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  • Problems With Roof Top tents

    Looking to start a project. does anyone have common problems with their car top tents/ tow behind trailer tents.
    all ideas welcome.
    thanks

  • #2
    Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

    Originally posted by smorr View Post
    Looking to start a project. does anyone have common problems with their car top tents/ tow behind trailer tents.
    all ideas welcome.
    thanks
    What is the project? I made a tent for the bed of my truck out of a poly tarp and electrical conduit.
    “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
    – E. B. White

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    • #3
      Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

      maybe i dont understand
      which one is it?
      rooftop tents? i have no experience
      tow behind? like a pop up?
      pop ups problems are replacement canvas can be expensive, +$800 DIY kits
      also mechanism that pops it up often fails, not uncommon to see people with 2x4's propping up their pop up tents

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      • #4
        Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

        I've done the popup thing twice. Never again. Too many moving parts to keep working. The thing I most hated was having to tuck all the canvas in just right so I could get the top to latch properly. That inevitably lead to a couple of latches pulling out of the body of the trailer. Never had the lift mechanism fail entirely, but I did have a couple of cables stretch which made the top go up crooked. Then there was the door grommet that got wrinkled which made it a pain to put together, the fold down step that rusted, the bed support that broke, the bed track that for some reason didn't like to extend all the way, a few broken zippers on windows, dry rot windows, holes in the canvas, a leveling leg that wouldn't latch properly, ...

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        • #5
          Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

          it is a project for school, i do a fair amount of backpacking, never pop up roof/ trailer tents for 4x4 trail camping. so i was wondering if theres a common problem with how they attach to the ute, or how they could use parts of the ute better etc. or maybe attachments for them to improve them. anything would be helpful.

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          • #6
            Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

            it is for a school project. we're looking for common problems with pop up tents that mount on top of a ute or are towed behind. perhaps with removability, simplicity, or features that you wish were there but are not.

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            • #7
              Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

              My dad had a popup trailer. I won't have one after watching what he went through.

              Issues:
              Mechanism failure
              Wet canvas (have to have a place to pop it up and dry it out)
              Setup and takedown - have to move things around to close it up; can't access stuff without popping it up; etc.
              Leaks

              I don't really know anyone who has been happy with a rooftop tent, truck bed tent, or a tent extension for a car/suv. They just seem to be more work than a regular tent.
              “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

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              • #8
                Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

                We've had 3 pop up trailers, and, although they tow easily, they are a lot of work setting up, and taking down. As mentioned, if it's wet when you close it, you have to open it when you get home, or it will mold and mildew. Also, as mentioned, there's no access to the inside storage, unless it's open. And, maintenance on them, is constant.

                Rooftop tents look nice, and, for some, might be what they like, but, to me, not worth the hassles. Set up would be all overhead. When not in use, it has to be stored somewhere, I wouldn't want it to be permanently on my roof. If you have to go in the middle of the night, you have to get down, and back up the ladder half asleep. And my biggest complaint with rooftop tents, once it's set up, you are there. If you need to drive any where for any thing, you have to break it down.

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                • #9
                  Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

                  I though about a rooftop tent first problem I had was the price....ouch

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                  • #10
                    Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

                    Very briefly considered a roof top tent until I realized that they seem to be for road trippers (which I am not, I base camp in an area for up to a month at a time), additionally;
                    a; I cannot stand up in it.
                    b; There is no room for visitors, or even to move around, during inclement weather (would have to carry a canopy & walls for weather resistant social space).
                    c; The dog (when/if I get another) would likely have to be carried up (and possibly down) the ladder.
                    d; The ~6 foot drop could easily induce hospitalization during an O-dark-thirty trip to drain the bladder... (getting ever more antique so these trips are more frequent and the bones no longer heal quickly).
                    e; Relatively pricy vestibules and awnings are necessary for a port-a-potty in "civilized" areas, and shade.
                    f; The roof mounted weight adversely affects aerodynamics (fuel mileage) and raises the center of gravity (affects handling).
                    g; Vehicles sway and lean during high winds and shifting bodies (could, likely, be remedied with frame jacks (on vehicles with frames) but the setup and leveling would approach, perhaps exceed, the hassle of a pop-up trailer)..
                    h; The price is a bit unreasonable for, basically, no advantage, for me (the 9x9 ground dome sets up & breaks down quickly and easily; if I desire quick, and has none of the above disadvantages).

                    So far, this works the best, for me;
                    Click image for larger version

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                    Enjoy!
                    Last edited by Happy Joe; 10-05-2017, 08:42 AM.
                    2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
                    For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
                    Ground tents work best for me, so far.
                    Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Problems With Roof Top tents

                      Thanks so much for all the replies!! If anyone thinks of anymore they are welcome!

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