Who has the highest mounted RTT??

[LIVEABOARD]

High

Had a pop up tent on top of my xtra tall roof sprinter van that had ladder mounted on rear door for entry loved being high could see over all and felt much safer at that height as no one could really get close was about 9 ft 4 above ground as I remember

 

[lowenbrau]

I measured mine tonight. I'm 84" to the roof and 85" to the bottom of the tent. I didn't bother measuring overall height but with the camp chairs under the tent cover I must be another foot.

Here's some pics of the folding tire step. I comes in pretty handy when working under the hood as well.

 

[Rockcrawler]

Ours is pretty high up on the Scrambler. It is so high that I don't really like using it up there. Driving characteristics are fine, but if I'm towing it, I can't have the RTT on the Jeep as the Jeep tends to wag back and forth a bit. There are some pics in my RTT mount thread here.

 

[Lemsteraak]

Hey Guys,

Two things to keep in mind when mounting a RTT up high. First is center of gravity of course, but the second is difficulty to close the thing up in the morning.

I was talking to an engineer from Land Rover at the SEMA show a few years back when they had the Kalahari Discovery on display. He admitted that even though their literature says 165 pounds on the roof of a Disco, they prefer 140 pounds maximum because of the height of the old Land Rover. He said below that you will not notice the tent is up there. I think it is sage advice, the higher the tent the smaller and lighter it should be.

I talked to a woman who ordered a small AutoHome OverCamp and she saved up for about a year to get it and was really excited to get it. Only problem she had a lifted Explorer and was five feet one inch tall. She couldn't reach up to the ladder to open it. Let alone close the puppy in the morning. OverCamps are a folding tent and relatively easy to use. She tried using a small ladder and climbing on tires and the rest but still was a problem. She is very happy with a hard shelled tent.

Check in advance to make sure the tent has a system to help tuck the fabric in when closing. With AutoHome, all the hard shell tents, and OverLand and derivitives have it but not the OverCamp. I had an OverCamp for years on my lifted Willys Wagon and needed to climb up on the tailgate and tires and I'm 6'4", so it wasn't really a problem.

Also check on the ladder system if you are over 200 pounds because even with the extensions the puppies will sometimes bend as they extend farther. If you really need a solid ladder, look at the Telesteps from Sweden. This is what is spec'd on some of the big UniMogs with rooftents.

Rich H

 

[66LV]

My RTT is mounted 83 inches up. I needed a ladder extention ( see attached pics) . The shower room still touches the ground. I carry a step stool to help open and repack it.

 

[esh]

You have a couple other options with Marmaduke. Mount the tent forward and use half the ladder attached to your bullbar. Or no tent ladder and use a ladder on the rear bumper. Depends on how you setup camp.

The Hannibal tent (and I suspect Eezi Awn, they are near cousins) has a 2 piece ladder with a foot that extends and works with either ladder half. It would handle your height, or with just the main piece and foot extension would work with a bullbar.

Setup is fast and takedown isn't too long with practice. There are internal shock cords to suck canvas and fly in. The quality of the zipper around the cover (and adding some leather pull straps) helps save time. I am on the rack and tent to setup/take down. You might get away with standing on a tire, but from the rooftop is just easier. I do the rainfly poles from inside the tent. The tent lends itself very well to poking in the material as you fold it up.

 

[BlueHZT60]

With my SOA and Dakkar heavies my rain gutter sits at 83" at the back and 82" at the front over the door.

With my high roof I have the extended rain gutter Yakima mounts that put me into the 92"-94" range.

You might have me beat on the height! I agree with not falling of the ladder, it could lead to a bad situation.

My gutters sit at 73" with the top of the Maggiolina at 90". Sprung under, OME, 35's. With the Alcan suspension (at least for the first week - I was 4" higher).

I have a large Maggiolina - Grand tour or whatever it is called now. It has been through a lot over the past 10 years.

A) ARB mounts, with channel support - my gutters are trashed from being a slow learner
B) Get the Harkin lift system when you buy it
C) Don't leave it outside during the winter - 2 ice dam breaks in my roof, one led to mold one to ice, both lots of playing with fiberglass
D) figure out how to have an outside lift (I currently use 4x4 + 4x6 from fence to garage roof, then harness and cams.
E) Remove outside, place on trailer, roll in garage - See B above - for winter storage
F) make idiot proof plugs & an extension cord for use up top and on the trailer. Keep cord under bed - with fly swatter.

I've had only one trail break - watch out for that tree.

I've gotten new ladders - the Alum ones. If they are not long enough, you could always get one/two of those telescoping Alum. ladders. The tailgate makes a perfect place to stand while opening/closing.

 

[Corey]

A better shot of mine at Mt. Rainier National Parks White River campground from earlier this week.

I am 220, perhaps pushing it for my ladder

A sidenote here.
I got no peace while there hardly.
The site has 112 sites, and I swear just about everyone had to stop and stare at the Maggiolina, and also ask questions.