Man, i really disliked this tent. It's squeeky, too small to store even a blanket in and my rain tarp poles put up a fight to lock every time. Fsr tried to make it right but in the end, highly disappointed
That's what I'm saying. There's just no reason it needs to cost more than $800, and that's if you really go a bit ham in your DIY ventures because you want to.
I bought a $100 2 man tent to take on my ADV bike, didn't expect much compared to my expensive 1 man tramping tent but it's brilliant, erects in 2 minutes, is standalone, and seems to be good quality, you don't need to spend much.
I heard an excellent rebuttal to the RTT craze: rather than sleeping up top and doing storage inside the car, the solution for 90% of people is storage up top, sleeping inside. Replace the RTT with two big cargo boxes / storage racks and toss an air mattress or foam pad inside the car. It’s cheaper, and the sleeping experience is typically vastly superior. Quick setup time, cozier, more weatherproof (a RTT is still miserable in a storm), and the rooftop storage is still useful during the other 90% of time you’re not camping. I think RTT’s became a status symbol / a way to signal “look at me I’m outdoorsy”
That’s what I do in my 4Runner. I use a kayak rack and Thule storage container on the top. I also have a back rack or an extra storage container that I can throw on the hitch if needed. Biggest benefit is that I can turn the heat or AC on when I’m sleeping in the 4Runner cab and I don’t need to tear down the tent if I wanna explore around in my 4runner
Not saying it’s makes it completely worth it, but your comparison saying that they do make fast-to-set-up ground tents isn’t quite fair, because-from what I understand-those don’t have all of the nicer, heavier features that a rooftop tent has built in.
@@andrillaf Fair point. I think he was simply saying that speed of setup as a feature isn't unique. Rooftop tents are wildly overpriced, but they do bank on "we are both fast AND luxurious" as a selling point, which is true enough. They are just monumentally overpriced and overweight for the benefit they provides.
My wife and I spent five months in the Aussie outback 30 years ago and chose to do it with a rooftop tent, mainly for two reasons: 1) getting off the ground away from insects, snakes and crocs, 2) getting better ventilation - our tent had sides that rolled down to become fly screens. Even with the sides halfway down - on one or more sides - we still had privacy seen from the ground. These are very specific requirements for that environment, but it worked beautifully. It is also much quicker to set up and pack down, and the latter can be important in an emergency, as when we were once caught out by a forest fire.
Great idea for crocs if they are near places you go, I would imagine. Be very careful of snakes under your car though. I knew a geologist who died many years ago in the Snowy Mountains once from a bite. You would think being near a road that help and antivenin would not have been far away his death may be considered a freak accident (there were people all around, quickly applied compression bandage, as a geologist he knew all about snakes as did the people he was with etc) but snakes being under things and biting people standing next to them is not unusual at all. People forget that snakes spend plenty of time hiding, not just sunning themselves (especially when it is too hot for them to do that for long). Having said that, I have stretcher tent that I will use for a single night camping next to my car which I really like but I kind of peer under it while protecting my face whenever I get out of it... I love the speed and comfort of the thing too much because I get a great night sleep (but I don't trust it if a lot of rain is predicted -- those stupid things often have a design flaw that inevitably leads to pooling water on the top).
also they are quieter for wind noise etc, better rain protection, and my bad is set up in 60 seconds, and easier to level my car than it is to make the ground level, and not to mention how much warmer they are being off the frozen ground. i like this dudes vids but he came off odd in this
I had one for a while and sold it. My biggest complaint was once setup my truck was stuck in place unless I packed it all back up. No exploring during the day.
I think most people use them as road trip style. Where you generally only stay in a place a single night. Set up time, space saving, features due to weight not being a problem. Lots of reason people choose rooftop that he's just dismissed, fallen in the it's not for me, therefore its not for anyone. Just did nc500 and was very jealous of everyone with roof top tents even more so with diesel heaters installed. My tents nice, but it's not light or fast to set up. Then having to deal with a wet and large tent in the car everyday.
@@Stonepotwaffles depends what places you stay. If it's a more organised caravan style park yes. But most basic campsites you don't. And certainly not on the trip I just got back from.
He also missed that people will mount them on trailers get a cheap harbor freight trailer and mount that on top and carry kayaks or something else underneath. Almost any vehicle can tow one of those.
I had a bit of buyers regret after picking up this exact RTT, but after spending 10 days car camping and changing sites every day, we found it was a way more comfortable way to camp. Kept us nice and dry, it was very easy to pack up with all the gear left inside, and opened us up to camping in spots where pitching a tent on level ground was not possible. It is far superior to any ground setup when it comes to rain because you're never sitting in soggy grass/mud, and the hard top deflects most of the rain. 2 people sleeping up top, one inside the truck for 10 days in a row and we loved it.
I can get a waterproofed UL tent + footprint that is easy to put up and take down for far less than these RTTs cost-and I can take it in the backcountry where your car can’t go
@@trumpetingswanthat’s why you get both 🤣 but I get it, the RTTs are expensive, plus you need the rack for it as well, but they both have their purposes. If it’s what you want and have the money to throw at it, I don’t see the problem, I’m all for easier set up of camp so that way you can spend more time doing other stuff for camp
1. Speed and Ease of setup/tear down 2. Mattress, sheets, blankets, pillows can remain in the tent when collapsed on most models, meaning less to pack and unpack 3. Because it's mounted on the vehicle, it doesn't take up space inside the car I think they are ideal for people who are traveling long distances and want to be able to drive, then go right to sleep without the setup/teardown or need to reserve a true camp site. They aren't ideal for people going on true camping trips, but better for those going on hunting, fishing, road tripping, or overlanding excursions who need a quick and easy place to spend the night. I think they are overrated for most people but fill an important niche for those who fit this description. That said, for the several thousand dollars most of these setups cost, I'd rather just sleep inside my SUV.
Can't argue with first two points, but regarding no. 3 - if space is important you can gain a lot using roof rack for a fraction of cost. Other drawbacks of roof tents are susceptibility to wind and risen center of mass - it sucks off road, on traverses.
Completely agree with this comment. Im going out dispersed camping at least once a month and having a storage system and roof top tent make things so much easier to get ready for a trip. Easier means I can enjoy the trip that much more because you aren't stressing out about packing. I'll also add that usually we are staying at a different campsite each day so shortening that tear down and setup time again makes things easier. I'd say the major con is the fuel consumption and the weight up high. So offroading with a higher center of gravity makes things a bit harder but IMO its worth the positives the RTT comes with.
@TheRealBigBash cant say ive ever tried one but from what ive seen, it can't be leveled and sits on the ground. It'll get more dirty when trying to pack up since usually you aren't using tarps with swags and they aren't the most spacious. Again, I agree with the first comment and how they fit a need some folks have. Not for everyone. It's the "cool" new thing so people are all wanting to spend on it haha. Fad will die out in 5 years.
I love my hardshell RTT. Bedding is always inside and ready to go. 1 min set up, 5 min breakdown. Views, breeze and 360 windows make it awesome on warm nights or for stargazing. Never leaks in rain and a pee bottle means no ladder at night.
Off the ground is the main benefit of a RTT. So I took my RTT and mounted it on a $450 Lowes trailer. Off the ground and I don't have to break camp to go exploring, and no hit to the mpg. Stores in the back corner of the garage. I keep my camp cook box, chairs, water jugs, fire pit, and EZup awning stored on the trailer. Just hookup and go.
Your solution is the ultimate in low profile trailer... much lower profile than even a tear drop. Kind of a modern popup camper, but more basic and at that points a whole lot less expensive.
I have been offroad camping since 1988 and always used a ground tent. The last 3 years or so I got fed up with finding a great place to camp but nowhere suitable to pitch a tent. Last summer I finally bought a rooftop tent I wish I had done it years. I can now rock up to any nice spot and camp there. On rocks, on a slope, its all eas. I take a small spirit level and adjust tyre pressures to level my vehicle. Never had more comfortable and convenient camping in my life. I camp out in the bush, not at campsites so it's hard to find smooth, level ground. I have a Darche 1400 wide tent which id comfortable for our family of 3. They have wider versions which sleep more people. I have a storage box fitted behind it for all our chairs and ground mats with a solar panel on top. It actually leaves me more space inside the vehicle.
I know one guy who has a MASSIVE truck on oversized wheels, and keeps his rooftop tent on all the time. And it's hard to have a conversation with him were he doesn't find some way to complain about the price of gas.
@@colinjohnston9824 a) but if you drive a Prius or similar, you get twice the gas mileage of a car you owned 20 years ago, so gas actually costs the same. And if you drive a gas guzzling monstrosity, YOU are the reason you have to pay so much for gas. That's before we even discuss the global oil market, how it actually works, and why the US paid so little for gas for so long. And then we can start wondering why the US pumps so much oil, and gets literally the WORST price for it on the global market.... But if you think your gas bill is double even if your car gets twice the mileage.... you probably aren't ready for the complexity of the global oil market system. Stick to the basic math for now and circile back if you every figure out what my first sentence means.
@@colinjohnston9824 Oh, and I think you probably meant 23 or more years ago. By 2003, gas was the most expensive it's EVER been adjusted for inflation. That was the first couple years of the Iraq war. Most of OPEC was going insane trying to rake in as much revenue as possible amid an oil shortage due to the war. But again, do the simple math first, then work on the harder stuff.
@@james.telfer I lived in Europe for 7 years. Gas is about $7 a gallon in most of Europe. Maybe you are confused because they sell it by the liter - which is about 1/4 of a gallon.
I'm a Norwegian and I love my roof top tent. Here this by law is defined as sleeping in the car, and you can do that everywhere you can park a car, even in the middle of the city (that are safe 99% in Norwegian cities). Therefor it is not hit by any camping ban anywhere (sleeping in the car is never camping). But more often you can use a turnout or a rest stop (always safe) and just stop, pop up the tent, and sleep the hours you need, and then just get going. Simple and easy. It is also very hard to find level ground near roads in Norway. So this may be not a great thing for the US, but there exists other countries and many of those this is absolutely a great thing.
RTTs tend to be on a rack or some system that allows air to flow underneath (or do some not?) which I have always assumed would make them much colder than being on the ground? I guess the answer is, as always, better sleeping mats and stacking them if required... but you are kind of working against what you have... do you sleep in that system all year round? In my tent I sometimes use a stretcher for comfort but only in warmer months, if it is snowing outside or that kind of cold I have my mat on the ground
I spent 30 dollars to turn my truck bed into an awesome tent. Better than any rooftop tent. PVC pipe, good quality tarp, some plastic clamps, and a big roll of bug netting. Our air pads are a perfect fit too
I sleep inside my 4runner. Built a platform and drawers, fits a full sized mattress. I'm 6'6'' so I sleep with my head at the tailgate and usually sleep at a diagonal. I have a packasport roof box. I've camped in there about 300 nights in the last 4 years. I'm in the PNW where it rains a lot. sometimes without break. Without a garage to dry out a RTT, I can't imagine the kind of mildew that I'd have to deal with. They seem great for dry climates, with little wind, but not for me. However, I do think they look really cool and I just love tent design, so I keep getting sucked into considering them. But, at the end of the day, I love my set up exactly as it is... Just wish there was a little bit more room. Cheers y'all
Excellent point re: moisture. It's an issue that not many people mention. I can't understate the hassle of needing a 2nd person to help load/unload/store a RTT and that's when weather is good and the tent is dry. Now imagine the need to air out a RTT and you've just doubled your work. The more elaborate the setup, the more work, mpg, and time it's going to cost. RTT is great if you have a dedicated overlanding rig and a garage and you don't have to disassemble for each trip. But for a daily driver, it's not my choice.
I am also at 6’5”, and also built a platform for my 200 series Land Cruiser. I love that set up. I crack a window for moisture control. Ultimately, it serves me perfectly. I have plenty of room on the roof for wetsuits, gear, boards, etc, all stuff I don’t want in the truck.
I’ve put a lot thought into this subject. My conclusions are. There is no one best solution. All camping set ups have their pros and cons. Whether it’s price, weight, hassle, safety, fuel efficiency etc.. One person’s gripes are another one’s non issue. That being said, you gotta be going camping every weekend to justify putting a semi permanent tent on your roof.
Even if you are going every weekend, the trade offs of a roof top tent are just NOT worth it. What do you really get out of them? Whatever their benefit is, you could probably find a way to get the same thing out of a traditional tent for a fraction of the cost and weight. This video is a perfect outline why they don’t make sense for basically 99-100% of use cases. The trade offs are just not worth it.
@@King_Cole In my experience using both my rooftop tent and traditional tent, I find I use the rooftop tent 65% of the time in developed campgrounds, and most the time on BLM or FS properties. It has even allowed me to camp in dispursed places where there was no suitable ground for a traditional tent, but I could use rocks to level out the car. I tend to roadtrip which means I move campsites most days, and having the quick setup and breakdown is a huge advantage to me. It also provides some comforts that require more setup time to gain in a traditional setup. Most trips, I still throw my traditional tent in the car in case there is some place I want to camp that my car can't go. I don't use the RTT every time, and I am aware it is a luxury item, but it is one less thing I need to worry about when I decide to go for a quick overnight escape from the city or a 2 week roadtrip through multiple states.
True. I think the "problem" might be that most people use it when they don't really need to. The height advantage against animals is basically nonexistent, they definitely can climb on top of a vehicle, unless you mount it on a van or some other big vehicle, but then you could just camp inside it instead. It's main advantage over evey other camping system is quick set up on any terrain, relatively comfortable and low drag/weight compared with trailers or campers. So it's perfect for just resting in long travels. Find a place, spend the night, pack up and keep going. For spending more than a day in a single place, tents if you want something affordable and/or lightweight, pop up campers if you want to carry more stuff or plan to stay longer and you can't afford a solid camper, and a solid camper as the best shelter (it's literally a small house on wheels), but it's big and heavy so the main drawback is money (for the camper, a big towing vehicle, gas, and a big garage).
I pull a modified motorcycle trailer behind a prius. My gazelle t4 is carried on top of the trailer and is extremely easy set up. I still get 48mpg and have my vehicle for exploring. If I was to use my 4x4 I couldn't afford to do the 30,000 miles a year of tent camping that I do. If I'm in a place where I can't set up even a 2p tent I bring along I can sleep in the back if the car, and my dog sleeps on the drivers seat. I've done this many many times at truck stops from North Carolina to Idaho. Works for me.
I think the main point is that there are no significant features that make it stand out from the alternatives but it costs 3-4 times the price of even high end alternatives. At that price point you really should be expecting to see some clear advantages. You could buy a cargo trailer, attach a plywood board and set up a regular tent on it and you would get all the benefits, at a fraction of the cost and skip the worst of the downsides.
My argument for a RTT. - Got mine used for $1,200 for a 2 week family vacation out west. Ended up using it for 3 years straight - Saved $$ vs getting a room every night in the first week alone. - Quick setup and break down. Much more durable than pop up tent - Doesn't take room in the car. The MATRESS stays in it! - Off the ground was nice in countless ways - BEST OF ALL - We could drive all night and "camp" in a walmart or home depot parking lot in minutes, without looking for a campground. CONS - Lost 3 MPG - Couldn't park in some garages - Can't run to the store quick with the tent up Best road trip accessory we've ever gotten. We still take trad tents locally when camping.
@@Shrouded_reaperunironically an Outback with a mattress is a better off-road vehicle than a lifted pickup with oversized tires 95% of the time. Unless you’re planning on going mudding the Outback wins almost every time.
I'm old guy. I've throwed down on the dirt, mud, running water. Curled up in my old Corolla, just slumped out in the drivers seat of whatever car I'm in. Basically, car camped every way you can. Seems there are pros and cons to the rooftop tent. My impression is the main attraction is just getting the look. I do have an old Tundra with a stand-up high shell. Two cots always ready to go. With a fold down table. We don't use it that much but it's always ready to go and it's better than any tent. The shell knocked a couple MPG off for sure. Probably not worth buying a truck for, but that Tundra was our primary vehicle in the 2000's.
Hi Steven, We use an RTT frequently, as in Germany, it is the only way to legally spend a night outdoors. You are not allowed to wild-camp, even not to bivouac in most states, outside of official camping sites, that is. RTTs are in the grey zone, so overnight stays are not illegal. My better half prefers them to a tent, so ours is in frequent use. It extends our outdoor portfolio, saves a lot of accommodation costs, but everyone as they please.
except, even though you can't wild camp in Germany, homeless people can sleep on the side of the road in town wherever they want and the Saxon police won't stop it because "that's not illegal" 🙄 I kid you not.
For me and my partner, we love the ease of a RTT. It takes me 30 seconds to deploy now that I have done it so many times. And about 2 minutes to tear down. The bedding stays inside it so I can throw a case of camp kitchen stuff from my garage in the truck and go. I always know I have what I need. It also offers a level of privacy you don't get from a ground tent. If I don't have the ladder someone would have to climb on my truck bed to get to the tent. Something that can not be done stealthily.
LMAO which is 90% of people who have these and have probably used it less than 5 times total. You’ve really got to do some crazy mental gymnastics to justify one of these. There are MUCH better traditional options WITHOUT the trade offs of a roof top tent.
@@King_Cole yep that's me but i've done 10-12 nights this season. ~80lbs and 3-4" thick, 1k and is rated to last 10 years with maintenance (which i admit isn't without free time at beginning and end of season) definitely costs more but really not bad over time (like what, $20 a night? lmao and i haven't even mentioned how much ive saved from hotel costs) if you have upgradeitis and only do it for the looks, then yeah that's on you
Most of those rigs also have traction mats, pick, shovel, axe and a high-lift jack that the owner doesn't know how to use. And it has never been driven off pavement.
@@lawrencelin272 I feel like you need to rewatch this video. Like what are you getting out of a roof top tent that you can't get from a traditional one? A traditional tent is honestly better in a lot of aspects too; Weight, convince, cost, etc.. everything he mentioned in the vid. Like, I get some of the appeal but if you look deeper and compare the two, the traditional tent wins hands down.
@@King_Cole nope i dont, i've tried all types of camping even as survival ops with half tents trust me i tried to resist rtt and gave myself billion reasons not to, but you can't beat the convenience and efficiency I started with a heavy ass hardshell and it was miserable driving with it, going with a slim light one was a game changer for me and given the option i wont go back to lumpy damp ground it's not for everyone and it might not be for you but doesnt mean you should gatekeep
My rooftop cost $700, takes 5 minutes to set up with the annex. I put it on my trailer so I can still drive around when it's set up. Its perfect for road trips. Its not about being up high, its fast set up and take down
@XJapanGonnaGiveItToYa-cd4xj You mist the point. It's the roof load limit, not the roof racks. Also, you increase intrinsic instability of the vehicle.
There is an obsession with putting these tents on small cars such as Suzuki Jimnys, which have a roof load limit of just 66lb. Many people don't understand the consequences of overloading their vehicles.
As a Photographer... I hate having a slow to tear down campsite.. my Alucab allows me to crawl out... close it in about 20 seconds and drive away to shoot sunrise.. .. out of the mud out of the snow
Rain is the big one for me. I have no place to dry a rooftop tent without either removing it or putting the vehicle out of commission while letting it dry.
@Penny-mk7fv With the hard shell ones open the tent up on the roof, find a strait road and blow dry it. Works a treat. Most of them are designed for high wind speed so you should be fine. Mileage will vary from tent to tent.
@@dereinzigwahreRichi I feel like this depends on you, your vehicle, and your tent. On my truck, despite being a fairly strong individual, there's no way in hell I can take mine on or off alone. My tent weighs about 180lbs and is 7ft up. But if you had something like one of the Inspired Overland tents at 80lbs, and didn't mount it so high, it would be pretty simple to take it on and off.
My Alu-Cab 3R stays on all the time. As it is of a clamshell design, I can open it up in virtually any space my 4Runner fits. Opening and closing it is really quick. I have dried it out while shopping, eating lunch, at trailheads, etc. Ones that fold out can't do this in only one parking space.
They are brilliant as long as: - It's a hard shell - you have a fast pitch day shelter to 'claim' the camp site and provide day time shelter - don't treat it like a normal tent: don't store anything in it, it's just your bedding and that stays in it when you close it. Think of the RTT as just a sleeping pod. - most camping areas are flat enough to be able to level the car just by parking strategically, don't expect to park where you want then try and level it but the best way is to have a car that can self-level with air suspension (most older full size Land Rovers with an Easy Lift/X-Lifter) - They're at their best when you have the windows open but bug mesh closed. No condensation, lovely views, and no-one peering in at you! - Don't overthink the mpg. Leave it on all year and camp more! More roof tent workflow discussion on my channel if you don't mind me mentioning it here!
I see them as a great option for people wanting to go deep country camping along a 4x4 only vehicle trek. Or beach camping where you can’t get an RV to very easily. Being up high would also help prevent beach sand from getting into the rooftop tent
Purchased a RTT back in 2007. The company out of bend Oregon was running a veterans day special free shipping. The model was huge 72" wide and the usually 84" or 88" when folded out. Us it had a zip on room with a bucket floor. Large entry doors and large vertical windows on each side. Plus a giant D shaped zip panel to allow access into a vehicle if it had a sliding side door. Living in florida people had never seen such a tent. It drew crowds at every camp ground. Plus with the zip room, van gutted of seats & tent we could accommodate if needed easily four adults and four children. Several times we had to move from a camp site to another due to only having 1 day of rental in-between site being reserved. In many cases we're only had to pull up the ground stakes on the zip room push in into van and drive to next site...tent would remain unfolded. The down side was the weather fly was not sealed for torrential rain. After one florida storm the zip room had 18" of water! our private wading pool. The design of this larger tent with no frame support underneath the roof over the covered entrance allowed this area of the roof to sag & pool water during a prolonged heavy rain, which then seeped thru fly and tent roof allowing water to collect in the bucket floor of the zip room. We coated the fly with white elastomeric paint which made it water proof but the sagging continued when a prolonged rain occurred. We spent a good 12 hours trapped in the tent on several camp outs in florida. Our solution was a few pieces of PVC assembled into a T used as a support from inside which created a high spot on the roof of covered entrance/zip room keeping the large area from pooling water during a heavy prolonged rain. As for potty time we had a small camp potty for females & a gallon jug for males to use no need leaving the tent at night. We rigged a small fan in tent to provide air exchange. Other than having to climb the ladder & Hoist oneself up into tent it was a wonderful camping experience. Panoramic views that no other camper had unless they were sleeping on top of an R.V. eventually a bum knee on the wife became to risky for her to climb down the ladder. Going up wasn't much an issue. So we haven't used our tent in 10-15 years. I doubt we could give it away. It's in perfect shape...people today especially in the east just don't tent camp much...its R.V. with A/C or motels.😢😢
I have Gazelle tent and later bought Gazelle screen room. I have over 80 nights in tent. Set up is about 5 minutes. It pops open. Sturdy, does great even during Sierra storms. Screen room easily fits over picnic table. Necessary when besieged by mosquitoes or yellow jackets. In a pinch could work as a tent. Just a great, easy and reliable set-up for quick or long trip. Not affiliated w company--but wanted offer quick set up alternative to rooftop.
I'll say this. The rooftop tent on my gladiator has been life changing. Not only does it make trips cheaper and easier but we are staying more secluded. We stayed at big bend ranch with no one else for miles. And padre island seashore the same.
We bought a rooftop tent because we are paddlers and the trail heads to the lakes never had places for tents, so we always left home on Saturday morning. That always put us on the water late, then we had to drive out once we were back to the truck, usually 4 or 5 days later. This way we can leave late Friday, the roof top tent is easy to set up in the dark and we can get off the water late not having to worry about having to drive home or get to a hotel or campground. We do sleep way better in the roof top tent than we ever did in a tent. Just so you don't get it twisted we are avid campers and have spent weeks in tents over our 20+ years of backcountry camping. We don't overland so we can not speak to that and we don't have children so I imagine that makes things easier. thanks for the video !
Likewise, I race MTB, and the start of these events does not have camping, and the car is full of MTB bikes and equipment. I think these come in their own when you are not there to camp but do something else. You are off the ground which means you are not taking up space when a couple hundred racers are looking at setting up their race pits. In the right circumstances, they do make sense. Also I sleep better..
This only makes sense if the kayaks are on a trailer or something... I guess a similar alternative could be a camper trailer with the kayaks on the roof of the car but perhaps your method allows more storage in the trailer?
We have had a RTT for 6 years. We either backpack, or take the RTT. Ours sets up in 2 minutes and all our bedding is inside. When camping in rainy areas, on a road trip, with kids, there’s no beating having camp completely set by one person in a couple minutes while my wife gets the kids ready to climb up in and stay dry. Winter camping, warm and dry. Fast, dry and less room inside the car is taken. It’s a win for some situations.
With a $3000 price tag, I thing I would put a plywood base on the trailer, and just set up a regular tent. The trailer could still act as home base, but you would be $2000 richer.
smittybilt overlander $900 will never look back. ive used this to travel from cali to north carolina. I have a regular tent in the rig too but 9/10 times i using the roof tent. up in 2 mins and packed in 5. its about versatility and getting back on the road fast. The time saved knowing i can just park and set up in the dark vs finding a flat smooth surface for the regular tent is a game changer. RTT isnt for everyone but its perfect for me.
I had one for a few years, most expensive mistake I’ve ever made. You nailed most the points, the up high is nice for a view but animals aren’t a worry in the uk and bathroom breaks at night are a pain, also having to change position of the car is a pain having to put it up and down. I lost 10mpg on fuel with mine. The other big issue in the uk is with it being high up you can’t get shelter from the wind which is 90% of the days. When people ask me the only real pro’s I had were not having to find flat ground or rocks and it’s comfier. I can see why people buy them though, a very cool looking bit of kit and the idea is great, looks great in social media life. Personal got rid of mine and just summit camp on the top of the mountains now 👍🏻
I hired a Jimny with a roof tent to go around Iceland with my wife. We absolutely loved it, so got one for my Hilux here in Borneo. Unlike the Jimny's ultra-quick pop-up hard-shell design, I got a larger, more complicated flip-over thing - which I came to hate! Too much hassle, especially when alone, as it really needed 2 people to put it away. I bit the bullet and bought a hard-shell pop-up type, and we love it like the Jimny again. Never going back to normal tents. For hiking I use a hammock.
Good content, Thanks! I've tent camped for entirely too many years and continue to occasionally. Thought about a roof top tent, but just couldn't get behind the fact that I had to take everything down and pack up to go anywhere. Then you are always open to someone taking your spot and having to find something else when you return. Really sucks when it's later in the dark and I'm tired.... Ended up with a small teardrop camper last year and really love it. It's really nice to be able to stay inside when crappy and get some work done if I have to. I can keep most everything I need in the teardrop and park it in the garage to be ready to take off the next time I'm ready. Still tent camp if I feel like it, but not nearly as much. Seems I only use the tent now when I want to bikepack for a few days. Good stuff, thanks again!
We have (for us) the best solution which is an off-road trailer with the RTT on top of it. We can quickly disconnect the trailer to do exploring or run trails and camp is still setup. Being able to setup and tear down super fast is a major convenience (especially in less than ideal conditions). We certainly prefer to be off the ground to help avoid animals, creep crawler insects, potential flooding in the rain, and not needing to deal with cots or air mattresses. All that said, we still own ground tent equipment for those times when we want to go somewhere that the trailer isn't capable of going.
You cant beat a good off road trailer works well for me on longer trips takes about 10 minutes to set up and a swag for shorter trips. I've been using a cavalier off road camp trailer for years Aussie made queen sized mattress, kitchen, water tanks, Quality canvas, lots of storage, boat rack and it uses the same fuel towing it as a rooftop tent does. Camp is always setup and takes under a minute to hook it up and every thing is ready to go for camp trips.
I purchased my first RTT a little over a year ago and totally agree with most of your cons. At the same time, it has brought me a ton of joy and I have slept so much better in this than all my other years of camping. Especially with a partner and/or a pet space wise (coming from mostly having lightweight weight-weenie tents). My biggest con, as you mentioned, is the vehicle no longer being mobile once set up. If there's an emergency or any desire to want to leave at any pace - you're gonna have to wait. But for now I genuinely love it for trips I want to glamp with and keep doing traditional lightweight backpacking and bikepacking set up other times. In general, even with having one, I cannot for the life of me understand why or where the price points on some of these things come from (I got a cheaper one off Kickstarter).
I have lived out of my RTT for two years now. I removed the back seats of my Jeep and put in a flooring system so my elderly German Shepard could sleep inside. When traveling down the interstate, pulling into a rest area and being in the tent within a few minutes is also very nice. I have lived in my RTT all four seasons, from Arizona to Montana. I have also stayed in my RTT during 50mph winds, monsoons, electrical storms, and heavy snowfall. My RTT has been a complete blessing to me and has made my life bearable while living in my Jeep. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own situation, but not one thing mentioned has been an issue for me. It isn't as big of a deal as folks make it.
The weight is NOT a non-factor for rooftop tents. Most roof racks are only rated for a few hundred pounds (usually around 200lbs). You have to be very careful you don't exceed that or you could damage your vehicle. Not to mention the extra damage if you get in a crash from an improperly secured one, and your insurance is likely to use that as an argument against paying out the policy (especially if the tent is over the weight rating...). Explore Southwest did basically this exact same video a few years ago, I recommend checking that one out too.
Never have I had a more comfortable camping experience than when me and my wife did the ring road in iceland with a rooftop tent. Super convenient, allowed us to push our days (in the summer) to the maximum. We could roll into a campsite at 11 PM, pop a latch, crawl in, sleep. Easy tear down come morning and we were off again. Best 2 weeks of my life.
A cot tent like a camp-rite is a great alternative to both a tent and a roof top tent. Off the ground, stays there during day trips and super light and fast set up.
I laugh at all the tough guys with a roof top tent that are afraid of bugs and spiders. If you’re on a safari in Africa, and there’s hyenas, that may chew leg off then yeah they might make some sense. But in North America, it’s just a flex. Right up there with having a snorkel on your truck.
The camp-rite looks like marginally more effort to setup than my stretcher tent but looks like a better design than mine... mine has a flat sloping top that allows water pool in the lower part (towards my feet) which would run off if the fly could be make taut enough but any sort of pool will overcome the hydrostatic head and come though... I'm making a note now to look more closely a that camp-rite one which seems to have a better roof design. The stretcher is so comfortable, except when conditions are really cold, then free airflow sucking heat away underneath needs to be compensated for somehow
As someone who owns a Smittybilt XL Gen 1 (king mattress) with annex, I will say that it is all about CONTEXT. If you camp somewhere where your vehicle will be stationary for 2 or 3 nights, then they give you MUCH more comfort than a ground tent. If you want to move your vehicle more often than that, or leave your campsite at any point, then do a traditional tent. Heck, you could do a LARGE, high end wall tent for the price of a rooftop and maintain your mobility at the cost of a little setup/tear down time.
The use case for most people is the exact opposite. Rooftop tents are for people who move around every day and don't want to spend a lot of time setting up and tearing down every night. If you are going to stay in one place for days setup a tent.
In Australia these are used quite often as we do a lot of touring across our country and especially for the people that don't necessarily expect to stay in one spot for more than a night while traveling huge distances or tow a caravan, these are absolutely perfect. Another thing that would be perfect for a review is the swag, especially as its kinda the poor mans roof top tent over here as you can just roll out and you're good to go
I'm an Aussie too. I drive hundreds of miles to go camping in WA. If you really believe that a RTT is ideal for our giant country, i sure hope you have deep pockets and a 200 litre fuel tank. Did you actually notice his fuel consumption comparison? ⛽😋😊
@@Hillbilly973 Considering all the giant caravans being towed around Australia, a RTT is a non-issue. Half the vehicles have giant muddies on them, as well. I barely notice a fuel difference on mine. Just get a slimline one with a defuser, not a giant box like the cheap ones are made.
Off road camp trailer is the way to go nothing to flash mine uses the same fuel as a roof top tent and I don't have to drive around with it on my roof every day like a wanker. I don't have to worry about weight on the roof when 4wding.
I camp with a lot of people with rooftop tents they are literally 10 times more expensive than my gazelle t4 and army cot. People say they don't want to sleep on the ground well guess what cots in a tent you can stand in goes up faster and easier and is way cheaper than a rooftop tent that you have to either leave on your vehicle or take off in store. All kinds of people are selling they're used ones for two $3,000 My cot cost me a hundred bucks and my tent cost me $250 and it's way more comfortable and it's faster and easier to set up and easier to pack in and I don't have 300 lb of dead weight on the roof of my vehicle when I'm off-roading
I have to admit that even if an RTT cost the same as a normal tent I would still take the normal tent, for the reasons you mention -- the types of tents I choose are actually less effort than an RTT (I always have to go to the toilet during the night while camping, so the trips up and down the ladder would seriously outweigh the effort of lifting a tent out of the car and hitting a few pegs in with a rock). I've seen people go through the hell of closing an RTT that won't close too, and the owners getting anxious about how they'll be able to leave the campsite! I like your last point too. So many people don't realise that their extremely capable vehicle is actually much less capable when loaded up, and I'm assuming within acceptable limits, they are more likely to tip with weight on the roof, the extra height hits more branches, the extra weight makes them more likely to get bogged (but if that is all part of the fun then ok, load away), and that it is still worth cutting down on the nonsense in order to have a better time. I'm not even saying that as an off-roader, I much prefer carrying things on my back so I am biased towards being minimalist even when camping next to my car (I'm not saying I use exactly the same gear, I don't necessarily want to wear out my lightest and most expensive tent and other things too quickly), but people do seem to struggle making informed decisions where the marketing can sometimes be absolutely relentless.
yeah, good RTTs are more like 100 lbs and $1500 ..you're a cheapskate, just admit it. Cheapskates like you always feel the need to justify why they're cheapskates. So you like a 25 dollar cot and some people like to be up off the ground in a roof tent for $2000. You must be Roman Catholic.
Truck with a canopy. We built a plywood platform over the wheel wells and we have a queen-sized bed in the back and there's tons of storage under the sleeping platform. Still have a tent JIC. Similar pros and cons of a rooftop tent, but the truck canopy is much more useful when not being used camping. Back when we bought the canopy it was only $1000. And you don't need a ladder to get in and out--that's the biggest con for me. ER is probably far away if I miss the bottom step in the middle of the night when I have to get up to pee and end up breaking something.
I built one for my truck. Storage compartments over the wheel wells and I can put padded plywood boards between the compartments. Cost a little over $100 to make.
We have a truck bed tent, which is kind of a happy medium. Inexpensive. Sets up in about 5 minutes. Gets us off the ground. With a homemade platform in the truck bed, we’re able to use a memory foam mattress and still have storage for gear. No change in gas mileage from normal truck use. The hard part is that for campgrounds we never can get a consistent answer as to whether or not it can be considered OK for the sites without power or water (aka rustic), since we don’t need the power or water but some places don’t like vehicles in their rustic locations and they don’t seem to like camping in their parking locations…so we sometimes end up having to pay the higher rate for power/water sites. For boon-docking, though, it’s hard to beat.
This discussion could be applied to any consumer good. If you buy something because you see someone else with it and you don't have a use case for it its a waste. Our current use case was a truck that could tow 2 mustangs to shows and also go offroad, that's a pretty large RTT, and where we go we usually have just barely enough space for the truck, so being above our footprint opens more cool over night spots. If we did more flat wide open spots, traditional tent all day.
I will say, someone like Roaming Reckless actually has good use for her RTT. She lives in her truck full time, which allows the first level to be used practically instead of space for sleep.
I can sort of understand the appeal of that style of camping. You do not have to worry about finding a spot (though you do need to find a spot to park your vehicle that is kind of level), you are raised up from the animal life (though a bear will have no problems reaching you), and that is really about it. Down sides are it is heavy, decreases fuel mileage (weight and wind resistance in particular), they can be a pain in the rear to set up on the taller vehicles, you have to climb a ladder over and over again, they are limited in size, and they are very expensive some of them.
I'm in Borneo, they keep away crocodiles and snakes, scorpions, venomous centipedes and such, but also stray dogs, which my wife gets terrified of at times. Also, if you've ever seen a stray dog pee on your tent, as I have, you'll love a roofie!
Excellent video, and you covered all the points really well. If I had a tow vehicle like yours, and a family that loved to camp, I'd be grabbing a nice used Starcraft pop-up camper from the late 80's to late 90's, with an 11 or 12 foot box. When we were ready to make the move from tent camping, I jumped on CL and found a Starcraft "Nova" pop-up camper. For $250, and some sweat equity, we had an 11' box that hide down out of the wind behind the vehicle and could be seen over, while towing. It opened to 21' with huge privacy tinted and screened windows, a 2-way refrigerator, 3 burner stove that could be used outside, heater, sink with water tank, lighting and fans, etc. We had a normal height porta-potti for #1 only, during the night. It took about 15min to set up, and because we had it stocked with cookware/utensils/collapsible chairs/and all the other things a little home needs, it went from a folded-up-box, to a little home. All we had to do prior to leaving for a trip was put food in the fridge, and clothes in the built-in dresser drawers. Many great trips and fantastic memories were made, and because it was detached when camping, the vehicle was readily available to go see the sites. The other cool thing about pop-ups, is that they can be backed into a site that's for tent camping, unhitched, "walked" to the back of the parking pad, and spun sideways, leveled with a BAL Light Trailer Lever, and the vehicle will then fit into the parking space. Opens up all sorts of great options for camping sites. Of course finding a $250 pop-up that was the Cadillac of it's era, is pretty impossible now, but Starcraft and Coleman units are are still on CL all day long for a couple grand. My daughter is grown and married, and they purchased a smaller Coleman "Redwood," and just had their maiden voyage with it. They came home very exited for more trips. They're towing it with a Rav4.
That's a great way of summarizing the video and the comments. Everybody is so opinionated. What works for me works for me. I don't need to justify it to anybody else unless you are helping me pay for it, which nobody is, so why do they care?
That is a great way of describing the channel in general. Useful information, but it always feels like he is trying to be an anti gatekeeper whilst still managing to sound like one. Like I said in another comment - it is your money, spend it how you wish, and camp how you wish. It really is that simple. Way too much handwringing and argumentative nature in the comments to take them too seriously.
I bought a cheap rooftop tent for $700. It works great for quick overnights and weekends. I felt so secure one cold summer night in the mountains of Montana as it poured down rain. No leaks from the floor, no super light fly with leaking seams. As an old man I think it works well for being mobile and on the go. For going to a campground and setting up for a week I’d take a RV.
For yrs,I have set up my 2 person tent in the back of my open bed pickup truck. For yrs ,I had a truck with an 8' bed. Could shut tailgate. Now, I have a truck with a 6' bed .Still works, but have to leave tail gate down [no big deal].
I’ve had my rooftop tent since May 2023, and I absolutely love it! Don’t have to worry about carrying a tent around or worrying about having to find a spot to pitch it either. Also, on nice days I like to find a scenic spot and pop my RTT up and just relax for a bit or even nap. That’s one thing I never did with a regular tent. I definitely get why they’re not for everyone, but I found a crazy deal on mine and haven’t regretted buying it since.
@@John-d7p A few outings and all new? Brother… I’ve had it a year and a half almost, taken it on multiple big road trips, to 10 national parks, along with camping in it probably another 20ish times in the state I live in. I also pop it up just to relax on a weekly basis. Yeahhh, I don’t know that I’m getting tired of this one anytime soon. I love it even more than when I got it. I will add too, mine’s a bit easier to set up and break down than even the one in this video.
C6 tent - it weighs 25lbs, can be mounted on the roof, truck bed or set up on the ground. I can take it off my roof by myself in a pinch and storing it is a piece of cake. It takes 3 minutes to set it up. Absolutely love it, that company nailed when it comes to all of the cons of having an RTT. It is resonably priced too.
It may surprise you! The first time I had my wife join me in my rooftop tent I was shocked to hear her report “that was the best night sleep I’ve ever had camping” I thought she meant the comfort of the mattress, but she revealed the real secret: she always felt unsafe on the ground. Up on top of the Jeep she finally felt safe at night. I shared this with other women and I was SHOCKED when they all reported similar feelings!!!
We have a rooftop tent that we purchased for two main reasons: staying elevated (to avoid animals, for better views, and for added safety from high tides when beach camping), and for overlanding (multi-day camping since we don't do single-night trips). We would prefer a teardrop or similar, but unfortunately our garage doesn't have the space. So, the RTT can sit along the wall for when we need it. I will concede that it is a pain in the butt to put up on the roof and take it down, but we only use it 2-3 times a year, and we are glad to have it.
I spent $6,000 on a fiberglass snugtop. It has carpet, double thick roof, hinged side and front windows, paint color matched, usb ports, lighting, roof rack. Always ready for sleeping. no set up or breakdown needed. 400 pounds.
@@oni-one574 It serves as a lockable space for my tools while i work, or shopping. it still allows regular usage as a truck. whereas a tent topper does not.
Just got a RTT this summer and we LOVE it. Used it for a long road trip; setup/takedown was quick. Spouse also used it to attend horse shows with daughter, super easy and cheap to attend. Honestly, mileage hardly changes (because we don’t drive very fast where we live). Height is a non issue. Our RTT includes a winter layer making it very warm. Seems like OP just doesn’t like RTT and that’s ok. Not every solution works for everyone.
I built a sleeping platform in my 2000 4Runner with storage underneath. It fits a 6' X 4' foam mattress, and can sleep 2...if I could ever convince some desperate woman to sleep with me! I have plenty of storage underneath it and I typically put my cooler in the front seat at night. I stay completely dry in the rain and I don't have any tent to set up. The 5/8" birch plywood cost about $60 and the 4" thick folding memory mattress cost about $100. My daughter and I drove from KY to CO in '21 and spent 10 days camping in the San Juan mountains and explored the Alpine loop. My daughter slept in the 4Runner and I did sleep in a ground tent. We got 18MPG fully loaded with 2 adults. I don't see the cost benefit of roof top tents either.
Man that 18mpg is awesome I only get 15 avg over my whole trip in my 2009 4runner fully decked and loaded.. the RTT eats some gas for sure. Worth it to bring my 4 rotties and wife though. The RTT + deisel heater+ hot shower is how I convinced my wife to go without ANY hotel stops in a 2 month adventure. She's a trooper but doesn't want to be soar or cold.
@@MovieMakingMan why because where I grew up in the mountains, you always took your gun you don’t know what or who you were going to run into you may feel comfortable without a gun that’s fine, but I was raised with it. ✌️😎
Wife and I love our rooftop tent! We do a lot of trail racing in the mountains and need good nights sleep, and that is possible because our tent floor is comfortable unlike a tent.
I live in Denver, and this is a real issue. People driving around with all this weight in a huge block on top of their already lifted vehicle, carrying an object that is unused 99% of the time.
What’s the issue? What if they head off every weekend or twice a month camping. Why do you care? Are you all losing your minds in America. Half the campers in Australia have a rooftop tent. It’s certainly popular with a lot of trekkers. They go off for a day trek and return to their tent for the night. We don’t have ridiculous RV parks in Australia. We go bush and we travel daily to cross vast deserts. Roof top tents are ideal You all don’t have a problem with hideous RV monstrosities that need 2 acres each just to camp up and cost an offensive amount but omg roof top tents are your problem.
@@effkay3691 the idea is it’s super wasteful to lose 3 or more mpg for 99% of your driving on an already super inefficient vehicle, so you can drive around with your occasional bed on the roof. Besides looking like a poser douchebag, these people are actively making their vehicles even more harmful to the environment for nearly no benefit. It’s selfish, pointless, and embarrassing. I’m not against SUVs, I drove a big V8 myself, but I certainly don’t take steps to make it even more of a gas guzzler. Please post your self-centered reply below
A friend of mine had an old Tacoma with a shell on it. On top he had the very first rooftop tent rig I ever saw. The entire top flipped over 180 degrees to hang over the cab and hood and was held up by 2 struts attached to the front bumper with pins. This unfolded a tent the full length of the tacoma that had a couple of support bars built in that pulled up and over with the tent. Inside, There was easily room for 2 or 3 to sleep. This left the entire shell on the back to store gear, which saved a lot of time because you didn’t have to haul anything up or down to some car-top sarcarphagus. In there went the camp stove, coolers, and climbing gear. What was great about it was he liked to drive way off road and camp in unimproved spots…but he could just as easily camp overnight in the parking lot of some Walmart, without taking up more than one parking space. But, I gotta say- That Truck DID get stolen, twice.
Flat sleeping surface, elevated off the ground, easier to level, better views and sense of security, looks AWESOME. Love my bed-rack-top-tent and cant get enough overlanding adventures with it. Saying this "craze needs to stop" isn't the same as "RTT is not for me, here's why". The 2nd is more understandable and respectable.
RTT sets up so fast with bedding ready. I literally can go to sleep right away. I use my RTT when I’m solo camping. I still use ground tents when the family joins.
Another "con" that you didn't cover: Assuming that you had to leave the campsite for an emergency (for example, a medical emergency, a flood, etc), you can't drive the vehicle without taking the tent down, and those minutes could mean life or death. Great insight -- thanks for posting!
As long as there are no low trees you CAN drive away. Maybe get rid of the ladder, but in an emergency even that wouldn't be a problem. At least driving for some miles to a safer place.
As a roof top tent owner for over 7 years, what I can say about them is they have a specific purpose. Many people who have them, don't use them for the specific purpose they're built for and would likely be fine in a ground tent or hammock, but they want to look cool. The specific purpose is speed, space and reliability when being remote for several days. On trips like that, you are setting up and tearing down camp every morning and night, so being able to save time means you don't need as much prep time to setup or get going, which can be really beneficial when you arrive late to camp and need to sleep. Space is also a big one, for many we carry fridges and food and chairs and supplies for several days away from civilization, so by getting our tent out of the vehicle, we free up space. And if the tent can use cross bars, we gain back space again. Sure, we lose MPG, but that was already a losing game for us because of bigger tires, lifts and payloads, so in the grand scheme, the rooftop tent doesn't matter much. And finally, reliability. We are often in hard weather conditions, bad rain, snow, wind, and we don’t necessarily have a choice to pack up and go home sometimes, so we have to tough it out, and especially these hard shells like the one you tested (and I’ve owned for 3 years) hold up to the worst of the weather you can throw at it while keeping you warm and dry. And they can take a beating from branches and trees on the trail. (obviously hike in campers have to deal with this too, but from the same perspective, the ones who spend big are the ones who want something that can weather the elements better than the others.) The honest truth is that if you aren’t using your setup for point to point travel like this more than 50% of the time you use it, yeah, you could definitely save a bunch of money and use a ground or hammock tent. But if this is what you do, the comfort, speed, and reliability gained is unparalleled. BTW, this is not just to justify my purchase, I totally want to get a nice light ground tent soon to start doing some hike in camping too, and a rooftop tent can’t get that job done at all.
These are some good points and I appreciate you sharing this perspective. As I read through your comment I couldn’t help but think about backpacking and how we often encounter the same situations. We are moving everyday, experiencing extreme weather often in very high elevations, and we can’t pack up and go home if things turn south. Yet we use very lightweight ground tents and trust our safety to them. Maybe it’s this perspective that makes me biased against RTT. Thanks for commenting and watching
I agree and I have a similar experience with my own roof top tent that I use on long trips. One of the additionnal benefit I see to it is the choice of locations where you can sleep at. We are often near nature reserves or national parks where pitching a tent would be illegal whereas the rooftop tent is legally grey, especially if it stays fully over the car like on compact models. It also makes camping near big cities possible, albeit not too comfortable depending on the spots you find. I bought my roof top tent more as a cheap alternative to renting a van than as an alternative to a cosy tent, it's not really the same use.
Just like any trend, most of those tents will remain brand new untill they fall apart on the roof. In the Albuquerque area, "frownie" face grills, rooftop tent, 22 inch fake beedlock wheels with "mud tires" on 4 inch spacers, blocks to lift an axle, rusty bumper jack on the front bumper, empty fuel cans, empty water cans, plastic traction boards, Punnisher skulls, Glock stickers, Pep Boys stick on "chrome", $5,000.00 bumpers, "tattered" American flag sticker on the hood MUST be on your 4x4 or you aren't cool.
Don't get me started on the soft toppers. In over 100 degree weather, taking the doors and roof off is a stupid idea. It only looks cool to the other soft toppers.
In Australia, camp sites are littered with them...tents seem too hard for most mum and dad campers so we see more $100k caravans and $3k rooftop tents.
I think it's different for everyone. I used a Gazelle T3 for a while and loved it. I decided to purchase a RTT early this spring. I typically camp by myself. It works great for me. I never stay in one spot for more than 1 night. I can keep my sleeping bag, 2 pillows, and a banket in the tent while its shut. Oddly enough my mpg actually went up by .5 miles.
I have considered a roof top tent, two major benefits of A) being off the ground if it rains, and B) improved ventilation for a breeze to cool the tent down at night. Definitely some drawbacks to climbing the ladder up/down all the time for sure.
I got a good deal on a RTT in 2022 and I have loved it. I’m in the military and I was PCSing (changing duty station) across the country from Florida to Washington State and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on hotels on the drive so I figured I could use the money I would’ve spent on hotels and actually see the country. This allowed me to do some crazy off road trails in Colorado and spend the night in places I would probably never get to again. One thing that I believe was left out of the video is the comfort of an RTT, not necessarily the size but the bedding. It is way more comfortable than most blow up air sleeping pads. While in Washington I visited Mount Rainier and Olympic national forest with the RTT and it was very nice (as long as I had a rated sleeping bag with me). And now I’m in Southern California and when I go camping it’s nice not to track so much dirt and dust in. Ultimately I bought the RTT to save some money for a trip but I ended up loving every trip I’ve had with it even after it fulfilled its original purpose.
I put the $800 roof top tent on my Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid. I still get about 36/42MPG for hwy/city driving and the crossover can go most places a other RTT users would go.
Putting the rooftop tent on a trailer solves all the problems. Frees up your car/truck. Added storage. Saves your camp spot. Easy setup. Gets you off the ground.
Or in Australia, a trayback ute would actually act the same. Pretty good idea. Camper trailer setups already exist but cost way way more than a roof topper.
We have a hub tent, we have a Northface 6p ground tent, a wagon top 8p & a goFSR king size RTT that is on the bed of our ram 2500. Lots of situations where one tent just isn’t the best …. That said we use the RTT the most. Drive somewhere, pop it up & sleep. & our tent is below the roofline so we don’t have any issues with gas mileage
Mate, for camping on the beach, rocky rivers, muddy ground, get the breeze in hot conditions and the view from up there, i love it. Its the best option for touring or one nighters
Using a roof top tent was a blast for me last summer. At arrival you just pop it up and you're all set. As we were road tripping we're unpacking and packing a lot, this tent made that nice and easy. Also, it does not really get dirty because you do not live in the sand/mud. Besides that there is not a lot unpack and pack because you can leave the mattras ans sleeping bags in it. If I were to stay at a camping for more than two days I would probably go for a ground based tent for the reasons you gave. However, for roadtripping this thing was absolutely perfect.
Let's not gatekeep people from going outdoor though. Whatever gets people outside and doesn't hurt others or the environment is what I'm all for. Admittedly, the RTT market is insanely overpriced, that 'overland tax' these days.
This is an equipment review channel, its whole purpose is to judge the value proposition of camping equipment. This isn't gatekeeping anyone, they can choose RTT or traditional tent, which is the comparison made here. If overpriced equipment gets people outdoors better than traditional equipment, I guess that's fine but it's fairly irrational. Your criticism just feels unfounded. It's like saying a negative movie review is somehow gatekeeping people from enjoying the movies - it makes no sense.
Oh, let's absolutely gatekeep. I'm all for the moronic city-dwellers staying inside the city limits and not polluting the countryside with their stupidity.
Totally agree, I also hate having access to small/safe/lightweight electronic devices such as: Lighting Head lamp Emergency beacon GPS Cell phone (Especially on longer, or more remote trips)
@@BatCaveOzI absolutely can't stand seeing those silly headlamps at night lighting up the woods. And those personal locator beacons are just so big and bulky.
Setup and pack up time is the biggest PRO for me. I am a family of 4 with a ikamper skycamp 3.0. It takes 1 minute to setup, sleeping bags and pillows are already up there saving space in the 4x4. With a ground tent it would take 30-45 mins to setup and packaway. Tent, blow up roll mats and sleeping bags out of stuff sacks. Packing away would take longer and having to find room for everything in the car.
I do both - I love sleeping on the ground in a $100 tent. It's simple, easy and nostalgic. I also have a dialed rig for more extreme winter use or times when i'm on the road for jobs multiple days/dispersed camping. I think the RTT is a nice tool in a quiver but for most people - the cost will outweigh the benefit.
For $3500 get an old Chevy van and put a mattress in the back. I bought a new Chevy van that was bare inside. I customized it myself with insulation, paneling, huge bed, icebox, lighting, shelves, curtains, darkened windows and captains chairs. It was a mobile motel. I took it everywhere camping, beach trips. I took it to Colorado and New Mexico many times and I parked it by the ski lifts so I’d be first to ride up the mountains. Oh yeah, it was also very, very handy on dates!!! It was a mobile bordello 🤣. Perfect!
If it gets people camping I’m all for it. Getting away for weekend is nice and it acts like a tree house for the kids. Just know that it much cheaper to just get a cheap tent and try it out camping
I had nothing to do so i decided to read the comments. Then I remembered I had nothing to do... Get a life people !!! If you want one, buy one. If you don't, then get whatever you think is right for YOU.
Admittedly, I live in Mongolia and thus may have other requirements. The reason I have both roof top tent (RTT) and traditional tent (TT) is the following: RAIN/MUD: The RTT stays clean and doesn't flood (especially in the mountains you may end up setting up your tent in a previously unknown river). No need to clean the tent of mud when moving to the next site. 2. HEAT: RTT is a lot cooler compared to sleeping on the ground. Especially in the desert the ground doesn't cool down fast enough to make it comfortable. 3. ROCKY SETTINGS: There are just mountain or desert areas which are basically one big sharp rocky environment. TT might be possible, but it's near impossible not to damage your equipment. 4. MOUNTAIN SLOPES: You touched on it. It's relatively easy to level your car, but impossible for a tent. 5. INSECTS: In Mongolia certain areas have specific crawly insects coming out in the millions at night. RTT is the only way to avoid. 6. LIVESTOCK/SAFETY: Mongolia is full of herds of very curious horses, cows, cashmere goats and yaks. They like to nibble on your tent. A handful times a year TT dwellers yell at cows from inside their tent to chase away a bull or several of them. Not a good idea. Stampedes kill people. Wild animals are wild. 7. NIGHT TIME SETUP: In the pitch dark or even with a flashlight I often struggle to find a good TT spot. An RTT can be setup blindfolded and neigh anywhere. 8. Though this is a bit mean, it's SUPER CHEAP. RTT's are often assembled in China and we can buy them dead cheap here of almost any brand. Think 500 Euro/Dollar. Gas? Max speed here is 80 km/h on highways, but there are few of those. Maybe 8000 km total. Not a real issue at 30-60 km/h in Land Cruiser. 9. STORAGE: 99% has an apartment here. RTT is left on the car (we tend to have an off-road car and a city car) 10. COMFORT: Matrass is simply superior. We upgraded ours by buying a normal matrass. Our TT has Monstamat. It starts to count when camping for 7 weeks. 11. EASE OF USE: Setting and packing up is done in a jiffy. No need to take any stuff in or out. When tired, this is very welcome.
Buy the Anker 300DC right now for only $169.99: ankerfast.club/ocxvic
*Roof Top Tent shown in this video:*
FSR Odyssey V2: geni.us/8lJKuY
Man, i really disliked this tent. It's squeeky, too small to store even a blanket in and my rain tarp poles put up a fight to lock every time. Fsr tried to make it right but in the end, highly disappointed
$3000+ for a rooftop tent? Makes those $700+ dyneema trekking pole tents seem downright affordable.😂
Gold Bruce, Gold!
That's what I'm saying. There's just no reason it needs to cost more than $800, and that's if you really go a bit ham in your DIY ventures because you want to.
I bought a $100 2 man tent to take on my ADV bike, didn't expect much compared to my expensive 1 man tramping tent but it's brilliant, erects in 2 minutes, is standalone, and seems to be good quality, you don't need to spend much.
Will FHA support me in my purchase?
Roof top tents are like climbing Everest. Those Dyneema tents are like K2 haha
I heard an excellent rebuttal to the RTT craze: rather than sleeping up top and doing storage inside the car, the solution for 90% of people is storage up top, sleeping inside.
Replace the RTT with two big cargo boxes / storage racks and toss an air mattress or foam pad inside the car. It’s cheaper, and the sleeping experience is typically vastly superior. Quick setup time, cozier, more weatherproof (a RTT is still miserable in a storm), and the rooftop storage is still useful during the other 90% of time you’re not camping.
I think RTT’s became a status symbol / a way to signal “look at me I’m outdoorsy”
Yup
Exactly my setup! Always wondered why people did it the other way around
Kinda like buying a truck or SUV making it all outdoorsy and live in a city. What I like is the people that buy a vehicle with a snorkel......come on!
💯🔥
YEP ! 😂
Honestly, I'd sooner throw an airup mattress in the back of a 4runner or truck with a camper shell than get a rooftop tent for my jeep.
That’s what I do in my 4Runner. I use a kayak rack and Thule storage container on the top. I also have a back rack or an extra storage container that I can throw on the hitch if needed.
Biggest benefit is that I can turn the heat or AC on when I’m sleeping in the 4Runner cab and I don’t need to tear down the tent if I wanna explore around in my 4runner
I once slept in the bed of a closed Chevy Avalanche and it was pretty nice lol
@@BelfastBodger
what's a rooftop tent? This video here we are watching is a rooftop tent correct?
Not saying it’s makes it completely worth it, but your comparison saying that they do make fast-to-set-up ground tents isn’t quite fair, because-from what I understand-those don’t have all of the nicer, heavier features that a rooftop tent has built in.
@@andrillaf Fair point. I think he was simply saying that speed of setup as a feature isn't unique. Rooftop tents are wildly overpriced, but they do bank on "we are both fast AND luxurious" as a selling point, which is true enough. They are just monumentally overpriced and overweight for the benefit they provides.
My wife and I spent five months in the Aussie outback 30 years ago and chose to do it with a rooftop tent, mainly for two reasons: 1) getting off the ground away from insects, snakes and crocs, 2) getting better ventilation - our tent had sides that rolled down to become fly screens. Even with the sides halfway down - on one or more sides - we still had privacy seen from the ground. These are very specific requirements for that environment, but it worked beautifully. It is also much quicker to set up and pack down, and the latter can be important in an emergency, as when we were once caught out by a forest fire.
Yes i was thinking to get away from bugs and critters would en a big plus
solid reasoning, and i'd be nervous about critters in Australia too
Great idea for crocs if they are near places you go, I would imagine. Be very careful of snakes under your car though. I knew a geologist who died many years ago in the Snowy Mountains once from a bite. You would think being near a road that help and antivenin would not have been far away his death may be considered a freak accident (there were people all around, quickly applied compression bandage, as a geologist he knew all about snakes as did the people he was with etc) but snakes being under things and biting people standing next to them is not unusual at all. People forget that snakes spend plenty of time hiding, not just sunning themselves (especially when it is too hot for them to do that for long). Having said that, I have stretcher tent that I will use for a single night camping next to my car which I really like but I kind of peer under it while protecting my face whenever I get out of it... I love the speed and comfort of the thing too much because I get a great night sleep (but I don't trust it if a lot of rain is predicted -- those stupid things often have a design flaw that inevitably leads to pooling water on the top).
@@ADRIFTHIPHOPI'd be more afraid of bears in North America!
also they are quieter for wind noise etc, better rain protection, and my bad is set up in 60 seconds, and easier to level my car than it is to make the ground level, and not to mention how much warmer they are being off the frozen ground. i like this dudes vids but he came off odd in this
I had one for a while and sold it. My biggest complaint was once setup my truck was stuck in place unless I packed it all back up. No exploring during the day.
I think most people use them as road trip style. Where you generally only stay in a place a single night. Set up time, space saving, features due to weight not being a problem. Lots of reason people choose rooftop that he's just dismissed, fallen in the it's not for me, therefore its not for anyone.
Just did nc500 and was very jealous of everyone with roof top tents even more so with diesel heaters installed. My tents nice, but it's not light or fast to set up. Then having to deal with a wet and large tent in the car everyday.
They need a stand like the campers or something
@@Stonepotwaffles depends what places you stay. If it's a more organised caravan style park yes. But most basic campsites you don't. And certainly not on the trip I just got back from.
He also missed that people will mount them on trailers get a cheap harbor freight trailer and mount that on top and carry kayaks or something else underneath. Almost any vehicle can tow one of those.
@@thisoldrelic I’ll just sleep in the back of the vehicle
I had a bit of buyers regret after picking up this exact RTT, but after spending 10 days car camping and changing sites every day, we found it was a way more comfortable way to camp. Kept us nice and dry, it was very easy to pack up with all the gear left inside, and opened us up to camping in spots where pitching a tent on level ground was not possible. It is far superior to any ground setup when it comes to rain because you're never sitting in soggy grass/mud, and the hard top deflects most of the rain. 2 people sleeping up top, one inside the truck for 10 days in a row and we loved it.
I can get a waterproofed UL tent + footprint that is easy to put up and take down for far less than these RTTs cost-and I can take it in the backcountry where your car can’t go
@@trumpetingswanthat’s why you get both 🤣 but I get it, the RTTs are expensive, plus you need the rack for it as well, but they both have their purposes. If it’s what you want and have the money to throw at it, I don’t see the problem, I’m all for easier set up of camp so that way you can spend more time doing other stuff for camp
1. Speed and Ease of setup/tear down
2. Mattress, sheets, blankets, pillows can remain in the tent when collapsed on most models, meaning less to pack and unpack
3. Because it's mounted on the vehicle, it doesn't take up space inside the car
I think they are ideal for people who are traveling long distances and want to be able to drive, then go right to sleep without the setup/teardown or need to reserve a true camp site. They aren't ideal for people going on true camping trips, but better for those going on hunting, fishing, road tripping, or overlanding excursions who need a quick and easy place to spend the night.
I think they are overrated for most people but fill an important niche for those who fit this description. That said, for the several thousand dollars most of these setups cost, I'd rather just sleep inside my SUV.
This is the best answer. As a backpacker they aren’t that useful but as a road tripper I can see them working great!
Can't argue with first two points, but regarding no. 3 - if space is important you can gain a lot using roof rack for a fraction of cost. Other drawbacks of roof tents are susceptibility to wind and risen center of mass - it sucks off road, on traverses.
Completely agree with this comment. Im going out dispersed camping at least once a month and having a storage system and roof top tent make things so much easier to get ready for a trip. Easier means I can enjoy the trip that much more because you aren't stressing out about packing.
I'll also add that usually we are staying at a different campsite each day so shortening that tear down and setup time again makes things easier.
I'd say the major con is the fuel consumption and the weight up high. So offroading with a higher center of gravity makes things a bit harder but IMO its worth the positives the RTT comes with.
You ever heard of swags? They fill the first two requirements and are used in Australia a lot by those who hunt and fish.
@TheRealBigBash cant say ive ever tried one but from what ive seen, it can't be leveled and sits on the ground. It'll get more dirty when trying to pack up since usually you aren't using tarps with swags and they aren't the most spacious. Again, I agree with the first comment and how they fit a need some folks have. Not for everyone. It's the "cool" new thing so people are all wanting to spend on it haha. Fad will die out in 5 years.
I love my hardshell RTT. Bedding is always inside and ready to go. 1 min set up, 5 min breakdown. Views, breeze and 360 windows make it awesome on warm nights or for stargazing. Never leaks in rain and a pee bottle means no ladder at night.
Off the ground is the main benefit of a RTT. So I took my RTT and mounted it on a $450 Lowes trailer. Off the ground and I don't have to break camp to go exploring, and no hit to the mpg. Stores in the back corner of the garage. I keep my camp cook box, chairs, water jugs, fire pit, and EZup awning stored on the trailer. Just hookup and go.
Yes I agree, the best way to pack is don't unpack ,always good to go.
A very good idea!
Your solution is the ultimate in low profile trailer... much lower profile than even a tear drop. Kind of a modern popup camper, but more basic and at that points a whole lot less expensive.
So basically a pop up trailer camper. I agree that they're neat.
This is the best option.
I have been offroad camping since 1988 and always used a ground tent.
The last 3 years or so I got fed up with finding a great place to camp but nowhere suitable to pitch a tent.
Last summer I finally bought a rooftop tent I wish I had done it years. I can now rock up to any nice spot and camp there.
On rocks, on a slope, its all eas.
I take a small spirit level and adjust tyre pressures to level my vehicle.
Never had more comfortable and convenient camping in my life.
I camp out in the bush, not at campsites so it's hard to find smooth, level ground.
I have a Darche 1400 wide tent which id comfortable for our family of 3. They have wider versions which sleep more people.
I have a storage box fitted behind it for all our chairs and ground mats with a solar panel on top.
It actually leaves me more space inside the vehicle.
I know one guy who has a MASSIVE truck on oversized wheels, and keeps his rooftop tent on all the time.
And it's hard to have a conversation with him were he doesn't find some way to complain about the price of gas.
Easy, tell him how much fuel costs in Europe, it's almost as cheap as (clean) water in the US.
Doesn't matter if you drive a prius or a smart car, gas is over double what it was 20 years ago, and wages are nowhere near double.
@@colinjohnston9824 a) but if you drive a Prius or similar, you get twice the gas mileage of a car you owned 20 years ago, so gas actually costs the same.
And if you drive a gas guzzling monstrosity, YOU are the reason you have to pay so much for gas.
That's before we even discuss the global oil market, how it actually works, and why the US paid so little for gas for so long.
And then we can start wondering why the US pumps so much oil, and gets literally the WORST price for it on the global market....
But if you think your gas bill is double even if your car gets twice the mileage.... you probably aren't ready for the complexity of the global oil market system.
Stick to the basic math for now and circile back if you every figure out what my first sentence means.
@@colinjohnston9824 Oh, and I think you probably meant 23 or more years ago. By 2003, gas was the most expensive it's EVER been adjusted for inflation. That was the first couple years of the Iraq war. Most of OPEC was going insane trying to rake in as much revenue as possible amid an oil shortage due to the war.
But again, do the simple math first, then work on the harder stuff.
@@james.telfer I lived in Europe for 7 years. Gas is about $7 a gallon in most of Europe.
Maybe you are confused because they sell it by the liter - which is about 1/4 of a gallon.
I'm a Norwegian and I love my roof top tent. Here this by law is defined as sleeping in the car, and you can do that everywhere you can park a car, even in the middle of the city (that are safe 99% in Norwegian cities). Therefor it is not hit by any camping ban anywhere (sleeping in the car is never camping). But more often you can use a turnout or a rest stop (always safe) and just stop, pop up the tent, and sleep the hours you need, and then just get going. Simple and easy. It is also very hard to find level ground near roads in Norway. So this may be not a great thing for the US, but there exists other countries and many of those this is absolutely a great thing.
well that's a good reason. if it gives you permission to pop it anywhere i'd consider buying one but the US will never allow that
RTTs tend to be on a rack or some system that allows air to flow underneath (or do some not?) which I have always assumed would make them much colder than being on the ground? I guess the answer is, as always, better sleeping mats and stacking them if required... but you are kind of working against what you have... do you sleep in that system all year round? In my tent I sometimes use a stretcher for comfort but only in warmer months, if it is snowing outside or that kind of cold I have my mat on the ground
I spent 30 dollars to turn my truck bed into an awesome tent. Better than any rooftop tent. PVC pipe, good quality tarp, some plastic clamps, and a big roll of bug netting. Our air pads are a perfect fit too
I sleep inside my 4runner. Built a platform and drawers, fits a full sized mattress. I'm 6'6'' so I sleep with my head at the tailgate and usually sleep at a diagonal. I have a packasport roof box. I've camped in there about 300 nights in the last 4 years. I'm in the PNW where it rains a lot. sometimes without break. Without a garage to dry out a RTT, I can't imagine the kind of mildew that I'd have to deal with. They seem great for dry climates, with little wind, but not for me. However, I do think they look really cool and I just love tent design, so I keep getting sucked into considering them. But, at the end of the day, I love my set up exactly as it is... Just wish there was a little bit more room. Cheers y'all
Excellent point re: moisture. It's an issue that not many people mention. I can't understate the hassle of needing a 2nd person to help load/unload/store a RTT and that's when weather is good and the tent is dry. Now imagine the need to air out a RTT and you've just doubled your work. The more elaborate the setup, the more work, mpg, and time it's going to cost. RTT is great if you have a dedicated overlanding rig and a garage and you don't have to disassemble for each trip. But for a daily driver, it's not my choice.
I am also at 6’5”, and also built a platform for my 200 series Land Cruiser. I love that set up. I crack a window for moisture control. Ultimately, it serves me perfectly. I have plenty of room on the roof for wetsuits, gear, boards, etc, all stuff I don’t want in the truck.
I’ve put a lot thought into this subject. My conclusions are. There is no one best solution. All camping set ups have their pros and cons. Whether it’s price, weight, hassle, safety, fuel efficiency etc.. One person’s gripes are another one’s non issue. That being said, you gotta be going camping every weekend to justify putting a semi permanent tent on your roof.
Even if you are going every weekend, the trade offs of a roof top tent are just NOT worth it. What do you really get out of them? Whatever their benefit is, you could probably find a way to get the same thing out of a traditional tent for a fraction of the cost and weight. This video is a perfect outline why they don’t make sense for basically 99-100% of use cases. The trade offs are just not worth it.
@@King_Cole In my experience using both my rooftop tent and traditional tent, I find I use the rooftop tent 65% of the time in developed campgrounds, and most the time on BLM or FS properties. It has even allowed me to camp in dispursed places where there was no suitable ground for a traditional tent, but I could use rocks to level out the car. I tend to roadtrip which means I move campsites most days, and having the quick setup and breakdown is a huge advantage to me. It also provides some comforts that require more setup time to gain in a traditional setup. Most trips, I still throw my traditional tent in the car in case there is some place I want to camp that my car can't go. I don't use the RTT every time, and I am aware it is a luxury item, but it is one less thing I need to worry about when I decide to go for a quick overnight escape from the city or a 2 week roadtrip through multiple states.
True. I think the "problem" might be that most people use it when they don't really need to.
The height advantage against animals is basically nonexistent, they definitely can climb on top of a vehicle, unless you mount it on a van or some other big vehicle, but then you could just camp inside it instead.
It's main advantage over evey other camping system is quick set up on any terrain, relatively comfortable and low drag/weight compared with trailers or campers. So it's perfect for just resting in long travels. Find a place, spend the night, pack up and keep going.
For spending more than a day in a single place, tents if you want something affordable and/or lightweight, pop up campers if you want to carry more stuff or plan to stay longer and you can't afford a solid camper, and a solid camper as the best shelter (it's literally a small house on wheels), but it's big and heavy so the main drawback is money (for the camper, a big towing vehicle, gas, and a big garage).
I pull a modified motorcycle trailer behind a prius. My gazelle t4 is carried on top of the trailer and is extremely easy set up. I still get 48mpg and have my vehicle for exploring. If I was to use my 4x4 I couldn't afford to do the 30,000 miles a year of tent camping that I do. If I'm in a place where I can't set up even a 2p tent I bring along I can sleep in the back if the car, and my dog sleeps on the drivers seat. I've done this many many times at truck stops from North Carolina to Idaho. Works for me.
I think the main point is that there are no significant features that make it stand out from the alternatives but it costs 3-4 times the price of even high end alternatives.
At that price point you really should be expecting to see some clear advantages.
You could buy a cargo trailer, attach a plywood board and set up a regular tent on it and you would get all the benefits, at a fraction of the cost and skip the worst of the downsides.
My argument for a RTT.
- Got mine used for $1,200 for a 2 week family vacation out west. Ended up using it for 3 years straight
- Saved $$ vs getting a room every night in the first week alone.
- Quick setup and break down. Much more durable than pop up tent
- Doesn't take room in the car. The MATRESS stays in it!
- Off the ground was nice in countless ways
- BEST OF ALL - We could drive all night and "camp" in a walmart or home depot parking lot in minutes, without looking for a campground.
CONS
- Lost 3 MPG
- Couldn't park in some garages
- Can't run to the store quick with the tent up
Best road trip accessory we've ever gotten. We still take trad tents locally when camping.
Makes you one of the overlanding elite. Lol
I do not look at this tents as rich man tent, but as poor mens RV
Poor mans RV is throw a mattress in the back of a station wagon LOL.
@@Shrouded_reaperunironically an Outback with a mattress is a better off-road vehicle than a lifted pickup with oversized tires 95% of the time. Unless you’re planning on going mudding the Outback wins almost every time.
That is completely missing the mark. People get rooftop tents to go places a RV can never reach.
I can fit my Landcruiser way more places than I can my travel trailer. You’re missing the concept.
Maintenance is a lot easier and cheaper than an RV
I'm old guy. I've throwed down on the dirt, mud, running water. Curled up in my old Corolla, just slumped out in the drivers seat of whatever car I'm in. Basically, car camped every way you can. Seems there are pros and cons to the rooftop tent. My impression is the main attraction is just getting the look.
I do have an old Tundra with a stand-up high shell. Two cots always ready to go. With a fold down table. We don't use it that much but it's always ready to go and it's better than any tent. The shell knocked a couple MPG off for sure. Probably not worth buying a truck for, but that Tundra was our primary vehicle in the 2000's.
Hi Steven,
We use an RTT frequently, as in Germany, it is the only way to legally spend a night outdoors. You are not allowed to wild-camp, even not to bivouac in most states, outside of official camping sites, that is.
RTTs are in the grey zone, so overnight stays are not illegal.
My better half prefers them to a tent, so ours is in frequent use. It extends our outdoor portfolio, saves a lot of accommodation costs, but everyone as they please.
Did germany crack down on camping to deal with an itinerant homeless population?
@@DahVoozelNo, it's been like that for ages. Same in Austria and many other coutries in Europe.
@@DahVoozel Someone has not looked at a map recently. 🙄
That is absurd and overbearing. I'm grateful we don't have those restrictions here.
except, even though you can't wild camp in Germany, homeless people can sleep on the side of the road in town wherever they want and the Saxon police won't stop it because "that's not illegal" 🙄 I kid you not.
For me and my partner, we love the ease of a RTT. It takes me 30 seconds to deploy now that I have done it so many times. And about 2 minutes to tear down. The bedding stays inside it so I can throw a case of camp kitchen stuff from my garage in the truck and go. I always know I have what I need. It also offers a level of privacy you don't get from a ground tent. If I don't have the ladder someone would have to climb on my truck bed to get to the tent. Something that can not be done stealthily.
I just enjoy seeing the people who drive around town with them on their rig 365 days a year.
LMAO which is 90% of people who have these and have probably used it less than 5 times total. You’ve really got to do some crazy mental gymnastics to justify one of these. There are MUCH better traditional options WITHOUT the trade offs of a roof top tent.
@@King_Cole yep that's me but i've done 10-12 nights this season. ~80lbs and 3-4" thick, 1k and is rated to last 10 years with maintenance (which i admit isn't without free time at beginning and end of season)
definitely costs more but really not bad over time (like what, $20 a night? lmao and i haven't even mentioned how much ive saved from hotel costs)
if you have upgradeitis and only do it for the looks, then yeah that's on you
Most of those rigs also have traction mats, pick, shovel, axe and a high-lift jack that the owner doesn't know how to use. And it has never been driven off pavement.
@@lawrencelin272 I feel like you need to rewatch this video. Like what are you getting out of a roof top tent that you can't get from a traditional one? A traditional tent is honestly better in a lot of aspects too; Weight, convince, cost, etc.. everything he mentioned in the vid.
Like, I get some of the appeal but if you look deeper and compare the two, the traditional tent wins hands down.
@@King_Cole nope i dont, i've tried all types of camping even as survival ops with half tents
trust me i tried to resist rtt and gave myself billion reasons not to, but you can't beat the convenience and efficiency
I started with a heavy ass hardshell and it was miserable driving with it, going with a slim light one was a game changer for me and given the option i wont go back to lumpy damp ground
it's not for everyone and it might not be for you but doesnt mean you should gatekeep
My rooftop cost $700, takes 5 minutes to set up with the annex. I put it on my trailer so I can still drive around when it's set up. Its perfect for road trips. Its not about being up high, its fast set up and take down
Sounds like a caravan
@@motherlove8366 a lot cheaper and lighter though
Well, then there's the elephant in the room: 4Runner's roof load capacity is 120 lbs. The stated weight of tent alone is 134 lbs.
You gotta upgrade to Yakima, etc. There's another 500 bucks lol
@XJapanGonnaGiveItToYa-cd4xj You mist the point. It's the roof load limit, not the roof racks. Also, you increase intrinsic instability of the vehicle.
There is an obsession with putting these tents on small cars such as Suzuki Jimnys, which have a roof load limit of just 66lb. Many people don't understand the consequences of overloading their vehicles.
Yikes@@thebubaloomonkey
My Jeep Cherokee holds 150 pound. I weigh somewhat more than that.
As a Photographer... I hate having a slow to tear down campsite.. my Alucab allows me to crawl out... close it in about 20 seconds and drive away to shoot sunrise.. .. out of the mud out of the snow
Rain is the big one for me. I have no place to dry a rooftop tent without either removing it or putting the vehicle out of commission while letting it dry.
But let’s be honest removal takes like 10 minutes
But can you do this alone without some kind of crane or something?
@Penny-mk7fv With the hard shell ones open the tent up on the roof, find a strait road and blow dry it. Works a treat. Most of them are designed for high wind speed so you should be fine. Mileage will vary from tent to tent.
@@dereinzigwahreRichi I feel like this depends on you, your vehicle, and your tent. On my truck, despite being a fairly strong individual, there's no way in hell I can take mine on or off alone. My tent weighs about 180lbs and is 7ft up. But if you had something like one of the Inspired Overland tents at 80lbs, and didn't mount it so high, it would be pretty simple to take it on and off.
My Alu-Cab 3R stays on all the time. As it is of a clamshell design, I can open it up in virtually any space my 4Runner fits. Opening and closing it is really quick. I have dried it out while shopping, eating lunch, at trailheads, etc. Ones that fold out can't do this in only one parking space.
They are brilliant as long as:
- It's a hard shell
- you have a fast pitch day shelter to 'claim' the camp site and provide day time shelter
- don't treat it like a normal tent: don't store anything in it, it's just your bedding and that stays in it when you close it. Think of the RTT as just a sleeping pod.
- most camping areas are flat enough to be able to level the car just by parking strategically, don't expect to park where you want then try and level it but the best way is to have a car that can self-level with air suspension (most older full size Land Rovers with an Easy Lift/X-Lifter)
- They're at their best when you have the windows open but bug mesh closed. No condensation, lovely views, and no-one peering in at you!
- Don't overthink the mpg. Leave it on all year and camp more!
More roof tent workflow discussion on my channel if you don't mind me mentioning it here!
I see them as a great option for people wanting to go deep country camping along a 4x4 only vehicle trek. Or beach camping where you can’t get an RV to very easily. Being up high would also help prevent beach sand from getting into the rooftop tent
Purchased a RTT back in 2007. The company out of bend Oregon was running a veterans day special free shipping. The model was huge 72" wide and the usually 84" or 88" when folded out. Us it had a zip on room with a bucket floor. Large entry doors and large vertical windows on each side. Plus a giant D shaped zip panel to allow access into a vehicle if it had a sliding side door. Living in florida people had never seen such a tent. It drew crowds at every camp ground. Plus with the zip room, van gutted of seats & tent we could accommodate if needed easily four adults and four children. Several times we had to move from a camp site to another due to only having 1 day of rental in-between site being reserved. In many cases we're only had to pull up the ground stakes on the zip room push in into van and drive to next site...tent would remain unfolded.
The down side was the weather fly was not sealed for torrential rain. After one florida storm the zip room had 18" of water! our private wading pool. The design of this larger tent with no frame support underneath the roof over the covered entrance allowed this area of the roof to sag & pool water during a prolonged heavy rain, which then seeped thru fly and tent roof allowing water to collect in the bucket floor of the zip room. We coated the fly with white elastomeric paint which made it water proof but the sagging continued when a prolonged rain occurred. We spent a good 12 hours trapped in the tent on several camp outs in florida. Our solution was a few pieces of PVC assembled into a T used as a support from inside which created a high spot on the roof of covered entrance/zip room keeping the large area from pooling water during a heavy prolonged rain. As for potty time we had a small camp potty for females & a gallon jug for males to use no need leaving the tent at night. We rigged a small fan in tent to provide air exchange. Other than having to climb the ladder & Hoist oneself up into tent it was a wonderful camping experience. Panoramic views that no other camper had unless they were sleeping on top of an R.V. eventually a bum knee on the wife became to risky for her to climb down the ladder. Going up wasn't much an issue. So we haven't used our tent in 10-15 years. I doubt we could give it away. It's in perfect shape...people today especially in the east just don't tent camp much...its R.V. with A/C or motels.😢😢
I have Gazelle tent and later bought Gazelle screen room. I have over 80 nights in tent. Set up is about 5 minutes. It pops open. Sturdy, does great even during Sierra storms.
Screen room easily fits over picnic table. Necessary when besieged by mosquitoes or yellow jackets. In a pinch could work as a tent.
Just a great, easy and reliable set-up for quick or long trip.
Not affiliated w company--but wanted offer quick set up alternative to rooftop.
I need to get a gazelle. It can hold up to some serious wind
I'll say this. The rooftop tent on my gladiator has been life changing. Not only does it make trips cheaper and easier but we are staying more secluded. We stayed at big bend ranch with no one else for miles. And padre island seashore the same.
We bought a rooftop tent because we are paddlers and the trail heads to the lakes never had places for tents, so we always left home on Saturday morning. That always put us on the water late, then we had to drive out once we were back to the truck, usually 4 or 5 days later. This way we can leave late Friday, the roof top tent is easy to set up in the dark and we can get off the water late not having to worry about having to drive home or get to a hotel or campground. We do sleep way better in the roof top tent than we ever did in a tent. Just so you don't get it twisted we are avid campers and have spent weeks in tents over our 20+ years of backcountry camping. We don't overland so we can not speak to that and we don't have children so I imagine that makes things easier.
thanks for the video !
Likewise, I race MTB, and the start of these events does not have camping, and the car is full of MTB bikes and equipment. I think these come in their own when you are not there to camp but do something else. You are off the ground which means you are not taking up space when a couple hundred racers are looking at setting up their race pits. In the right circumstances, they do make sense. Also I sleep better..
This only makes sense if the kayaks are on a trailer or something... I guess a similar alternative could be a camper trailer with the kayaks on the roof of the car but perhaps your method allows more storage in the trailer?
We have had a RTT for 6 years. We either backpack, or take the RTT. Ours sets up in 2 minutes and all our bedding is inside. When camping in rainy areas, on a road trip, with kids, there’s no beating having camp completely set by one person in a couple minutes while my wife gets the kids ready to climb up in and stay dry. Winter camping, warm and dry. Fast, dry and less room inside the car is taken. It’s a win for some situations.
I put mine on a small offroad trailer and tow it. That trailer acts as my home base.
With a $3000 price tag, I thing I would put a plywood base on the trailer, and just set up a regular tent. The trailer could still act as home base, but you would be $2000 richer.
@sdilluminatigrandfounder1813 there's more than 1 option but it's fine if you can't afford any of them.
I do the same, I haul a dirt bike or kayaks and mountain bikes in the trailer. I have regular tents as well.
@@sdilluminatigrandfounder1813 You don't have to spent 3000 dollars though. I saw a RTT on Trailer for sale second hand for 1,500 for the whole thing.
smittybilt overlander $900 will never look back. ive used this to travel from cali to north carolina. I have a regular tent in the rig too but 9/10 times i using the roof tent. up in 2 mins and packed in 5. its about versatility and getting back on the road fast. The time saved knowing i can just park and set up in the dark vs finding a flat smooth surface for the regular tent is a game changer. RTT isnt for everyone but its perfect for me.
I had one for a few years, most expensive mistake I’ve ever made. You nailed most the points, the up high is nice for a view but animals aren’t a worry in the uk and bathroom breaks at night are a pain, also having to change position of the car is a pain having to put it up and down. I lost 10mpg on fuel with mine. The other big issue in the uk is with it being high up you can’t get shelter from the wind which is 90% of the days. When people ask me the only real pro’s I had were not having to find flat ground or rocks and it’s comfier. I can see why people buy them though, a very cool looking bit of kit and the idea is great, looks great in social media life. Personal got rid of mine and just summit camp on the top of the mountains now 👍🏻
I thought about a rooftop tent. Then I got a travel trailer instead...and I love it. So glad I didn't get a RTT.
I hired a Jimny with a roof tent to go around Iceland with my wife. We absolutely loved it, so got one for my Hilux here in Borneo. Unlike the Jimny's ultra-quick pop-up hard-shell design, I got a larger, more complicated flip-over thing - which I came to hate! Too much hassle, especially when alone, as it really needed 2 people to put it away. I bit the bullet and bought a hard-shell pop-up type, and we love it like the Jimny again. Never going back to normal tents. For hiking I use a hammock.
What do you like about it specifically?
Good content, Thanks! I've tent camped for entirely too many years and continue to occasionally. Thought about a roof top tent, but just couldn't get behind the fact that I had to take everything down and pack up to go anywhere. Then you are always open to someone taking your spot and having to find something else when you return. Really sucks when it's later in the dark and I'm tired.... Ended up with a small teardrop camper last year and really love it. It's really nice to be able to stay inside when crappy and get some work done if I have to. I can keep most everything I need in the teardrop and park it in the garage to be ready to take off the next time I'm ready. Still tent camp if I feel like it, but not nearly as much. Seems I only use the tent now when I want to bikepack for a few days. Good stuff, thanks again!
We have (for us) the best solution which is an off-road trailer with the RTT on top of it. We can quickly disconnect the trailer to do exploring or run trails and camp is still setup. Being able to setup and tear down super fast is a major convenience (especially in less than ideal conditions). We certainly prefer to be off the ground to help avoid animals, creep crawler insects, potential flooding in the rain, and not needing to deal with cots or air mattresses. All that said, we still own ground tent equipment for those times when we want to go somewhere that the trailer isn't capable of going.
You cant beat a good off road trailer works well for me on longer trips takes about 10 minutes to set up and a swag for shorter trips. I've been using a cavalier off road camp trailer for years Aussie made queen sized mattress, kitchen, water tanks, Quality canvas, lots of storage, boat rack and it uses the same fuel towing it as a rooftop tent does. Camp is always setup and takes under a minute to hook it up and every thing is ready to go for camp trips.
I purchased my first RTT a little over a year ago and totally agree with most of your cons. At the same time, it has brought me a ton of joy and I have slept so much better in this than all my other years of camping. Especially with a partner and/or a pet space wise (coming from mostly having lightweight weight-weenie tents). My biggest con, as you mentioned, is the vehicle no longer being mobile once set up. If there's an emergency or any desire to want to leave at any pace - you're gonna have to wait.
But for now I genuinely love it for trips I want to glamp with and keep doing traditional lightweight backpacking and bikepacking set up other times. In general, even with having one, I cannot for the life of me understand why or where the price points on some of these things come from (I got a cheaper one off Kickstarter).
They're actually amazing. I recently converted my pavement princess into a dedicated mall crawler and it really gave my rig the look I was going for.
:savagegeesecomment:
Get a snorkel
First thing I got for it... Haven't hooked it up to the intake yet, but it looks dope!
People who cosplay the Insta-life cannot be called out enough.
I have lived out of my RTT for two years now. I removed the back seats of my Jeep and put in a flooring system so my elderly German Shepard could sleep inside. When traveling down the interstate, pulling into a rest area and being in the tent within a few minutes is also very nice. I have lived in my RTT all four seasons, from Arizona to Montana. I have also stayed in my RTT during 50mph winds, monsoons, electrical storms, and heavy snowfall. My RTT has been a complete blessing to me and has made my life bearable while living in my Jeep. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own situation, but not one thing mentioned has been an issue for me. It isn't as big of a deal as folks make it.
The weight is NOT a non-factor for rooftop tents. Most roof racks are only rated for a few hundred pounds (usually around 200lbs). You have to be very careful you don't exceed that or you could damage your vehicle. Not to mention the extra damage if you get in a crash from an improperly secured one, and your insurance is likely to use that as an argument against paying out the policy (especially if the tent is over the weight rating...).
Explore Southwest did basically this exact same video a few years ago, I recommend checking that one out too.
Never have I had a more comfortable camping experience than when me and my wife did the ring road in iceland with a rooftop tent. Super convenient, allowed us to push our days (in the summer) to the maximum. We could roll into a campsite at 11 PM, pop a latch, crawl in, sleep. Easy tear down come morning and we were off again. Best 2 weeks of my life.
A cot tent like a camp-rite is a great alternative to both a tent and a roof top tent. Off the ground, stays there during day trips and super light and fast set up.
Here’s the answer, right here. Take seconds to set up, no worries about sticks, rocks, bugs, doesn’t take up much room, very comfortable.
I laugh at all the tough guys with a roof top tent that are afraid of bugs and spiders. If you’re on a safari in Africa, and there’s hyenas, that may chew leg off then yeah they might make some sense. But in North America, it’s just a flex. Right up there with having a snorkel on your truck.
The camp-rite looks like marginally more effort to setup than my stretcher tent but looks like a better design than mine... mine has a flat sloping top that allows water pool in the lower part (towards my feet) which would run off if the fly could be make taut enough but any sort of pool will overcome the hydrostatic head and come though... I'm making a note now to look more closely a that camp-rite one which seems to have a better roof design. The stretcher is so comfortable, except when conditions are really cold, then free airflow sucking heat away underneath needs to be compensated for somehow
As someone who owns a Smittybilt XL Gen 1 (king mattress) with annex, I will say that it is all about CONTEXT. If you camp somewhere where your vehicle will be stationary for 2 or 3 nights, then they give you MUCH more comfort than a ground tent. If you want to move your vehicle more often than that, or leave your campsite at any point, then do a traditional tent. Heck, you could do a LARGE, high end wall tent for the price of a rooftop and maintain your mobility at the cost of a little setup/tear down time.
The use case for most people is the exact opposite. Rooftop tents are for people who move around every day and don't want to spend a lot of time setting up and tearing down every night. If you are going to stay in one place for days setup a tent.
In Australia these are used quite often as we do a lot of touring across our country and especially for the people that don't necessarily expect to stay in one spot for more than a night while traveling huge distances or tow a caravan, these are absolutely perfect. Another thing that would be perfect for a review is the swag, especially as its kinda the poor mans roof top tent over here as you can just roll out and you're good to go
I'm an Aussie too. I drive hundreds of miles to go camping in WA. If you really believe that a RTT is ideal for our giant country, i sure hope you have deep pockets and a 200 litre fuel tank. Did you actually notice his fuel consumption comparison? ⛽😋😊
@@Hillbilly973 Considering all the giant caravans being towed around Australia, a RTT is a non-issue. Half the vehicles have giant muddies on them, as well. I barely notice a fuel difference on mine. Just get a slimline one with a defuser, not a giant box like the cheap ones are made.
@@jayd3931 👍😊
I just love my swag. I’ve thought about getting a RTT but then my wife will want to come camping with me 😂😂
Off road camp trailer is the way to go nothing to flash mine uses the same fuel as a roof top tent and I don't have to drive around with it on my roof every day like a wanker. I don't have to worry about weight on the roof when 4wding.
I camp with a lot of people with rooftop tents they are literally 10 times more expensive than my gazelle t4 and army cot. People say they don't want to sleep on the ground well guess what cots in a tent you can stand in goes up faster and easier and is way cheaper than a rooftop tent that you have to either leave on your vehicle or take off in store. All kinds of people are selling they're used ones for two $3,000 My cot cost me a hundred bucks and my tent cost me $250 and it's way more comfortable and it's faster and easier to set up and easier to pack in and I don't have 300 lb of dead weight on the roof of my vehicle when I'm off-roading
Great points. I'll just take the traditional ones, for the reasons you mentioned.
I have to admit that even if an RTT cost the same as a normal tent I would still take the normal tent, for the reasons you mention -- the types of tents I choose are actually less effort than an RTT (I always have to go to the toilet during the night while camping, so the trips up and down the ladder would seriously outweigh the effort of lifting a tent out of the car and hitting a few pegs in with a rock). I've seen people go through the hell of closing an RTT that won't close too, and the owners getting anxious about how they'll be able to leave the campsite! I like your last point too. So many people don't realise that their extremely capable vehicle is actually much less capable when loaded up, and I'm assuming within acceptable limits, they are more likely to tip with weight on the roof, the extra height hits more branches, the extra weight makes them more likely to get bogged (but if that is all part of the fun then ok, load away), and that it is still worth cutting down on the nonsense in order to have a better time. I'm not even saying that as an off-roader, I much prefer carrying things on my back so I am biased towards being minimalist even when camping next to my car (I'm not saying I use exactly the same gear, I don't necessarily want to wear out my lightest and most expensive tent and other things too quickly), but people do seem to struggle making informed decisions where the marketing can sometimes be absolutely relentless.
yeah, good RTTs are more like 100 lbs and $1500 ..you're a cheapskate, just admit it. Cheapskates like you always feel the need to justify why they're cheapskates. So you like a 25 dollar cot and some people like to be up off the ground in a roof tent for $2000. You must be Roman Catholic.
Truck with a canopy. We built a plywood platform over the wheel wells and we have a queen-sized bed in the back and there's tons of storage under the sleeping platform. Still have a tent JIC. Similar pros and cons of a rooftop tent, but the truck canopy is much more useful when not being used camping. Back when we bought the canopy it was only $1000. And you don't need a ladder to get in and out--that's the biggest con for me. ER is probably far away if I miss the bottom step in the middle of the night when I have to get up to pee and end up breaking something.
I built one for my truck. Storage compartments over the wheel wells and I can put padded plywood boards between the compartments. Cost a little over $100 to make.
We have a truck bed tent, which is kind of a happy medium. Inexpensive. Sets up in about 5 minutes. Gets us off the ground. With a homemade platform in the truck bed, we’re able to use a memory foam mattress and still have storage for gear. No change in gas mileage from normal truck use. The hard part is that for campgrounds we never can get a consistent answer as to whether or not it can be considered OK for the sites without power or water (aka rustic), since we don’t need the power or water but some places don’t like vehicles in their rustic locations and they don’t seem to like camping in their parking locations…so we sometimes end up having to pay the higher rate for power/water sites. For boon-docking, though, it’s hard to beat.
This discussion could be applied to any consumer good. If you buy something because you see someone else with it and you don't have a use case for it its a waste. Our current use case was a truck that could tow 2 mustangs to shows and also go offroad, that's a pretty large RTT, and where we go we usually have just barely enough space for the truck, so being above our footprint opens more cool over night spots. If we did more flat wide open spots, traditional tent all day.
I will say, someone like Roaming Reckless actually has good use for her RTT. She lives in her truck full time, which allows the first level to be used practically instead of space for sleep.
I can sort of understand the appeal of that style of camping. You do not have to worry about finding a spot (though you do need to find a spot to park your vehicle that is kind of level), you are raised up from the animal life (though a bear will have no problems reaching you), and that is really about it. Down sides are it is heavy, decreases fuel mileage (weight and wind resistance in particular), they can be a pain in the rear to set up on the taller vehicles, you have to climb a ladder over and over again, they are limited in size, and they are very expensive some of them.
I'm in Borneo, they keep away crocodiles and snakes, scorpions, venomous centipedes and such, but also stray dogs, which my wife gets terrified of at times. Also, if you've ever seen a stray dog pee on your tent, as I have, you'll love a roofie!
Excellent video, and you covered all the points really well. If I had a tow vehicle like yours, and a family that loved to camp, I'd be grabbing a nice used Starcraft pop-up camper from the late 80's to late 90's, with an 11 or 12 foot box.
When we were ready to make the move from tent camping, I jumped on CL and found a Starcraft "Nova" pop-up camper. For $250, and some sweat equity, we had an 11' box that hide down out of the wind behind the vehicle and could be seen over, while towing. It opened to 21' with huge privacy tinted and screened windows, a 2-way refrigerator, 3 burner stove that could be used outside, heater, sink with water tank, lighting and fans, etc. We had a normal height porta-potti for #1 only, during the night. It took about 15min to set up, and because we had it stocked with cookware/utensils/collapsible chairs/and all the other things a little home needs, it went from a folded-up-box, to a little home. All we had to do prior to leaving for a trip was put food in the fridge, and clothes in the built-in dresser drawers. Many great trips and fantastic memories were made, and because it was detached when camping, the vehicle was readily available to go see the sites. The other cool thing about pop-ups, is that they can be backed into a site that's for tent camping, unhitched, "walked" to the back of the parking pad, and spun sideways, leveled with a BAL Light Trailer Lever, and the vehicle will then fit into the parking space. Opens up all sorts of great options for camping sites. Of course finding a $250 pop-up that was the Cadillac of it's era, is pretty impossible now, but Starcraft and Coleman units are are still on CL all day long for a couple grand. My daughter is grown and married, and they purchased a smaller Coleman "Redwood," and just had their maiden voyage with it. They came home very exited for more trips. They're towing it with a Rav4.
"I like brunettes more so people shouldn't date blondes" kinda vibes. Let people have their experiences their way.
That's a great way of summarizing the video and the comments. Everybody is so opinionated. What works for me works for me. I don't need to justify it to anybody else unless you are helping me pay for it, which nobody is, so why do they care?
That is a great way of describing the channel in general. Useful information, but it always feels like he is trying to be an anti gatekeeper whilst still managing to sound like one. Like I said in another comment - it is your money, spend it how you wish, and camp how you wish. It really is that simple. Way too much handwringing and argumentative nature in the comments to take them too seriously.
I bought a cheap rooftop tent for $700. It works great for quick overnights and weekends. I felt so secure one cold summer night in the mountains of Montana as it poured down rain. No leaks from the floor, no super light fly with leaking seams. As an old man I think it works well for being mobile and on the go. For going to a campground and setting up for a week I’d take a RV.
This is something I'd use while hunting in swampy area.
For yrs,I have set up my 2 person tent in the back of my open bed pickup truck. For yrs ,I had a truck with an 8' bed. Could shut tailgate. Now, I have a truck with a 6' bed .Still works, but have to leave tail gate down [no big deal].
I’ve had my rooftop tent since May 2023, and I absolutely love it! Don’t have to worry about carrying a tent around or worrying about having to find a spot to pitch it either. Also, on nice days I like to find a scenic spot and pop my RTT up and just relax for a bit or even nap. That’s one thing I never did with a regular tent. I definitely get why they’re not for everyone, but I found a crazy deal on mine and haven’t regretted buying it since.
Sooo, a few outings and you love it? Of course you do. It's all new an' stuff. You'll change.
@@John-d7p A few outings and all new? Brother… I’ve had it a year and a half almost, taken it on multiple big road trips, to 10 national parks, along with camping in it probably another 20ish times in the state I live in. I also pop it up just to relax on a weekly basis. Yeahhh, I don’t know that I’m getting tired of this one anytime soon. I love it even more than when I got it. I will add too, mine’s a bit easier to set up and break down than even the one in this video.
@@Morgan.Bentley ooh, what brand tent is it and was the deal offered by the brand itself or you got it somewhere else?
C6 tent - it weighs 25lbs, can be mounted on the roof, truck bed or set up on the ground. I can take it off my roof by myself in a pinch and storing it is a piece of cake. It takes 3 minutes to set it up. Absolutely love it, that company nailed when it comes to all of the cons of having an RTT. It is resonably priced too.
Makes for cool instagram pics - some folks just love to buy every possible accessory for their vechicle just because they can
I put one on top of my cargo conversion. Retired over 60 we love it.
It may surprise you! The first time I had my wife join me in my rooftop tent I was shocked to hear her report “that was the best night sleep I’ve ever had camping”
I thought she meant the comfort of the mattress, but she revealed the real secret: she always felt unsafe on the ground. Up on top of the Jeep she finally felt safe at night. I shared this with other women and I was SHOCKED when they all reported similar feelings!!!
I think this is the real reason they're so popular. It feels safe up high and also kinda cool to sleep in one.
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We have a rooftop tent that we purchased for two main reasons: staying elevated (to avoid animals, for better views, and for added safety from high tides when beach camping), and for overlanding (multi-day camping since we don't do single-night trips).
We would prefer a teardrop or similar, but unfortunately our garage doesn't have the space. So, the RTT can sit along the wall for when we need it. I will concede that it is a pain in the butt to put up on the roof and take it down, but we only use it 2-3 times a year, and we are glad to have it.
I spent $6,000 on a fiberglass snugtop. It has carpet, double thick roof, hinged side and front windows, paint color matched, usb ports, lighting, roof rack. Always ready for sleeping. no set up or breakdown needed. 400 pounds.
Like he said though, you can have all that in a traditional tent for the most part
On what car? Aren’t those truck beds usually like 150-180cm long?
@@stefan_luptak 2023 Tacoma DCLB its 6' long. 182.88 cm
$6k for less than 10 minutes morning or evening while gimping the truck bed? Eh. Doesn't add up.
@@oni-one574 It serves as a lockable space for my tools while i work, or shopping. it still allows regular usage as a truck. whereas a tent topper does not.
I recently started bringing two 4x8 plywood sheets as ground support. Lay down a couple moving blankets and you're golden. 💯
Just got a RTT this summer and we LOVE it.
Used it for a long road trip; setup/takedown was quick. Spouse also used it to attend horse shows with daughter, super easy and cheap to attend.
Honestly, mileage hardly changes (because we don’t drive very fast where we live). Height is a non issue. Our RTT includes a winter layer making it very warm.
Seems like OP just doesn’t like RTT and that’s ok. Not every solution works for everyone.
I built a sleeping platform in my 2000 4Runner with storage underneath. It fits a 6' X 4' foam mattress, and can sleep 2...if I could ever convince some desperate woman to sleep with me! I have plenty of storage underneath it and I typically put my cooler in the front seat at night. I stay completely dry in the rain and I don't have any tent to set up. The 5/8" birch plywood cost about $60 and the 4" thick folding memory mattress cost about $100. My daughter and I drove from KY to CO in '21 and spent 10 days camping in the San Juan mountains and explored the Alpine loop. My daughter slept in the 4Runner and I did sleep in a ground tent. We got 18MPG fully loaded with 2 adults. I don't see the cost benefit of roof top tents either.
Man that 18mpg is awesome I only get 15 avg over my whole trip in my 2009 4runner fully decked and loaded.. the RTT eats some gas for sure. Worth it to bring my 4 rotties and wife though. The RTT + deisel heater+ hot shower is how I convinced my wife to go without ANY hotel stops in a 2 month adventure. She's a trooper but doesn't want to be soar or cold.
Remember when we used to go camping and all we had was our tent, sleeping bag, gun, knife, and some food, And we were happy to be out in nature
Why did you need a gun???
@@MovieMakingMan why because where I grew up in the mountains, you always took your gun you don’t know what or who you were going to run into you may feel comfortable without a gun that’s fine, but I was raised with it. ✌️😎
Yes, i remember that fondly. No, I don't want to do it again. Give me an RV with a toilet, AC and a mattress.
@@kcgunesq Give me a key-card to my room at a 5 star hotel.
@@MovieMakingMan I hate hotels for anything more than 1-2 nights. But I get your point.
Wife and I love our rooftop tent! We do a lot of trail racing in the mountains and need good nights sleep, and that is possible because our tent floor is comfortable unlike a tent.
I live in Denver, and this is a real issue. People driving around with all this weight in a huge block on top of their already lifted vehicle, carrying an object that is unused 99% of the time.
What’s the issue? What if they head off every weekend or twice a month camping. Why do you care? Are you all losing your minds in America.
Half the campers in Australia have a rooftop tent. It’s certainly popular with a lot of trekkers. They go off for a day trek and return to their tent for the night. We don’t have ridiculous RV parks in Australia. We go bush and we travel daily to cross vast deserts. Roof top tents are ideal You all don’t have a problem with hideous RV monstrosities that need 2 acres each just to camp up and cost an offensive amount but omg roof top tents are your problem.
This is anything but an "issue." 😂
@@amorton94 #1 issue on voters minds
@@effkay3691 the idea is it’s super wasteful to lose 3 or more mpg for 99% of your driving on an already super inefficient vehicle, so you can drive around with your occasional bed on the roof. Besides looking like a poser douchebag, these people are actively making their vehicles even more harmful to the environment for nearly no benefit. It’s selfish, pointless, and embarrassing. I’m not against SUVs, I drove a big V8 myself, but I certainly don’t take steps to make it even more of a gas guzzler. Please post your self-centered reply below
@@TheScottiem303 I'm sure it is. 🤦♂
A friend of mine had an old Tacoma with a shell on it. On top he had the very first rooftop tent rig I ever saw. The entire top flipped over 180 degrees to hang over the cab and hood and was held up by 2 struts attached to the front bumper with pins. This unfolded a tent the full length of the tacoma that had a couple of support bars built in that pulled up and over with the tent. Inside, There was easily room for 2 or 3 to sleep. This left the entire shell on the back to store gear, which saved a lot of time because you didn’t have to haul anything up or down to some car-top sarcarphagus. In there went the camp stove, coolers, and climbing gear. What was great about it was he liked to drive way off road and camp in unimproved spots…but he could just as easily camp overnight in the parking lot of some Walmart, without taking up more than one parking space.
But, I gotta say- That Truck DID get stolen, twice.
Flat sleeping surface, elevated off the ground, easier to level, better views and sense of security, looks AWESOME. Love my bed-rack-top-tent and cant get enough overlanding adventures with it.
Saying this "craze needs to stop" isn't the same as "RTT is not for me, here's why". The 2nd is more understandable and respectable.
RTT sets up so fast with bedding ready. I literally can go to sleep right away. I use my RTT when I’m solo camping. I still use ground tents when the family joins.
Another "con" that you didn't cover:
Assuming that you had to leave the campsite for an emergency (for example, a medical emergency, a flood, etc), you can't drive the vehicle without taking the tent down, and those minutes could mean life or death.
Great insight -- thanks for posting!
As long as there are no low trees you CAN drive away. Maybe get rid of the ladder, but in an emergency even that wouldn't be a problem. At least driving for some miles to a safer place.
jesus dude what a load of bs, dont leave the house
This might be a dumb question but I'm new to all this stuff. How long can you run a small electric fridge on the Anker 300DC?
As a roof top tent owner for over 7 years, what I can say about them is they have a specific purpose. Many people who have them, don't use them for the specific purpose they're built for and would likely be fine in a ground tent or hammock, but they want to look cool.
The specific purpose is speed, space and reliability when being remote for several days. On trips like that, you are setting up and tearing down camp every morning and night, so being able to save time means you don't need as much prep time to setup or get going, which can be really beneficial when you arrive late to camp and need to sleep.
Space is also a big one, for many we carry fridges and food and chairs and supplies for several days away from civilization, so by getting our tent out of the vehicle, we free up space. And if the tent can use cross bars, we gain back space again. Sure, we lose MPG, but that was already a losing game for us because of bigger tires, lifts and payloads, so in the grand scheme, the rooftop tent doesn't matter much.
And finally, reliability. We are often in hard weather conditions, bad rain, snow, wind, and we don’t necessarily have a choice to pack up and go home sometimes, so we have to tough it out, and especially these hard shells like the one you tested (and I’ve owned for 3 years) hold up to the worst of the weather you can throw at it while keeping you warm and dry. And they can take a beating from branches and trees on the trail. (obviously hike in campers have to deal with this too, but from the same perspective, the ones who spend big are the ones who want something that can weather the elements better than the others.)
The honest truth is that if you aren’t using your setup for point to point travel like this more than 50% of the time you use it, yeah, you could definitely save a bunch of money and use a ground or hammock tent. But if this is what you do, the comfort, speed, and reliability gained is unparalleled.
BTW, this is not just to justify my purchase, I totally want to get a nice light ground tent soon to start doing some hike in camping too, and a rooftop tent can’t get that job done at all.
These are some good points and I appreciate you sharing this perspective. As I read through your comment I couldn’t help but think about backpacking and how we often encounter the same situations. We are moving everyday, experiencing extreme weather often in very high elevations, and we can’t pack up and go home if things turn south. Yet we use very lightweight ground tents and trust our safety to them. Maybe it’s this perspective that makes me biased against RTT. Thanks for commenting and watching
I agree and I have a similar experience with my own roof top tent that I use on long trips.
One of the additionnal benefit I see to it is the choice of locations where you can sleep at. We are often near nature reserves or national parks where pitching a tent would be illegal whereas the rooftop tent is legally grey, especially if it stays fully over the car like on compact models.
It also makes camping near big cities possible, albeit not too comfortable depending on the spots you find.
I bought my roof top tent more as a cheap alternative to renting a van than as an alternative to a cosy tent, it's not really the same use.
every single one of these points is worse than a traditional tent with the same features
Great overview! I just bought your Anker Solix to give it a review one day. Thanks for your honest feedback about these tent gadgets.
Just like any trend, most of those tents will remain brand new untill they fall apart on the roof. In the Albuquerque area, "frownie" face grills, rooftop tent, 22 inch fake beedlock wheels with "mud tires" on 4 inch spacers, blocks to lift an axle, rusty bumper jack on the front bumper, empty fuel cans, empty water cans, plastic traction boards, Punnisher skulls, Glock stickers, Pep Boys stick on "chrome", $5,000.00 bumpers, "tattered" American flag sticker on the hood MUST be on your 4x4 or you aren't cool.
Don't get me started on the soft toppers. In over 100 degree weather, taking the doors and roof off is a stupid idea. It only looks cool to the other soft toppers.
How does all that stuff not get stolen, Albuquerque is a grade A shit zone?
@@Nadirthebottomrock
Don't act like there is no theft where you live.
@@jk-76 yeah there's lots, I live off Menaul. This city is shit.
Thanks to Tim.
This had me cracking up ...... because I can just see it. LOL. You're SO right.
You forgot the most obvious 'pro': it's like having a treehouse on your car. Lived out of one for close to 18 months. It rocked.
Isn’t this craze more for overlanders and not people going to normal campgrounds?
It's a good point. But tell that to all the front range campgrounds folks who have them on their Subaru.
@@Reed411 they can camp at every Starbucks in the nation!!
@@howweroll7 😂
In Australia, camp sites are littered with them...tents seem too hard for most mum and dad campers so we see more $100k caravans and $3k rooftop tents.
I can’t imagine waking up busting to pee still half drunk and dealing with that ladder!
I think it's different for everyone. I used a Gazelle T3 for a while and loved it. I decided to purchase a RTT early this spring. I typically camp by myself. It works great for me. I never stay in one spot for more than 1 night. I can keep my sleeping bag, 2 pillows, and a banket in the tent while its shut. Oddly enough my mpg actually went up by .5 miles.
Been camping constantly for the last 30 years. Still prefer my $30 tent to all this crazy garbage folks are refinancing their house for.
this country is loaded with well trained consumers. we've been steady conditioned over the years. check out our credit card debit, frick yeah!!
I have considered a roof top tent, two major benefits of A) being off the ground if it rains, and B) improved ventilation for a breeze to cool the tent down at night. Definitely some drawbacks to climbing the ladder up/down all the time for sure.
I got a good deal on a RTT in 2022 and I have loved it. I’m in the military and I was PCSing (changing duty station) across the country from Florida to Washington State and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on hotels on the drive so I figured I could use the money I would’ve spent on hotels and actually see the country. This allowed me to do some crazy off road trails in Colorado and spend the night in places I would probably never get to again.
One thing that I believe was left out of the video is the comfort of an RTT, not necessarily the size but the bedding. It is way more comfortable than most blow up air sleeping pads. While in Washington I visited Mount Rainier and Olympic national forest with the RTT and it was very nice (as long as I had a rated sleeping bag with me). And now I’m in Southern California and when I go camping it’s nice not to track so much dirt and dust in.
Ultimately I bought the RTT to save some money for a trip but I ended up loving every trip I’ve had with it even after it fulfilled its original purpose.
I put the $800 roof top tent on my Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid. I still get about 36/42MPG for hwy/city driving and the crossover can go most places a other RTT users would go.
Putting the rooftop tent on a trailer solves all the problems. Frees up your car/truck. Added storage. Saves your camp spot. Easy setup. Gets you off the ground.
Putting it on a trailer? Just buy a camper
Or in Australia, a trayback ute would actually act the same. Pretty good idea. Camper trailer setups already exist but cost way way more than a roof topper.
We have a hub tent, we have a Northface 6p ground tent, a wagon top 8p & a goFSR king size RTT that is on the bed of our ram 2500. Lots of situations where one tent just isn’t the best …. That said we use the RTT the most. Drive somewhere, pop it up & sleep. & our tent is below the roofline so we don’t have any issues with gas mileage
Mate, for camping on the beach, rocky rivers, muddy ground, get the breeze in hot conditions and the view from up there, i love it. Its the best option for touring or one nighters
Using a roof top tent was a blast for me last summer. At arrival you just pop it up and you're all set. As we were road tripping we're unpacking and packing a lot, this tent made that nice and easy. Also, it does not really get dirty because you do not live in the sand/mud. Besides that there is not a lot unpack and pack because you can leave the mattras ans sleeping bags in it. If I were to stay at a camping for more than two days I would probably go for a ground based tent for the reasons you gave. However, for roadtripping this thing was absolutely perfect.
Let's not gatekeep people from going outdoor though. Whatever gets people outside and doesn't hurt others or the environment is what I'm all for. Admittedly, the RTT market is insanely overpriced, that 'overland tax' these days.
This is an equipment review channel, its whole purpose is to judge the value proposition of camping equipment. This isn't gatekeeping anyone, they can choose RTT or traditional tent, which is the comparison made here. If overpriced equipment gets people outdoors better than traditional equipment, I guess that's fine but it's fairly irrational. Your criticism just feels unfounded. It's like saying a negative movie review is somehow gatekeeping people from enjoying the movies - it makes no sense.
@@jake5549-r4k valid points
Oh, let's absolutely gatekeep. I'm all for the moronic city-dwellers staying inside the city limits and not polluting the countryside with their stupidity.
Bringing all your electronic devices to the campsite is much more of a crime against outdoor recreation vs. the tent you choose to sleep in.
Totally agree, I also hate having access to small/safe/lightweight electronic devices such as:
Lighting
Head lamp
Emergency beacon
GPS
Cell phone
(Especially on longer, or more remote trips)
@@BatCaveOzI absolutely can't stand seeing those silly headlamps at night lighting up the woods. And those personal locator beacons are just so big and bulky.
Setup and pack up time is the biggest PRO for me. I am a family of 4 with a ikamper skycamp 3.0. It takes 1 minute to setup, sleeping bags and pillows are already up there saving space in the 4x4.
With a ground tent it would take 30-45 mins to setup and packaway. Tent, blow up roll mats and sleeping bags out of stuff sacks. Packing away would take longer and having to find room for everything in the car.
While many great points are made, I'd say anything that gets people out and exploring nature is a great thing in my book!
I do both - I love sleeping on the ground in a $100 tent. It's simple, easy and nostalgic. I also have a dialed rig for more extreme winter use or times when i'm on the road for jobs multiple days/dispersed camping. I think the RTT is a nice tool in a quiver but for most people - the cost will outweigh the benefit.
For $3500 get an old Chevy van and put a mattress in the back. I bought a new Chevy van that was bare inside. I customized it myself with insulation, paneling, huge bed, icebox, lighting, shelves, curtains, darkened windows and captains chairs. It was a mobile motel. I took it everywhere camping, beach trips. I took it to Colorado and New Mexico many times and I parked it by the ski lifts so I’d be first to ride up the mountains. Oh yeah, it was also very, very handy on dates!!! It was a mobile bordello 🤣. Perfect!
power is your biggest need ? That defeats the very reason for CAMPING
If it gets people camping I’m all for it. Getting away for weekend is nice and it acts like a tree house for the kids. Just know that it much cheaper to just get a cheap tent and try it out camping
I had nothing to do so i decided to read the comments. Then I remembered I had nothing to do... Get a life people !!! If you want one, buy one. If you don't, then get whatever you think is right for YOU.
Admittedly, I live in Mongolia and thus may have other requirements. The reason I have both roof top tent (RTT) and traditional tent (TT) is the following: RAIN/MUD: The RTT stays clean and doesn't flood (especially in the mountains you may end up setting up your tent in a previously unknown river). No need to clean the tent of mud when moving to the next site. 2. HEAT: RTT is a lot cooler compared to sleeping on the ground. Especially in the desert the ground doesn't cool down fast enough to make it comfortable. 3. ROCKY SETTINGS: There are just mountain or desert areas which are basically one big sharp rocky environment. TT might be possible, but it's near impossible not to damage your equipment. 4. MOUNTAIN SLOPES: You touched on it. It's relatively easy to level your car, but impossible for a tent. 5. INSECTS: In Mongolia certain areas have specific crawly insects coming out in the millions at night. RTT is the only way to avoid. 6. LIVESTOCK/SAFETY: Mongolia is full of herds of very curious horses, cows, cashmere goats and yaks. They like to nibble on your tent. A handful times a year TT dwellers yell at cows from inside their tent to chase away a bull or several of them. Not a good idea. Stampedes kill people. Wild animals are wild. 7. NIGHT TIME SETUP: In the pitch dark or even with a flashlight I often struggle to find a good TT spot. An RTT can be setup blindfolded and neigh anywhere. 8. Though this is a bit mean, it's SUPER CHEAP. RTT's are often assembled in China and we can buy them dead cheap here of almost any brand. Think 500 Euro/Dollar. Gas? Max speed here is 80 km/h on highways, but there are few of those. Maybe 8000 km total. Not a real issue at 30-60 km/h in Land Cruiser. 9. STORAGE: 99% has an apartment here. RTT is left on the car (we tend to have an off-road car and a city car) 10. COMFORT: Matrass is simply superior. We upgraded ours by buying a normal matrass. Our TT has Monstamat. It starts to count when camping for 7 weeks. 11. EASE OF USE: Setting and packing up is done in a jiffy. No need to take any stuff in or out. When tired, this is very welcome.