Naturnest Roof Top Tent: Long Term Review - Things I've Added, How It's Holding Up, Concerns
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video, I'm trying to add some additional info on this tent and answer questions I've seen in the comments of the other Naturenest videos that I made.
I'm going to add chapters to the video so it's easy to find the info you want, but if you don't see answers to your questions, make sure to post them in the comments below and I'll do my best to get you answers.
Watch the full video for products I've added to further improve the way this roof top tent works, my thoughts and feelings on how it's holding up after about 50 nights in the tent over the last 6 months, and finally my answers to some of the most common questions I've gotten on my other videos about this tent.
And finally, here are links to all the products mentioned in the video that I added to augment the tent.
If you want your own Naturenest RTT, here's a link to the tent I have: amzn.to/3O2GCl0
Here's the other variant of the tent with the awning just off the back if you prefer: amzn.to/3O2tw7a
A few people have asked about mattress upgrades. Here are two I can confirm work.
So, if you want one that fills the tent completely the Sea to Summit is super comfy. It's also on sale for 25% off on Amazon right now but I'm not sure for how long: amzn.to/3UF58ga
I mostly go solo, so I'm currently using a Hest Foamy Wide Mattress (78" by 30"): bit.ly/4dMvunv
Ladder Bag: amzn.to/485QLFr
OVS Awning: amzn.to/3GQbK38
Apparently they don't make the LUSB shoe bags anymore. Here's the closest thing I could find: amzn.to/3RvScpo
As mentioned in the video, here are links to the other videos I made on this tent in case you haven't seen them.
Original review video: • Naturnest Roof Top Ten...
Timed opening and closing of the tent: • Naturnest Roof Top Ten...
A huge thanks to my featured partners:
Going to MOORE Expo this year? Click here and use code ALLTHINGSO10 for 10% off your tickets: bit.ly/423cH1u
Kenda Tires (my favorite tires for the last 10 years): bit.ly/3YSwrlh
REDARC (all kinds of trick power management solutions): bit.ly/3x4KiaA
Northology Adventures (sign up for their FREE monthly magazine and check out their events!): bit.ly/3jvJG7J
Click here to join the Patreon community (and hop in the 24/7 Discord!): / allthingsoverlanding
Click here to get patches or stickers: allthingsoverlanding.com/shop/
For a full list of my gear, check out this page for quick reference links: allthingsoverlanding.com/gear/
Looking for budget light bars, rock lights, and LED strips for your rig? Check out Nilight and use code ATO for 5% off! bit.ly/38xBkMf
For more great content and info, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or search for All Things Overlanding on all the major podcast channels!
Facebook: bit.ly/3iqctcv
Instagram: bit.ly/3jnwO3s
TikTok: bit.ly/3bUGxQa
Podcast: bit.ly/2EVbbse
Newbie Overlanding Facebook Group: / 367203658420467
Chapters:
0:00-Intro
1:08-Things I Added
4:54-How It's Holding Up
6:52-Frequently Asked Questions
8:30-Final Thoughts
Thank you so much for your videos and answering my questions about this tent. You had me sweating there at first, cause my tent arrives tomorrow and ib bought it mostly on your good word. Thankfully you still love it! Thanks again for your efforts. I'll be watching.
Haha, sorry for the stress! Yes, it's still great and I love it. Enjoy yours!
Thanks for your Naturnest roof top tent review🥰
Thank you! The tent has been great!
These videos are MUCH appreciated! I need to urgently replace my ancient RTT because of a new work opportunity where I'll be living in it 4-5 months of the year. It's great to see real world results to help my decision making.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful. This is a great tent for the money. I recently switched to a slightly different one from Openroad that is also another good option and it's a few hundred dollars more, but there are some nice design benefits. If it helps, check out this video too: th-cam.com/video/V2TwHwRBTJY/w-d-xo.html.
FYI -mine did come with the ladder bag??
Only have one winter camping night in it and so far -I am very pleased! Thanks for the video recommendation!
Wow! Maybe they added it at some point? Glad you like it!
Nice video sir. Very helpful
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
I'm a new subscriber. Enjoying your videos
Welcome and thanks! Lots more to come!
This is def the best Amazon one. Can’t believe the features for the price. Better than other ones I’ve seen north of 3000!
Agreed!
Agreed and am in for one!
Hi. Another question about the rooftop tent. Meant to ask you with the 170 pound weight on the roof,how much difference do you notice between no tent on top to with the tent on top like feeling noticeably top heavy going down the highway and over technical high angles of your vehicle on the trail? My vehicle is a 2004 Wrangler LJ.
@@AllThingsOverlandingHow are the brakes holding up on the Frontier with all the added weight?
@@geovanniediaz-rivera5848 Fine. 16k miles and still feel like new!
They also come with two nice shoe bags with drain holes and ladder bag. Guess they are listening!
Yeah, they have to have sold quite a few and gotten a lot of feedback. It's a great deal for the money!
Well. I just watched the tail end of your video and heard you had already addressed the tent’s weight within that video.
😬
I had stopped the video when you stated something like that about wraps it up on the tent. Thank you again for your work on your videos. I live just east of Louisville, Ky. Nice to see content from people in the east.
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Great video, the tent definitely seems like a great value for the price! I love my tent, the Free Spirit Odyssey I probably spent double on in 2021, but I don't think I could ever spend that much on one again with all the different budget options available now.
Thanks! Yeah, so many options now even since maybe 6-12 months ago.
Great vids!!! Whats your thoughts on this tent on a 2011 ford explorer??
Thanks! As long as your rack can support it, I think it would be fine!
Great video, I’ve just placed my order for the Naturnest - what should I pick up to mount it to a Prinsu rack on my 4runner easily? What all hardware does it come with and will I need to replace it? Thank you
Thanks! It comes with some u-bolts which can go around crossbars and be tightened down. I'm not sure about the Prinsu rack? On my Xtrusion Bed Rack, they have RTT attachment brackets you can buy for the Xtrusion that make attaching it via 4 bolts really easy. I imagine Prinsu probably has an option like that for your rack? Hope that helps!
Mine came with a ladder bag and two shoe bags! I have the same one as you do! It's weird that you didn't get one with yours!
Honestly, I think they heard some of the feedback from the early adopters because I’ve had mine for over a year now and it sounds like with the new ones, they all come with that stuff. Which is awesome!
Hi, thanks for sharing your thoughts on NN RTT. Just got the same (from Costco branded as Trust made). I am wondering what brad/how you got the Solar panel installed on the RTT? Do you have any install video for the solar panel install.wiring etc?
Hey there, good question. Short answer is I have a similar video where I mounted a hood mounted solar panel on my old truck here: th-cam.com/video/te32ZVHNxdM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=cSIkROnY5lWBpRSh. I do talk through some of the wiring and some tips for hooking it up in that video so that might help.
To add a bit more related to how I did it on the Naturnest, I basically mounted it to the rails with some channel bolts with nuts (these: amzn.to/4a9FEMr).
Then I ran the cords down the back of the tent and zip tied them to my bed rack so they didn't move around a lot. Then there are basically just a positive and negative wire and it depends on what you're plugging it into. Generally it will be a solar controller and that should have an image of a solar panel which is the input.
Then you would wire the output from the controller (generally has a picture of a battery to imply that the power is going out to your battery) to your battery.
Hopefully that helps and sorry if that's super basic and you already knew all that, :D.
Great review! Just ordered one. Do you happen to know the measurements of the mounting rails in relation to the edge of the tent? Ends and sides? Trying to get my rack setup ahead of time. Thanks!
Just went out and grabbed some measurements for you. The rails are pretty much exactly 11" in from each side and about 6-7" from each end. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much!
Mine came with a ladder bag, same model.
That’s awesome. I’ve heard that they’ve made some changes since I bought mine a year ago. Sounds like they made some upgrades for the same price point.
Great video! I have a question about mounting it ---- which is prob the same for all tents like this. Is mounting it as simple as using the provided brackets and securing them to your crossbars? Just tighten up the nuts all around and you're good to go? No issues with the tent wanting to loosen up and slide forwards and backwards on those silver mounting rails or side to side while driving? Thanks in advance!
Hey thanks! Good question. Yep, that's pretty much it. I would recommend checking your bolts/nuts every month or so just to be safe and keep your eye on it to make sure it doesn't move. My bed rack came with some proprietary brackets that I drop the bolts down through and then mounted it that way (4 bolts basically) but if using the U-bolts, as long as they're tight and you check them every once in a while, it really shouldn't move.
Two quick questions. I also have a moonshade that I would like to attach to the back of my rtt. Can you like the exact ibolt and and channel hardware? Also, could you share the information on where you got the rack and crossbar pieces to mount your solar panel?
Hey there, sure! So, on this page (scroll down a bit and it shows my exact set up with the eye bolts: moonfab.com/pages/experts/jason-fletcher) is my set up for the Moon Shade anchors.
For the solar, the cross bars came with my tent. Then I just used some 1/4 20 t channel bolts (like these: amzn.to/3HaJmc4) and some 1/4 20 nuts (amzn.to/3NOTBqk) and slid them into the channel and tightened down the nuts using the stock brackets that came with the solar panel. It's been on there for about 6 months and 10K miles with no issues aside from some slight wind noise in heavy wind.
Hope that helps!
Are you getting condensation on the inside of the hard shell roof? Thanks for the videos.
Great question. When it gets really cold (like changes from 40's and 50's down into the 20's or below) I do have some condensation. That's pretty normal due to the weather and when it gets that cold, I'm generally going out winter camping with my diesel heater. So, blasting some warm, dry heat on it clears everything up. Or, if the weather bumps back up into the 30's and the sun's out, I can always open the tent up. But I typically leave it shut for a couple weeks up to a month, month and a half and haven't had any problem with serious condensation or mold of any kind in 7 months. Hope that helps!
I’ve been enjoying your channel. Your technical skill on filming and editing as well as presentation are excellent. I’ve been considering this tent for about a year. I bought a 2004 Wrangler LJ last summer and have left the world of Moto-cross, car racing, and backpacking and transitioned into off roading on trails to sort of merge my interests as well as my wife’s. So, your information has been helpful on many subjects. My main question about the tent is its actual weight as it comes and of course out of its shipping materials. I’m not finding consistent numbers. The range I’m sering is from 155 to 180 pounds.
Sounds like you found it but it’s 170ish just in case!
Thank you sir.
Could you double check the weight? You said 170lbs but Naturenest has 107lbs on their site. Did you mis-speak or is NN optimistic? Thanks. @LIFTSMITH
@@tlyonstlyons they probably transposed those numbers on their website, but it’s definitely 170 pounds.
@@AllThingsOverlanding Thanks! although I was delighted at what I thought was a lower weight option for my already over loaded Wrangler.
Tent aside (waiting for delivery so stoked) Have you made a video on this diesel heater setup ?! How did you mount the tank and heater to the extrusion? How is it working out as far as quality and adjustability ? Thanks Fletch!!!
I actually shot a video on it at the same time that I was on this trip but some of the footage came out super shaky and bad so I’ve got to reshoot some of it but then I will be getting that up in the next couple of weeks hopefully!
@@AllThingsOverlanding awesome bro. I almost bit the bullet on the rack height extrusion rack but just couldn’t do it 😭😭 I went with a cbi rack height to get this behemoth of a tent up there. Looking forward to the diesel heater video as my vevor has failed me on multiple shake downs. The thing only has one speed…..dragons breath on full blast. Not to mention non-space saving. Looking into getting this same setup.
Hey do you have your Pro4x lifted at all? Or did you just replace the factory tires?
It's lifted on the All Dogs Offroad RC Killa kit with a slightly longer shackle in the rear as well and then I upgraded to 285/70R17" Kendar RT's for tires, so basically 33's.
Good morning! I have a Jeep Gladiator with a Rebel Offroad xPlorer 1/2 rack. I've had a soft-sided RTT on it, but I need to upgrade to a hard shell one (easier to set up on my back). I have 2 questions: 1. How much will this hang off the back of my rack? 2. Do you have some type of slide system that your propane/diesel/heater is mounted to? I'm really interested in that :) Thanks, and I've subbed to your channel. I'm a member of the Midwest Jeep Thing, but I prefer to do more overlanding than rock crawling :)
Welcome! So, it's basically about 7' long so it with a Gladiator with a 5' bed, it would hang off a decent amount. For the diesel heater, I have an Xtrusion Overlanding rack and it has a slider system and then I mounted my diesel heater to that. I'm working on a video to explain in more detail, but feel free to email me at allthingsoverlanding@gmail.com and I'm happy to provide more specifics.
What’s the weight limit of the luggage racks? I want to haul a couple of touring kayaks and don’t like idea of them flying off during transport.
That's a great question and after trying to find that info everywhere, I haven't been able to find it. I have a solar panel on mine that probably weighs 20ish pounds and it's super solid on there, but not sure what the actual limits are.
Thanks for the video !!!!. How tall / thick is it closed ?
It's about 7-8" thick when closed.
@@AllThingsOverlanding thank you✌️
Question- there is a power supply in the tent, and a connection on the bottom of the tent. Any idea on what type of plug/ adapter is needed to connect that to a battery? Can’t find anything on the website about that. Thanks for the video
So, funny story, when I bought mine a year ago, they hadn't added the power connection yet. But I have some friends that recently bought it and asked me the same question and it's confirmed that it takes a 50 amp Anderson plug (like this: amzn.to/3ydTQWJ). Then you can wire it up to a battery and power the tent.
@@AllThingsOverlanding awesome thank you. Funny there is nothing on the website … not surprised though, it’s pretty bare. Appreciate the video and the additional info!
Any condensation issues after leaving it unopened for a long period of time? I live in PNW so rain is constant.
Nope. If the tent gets wet in a downpour while I’m using it, I just opened it up the next time I have a decently dry day and let it dry out for a few hours. But short of getting soaked in rain, no leaks or issues.
@allthingsoverlanding can you fit a 4 inch cloudcomfort mattress in this? Would the tent close?
Maybe if you replaced the original mattress. Definitely not as an add on in addition to the mattress. My experience has been that it's pretty tight in there. I can get a pillow, sleeping bag, the ladder, and the awning poles no problem, but much more than that gets tricky. I'm looking into some inflatable mattress options to hopefully add on top of the stock mattress, but I'll have to update you on that once I test some out!
I plan on replacing the existing. I got a bad back so sleep is the most important aspect of my adventures. Thanks. Look forward to the next video
As far as the tent goes, you talked about the materials and bedding. How about room, moving around up there, getting dressed. Or say if you and your wife are up there, how is it using the rest room in the middle of the night. Sneaking over, or is there room to kind of shimmy around? I am going to check it out. I like you can mount like you did the solar panel. My guess is that if you wanted 2 pannels, you would have to upgrade the shocks. On the tent.
It's fairly standard from a space stand point inside. Very similar to the majority of clamshell roof top tents. If you had two people up there and had to get up, if the other person is between you and the ladder, you're gonna have to climb over them. It's basically just long enough for a tall adult so there's definitely not enough room to shimmy around them without going over. I'm actually planning to swap out my single Renogy 100W panel for 2 100 watt panels in the new few months and I don't foresee any issues with the gas struts. They seem overpowered for the weight as is, so I imagine they'll be fine. But, I'm sure I'll report back once it's done.
@AllThingsOverlanding awesome thanks for the reply!! Sounds good. When I was looking at yours on Amazon I noticed they recently added a new hard top flop over style like the alpha.
Does the tent come with the solar bracket or did you add it? If so please let me know the details. Thanks!
It comes with those cross bars. Then I just used the brackets that came with the solar panel to affix it along with some channel bolts and nuts that fit in the channel. It was super easy to install.
Was there any insulation option or did you feel like you ever needed some insulation for it?
I don't believe there's any insulation options for it, but it's made of thick material and has been great even down into the 20's. I'm heading out this weekend into Michigan and it will be single digits or negative temps and I'm confident it'll be fine combined with a diesel heater.
Would this work on the stock 2nd gen Xterra roof rails?
I'm sure you could find a way. Back when I had my Xterra, I wanted to have an easier way to attach an RTT and an awning, so I built my own unistrut platform for about $100. If it helps, here's a link to that video: th-cam.com/video/HmoGAGgyh0o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=c7nBYVycofHF_6_r
Is the rain fly/ awning noisy when it's windy?
No. I have had to adjust the zippers a bit so they don't clang together in high wind, but that's the most annoying part.
How did you mount the solar panel?
There are channels in the cross bars and I basically just used channel bolts and nuts to mount it using the brackets that came with it. It was super easy!
Just got this tent and I'm looking forward to setting it up. For a couple videos I was able to handle your fast speaking sales men pitch. If you can slow it down and don't have as many filler words I could connect with you and the product.
just watched again and wow! slow it down, catch your breath. like the content just hard to try and keep up.... and BTW I listen to my books on 1.75X without a problem
Some people complain when videos are too long and some complain when they're too short. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Thanks for watching though!
How many inches is the tent? I know you said 7” but is that with the rack on top that you can add or without the rack?
Good question. That's the height of the tent itself, not including the rack. The rack probably adds about 2.5-3" plus whatever you attach to the top of it.
Just to expand on this question, is the 7" just the shell of the tent or including the bottom aluminum rail that sits on top your roof rack? And does the 7" include the top rail they include that your solar panels are attached to? Whether this fits in my garage or not, will be the difference of 7" to say 8" with the 2 mounting rails on the bottom!
Thanks buddy! @@AllThingsOverlanding
Good question. Just went and grabbed some measurements for ya. So, the tent itself is 7". The rails on the bottom are a little over 3/4" so maybe account for 1" just to be safe. The crossbars on top are pretty much exactly 2" tall without mounting anything on top. Hope that helps! @@williamteichroeb3687
@@AllThingsOverlanding That helps so much!!!! thank you!!!
@@williamteichroeb3687 No problem!
Can you tell me if there’s a difference between your Naturenest (from link) and the one listed for about $200 less? They look identical.
Your reviews and info are super helpful. We’re looking at purchasing one to put on a Subaru Forrester for some upcoming mega road trips.
How did it work on your previous hatchback? Were you able to lift the rear hatch?
So many questions. Do you think that the factory installed roof rack is beefy enough for this tent?
Haha, questions are good! Let me break out my answers here for clarity.
I've only had the tent mounted on my truck so no experience with hatchbacks but as long as you mount it far enough forward, I don't foresee any issues with opening the rear hatch.
For your OEM rack, I would check a Forester specific Facebook group or Forum to see what the dynamic and static load is for that rack. The tent weighs about 170 pounds if that helps, so you'd want to make sure it supports more than that static weight. Don't forget that your weight in the tent needs to be added to that plus any gear or anything you attach to the cross bars on top of the tent.
For the difference in the two tents I list in the description, the only real difference is the style of awning (the cheaper one just comes off the back but the side windows are uncovered). I went with the one with the awnings that go over the side windows and I love it. Another tricky thing Amazon is doing there is that the one I have is $1498 but with free shipping. The other one is like $1200 but then with $299 shipping, so they're basically the same price. Just depends on the style you want/like better, :D.
Overall though, this is such a great tent for the money. I spent over 60 nights in it over the last year and it's holding up great. I think either would work great as long as your roof rack can hold it, which I would think it would be able to, but confirm that. Good luck!
@@AllThingsOverlanding Thanks so much!
Link to your solar panel please!!!!!
I have this one on there currently: amzn.to/3TUW3iN. It's a great all in one kit with controller and makes installing it really easy. I am getting ready to switch it up to these panels to double my solar input to keep my 200AH house battery topped up better: amzn.to/48SmREB.
@@AllThingsOverlanding Thanks, I'm looking for a 2oo watter for my bluetti though. Happy trails. 🐾🐾🐾
Can you provide interior dimensions for this tent? I’m 6’2” and there is really limited info on TH-cam for review focusing on interior dimensions. Typical dimensions for length are for exterior dimensions only. Thanks in advance. I know it says 83 but someone review says a 5’9” only has an inch or 2 room. 6’2” should be around 73”, more than enough. Your help is greatly appreciated.
I'm also 6'2" and my feet just hit the angled "wedge" at the bottom so I sleep a tiny bit diagonal and that solves it. I've lost the last measurements I did of the tent, but I can tell you that I run this inflatable mattress in it (it's awesome and super comfy BTW) and it's about an inch too wide so I believe the tent is about 50" across and then it has a few inches long ways of extra space with the mattress in there, so it's definitely over 79" long (but with the top of the clamshell attaching, some of that isn't usable. amzn.to/4bpDQ2q
@@AllThingsOverlanding super helpful and thanks for your prompt response. Just debating on whether this will be a deal breaker. It’s just going to be my 10 year old son and myself sleeping in it. He’s almost 5 feet tall. It’s a really good price on the tent though.
@@EscOverland I spent about 60 nights in mine and I’m your height and it’s just about right. For the money it’s a really good deal and worked really well for me.
Thanks for the review. I’m wondering how the traditional name brands can justify their pricing? I had a roofnest condor xl and hated it. Absolute pile. Sold it after 3 days. Horrible fit and finish, the top wouldn’t close neatly over the lower part of the tent and the material they use for the shell degrades in the sun almost instantly it may be abs but it’s not automotive grade. As far as the rust spots in the awning arm support brackets, just dab them with rust converter once in a while if it bothers. It’ll turn black and you’ll never have to remove the bracket.
I hate to say it, but I wonder the same. I do feel like some of them put in the extra work to create better products with exclusivity to those features that you get for that additional money, but especially when they just rebrand a Chinese built tent with their logo, that's pretty frustrating and tough to justify.
Mine came with a ladder bag
I've been hearing that so they must have updated them after I bought mine. Glad to hear it!
My nature nest came with a ladder bag
Nice! Guess maybe they changed that at some point!
Are you able to lay down flat on your back in the tent?
Yes, just barely. With the wedge, my feet are sort of crammed into the wedge. I sleep slightly diagonal and if you're solo that easily solves the issue. It is why I recently switched to an Openroad RTT though because it is a similar design but with more room in the footbox. Here's a link to that video if you're looking for options: th-cam.com/video/V2TwHwRBTJY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=WN0JLBs0nXwNCePy. They have a version that's also just under $2K so it's really close in price to the Naturenest, but with some nice quality improvements and more room in the foot area and headroom. Something to consider for sure!
@@AllThingsOverlanding thanks for the reply! I do like the style of openroad but my problem is my car is rather tall 😅 with a 6 inch lift. So unclipping and clipping the ones towards the front of the vehicle is not ideal. I was thinking of getting the 4x4 Colorado nimbus which is similar to the openroad you have. Would you say alucab is comparable to the openroad?
@@East.bigblue That makes sense for sure. I think most would say Alucab is superior, but at the same time, I would guess they're probably fairly similar.
How tall is your rack? Thanks!
Mine is cab height.
does anyone elses nature nest whistle like crazy when going above 50??
I don't have any whistling with mine. Do you have the crossbars on it? Maybe it's something to do with those?