Why Roof Top Tent

[jeffryscott]

Haven't seen this mentioned in any of the replies: RTT's and nighttime bathroom trips.

No problem for me, but with my wife (mostly my wife) and two daughters the RTT was an incredible pain and they absolutely hated it. Multiple trips up and down the ladder in the middle of the night became a deal breaker.

I've gone back and forth on RTT vs. pop-up vs. ground. I loved the RTT, but was alone in that sentiment. Thought the pop-up trailer might encourage more outdoor time, but it didn't and was, in general, a royal pain. Went back to ground and its ok, but extremely bulky packing three to four sleeping pads, bags, etc .. along with the tent. I needed to buy a rooftop box (Thule or Yakima) to fit it all in my Trooper. I'm trying to replicate the comfort of the RTT, but can't.
The comfort of the RTT is, for me, almost as good as my mattress at home (tempurpedic) and my sleep is fabulous. Stowing bedding in one place and not in the truck is awesome.

Sadly, after all this, and as much as I try, my girls (all three) just really don't like camping. So I'm considering going back to an RTT as it really is only me who needs to be happy.

 

[spressomon]

Sadly, after all this, and as much as I try, my girls (all three) just really don't like camping. So I'm considering going back to an RTT as it really is only me who needs to be happy.

This is exactly what happened to me! SO of 24-years has tolerated camping but last year she told me she was "done camping". So I sold our KK to friends and opted for the Columbus RTT and found myself in a much simpler set-up

It would have been cheaper & simpler if she told me that long ago. Where's the 'head bang against the wall' moticon anyway?!

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

This is exactly what happened to me! SO of 24-years has tolerated camping but last year she told me she was "done camping". So I sold our KK to friends and opted for the Columbus RTT and found myself in a much simpler set-up

It would have been cheaper & simpler if she told me that long ago. Where's the 'head bang against the wall' moticon anyway?!

I went one $ up from a solo set up of a RTT due to the long set up time. When my girls want to go I pull the mini popup. Now I can take everyone and go just about anywhere If necessary . I believe after many years and $$$ Im done with chasing the best set up at least for me.

 

[jrfromafar]

Me Too!
I made a Poor man's RTT a deck mounted on my trailer and a cheap 7 x 7 dome tent.
I will try this out for for mow and save for a large family sized RTT in the future.

Here's my poor man's RTT

Platform measures 96" x 64"

 

[brianjwilson]

I went one $ up from a solo set up of a RTT due to the long set up time. When my girls want to go I pull the mini popup. Now I can take everyone and go just about anywhere If necessary . I believe after many years and $$$ Im done with chasing the best set up at least for me.

I love that setup, this is what I decided on.

Minimal setup (less than a minute?), closing up is nearly as quick. Hard roof over head, tough sides that do not flap even with 40+ mph winds. Minimal fabric to collect water. Vehicle heat and a/c can be blown up top. This top stays on all the time, adds only 6" height and has a Thule rack setup. Can't do that with a normal RTT.
I've got my wife planning a little better regarding midnight pee runs. But when she has to go, one panel can be moved and she crawls down through the rear seat.
This works best for us because its always ready with sleeping geared stored up top, alreadys ready for spontaneous trips, great in cold/wet weather. We move around frequently (rarely "base" camp) so it's literally minutes to setup or tear down. No packing up we tents!
Our last night was at toroweap on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, lots of coyotes howling, animals scurrying etc and it was very comfortable being up off the ground. In the morning there were mouse tracks all over my fenders, bumpers, rock rails, etc and none made it higher. Another night a few weeks ago at the Oregon coast we were blasted by 40-50mph winds and torrential rain. The tent campers in the campground all abandoned their gear in the middle of the night. In the morning they were all blown over with several inches of water pooling on them. We slept well, got up in the morning, closed up and went on our way.

We haven't found any problem with vehicle moving at night, even when we air down the tires. Good springs and shocks keep from any bouncing or continued rocking.

 

[bobDog]

Easy peasy? Thats a pun ....right?

 

[ChuckB]

Great comments, I'm learning a lot from this thread. Especially from the comments regarding daughters!

 

[JimBiram]

Since my wife doesn't camp with me, I either sleep in my RTT or in the back of my LR3. My RTT is an Oasis II tent, which is similar to a tent cot, but made to be mounted on a roof. I consider it a 3 season tent, since I would rather be inside my vehicle with the heater on if the temp drops below 30. The comments made by everyone about the base camp versus the traveling are right on. It is another packing step to daily close it up to go anywhere. However, since the Oasis is only 50 lbs, I can put it on the roof myself, so if I was to base camp, I can pull it off the roof in 5 minutes and leave it on the ground to sleep. I don't think anyone imports them to the US now, but they are available through www. trekking.fr and they will ship to the US. I think they are about 700 EU so they aren't cheap, but the crossover capabilities are unique, and the light weight works well for offroad as well as for ease of installation and removal.

 

[grogie]

So I have a mildly lifted Jeep and a matching off road box trailer that is 3'x5'. I am thinking about putting a RTT on the trailer, but I'm curious about what would that do to the stability of the trailer when towing it, by adding 150 lbs. to the top of it. My trailer is very light to begin with. Any comments?

The trailer:

 

[kai38]

So I have a mildly lifted Jeep and a matching off road box trailer that is 3'x5'. I am thinking about putting a RTT on the trailer, but I'm curious about what would that do to the stability of the trailer when towing it, by adding 150 lbs. to the top of it. My trailer is very light to begin with. Any comments?

The trailer:

I would think you should be OK if you don't raise it too high. My RTT sits 18in above the top of my M416 trailer and have not had any problems.

 

[m(a)ce]

So I have a mildly lifted Jeep and a matching off road box trailer that is 3'x5'. I am thinking about putting a RTT on the trailer, but I'm curious about what would that do to the stability of the trailer when towing it, by adding 150 lbs. to the top of it. My trailer is very light to begin with. Any comments?

The trailer:

it should be fine based on my limited experience. we just got a Manley trailer with an ARB rtt & it's completely stable. I've never towed any distance before & just put in 6 hours+ (interstate/highway/unimproved roads) & it's solid. hope this helps.


delivered by winged monkeys

 

[Ozarker]

For these kinds of trip i have a folding shelter, it's easy to set up for any one. Don't waste my time for finding place for tent and carrying the folding shelter is quite very easy.

What folding shelter, got pics?

I was reading this thread in connection with recent comments, good comments here, hope Alexis sees this or someone who can answer the folding shelter matter.