Roof top tent experience

[DatYoda]

Debating on getting a root top tent but wanted to know couple things before from those who have em. Mainly looking at the Yakima Skyrise 3.

- Any cons for the Skyrise 3 ?
- Do any of you guys just leave the roof top tent on your vehicle as a daily driver ? If so does it affect the mpg ?
- If you don't recommend leaving it on the vehicle if it is a daily driver is it easy to take it off the vehicle every one a week and store it at home ?

Any other information before making a purchase would be helpful also.

Thanks!

 

[mtnbiker49]

Debating on getting a root top tent but wanted to know couple things before from those who have em. Mainly looking at the Yakima Skyrise 3.

- Any cons for the Skyrise 3 ?
- Do any of you guys just leave the roof top tent on your vehicle as a daily driver ? If so does it affect the mpg ?
- If you don't recommend leaving it on the vehicle if it is a daily driver is it easy to take it off the vehicle every one a week and store it at home ?

Any other information before making a purchase would be helpful also.

Thanks!

Read the reviews on REI.com.

You’ll take a minumum 2mpg hit with the tent up there. Some people experience worse.

It is not something you want to be putting on and off. Not good for the brackets and it’s heavy, requiring 2 people.

 

[EEEliminator]

Debating on getting a root top tent but wanted to know couple things before from those who have em. Mainly looking at the Yakima Skyrise 3.

- Any cons for the Skyrise 3 ?
- Do any of you guys just leave the roof top tent on your vehicle as a daily driver ? If so does it affect the mpg ?
- If you don't recommend leaving it on the vehicle if it is a daily driver is it easy to take it off the vehicle every one a week and store it at home ?

Any other information before making a purchase would be helpful also.

Thanks!

Interested to hear from those that keep it on, you'd have to use it almost every weekend to make it worth it. It has to handle terrible with all that weight up so high I would imagine.

 

[genesis712]

I have the Tepui Kukenam Sky. So cannot comment on the Skyrise but I am sure online reviews will have sufficient details.
I have had it on top of the truck ever since I got it about 2 years back. To be honest , my average mpg shown on the dash hasn't changed a whole lot..it still hovers around 16mpg.

I wish I could take it on and off but I dont do that currently primarily because I cannot bring my truck inside the garage. But I have seen solutions like a ceiling mount to help with the task which makes it really easy!--might workout for you.

Good luck on the tent--I love mine and have enjoyed it thoroughly so far!

Debating on getting a root top tent but wanted to know couple things before from those who have em. Mainly looking at the Yakima Skyrise 3.

- Any cons for the Skyrise 3 ?
- Do any of you guys just leave the roof top tent on your vehicle as a daily driver ? If so does it affect the mpg ?
- If you don't recommend leaving it on the vehicle if it is a daily driver is it easy to take it off the vehicle every one a week and store it at home ?

Any other information before making a purchase would be helpful also.

Thanks!

 

[Cymon]

It’s a PITA to take on and off. Given our tent weighs almost 175lbs but it’s a 3 person job even with our Frontrunner quick release mounts. It only take 5 minutes for us to put it on, but not fun to lift it up. If I had to bolt it on it would be a no-go. It’s about a 1-2 mpg hit with it on the roof. The sky rise is light enough where you could do it with 2 people but it will be a 30-45 minute up and down each time minimum if you have to bolt it on.

Currently looking at trailer options because of this. We love the tent but the mounting is such a pain and packing up to move from Basecamp is also a nagging isssue.

 

[e60ral]

Just say no to drugs rooftop tents!

 

[Cymon]

Just say no to drugs rooftop tents!

Unless you have kids and a wife and live in a swamp with alligators everywhere and it’s the best way to get them out camping lol! We tried ground tent here in Florida and it was miserable. With the type of ground and how wet it is all of the time it was actually turning us off from camping. If I still lived in Maryland or California I would likely still be on the ground. Tent + trailer or off-road style camper is the best overall option for us, but I’m just not there yet.

 

[wild_turkey]

Try before you buy

I would recommend renting one and trying it out first. Everything looks easy enough, but there are things you learn the first time you use one.

We started with a CVT Mt Shasta and have since moved to a James Baroud Grand Raid. Definitely a large price delta, but our experience with the clamshell style tent was that it was a fair amount of work to deploy and pack up. The cover and spring rods can be a challenge to work with when you rig is lifted and you are under 6'. When we had our first child, I knew that we would need a quicker solution that I could deploy and pack quickly on my own.

The other change we made was to ditch the full length baja rack and moved back to the Yakima crossbar setup. I leave it attached to the tent and use our Racor hoist (which we've had from the start) to lower the whole assembly onto the stock roof rails. It's the easiest and quickest loading and unloading of the tent so far. It makes it a 1 man job and allows me to get the camping gear prepped while my wife gets the baby gear together.

 

[e60ral]

[MENTION=120701]Cymon[/MENTION] cots or hammocks mang

 

[Kenstaroni]

Yes, driving with an RTT is going to hurt your MPG some. That being said it doesn't make my T4R drive poorly, you just notice the weight some. It actually rides alot smoother with the RTT's weight. I don't leave it on daily driving though, just no need.

You can take a tent off and on by yourself. You just either need a big tree in your yard or a garage. I built a contraption to do it and so did a buddy of mine. The platform cost me maybe $30 in lumber and took about 30 minutes to build. The expensive part was the Warn pullzall electric winch but that's not a have to have thing, just makes it easier.

This is going to be one of those "dang why didn't I think of that" moments if you've never seen this before....lol

Watch "How To: Remove CVT roof top tent off 4runner by yourself" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/nGMRzInnUh4

 

[Cymon]

[MENTION=120701]Cymon[/MENTION] cots or hammocks mang

That’s not as much fun as a “Car Treehouse”, as my son calls it :lol:

To be honest, that’s where we would be if we didn’t get the tent for the price we paid. It was slightly used, less then 10 nights and we got it for over 60% off what you would pay MSRP. It was worth trying and we have learned a lot about what we like and don’t like to make decisions about what we want to do with it in the future with our setup.

 

[Terrapod]

Gents...

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all when it comes to camping. RTT's work great for some, but not others. The same for ground tents.

IMO, Find what makes you feel less stressed, comfortable and works for the kiddos (should that apply). Personally, I prefer a RTT on a trailer. Yes...MPG's take a bit of a hit, but having comfort and ease-of-use, is my preferred camp.

 

[teotwaki]

You can get to be fairly quick with the set up and tear down of an RTT. It is a bit of a brick to have up on top of the 4Runner but life is full of compromises.

First decide if the RTT is worth the expense when compared to a ground tent. Next decide if it will be fun to have and if so just get one and enjoy it.

I ended up with a trailer for my camping needs and the fun of using it outweighs the drawbacks.

Whatever your decision, just get out and go offroading!

 

[sn_85]

Gents...

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all when it comes to camping. RTT's work great for some, but not others. The same for ground tents.

IMO, Find what makes you feel less stressed, comfortable and works for the kiddos (should that apply). Personally, I prefer a RTT on a trailer. Yes...MPG's take a bit of a hit, but having comfort and ease-of-use, is my preferred camp.

Different setups for different folks. I've gone from ground tent, to awning w/ room, to hardshell RTT, and now back to ground tent with the Oz-tent RV3. This past weekend I rented a teardrop trailer and I have to say it was the most stress free camping experience I've had ever. I hate setup and take down like anyone else and this was just about as easy as it gets. Most of my time goes to preparation, packing and fitting it into the cargo area. Didn't have to worry about that with a trailer. The trailer was basically stocked with everything and all the necessities. I packed some clothes, chairs, food, fishing gear, firewood and that was it. Setup and take down was a breeze. I could setup camp, detach the trailer, go off into the woods, and come back to a full camp setup the way I left it. I can see a small teardrop trailer in the future if I keep the 4Runner. Best off all you can keep all your camp goodies in the trailer and it'll be ready to go at any moment and keep the weight off your daily driver. The downside is obviously it limits the trails you can go on. Oh and its $$$!!!

If anyone is interested I rented the trailer from Escapod Trailers in Utah. Fantastic experience and will likely rent from them again in the future if I haven't bought my own by then.

https://escapod.us/rentals/

 

[GearJunkie88]

My experience... it’s too much work to put it on and take it off. It makes way too much wind noise to make it enjoyable on a daily driver. I sold mine at a huge loss. I had lots of reservations before I bought it. Should have never bought it. Definitely paid “stupid tax” on that one. Think long and hard before buying one. It’s definitely not for everyone.

 

[ElectroBoy]

I’m researching also, and saw an article on hard shell RTTs. They look a lot more appealing than the soft side tent-like ones. I especially like the Autohome Columbus Variant Small. Quick setup and stowing. Around 115 pounds and the streamline dimensions should be quiet and not a big hit on MPG.
Does anyone have experience with this tent?

Here are some representative photos and a link to the article.

https://expeditionportal.com/the-travelers-tree-house/

 

[suhj841]

Just bought a Tepui and I can’t be happier. Originally bought the Yakima sky rise but REI recommended I go with the tepui because the sky rise should be on yakima style cross bars. I have a gobi rack and the tepui mounts on the cross bars with heavy duty steel rather than plastic like the Yakima.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CO_Native]

I can't speak to the Yakima tent, but I can answer the other two.

I daily drive mine with the tent up there, did it on my Jeep too. It's noticeable, but not crazy different. As for MPG, this 4Runner is better than my Jeep (9mpg) ever was so I really don't care lol

I wouldn't take it on/off very often. It's a 2-person job (the wife helps me) and takes about 20 minutes to align it, bolt everything down, & double check it. Definitely not something I'd want to do frequently, but I do take it off for the winter months.

 

[adaml]

I've had a RTT on my 4Runner every day for the past 18 months. I never take it off just because I really have no place to put it. If there was an MPG or performance hit, I haven't noticed it.

As far as the Skyline specifically, I will say that, in my opinion, you should get a hardshell if you can afford it and can fit everyone in it. They're much easier to set up and take down which mostly matters when you're trying to dry out the tent.

 

[Vinsil]

We love ours so far. The way my rack is setup (ecotechne) I mounted mine in the crossbars and leave the tent attached to them, unbolt the crossbars from the rack so the tent is always aligned and is only 8 bolts to remove. I can see how everyone has different needs for sure. Try before you buy if you can.