I know this is almost a year after the fact, but the factory roof rails aren't the strongest. The weak point is the plastic base, the part that actually bolts into the roof. If you upgrade to an all metal roof rack, they will be much stronger than the OEM rails.

But, on to the topic at hand. A RTT sure is all the sexiness. For my needs/uses, it is very impractical. 4Runner won't fit in the garage. Expensive. Getting in/out to go pee in the middle of the night would be dangerous the older we get.

For us, a good ground tent is the next upgrade. So far, our $89 Coleman Sundome has served us very well for almost 10 years. It has withstood heavy rain and winds.

The Oem rails are NOT mounted on plastic, those are just the trim covers.
The actual mounts are a strong metal.
Most avid campers, especially rooftop ones use pee bottles or urinals.
Walmart has them for $2.28 apiece. The older you get you will find it more frequent.
If happy with a $89 tent, then a RTT is probably not for you.

62 years old with nerve damage in my foot from an osteotomy surgery. Typically get up 2 to 3 times a night to piss and I'm not going up and down the widdle wadder. Not peeing in a bottle or some chick funnel. Geez it's the outdoors and I pee where I feel like.

Our K2500 Suburban diesel is large enough that my wife and I can sleep in the back, no tent needed, and it is very offroad capable.

The OEM rail bases are definitely just hard plastic bases with a plastic trim cover over them. I remember very well when I removed them to put my SSO rack on too.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/we0AA...Tu/s-l1600.jpg

My thoughts:

1. Set-up/Take down gets old pretty quick. I got really tired of this ritual. To speed things up I would remove blankets/pillows and place inside my truck, because the more stuff you leave inside the harder it is to close back up. This experience worse if you are packing up camp in the rain. If you add things like condensation pads or extra topper for your bed then this also makes this worse. Putting in the rods for the windows was pretty pointless most of the time for me. It is a very awkward process hanging out the window to install them especially in the rain. Adds 5minutes to setup and a bit less for takedown. I rarely installed them.

2. Set-up anywhere. RTT can be setup easily in terrain that would be more challenging in a ground tent. i.e. Rocks, sand, mud, wet surfaces, sharp objects. This is a big advantage of RTT.

3. Sleeping experience is very fun. Always felt like a kid playing in a treehouse. I dreamed of the RTT experience and it was worth it in the short-term. Great morning views parked on a beach or mountaintop. The RTT makes these experiences better than being on the ground. The mattress was pretty comfortable and I always felt very cozy.

4. Safety. I did alot of travel in Mexico/US/Canada and almost never in paid campsites. Alot of times this meant I was choosing stealth temporary camp locations off the beaten path. I could never be entirely comfortable in these situations because there is always a time delay for me to pack up and leave. For this reason I now prefer making a bed inside the truck, locked doors and ability to dash in a moment rather than minutes. I had a few spooky instances in USA and Mexico where I resented the time it was taking me to gtfo.

5. Height Restriction. You become too tall for many height restricted areas such as parking garages or broken tree branches etc. I have a 3" lift and a BajaRack flat rack. Without my tent I can clear 6'8" and at this height its hard to remember a time where this was a problem.

6. Rooftop cargo space. Once you have a RTT all of your cargo must go inside the vehicle(I have sunroof cut-out roof rack). So lets say you want to move some lumber, mattress, surfboards, etc. this becomes more difficult or you have to go through the ordeal of removing the tent. (Once you install it on you will not want to repeat the process!). You can still move lumber/surfboards by allowing them to protrude out the rear window, but in my experience I found wood chips/dust or sand all over my vehicle afterwards.

7. Squeaky! Getting funky in the RTT is pretty fun but not exactly stealth! (LOL). Putting alot of faith in the ladder support in these scenarios!

8. Stormy/Windy weather. It's alot harder to sleep in RTT when its windy or stormy.

I sold my RTT and now sleep inside my t4r. It often requires a bit of shuffling of cargo, but I enjoy the get up and go agility and flexibility to use my rooftop or interior cargo space to suit my needs. It's also more quiet and easier to climate control.

Owning a RTT was a must-have experience for me, but I could not avoid the slow creep of buyers remorse and had to part ways with it. I'm glad I had the experience but I don't miss it.

I ordered a James Baroud after staying in my friend's, but canceled it a month before it arrived. Instead I got a Crashpad swag tent. If you're not familiar with those, I wasn't either. It's an Aussie thing; basically a heavy canvas tunnel tent with a mattress built in. You roll it up, throw it in the back of the rig, easy setup and takedown. It's pitch dark inside but breathes well. I sleep like the dead. I also got the stand for it which is like a cot that sits about 3 feet off the ground. I can fit me and my young daughter in it, but they make a double that would fit two adults. For me, having the truck with no tent on it most of the time made more sense, as I can throw the swag in the back (or strap on top) for overlanding, have the truck without for the 90% of the time I'm not. Also, a tent adds weight up top, which isn't ideal for actual off-roading.

Sorry this is almost a month after the fact, but thanks for posting this. I was going to try and track down the YT video where I saw it and post the link.

And nothing like an irrelevant insult by the other forum member above to try and prove a point??? lol!

In any event, a few years ago I would’ve jumped on a RTT. But now that the fever for all things overlanding has cooled somewhat, I can better assess whether a RTT will suit my needs vs just a want.


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I don't use it all the time either as it does add some setup time. If I am by myself I sleep inside the 4runner and don't use a tent at all. If the wife, and now almost-2 yr old come then the tent with the annex is great and makes things a lot more comfortable for them. That would be my simple assessment on usefulness of the RTT - If it was just me I wouldn't get one and keep it simple, but with a family it is a game changer.

The OEM rail bases are without doubt metal, and from the looks of it, some sort of alum alloy casting.
Toyota has gone beyond to add a beautiful black finish which may be confusing to the untrained eye.

The purpose here on this forum, I presume, is to exchange as acurate information as possible, especially when readers are trying to make decisions, sometimes expensive ones.
Corrections should and need not be construed as insults. lol

Nonetheless, here is a pic of my rail base to which I took a file to the top removing the black paint exposing the aluminum material.