Roof Top Tents

[markkee]

I have been a tent camper all my life-52 years. My parents caved in years ago and went the route of pulling a trailer to driving a full size Winnebago RV. I still like the roominess of a tent and sleeping more or less outdoors. We sometimes sleep inside our full size Ford van when we arrive late at night.

Lately, I have been intrigued by roof top tents. Best of both worlds! We saw several Land Rovers equipped with RTT while camping at Hart Mountain Antelope Preserve in Oregon. A bunch of them rolled in and had camp set up in minutes. The tents were fairly large canvass tents mounted on either fiberglass or aluminum platforms.

I know the price tag is very high compared to ground tents. But who cares when lots of us own our equipment for years.

There are 2 main types of these tents.


Hard Shell Roof Top Tents


Soft Shell Roof Top Tents.



I like them both. The hard shell really interest me because the hard shell can double as a cargo box where as the soft back tent carrier is not as good of an option for storing items to keep them safe and dry.

Any thoughts, comments, concerns?

Cheers!

[ppine]

Re: Roof Top Tents

I would much rather be on the ground. Then you can use your truck without taking down the tent. Saves a lot of money and aggravation. Maybe they were designed for use in Africa with large predators about.

[markkee]

Re: Roof Top Tents

I know what you mean. It's not really a matter of not wanting to be on the ground. It's one of convenience. You can keep everything for sleeping upstairs. Most fold up in minutes, so if you want to use your vehicle, it's easy to get up and get going. But on the other hand, if you are hunkered down for several nights, it's nice to leave the tent up to dry out and leave as you please.

The hard shell versions are really nice as they are like an old fashioned train car sleeping cabin. Close the clam shell and hit the road in less than 10 seconds.

[hwc1954]

Re: Roof Top Tents

I think that hard shell tent looks like it would be sauna bath in any kind of humid weather. Looks like a very poorly ventilated tent. A small, waterproof, single-wall tent with no mesh, no airflow, and no way to open anything up in the rain. If you were camping in Maine, you could probably steam lobsters in that thing....

The hard shell one you pictured is nearly $3000 for a tiny little tent: 51 in x 83 in x 37 in. That's smaller than the Limelight 2P backpacking tent that is set up in my living room getting guylines attached to it. Realistically, that's a 1-person tent and not a very comfortable one at that.

Might make sense for driving across country or something but for actual pleasure camping, I wouldn't want to spend much time in it. Certainly not compared to the real tents that you could buy for $3000. For that kind of money, you could buy an outrageous family tent -- like the Marmot Lair 8P and the most expensive little tiny 2-person tent that you could set up in five minutes if you were in a hurry. I just bought one for for $110 that would be much more comfortable than the roof top tent -- taller, wider, longer, better ventilation -- and it's not even close to what you could get in that size if you wanted to spend a little more. Actually, for car camping, I'd get a 3P fast pitch so two people could sleep in it.

[MacGyver]

Re: Roof Top Tents

Rooftop tents, and truck bed tents never made sense to me. The same as mobile homes that aren't pulling another vehicle behind them. I don't set out to go driving once I'm set up, but things happen and sometimes you have to run - maybe even in a hurry. Having to break something down before you can drive could be life threatening in an emergency. Sure - you could leave the tents up and just go, but that in itself could be dangerous.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Roof Top Tents

My only real problem is, I don't deal well with ladders and climbing any more. And getting up groggy at zero-dark-thirty to answer nature's call would get much more involved...... ;-)
I guess more a Giant Ground Sloth than the arboreal variety.

[markkee]

Re: Roof Top Tents

things happen and sometimes you have to run - maybe even in a hurry. Having to break something down before you can drive could be life threatening in an emergency. Sure - you could leave the tents up and just go, but that in itself could be dangerous.

80-90 percent of what you fear will happen never really come into reality. This is a non issue. If I worried about emergencies I would never go camping. Thanks for the input.

[markkee]

Re: Roof Top Tents

I think that hard shell tent looks like it would be sauna bath in any kind of humid weather. Looks like a very poorly ventilated tent. A small, waterproof, single-wall tent with no mesh, no airflow, and no way to open anything up in the rain. If you were camping in Maine, you could probably steam lobsters in that thing....

The hard shell one you pictured is nearly $3000 for a tiny little tent: 51 in x 83 in x 37 in. That's smaller than the Limelight 2P backpacking tent that is set up in my living room getting guylines attached to it. Realistically, that's a 1-person tent and not a very comfortable one at that.

Might make sense for driving across country or something but for actual pleasure camping. Actually, for car camping, I'd get a 3P fast pitch so two people could sleep in it.

great point! $3k for a tent is a lot of cash. For $3k I could sell my my current van and buy an extended van with more room than the rrt.

[MacGyver]

Re: Roof Top Tents

80-90 percent of what you fear will happen never really come into reality. This is a non issue. If I worried about emergencies I would never go camping. Thanks for the input.

If I thought I had a 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 chance that something would happen, I'd probably never leave the house, much less go out in the woods. (Although where I live, I'm probably safer in a tent in the middle of nowhere.) I think the odds of running into a serious problem is even less than that. But there are things you can do to minimize risks. Maybe you've never had to leave a site in a hurry - I have. That kind of thing sticks in your mind.

[markkee]

Re: Roof Top Tents

The night time trips to the bathroom would be bad. I don't like using a honey bucket or port a pottie either.

[markkee]

Re: Roof Top Tents

If I thought I had a 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 chance that something would happen, I'd probably never leave the house, much less go out in the woods. (Although where I live, I'm probably safer in a tent in the middle of nowhere.) I think the odds of running into a serious problem is even less than that. But there are things you can do to minimize risks. Maybe you've never had to leave a site in a hurry - I have. That kind of thing sticks in your mind.

We have never had to leave in a hurry. The hard shell operates like a cargo box. The tents are more difficult to take down. The majority of my camping has been on a bicycle. Breaking camp was easy. Usually slept on the ground.