I'm planning a long photo trip for probably next fall (too late to get the rig ready for this year). I know I need to replace the factory roof rack with a better platform, so that'll get done over the winter. I'm also going to add a dual battery setup and an ARB fridge. The question I'm struggling with is the rooftop tent. I've been comparing a number of different ones, and the hard shell types like Bigfoot seem like they'd be a really great unit for a 4000+ mile trip. It'll just be me, and I love the idea of not towing a place to live behind me on what will probably be a 2-3 month excursion in a multitude of shooting locations. I also love the idea of quick setup and takedown so I'm not wasting valuable shooting light setting/breaking camp. My search did not reveal anyone using these units, so I thought I'd at least try asking...especially if there's anyone who's used both types of rooftop tent.

I have a Autohome Columbus Variant - small version - installed. I just did a week long trip through Colorado and found that it worked great. Rained 4 of the 7 nights and I was dry the whole time. It sets up it literally in seconds and can be put away in less than 2 minutes. My gas mileage didn't suffer either, lost about 0.5-1.0 MPG.

I just used Yakima LowRider Hooks and 48" round crossbars to mount the Columbus.







EDIT: I was considering the Baja Flat Utility rack to mount the RTT to, but since the Columbus is so long there wouldn't be much room left to put anything on the rack, so I went with the Yakima system. It's very sturdy and have no problem with the overhang of the tent in front. Most of your weight is over the 2 support bars anyway.

Maybe @Keith_PDX can help. His setup is pretty much what I've been considering:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...land-prep.html
I've seen the James Baroud Evasion, and like its features. The whole setup, rack and JB, would run about $4K, which translates to about 25 nights in a Holiday Inn Express.

Thanks - I'm looking more at the non-clamshell design. My thinking is that the hardshell rooftops will be a bit nicer on the highway miles and will have a smaller footprint than the canvas ones. For a single camper like me they sure seem like a nice option. They cost a bit more, so I'm hoping some here have experience to share before I commit.

I don't have one. But this is what I would get.
AutoHome Maggiolina—the World's most refined vehicle roof top tents

Maybe this is a stupid question, but how do you get in there?

Through the door of course.

Well, you did forget the ladder pic in your first post.

Yep.



Took the pic before finishing set up.

I had a large Magiolina on my Tundra for several years. The thing was built in the early 2000's and held up great. It was extremely convenient compared to tent ground camping and very well protected from rain. I ended up getting rid of it because I just don't do a whole lot of camping to justify a $1500 (I picked mine up used) tent plus the storage and loading and unloading got annoying. If I used it more then that would be a different story. You will notice an MPG decrease with that thing on top and if you want to go all out Magiolina has a carbon fiber version. If I was doing a solo run I would probably setup a sleeping area inside the vehicle with a pull out drawer before committing the money to a rooftop tent.
The James Baroud tent also seems pretty neat and has a few new design features that Magiolina lacks.
If you do get one you may need to change out the mattress, I prefer a softer feel and mine came with a nice hard as rocks mattress so I ended up swapping it out for a slightly thicker and softer one.

We absolutely love ours! I looked at both the James Baroud and the Autohome units and we chose the James Baroud because we felt the materials and craftsmanship was better. We also like the struts over the crank. The crank would not have worked on the Baja Rack as the handle would have needed to be extended and would have limited which side we put the awning on. We chose the Baja Rack because I wanted the rear ladder and I didn't trust using any of the stock hardware. I have two people in mine every time its used along with whatever gear we throw in there. We also leave a bunch of stuff up there when we collapse it. Just seemed like a structural option that wasn't worth saving some bucks on. Plus it looks cool! ;)

I'm very curious to the yakima mounts. Would you have a better picture of the lowrider mounts? I'm assuming you are using the round bars.

Here's some pics:

iKamper Skycamp!

@Canon_Bob -- I'm just back from a 3-week photography trip, also solo. I put a 6-inch memory foam mattress across half of the back of my 4Runner and slept inside. Zero setup. Worked out really well.