Gobi Rack with Hard SHell Tent?

[Kamalani Mahie]

[MENTION=294116]satnightspl[/MENTION]
[MENTION=59061]cmilviper[/MENTION]
[MENTION=449305]DryHeatAZ[/MENTION]

I also mounted mine like you both did. Front cross bar and rear upper bar of the rack. The rear crossbar is still mounted to the rack under the tent for support. Also, the EASIEST way to get to the front crossbar mounts is THROUGH THE MOONROOF, if you have one.

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

We used 2.0 hardware. The tent is attached to the removable cross bar in the front, the rear is attached the rear of the basket.
No alterations needed. Because the iKamper is so wide you do lose the ability to mount gobi accessories aside from an awning or shower cube.
The tent looks high for some people's tastes. I don't mind it, but it is most apparent from the rear.

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You said you used the iKamper 2.0 mounting hardware? The clamp style? How is that holding on the round crossbars? When I looked at the mounts it seemed like not much surface area comes in contact with the bars so I was concerned about sliding side to side if off-camber. I saw a guy on here I think that modified these mounts to work with traditional mounting rails (iKamper has it's own style of mounting rails). My Mt Hood setup with all the stuff I mounted to the top and sides of it would probably be 300 lbs though.

 

[satnightspl]

You said you used the iKamper 2.0 mounting hardware? The clamp style? How is that holding on the round crossbars? When I looked at the mounts it seemed like not much surface area comes in contact with the bars so I was concerned about sliding side to side if off-camber. I saw a guy on here I think that modified these mounts to work with traditional mounting rails (iKamper has it's own style of mounting rails). My Mt Hood setup with all the stuff I mounted to the top and sides of it would probably be 300 lbs though.

It seems to be holding just fine. It never slid side to side when off-camber. It looks like the side clamps wedge the bar upwards making 3 points of contact per clamp.

Also is you have a moon roof it makes the tent front cross bar install much easier. Otherwise you'd need access from the front, and may need to remove your light bar for easier access to the bolts.


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[Kamalani Mahie]

It seems to be holding just fine. It never slid side to side when off-camber. It looks like the side clamps wedge the bar upwards making 3 points of contact per clamp.

Also is you have a moon roof it makes the tent front cross bar install much easier. Otherwise you'd need access from the front, and may need to remove your light bar for easier access to the bolts.


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Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely have to look into modifying these to work with my tent. And ya I have a moonroof so the front mounts are really easy.

 

[jldeen]

CVT Mt Hood on Gobi with rise. Just BARELY fits. About a half inch clearance to move the tent between the front rise and the Gobi ladder with the hatch open. The hardest part is getting your hand between the crossbar and mesh flooring to tighten the mounting brackets. Gobi doesn't leave much room since it's a low profile rack.

Just out of curiosity as I have almost the exact same setup and am getting a Mt. Hood installed next week - what brackets are you using for your awning? I like how it tucks under the tent nice and cleanly.

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

Just out of curiosity as I have almost the exact same setup and am getting a Mt. Hood installed next week - what brackets are you using for your awning? I like how it tucks under the tent nice and cleanly.

I'm using Gzila designs awning mounts. 1" round bar. I have them mounted to the bottom side bar on the Gobi, but I had to angle the awning up a bit to avoid it touching the 4runner body. Not ideal but it works. With the awning extended, I just can't make the far side with the vertical awning poles too short or it'll bend the horizontal side poles supporting the awing sides.

Also I can't get to the awning mounts with the tent installed, so make sure those suckers are tight and where you want them before installing the tent. My tent is not permanently on the truck, so I can adjust anything when it's off.

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

It seems to be holding just fine. It never slid side to side when off-camber. It looks like the side clamps wedge the bar upwards making 3 points of contact per clamp.

Also is you have a moon roof it makes the tent front cross bar install much easier. Otherwise you'd need access from the front, and may need to remove your light bar for easier access to the bolts.


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Update on my setup. I am using the same iKamper 2.0 mounting hardware and I modified the hardware to be able to use it with my CVT tent. Instead of drilling out the rivets and attaching new plates to the top like one guy on here did, I just used an angle grinder with a cutting wheel and cut the sides of the "u" shape off to make a flat top plate on the mounting hardware. That flat top plate then slides in nicely to the mounting rails on the CVT tent.

I have also put over 4000 miles on this setup with lots of dirt roads, washboard, and difficult 4x4 jeep trails with steep and off-camber sections. The mounts have held up to everything I've put them through and haven't budged. Also the weight they are holding is approximately 300 lbs because of the aluminum tent and then everything I have mounted on it (solar panel, maxtrax, axe, shovel, empty roadshower).

 

[jldeen]

I'm using Gzila designs awning mounts. 1" round bar. I have them mounted to the bottom side bar on the Gobi, but I had to angle the awning up a bit to avoid it touching the 4runner body. Not ideal but it works. With the awning extended, I just can't make the far side with the vertical awning poles too short or it'll bend the horizontal side poles supporting the awing sides.

Also I can't get to the awning mounts with the tent installed, so make sure those suckers are tight and where you want them before installing the tent. My tent is not permanently on the truck, so I can adjust anything when it's off.

Thank you for the reply! I got the Mt. Hood installed this past weekend and currently have the awning mounted to the t slot rails with supplied brackets. It works right now, but do like the way tucked under looks better. Considering the Gobi brackets long term for my application since the tent stays on my 4Runner year round. Thanks again!

 

[Norb240]

Autohome Columbus Variant Small with Gobi Stealth, rise, removable crossbars.

The tent is on the smaller side but fits perfectly on the rack, not much overhang on the sides and the tailgate is fully operable. The round crossbars don't provide the best mount but you can get aftermarket square tubing that would be a little bit better. All in all no complaints.

This is badass man! So subtle and clean. I have the same rack with delete. I want a clamshell tent to take my son camping in the future.

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

Thank you for the reply! I got the Mt. Hood installed this past weekend and currently have the awning mounted to the t slot rails with supplied brackets. It works right now, but do like the way tucked under looks better. Considering the Gobi brackets long term for my application since the tent stays on my 4Runner year round. Thanks again!

No problem! That setup is definitely easier to work with.

 

[cug_ca]

Update on my setup. I am using the same iKamper 2.0 mounting hardware and I modified the hardware to be able to use it with my CVT tent.

Do you have some more photos of this mounting?

It sounds like you mounted the CVT to the standard front crossbar that comes with the Gobirack (Stealth Rack?) and the rear to the surround bar? I have a Gobi Stealth rack coming in August (welder is assigned now, so this might actually happen), but I'm contemplating just using a Rhino Pioneer platform to mount the tent and be done with it. I already have the Rhino base mounts attached to the roof and a custom 80/20 rack to hold my current tent.

Any thoughts? I believe the Gobi will be slightly stronger due to the front contact points to the roof, but also sit a bit higher. The Rhino base uses the OEM mount points.

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

Do you have some more photos of this mounting?

It sounds like you mounted the CVT to the standard front crossbar that comes with the Gobirack (Stealth Rack?) and the rear to the surround bar? I have a Gobi Stealth rack coming in August (welder is assigned now, so this might actually happen), but I'm contemplating just using a Rhino Pioneer platform to mount the tent and be done with it. I already have the Rhino base mounts attached to the roof and a custom 80/20 rack to hold my current tent.

Any thoughts? I believe the Gobi will be slightly stronger due to the front contact points to the roof, but also sit a bit higher. The Rhino base uses the OEM mount points.

See the photo in this post:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3618282-post23.html

Any specific pictures you're looking for? I don't have the tent mounted at the moment but could try to get some more pics next time.

You are correct about how I mount the tent: to the front crossbar on the Gobi and to the rear surround bar. Because I have an older Gobi rack, my crossbars are welded and fixed so I have a decent amount of overhang with the tent in the front (not more than guys mounting the same tent to their bedrack on a pickup truck). With a newer Gobi, that front crossbar can be moved farther forward to better even out the tent mount spacing which will provide better support. I have had no issues with my setup though, and like I said, the guys using tents like this on pickup truck bedracks have even more overhang than I do.

To answer your question about Gobi vs Rhino platform (based on the above information)...will the Gobi be stiffer and more rigid? (yes probably) Will the Gobi provide more weight support because it has front feet? (yes probably) Would a Rhino platform be fine for mounting a hardshell clamshell style tent? (yes probably). And both racks use the OEM mounting points.

 

[cug_ca]

You are correct about how I mount the tent: to the front crossbar on the Gobi and to the rear surround bar. Because I have an older Gobi rack, my crossbars are welded and fixed so I have a decent amount of overhang with the tent in the front (not more than guys mounting the same tent to their bedrack on a pickup truck).

Ah, that's interesting regarding the welded crossbars. I didn't know that. I'll get the adjustable ones, so I can place them as needed, at least as long as I'll still be able to reach the bolts. If I understand this correctly, I could actually bolt the tent to the crossbars, lay it on the rack and bolt it to the rack from the side. That is as long as the tent fits between front rise of the rack and rear hatch when opened.

I won't have a sunroof cutout, so I can't reach out from there.

To answer your question about Gobi vs Rhino platform (based on the above information)...will the Gobi be stiffer and more rigid? (yes probably) Will the Gobi provide more weight support because it has front feet? (yes probably) Would a Rhino platform be fine for mounting a hardshell clamshell style tent? (yes probably). And both racks use the OEM mounting points.

Thanks for your input! It's appreciated.

And a last question: I'm about to sell my iKamper Skycamp Mini to get a CVT Mt. Hood. I understand that this fits fine on your car, but a longer tent, e.g. the Roofnest Falcon, won't fit between front rise and ladder/hatch. Is that correct?

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

Ah, that's interesting regarding the welded crossbars. I didn't know that. I'll get the adjustable ones, so I can place them as needed, at least as long as I'll still be able to reach the bolts. If I understand this correctly, I could actually bolt the tent to the crossbars, lay it on the rack and bolt it to the rack from the side. That is as long as the tent fits between front rise of the rack and rear hatch when opened.

I won't have a sunroof cutout, so I can't reach out from there.

From my understanding yes that is correct. I believe I recall hearing about some other owners doing that.

Thanks for your input! It's appreciated.

And a last question: I'm about to sell my iKamper Skycamp Mini to get a CVT Mt. Hood. I understand that this fits fine on your car, but a longer tent, e.g. the Roofnest Falcon, won't fit between front rise and ladder/hatch. Is that correct?

Yes that is correct. Because of the front rise on the Gobi rack, the Falcon would not fit because it is 5" longer than the Mt Hood. The Mt Hood barely fits, kinda like a glove like it was meant to be. In order to fit the Falcon you would need a Gobi with no rise so it could slide forward more or a different rack. You could also potentially put spacers under the Falcon somehow to lift it above the front rise in order to push it forward more but that is not practical.

 

[cug_ca]

Awesome, thank you for the information. For now, I believe I'll just sell my iKamper Mini and switch back to my ground tents. They aren't that much more hassle than the iKamper since I don't use the original mattress and therefore have to do a lot of stuff I'd do in a ground tent as well.

If that doesn't work out, at least there is a roof top tent option I can fall back on. The medium sized Mt. Hood would be perfect size (as long as I can live with the length), I'm just waiting to see whether I can save all that weight up high completely ...

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

Awesome, thank you for the information. For now, I believe I'll just sell my iKamper Mini and switch back to my ground tents. They aren't that much more hassle than the iKamper since I don't use the original mattress and therefore have to do a lot of stuff I'd do in a ground tent as well.

If that doesn't work out, at least there is a roof top tent option I can fall back on. The medium sized Mt. Hood would be perfect size (as long as I can live with the length), I'm just waiting to see whether I can save all that weight up high completely ...

No problem. Ya the medium Mt Hood is gonna be somewhere north of 200 lbs. All the Mt Hood sizes are the same length at 85". I also have the double channel Mt Hood which is a bit thicker than the single channel but it allows you to keep stuff in the tent when closed such as some bedding and the ladder. Maybe pillows depending on how thick they are. I added an additional 1" mattress topper in mine so I can't keep the ladder or pillows in there but I can still close the tent with the sleeping bags and a blanket or two in there.

 

[cug_ca]

No problem. Ya the medium Mt Hood is gonna be somewhere north of 200 lbs. All the Mt Hood sizes are the same length at 85". I also have the double channel Mt Hood which is a bit thicker than the single channel but it allows you to keep stuff in the tent when closed such as some bedding and the ladder. Maybe pillows depending on how thick they are. I added an additional 1" mattress topper in mine so I can't keep the ladder or pillows in there but I can still close the tent with the sleeping bags and a blanket or two in there.

That's great to know, I'd probably pick the lightest possible options since I'm somewhat averse to weight high up, especially since my daily driver is a very low sports car ... ;-) Didn't know the Mt. Hood came in single and double channel, but that's good info as well. If we go this route, we'd have the Gobi rack, the tent and an ARB touring awning up there, so quite some weight and I'm not certain that's advisable. I know people do this all the time, I just don't feel all that good about it.

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

That's great to know, I'd probably pick the lightest possible options since I'm somewhat averse to weight high up, especially since my daily driver is a very low sports car ... ;-) Didn't know the Mt. Hood came in single and double channel, but that's good info as well. If we go this route, we'd have the Gobi rack, the tent and an ARB touring awning up there, so quite some weight and I'm not certain that's advisable. I know people do this all the time, I just don't feel all that good about it.

Ya definitely. They only have the double listed on their website right now, so when you call them up you can ask if they have any in stock. They did when I bought mine early this year. You'll be fine with that amount of weight up there. You'll definitely feel it though. I've got the gobi, tent, awning, solar panel, axe, shovel, road shower (empty usually). I definitely feel it but I haven't had problems on any terrain yet. I do fairly difficult terrain but I also know it's not a jeep nor a dedicated crawler rig haha.

 

[cug_ca]

Last question on this: does anyone have the length of the Gobi rack between the front rise bar and the rear bar or the "basket"? Meaning, the usable length of the basket.

Thanks a lot!

 

[cug_ca]

Answering my own question, I talked to Gobi today and according to them it's 78" between the front riser and the rear upper bar on a 5th gen 4Runner.