Roof Top Tent (RTT) Picture Gallery & BS Thread

[GlassHammer]

saving my pennies for an autohome. one day... one day.

Same here.

 

[mwray8909]

I plan on going with the Tuffstuff 4x4 overland tent when they are back in stock. For the cost and my need it will be perfect and it seems to be well liked. I think the part im a biggest fan of is the extreme weather cover. It also fits very well on the Frontrunner rack.

 

[jimster716]

question for you RTT owners. how long you leave it on for?

I had a trip on each of the past two weekends. took it off today and its not fun to do.

If you can fit in your garage and have a nice rack for it just leave it on for the whole season. That's what I'm doing for the most part. I do have to pull it if I want to work in the garage though. (Damn 7 foot doors lol!)

Bringing this back. My CVT arrives tomorrow. My wife is 5-2 and weighs a buck ten, so she's no help. Who is keeping their RTT on full-time?

Living in the suburbs with a daily driven 4Runner, not sure if the locals would consider my truck a neverlander... neverlander is to overlander as mall crawler is to rock crawler. Hahahaha

 

[quicksandTRDPRO]

Not sure if this has already been brought up, but this seems like a nice rtt. https://gearjunkie.com/ikamper-skycamp-rooftop-tent

 

[shoeless]

Picked up the new Yakima Skyrise 3 person rtt a couple weeks ago.
Looking forward to its first trip this weekend.
Being in TN, there's no real "overlanding". I wanted a rtt for weekend fly fishing trips and the wife wanted it for the foam mattress (and to be away from critters).
We have a nice Big Agnes 4 person ground tent and a MSR backpacking tent but when I go fishing, I'd rather not use my time setting up camp. Pulling into a campground or finding a spot and unfolding will allow me more time on the water.

I'll also be picking up their awning soon.

Will report back with pics after this weekend!

 

[T4Rrunner]

Looking for a manual CVT Mt. Thielsen, if anyone has one / knows where i can get one ..

 

[el_kab0ng]

For the RTT owners out there, have you ever had it deployed, then encountered an emergency where you needed to exit the area rapidly? (rising flood waters, life threatening weather warnings, medical emergencies, ran out of beer, etc)

If so, how did you manage to tear it all down when time was of the essence? I'm not trying to pooh pooh on anyone's interest in a RTT, but I would like to know if the above was taken into consideration prior to purchase.

 

[izzyidk]

So what do you guys do with your dog's if you do a roof tent?

 

[leftyguns21]

So what do you guys do with your dog's if you do a roof tent?

I don't have my tent yet, going to order this week, but my plan is to keep him either in the car or ill be ordering the full annex as well. he should be able to sleep in that area. my dog is around 60lbs, not too sure I want to lift him up

 

[shoeless]

Managed to get away for the weekend and use the tent for the first time.
Overall, very pleased with it....although, I don't have any experience with others to compare it to.
It does have its growing pains though.
There are a few reviews about its waterproofing. Apparently, the rain fly doesn't do its job.
The base is also fairly dent prone. My ladder has made a few marks on it and it arrived dented...cosmetic issues only.
Another small thing to be concerned about is the fasteners that hold the cover when at camp. I don't see them lasting long due to hanging while the tent is stowed. Mine are already showing signs of wind damage.

Hopefully Yakima can address these issues for the further and help out those of us who already bought in.

Here are a few pics from this weekend:

 

[kott3670]

ARB on our Manley.

This is from our first real trip out with it last summer. Headed up to Moose River Plains Wild Forest in the Adirondacks for some remote camping.

Nice to have a basecamp so we can head out & fish/explore. We usually bring the yaks so the roof is reserved for those.

That's my hometown!

 

[A.Wilson013]

Picked up the new Yakima Skyrise 3 person rtt a couple weeks ago.

Out of curiosity... Why Yakima instead of a smaller brand that has been making the tents for years vs. a bigger brand that is just now entering the market?

For the RTT owners out there, have you ever had it deployed, then encountered an emergency where you needed to exit the area rapidly? (rising flood waters, life threatening weather warnings, medical emergencies, ran out of beer, etc)

If so, how did you manage to tear it all down when time was of the essence? I'm not trying to pooh pooh on anyone's interest in a RTT, but I would like to know if the above was taken into consideration prior to purchase.

I didn't really consider this prior to purchase. However, as I use my tent more and more, I do think about it.

The answer, for me, is I can put my tent away (if in a hurry) in about 2 minutes. If it were a true emergency I would do it even more quickly by just removing the spring rods, folding it up, and throwing the cover over the top (not zipping it) and securing the straps that hold the cover down. I imagine I could do that in a minute, if I had to.

The awning is a bigger pain in the butt. If I were truly in a hurry with something like a medical emergency I would just cut it off and go- 15 seconds. Otherwise, it too can be put away pretty quickly. A minute or two at most, if rushing.

My biggest complaint is on longer trips where you're moving every day. Putting the tent up and taking it down over and over does get irritating. ESPECIALLY if it's cold and wet. The second night we slept in it we woke up to ice crystals covering the whole tent, and a wind chill well below freezing. Working the straps and zippers SUCKED.

This was another cold one- the annex was nearly frozen solid and didn't want to fold up (if you look close you can see where the "vents" at the top were doing their job. I had my Little Buddy heater going all night in the annex):
DSC_0525 by Alex Wilson, on Flickr

So what do you guys do with your dog's if you do a roof tent?

My little Scottish Terrier I just pick up and put her in the tent. My pointer used to just sleep in the back of the 4Runner, but when she decided it was time to wake up she would just walk around down there, moving the tent, and waking us up. Now, I scoop her up like a sheep and carry her up the ladder.

 

[shoeless]

Out of curiosity... Why Yakima instead of a smaller brand that has been making the tents for years vs. a bigger brand that is just now entering the market?

Fair question.
Simple answer: I got a (really) good deal on it.

 

[Sig_Fan_55]

This was another cold one- the annex was nearly frozen solid and didn't want to fold up (if you look close you can see where the "vents" at the top were doing their job. I had my Little Buddy heater going all night in the annex):
DSC_0525 by Alex Wilson, on Flickr

When you run the heater are you leaving it in the Anex or the tent? I was wondering how well it would heat the tent if I left it running in the anex and only zipped up the big screen on the entrance to the tent. If that's how you are running it how does it do? My Tepui is basically the same setup you are running.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[A.Wilson013]

When you run the heater are you leaving it in the Anex or the tent? I was wondering how well it would heat the tent if I left it running in the anex and only zipped up the big screen on the entrance to the tent. If that's how you are running it how does it do? My Tepui is basically the same setup you are running.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I leave it in the annex. I have a little stand that I made that makes it virtually impossible for it to fall over. Even if it did, however, it has a safety switch that would shut it off.

That's exactly what I do, and it works pretty well. I mean, it's probably not 72 degrees in there, but it's wayyyyy warmer than it is outside. I also crack a window as the first time I ran the heater in below freezing temperatures I woke up to condensation dripping off of the poles over my head. The cracked window fixed that.

I use a big propane tank and let it run on high. I think the little 1lb canisters only last a few hours on high.

 

[leftyguns21]

This was another cold one- the annex was nearly frozen solid and didn't want to fold up (if you look close you can see where the "vents" at the top were doing their job. I had my Little Buddy heater going all night in the annex

isn't it bad to have heater running inside a tent?

is that the Shasta? that is the one ill be ordering, with the annex. although I don't think ill be using the annex on every trip

 

[A.Wilson013]

isn't it bad to have heater running inside a tent?

is that the Shasta? that is the one ill be ordering, with the annex. although I don't think ill be using the annex on every trip

I imagine it's not the best idea. However, with the base and the safety shutoffs of the heater, I am not worried about it at all.

Mine is the size smaller than the Shasta. I only use the annex when it's cold and I want to use the heater. Or, sometimes if I know I won't be moving for a few days.

 

[leftyguns21]

ordered my CVT Shasta pioneer series. I was set on getting the summit series for the extras (thicker fabric, thicker mattress, LED lights, shoe holder..) after talking with them and weighing in the cost savings and 50lb weight savings I figured I didn't need all of that. I added the telescoping ladder for the height and shoe holders. Ill search for LED lights for inside and USB ports on a solar panel. they are out of stock now, said should be in first week of May. just in time to go camping

 

[LawnDart]

Finally pulled the trigger on an RTT. Decided to go with the Alu-Cab.

Will let you know how it does on the trailer.

 

[leftyguns21]

question. if you have a RTT and go to say a national park that charges camping fees on top of the entrance fee, but has free overnight parking. do you pay the camping fees? even though technically you wont be setting up a ground tent and could theoretically park in the overnight parking areas and sleep in the RTT.
I am thinking of heading to the great sand dunes here in Colorado next month, it says camp sites fill up weeks ahead of time and I kind of want to go on a whim during a clear moonless night for some milky way action.