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Anyone used an RTT (Roof Top Tent) Before?

9K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  msk59 
#1 ·
I only recently learned the the acronym meant, and have never used one. Does anyone have any thoughts about them?
 
#4 ·
It comes down to what do you do with your truck and what kind of camping you do. If the places you go have good ground for a tent, and you operate from a 'basecamp' then they're not needed. but if you are always on the move, on rough ground they have a use.
There's alot of overland channels on YT that show the upsides of them.
 
#5 ·
Their optimal use would be for someone who is traveling long days, spending quick nights somewhere and then who wants to quickly pack up and be on the road. They generally come with a decently comfortable mattress, you can usually leave your sleep gear in them ready to go, and they are forgiving of terrain if you are parked somewhere muddy, rocky, snowy, exc. Additionally in an area like Africa or Australia you could argue you are safer from animals and creepy crawlies.

downside is they’re expensive as hell, not often that fast to set up or pack down, very limited in room, have to pack them up if you want to go explore with your vehicle from camp, and make your vehicle quite top heavy.

they have become fairly popular in the US as more of a look cool item. Most of the folks using them here would find a basic ground tent a much better option IMO.
 
#6 ·
They're the latest gimicky thing from the Overland crowd which in itself is one big gimmick. Most people have a bad enough time putting a tent up on the ground,now they're going to try 6 ft in the air with no room to work around.....lol sounds like an emergency room visit.Or try getting up to piss at 2am,drunk when it snowing or icy, another ER visit. Stupidest idea in a decade or two.
 
#9 ·
Stupidest idea in a decade or two.
Lol, I wouldn't go that far. I think ground tents with good mattresses are better suited for most people. Investing in an Exed Megamat and a decent ground tent will have similar size and comfort to most RTTs, and it will weigh less.

I've done extensive research on RTTs and used multiple styles. The kind that flip open have some benefits over ground tents. You can leave sleeping gear inside (mattress and bedding), the setup time can be faster than a similar sized ground tent (I'm thinking 8-person Coleman or something like that), you are off the ground (if that matters to you), and if you can level out your rig then you're guaranteed a level sleeping spot. My first tent was a flip open kind, and I wouldn't buy another. Generally they are much heavier than a ground tent, take as much or more time to set up for the size tent I actually need, and getting them on and off the vehicle (plus storing) can be a hassle.

A hard shell has more benefits over a ground tent. Opening is generally faster, because they are assisted by gas struts or electronics. You can leave sleeping gear inside. You have a hard roof over your head, which can help with noise or extreme conditions. Some of these can be built lighter and low profile, which helps with vehicle dynamics (although a ground tent and good sleeping pad still wins in the weight category). Some can also be used as roof racks.

I started building a wedge style, hard shell RTT. I made the frame, base, and top out of wood. I still need to sew the fabric walls for it. It takes about 30 seconds to set up, and I'm guessing will take 90 seconds to close when I get fabric on it. If I decide this one works well enough, I might make one out of aluminum and composites. There is a good DIY RTT comunity on Facebook, and most people have less invested in building one than a quality ground tent.

Is an RTT the be-all end-all in camping? No. Do they have some benefits over a ground tent? Yes. Is it worth it? That's up to you. They are becoming a fancy "fashion" accessory within the overlanding crowd, but there's no harm in that.

If you want to look at some cool stuff, check out the following:
1) GoFast Camper
2) RipCord's DIY Wedge Camper
3) RoofNest (Sparrow is my favorite out of their offerings)
4) FreeSpirit (Odyssey is my favorite out of their offerings)
5) Smittybilt (the budget option)

The old tent:
318941

318942


The new tent:
318939

318940
 
#10 ·
I've used mine quite a bit. Cheap, china no brand one i bought as part of a group buy on the Tacoma forums 2 years or so ago.
The thing i probably like the most is that i can pack all the sleeping stuff inside it (pillows, blankets, clothes, whatever) and its up there, out of the way, and nice and clean/dry after a day on the road or trail. The bed itself is comfy, plenty of room for 2 people or me and the dog. Pops up in seconds, packs away in about 5 minutes.
I put the same tent on the frontier and my other car for various trips. No worries about sleeping on lumpy ground, no air mattress to blow up, etc.





 
#13 ·
How comfy is it at 1am when a huge summer lightning storm pops up..I bet you crap your panties every time a clap of lightning strikes nearby.
Good point, maybe I'll put a lightning rod on it :ROFLMAO:. Honestly that's not something I ever had to worry about in California. I got snowed on and rained on, but thunder/lightning storms don't happen very often there.

We get a lot of hail in South Dakota. For that, I'd rather have a hard roof over my head than 20 denier tent fabric. If lightning strikes that close to me, the only place I'm going to feel safe is inside the truck (a natural Faraday cage).
 
#14 ·
You can camp anywhere you want....dont have to look for soft level ground like with a regular ground tent.
You just flip the RTT open like a giant suit case , there is a foam mattress already in the RTT and you can keep your sleeping bag and pillow in the RTT as well.
Like I said you just flip it open and climb up the ladder and crawl in ...sleep like a baby.







 
#18 ·
I don't like them personally, for a few reasons.

They are generally pretty heavy.
They place all that weight at the worst possible spot for vehicle stability.
If I have to piss in the middle of the night I don't want to have to fumble with a ladder and lantern.
Carrying the dog up and down is a pain.
They generally don't install and uninstall easy.
Despite hard shells being streamlined, they hurt fuel economy. Something the frontier doesn't need help with.
Sometimes I go camping with other people, not driving my truck and can't take that tent with me.

They work great for some folks, just not for me. If I was going to get one, I'd be looking at James Baroud or something along those lines.
 
#21 ·
If I have to piss in the middle of the night I don't want to have to fumble with a ladder and lantern.
[/QUOTE]
I am old in age so my bladder is not the greatest... so in my roof top tent I use a Portable Urinal:

The Portable Urinal also gets used in the cab of my truck for long road trips to the off roading trail head.
 
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#26 ·
I saw a tent setup on one of the Nissan Dealer sites that uses the bed of the truck as the base. The tail gate is lowered and you enter the tent from the back of the truck. It has an awning at the entrance that looks like it would keep light rain off you giving you a chance to get out without just stepping into a shower. Seems like it was around $400 but can't swear to it. Has anyone seen/used one of this design?
 
#28 ·
Like a truck bed tent? I've used one in my F-150. If you're by yourself, it's arguably better than a ground tent (you're up off the ground), but I'd rather have a camper shell. Problem is you have to take all the stuff out of the bed to pitch the tent. With a camper shell you can build some sort of a bed (or heck, even set up a cot if you have the 6' bed) and keep your stuff off the ground/inside the truck.
 
#29 ·
Rejuvenating this old thread. I bought a Smittybuilt hard shell 2 Person RTT. I have a 2005 Nismo offroad King Cab with a 6-foot bed. I had already purchased Billibars and installed them last year (second picture) but I am running into a problem. The tent is 85 inches long so when I place it on the Billibars, it sticks out about 13 inches, and hinders the tailgate function since the Billibars are not high, they are only 5 inches above the bed (see pics below). The reason for going with the Billibar setup was to use my existing tonneau cover. Balibar design their attachment so it does not impede the cover function. now I see that other companies are making similar designs that are taller. I have over $500 invested in Billibars so I am thinking about extending the Billibar mounts somehow so I can install the tent higher as part of the tent is above the roof. If not, at least it is high enough for me to use my bed. Here are two pictures of my current setup. (my error is that hard shell tents were not available when I purchased the Billibars. Billibars do not offer taller brackets. Any suggestions? BTW, I have a utility track system.
335055
335056
 
#31 ·
Thanks, I checked those sites, and nothing available.I was wondering if I could go to a metal shop and have them made me a 14-inch extension that I can attach to the bracket shown in the first picture to elevate the crossbars up to 19 inches, which is the height of the roof so the RTT can sit slightly above the roof and not hang behind the bed. Any thoughts? I don't know any metal shops in the area so will have to call around.
The Other Sean has installed crossbars but my problem is that I need to use the Tonneau cover.
 
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