT up for me and I'm 6'5. IIRC it's 13" tall but it folds in on it'self with little locking tabs and weights next to nothing.

 

[2manyprojects]

I think one of the original reasons RTT's were mounted to open sideways on the vehicle was to present the smallest frontal area when folded up to minimize wind resistance. Also, some feel it's easier to pass through dense brush on trails if the RTT is narrower on the vehicle. My rig is already pretty large and has the aerodynamics of a brick, so I've never worried about it.

I personally have always had my ARB open to the rear on my FJ-60. It provides shelter and with the annex attached makes a small "room" with access directly to the back of the vehicle. Wife and I have spent plenty of time during storms and windy days comfortably riding things out in there.

 

[Happykamper]

Outside Somewhere ******** That's what I thought too... You articulated your answer to that artfully !!!! Lol

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

Same here with an Xterra. I did it that way for the reasons above plus my awning is off the drivers side, so I get some form of shelter on 3 sides of the vehicle when fully set up.

And as of yet it's never rained on a camping trip since I've had it. That's the way it usually works, if I'm thinking ahead it doesn't happen, if I'm not prepared it does.

I don't know though, I might try it the other way one day if it's not much issue to rotate the mounting tracks. I did like what NatersXJ6 said about roof rack access from the front, be great for transferring items to/from the tent without packing it up and down the ladder.

the RTT isn't square, and the mounting rails would be (too?) short when rotating them to change the RTT from transverse-open to longitudinal-open. Every person and vehicle is different, so to each their own.

Although it's been moved to a trailer, I have it setup to open on the passenger side. This allowed me to park and deploy the RTT away from the road.

 

[NatersXJ6]

I have a similar small ladder, I need 2 steps, as I'm not hitting 6'5", but it is still a little sketchy when leaning over the roof to reach one tension rod. Snow, ice, rain, off level, all make it worse. Not impossible, but not the greatest ergonomic situation, and major injury can ruin a trip quickly.

As far as simple tent rotation goes, in my Tepui the bolt pattern is square, even though the tent is not, so it rotates easily without detaching the crossbars from the rack.

In an earlier post, I really just tried to list a few pros and cons. Each person needs to weight those pros and cons in whatever way they choose...

Enjoy!