Two rooftop tents on a Suburban?

[Overthetop]

Does anyone use two rooftop tents on a larger vehicle like a Suburban? The reason I ask is that I have three kids, which makes most rooftop tents a bit...crowded. Given the amount of real estate available on the roof a 1990 Suburban, I think two roof top tents would fit. I seem to recall seeing a picture of a dual setup somewhere on here, but couldn't find it.

I'm sure somebody has run something similar, but I'd love to see some pictures and hear some experiences with that type of setup.

 

[lysol]

Like this?:

http://www.campers.co.za/3

 

[mep1811]

Two RTTs

I suggest looking into the Overcamp. You can fit two sideby side since the tent only uses half the space of any other RTT. I have one for over 15 years and really like it .


http://www.autohomeus.com/rooftop/overcamp.php

 

[qwerty]

You could also get one really big RTT like the CVT Mt. McKinley.

http://www.cascadiatents.com/index.php?m=94&s=594&c=&id=133

 

[Bobmog]

Two rtt to sleep family

I have 2 rooftop tents in which we used to sleep a family of 5, my wife, three teenage kids and me. Just tough when someone needs to use the restroom but plenty of room for sleeping.
Now it is just usually my wife and me.

 

[Overthetop]

Those were exactly the pictures I was looking for. I really like the size of the CVT Mt. McKinley, mainly because my kids are really young right now. It would be nice to have everyone in the same tent. Although two smaller tents would be nice, because I would have the option of using one or two depending on how many of us were going on a trip.

 

[Richietherocket]

Are the Overcamp RTT's even available in the states? They dont show on the Autohome website. Maybe a special order?

 

[Mike S]

yes, available special order.

 

[Equipt]

Another option you might consider is the Eezi-Awn Series 3 Family tent. It is a single tent with 2 ladders. There is a dividing wall that separates the tent in half that can be removed if you choose. We have several customers that have this tent mounted on their D110s, Land Cruiser 80s & 100s, and a Suburban. It is a great size for a growing family.



Eezi-Awn Family Tent

Stock is arriving in February.

Cheers,

 

[4D55 Performance]

I have the CVT McKinley tent and it will comfortably sleep 6-7. You can sleep 4-5 in the tent and you can sleep an additional 2 in the annex room on cots. This is the largest RTT on the market at 84x96. I think one RTT should be enough, especially if you get the annex and awning with bugnet room. With this type of a setup you could sleep 11-12 adults.

 

[Lemsteraak]

My two cents,

While you can mount two roof tents, my question is, do you really want to do this? Lots of weight up there. I've done it for a 400 mile journey and didn't like having so much dead weight up there. Our medical rescue truck is a Suburban with easily 200 pounds on the roof with all the stretchers and equipment up there, I don't like driving that much either.

Another potential problem is liability. Most of the sport bar manufacturers like Thule and Yakima have a 165 pound max weight limit on their bars. This includes the weight of the rack, so the net weight is more like 155 pounds. While we all know this is silly, the bars can carry much more. The point is, this is the maximum weight they will warrant. Lets say you are in an accident and some sharp lawyer sees that you were carrying a 185 pound roof tent, things could get a little ugly.

If you need this equipment for expedition and do the engineering, then by all means do it. If you are going camping with the kids in a park, then a ground tent may be a better choice.

 

[Texans Outdoors]

Here' the thread I've been looking for. But still not a lot of info. I have a 99' K-1500 and I'm intrigued by the idea of an RTT but not quite sold yet.

 

[mep1811]

yes, available special order.

That is true but do NOT expect any customer service from Autohome once you get the tent.

 

[NatersXJ6]

I had 2 Tepui Ayers on top of my JKUR at one point. They didn't interface spectacularly well, but it was workable. we enjoyed a few nights in them.

I ended up selling one after a while when it became clear that my camping trips would be sans wife.

I've seen other rigs with 2 tents, it seems to be workable for dumping kids in one and parents in another.

I say go for it.

 

[Box Rocket]

I feel your pain, we have 4 kids and dual tents was our solution as well. However I have an offroad trailer that holds one of the tents so I don't need to fit them both on the roof of the truck. I'll give my two cents on dual tents on the roof. It can work well but personally I would avoid the side by side configuration because of the width. It's just too easy to damage the tents since they are going to be wider than the vehicle and sometimes you just forget them. The exception is the Overcamp ones pictured on the Unimog that are narrower than most other popular tents. Since you have a Suburban, I'd suggest mounting one in front of the other. You could have them open off the same side or opposite sides, or even one over the rear if you choose. The large dual ladder tents can be a good option, but my wife and I find that the separation we have from the kids in a different tent makes for a better nights sleep for everyone. Also something to look at if you are considering one of the dual ladder tents is the tendency for the center area at the seam to sag over time. These tents are so much wider that it's a big distance between the hinges and if you're not careful about making sure the two halves of the base seat together correctly, they can pop apart and eventually the center will sag. For this reason I'm still a fan of dual tents rather than a single larger one. As others have mentioned, getting tents that also have an annex would give even more room for sleeping or just a place to hang out while being protected from weather. Not a bad thing with kids.
.
If you're interested in looking at Tepui options, let me know. We have size that will sleep 2-4 in the main sleeping areas and ones that include an annex also.