Muddy boots and a rooftop tent

[pwc]

This may seem like a silly question, but after camping in much rain this weekend and with a rooftop tent soon to be up and working, I'm wondering what you all do when you have ugly muddy boots and sleep on the roof?
I'm loath to leave them down below as things may decide to lie in them over night, plus they could get rained on even more. I thought of making a small slide out shelf fit to the underside of the tent, but wanted to know if there was something simple I'm overlooking.

thanks

[sleeoffroad]

That is why Technitop has a shoe bag. Slides onto the rail on the tent at the door. :sombrero:

[CLynn85]

Or what about keeping a small ziploc bigbag when you climb up and toss them in it. Keeps your tent clean and your boots undisturbed.

[pskhaat]

Yep, shoe bag hung underneath the tent overhang :)

[Andrew Walcker]

I actually came up on this same dilema a few weeks back in my maiden voyage w/ a roof top tent. I simply grabbed a plastic bag and threw the shoes in there and brought it up into the tent. A bag hanging off the side or underneath of the tent is the way to go:clapsmile

[Scott Brady]

My series three has a shoe bag too, which uses the door velcro strip. The bottom of the shoe bag is mesh to allow dirt/sand to drop through.

[pwc]

Sweet!! Now I know. and knowing is half the battle (tm).

thanks everyone, that seems a lot simplier than my convoluted idea

[Dmarchand]

I still think you need a pee platform... :beer:

[Benjisan]

A good solution to the pee at night but its too cold out and I have to put on wet boots problem: Just urinate in a Nalgene bottle that is CLEARLY MARKED so you don't accidentally drink from it...ew. Also, make sure you don't miss. Another thing, make sure you screw it on nice and tight when you're done. Nalgene bottles seal up well so you shouldn't have any leakage issues. Again, I can't emphasize enough the need to mark the bottle clearly for obvious reasons. The next day you can empty the bottle in a better location and clean it out a bit. Sounds kinda gross, I know but for anyone who's tossed and turned for hours in the middle of the night because it was too much of a hassle to get up and urinate...the pee in a bottle trick is the answer.

Sorry to change the subject a bit, just thought I'd offer up a solution to the pee platform idea..hehe.

[frgtwn]

Muddy, wet boots, it is raining, cold outside, no this is not a hijack.

Pee in a Gatorade Bottle. Pick your favorite size. Doable in the dark. A well closed bottle will not leak. You can drop it to the ground, it will not burst. They are tough.

Some motorcycle guys actually carry gasoline in them. For emergency use only, of course.

Now, all the cautions of the previous thread apply! However, I have been known to carry them some distance before finding an appropriate dumping spot. They do not stink up your stuff.

If you have the need, highly recommended.

Dale

[toyrunner95]

usally when i have to pee and im in my tent, i just stand at the door. or stand on the ladder or whatever. for my shoes i woud just bend a coar hanger into an S shape and hang the shoes that way in a plastic bag. they stay dry and out of the tent. but i do keep my birkinstocks in the tent just incase i have to go outside. but i dont have tarantula and scorpion problems up here in the NW

[atavuss]

A good solution to the pee at night but its too cold out and I have to put on wet boots problem: Just urinate in a Nalgene bottle that is CLEARLY MARKED so you don't accidentally drink from it...ew. Also, make sure you don't miss. Another thing, make sure you screw it on nice and tight when you're done. Nalgene bottles seal up well so you shouldn't have any leakage issues. Again, I can't emphasize enough the need to mark the bottle clearly for obvious reasons. The next day you can empty the bottle in a better location and clean it out a bit. Sounds kinda gross, I know but for anyone who's tossed and turned for hours in the middle of the night because it was too much of a hassle to get up and urinate...the pee in a bottle trick is the answer.

Sorry to change the subject a bit, just thought I'd offer up a solution to the pee platform idea..hehe.

I use a 1 gallon zip lock bag with 2 spoon fulls of "Watersorb" polymer crystals. the watersorb will soak up the urine and it ends up like jello. no spillage or mess, just toss it in the nearest waste bin or bag.
http://www.watersorb.com/index.htm

[adventureduo]

My co-pilot (female) wants to know what the ladies have for options regarding peeing in the night? I didn't have answer for her lol

[BajaTaco]

My co-pilot (female) wants to know what the ladies have for options regarding peeing in the night? I didn't have answer for her lol

Nalgene bottle + "Lady J (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=13827)"

[gjackson]

Wide mouth nalgene works pretty well for the ladies as well. Never had any issues with it.

cheers

[Steve Curren]

I found both porta potti bags as well as urinals for men and women at a site named Brief Relief. I have used both and they are handy and easy to use.

[elcoyote]

My co-pilot (female) wants to know what the ladies have for options regarding peeing in the night? I didn't have answer for her lol

The solution my lady has found is called a Travel John. It contains a powder that gels all liquid and will not spill or smell. You can find out more about them at www.traveljohn.com
Don't leave home without them!

[pwc]

Am I reading this right....that you guys are too lazy to get out of the tent to pee?

[Boston Mangler]

My co-pilot (female) wants to know what the ladies have for options regarding peeing in the night? I didn't have answer for her lol

:victory:

http://www.rei.com/product/407267

http://images.rei.com/media/407267Lrg.jpg

[Corey]

Resurrection of an old subject:
Dirty shoes, and having to piddle in the middle of the night.

I took out my Maggiolina AirLand yesterweek for its maiden voyage.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17789

I use flannel sheets and a nice winter weight down comforter in it.
Walking around camp turned my nice New Balance tennis shoes filthy :D
When I turned in at night, I plopped them off and put them into a dish pan for washing/rinsing dishes in at camp.

It was an extra one, not the main one I use for doing the dishes in.
The shoes fit nicely into it, and I put it in the corner of the tent.

Now to the urinating part.
In the past while backpacking, tent camping, and camping in my tent trailers I always had to go in the middle of the night.
Could be a combo of the cold mountain air and nylon sleeping bag.

I thought for sure I was going to have to get up in the middle of the night and throw my shoes on and work my way down my ladder.
Not so, I was toasty all night long, and even felt the top of the comforter and it was ice cold from the air inside the tent.
I also was able to stay in bed for nine hours each night, something unheard of for me when camping.

I am not so sure if I will continue to have that luck though in the future.
The wide mouth Nalgenes sound like a good idea, but I also saw this in the Cabelas catalog. (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0014250515341a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&No=36&Ntt=potty&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&Go.x=0&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1)

http://www.pilotshopusa.com/images_products/1202.jpg

[HMR]

Corey- Stuff your shoes in the space between the bottom of your Magg and the top of your truck's cab. No need to ever bring shoes into the tent.

[MDH33]

Hi all, my first post on the Exp Portal.

I have the ARB Simpson II mounted on my '85 FJ60. They built this tent with a vestibule area that overhangs the door/ladder. There's a stout pole that holds this vestibule up. It makes a perfect attachment point for a couple of carabiners which work great to clip your boots/shoes to as you climb in. Keeps them out of the tent, but also out of the weather and off the ground. I usually clip a pair of sandals up there too for easy access for late night tree watering.

I'll get a pic of my shoe holding set-up this weekend. Here's a pic of our rig.

http://mdhuber.smugmug.com/photos/335612113_NnLmQ-L-1.jpg

[JeepinBear]

Hi all, my first post on the Exp Portal.

I have the ARB Simpson II mounted on my '85 FJ60. They built this tent with a vestibule area that overhangs the door/ladder. There's a stout pole that holds this vestibule up. It makes a perfect attachment point for a couple of carabiners which work great to clip your boots/shoes to as you climb in. Keeps them out of the tent, but also out of the weather and off the ground. I usually clip a pair of sandals up there too for easy access for late night tree watering.

I'll get a pic of my shoe holding set-up this weekend. Here's a pic of our rig.

http://mdhuber.smugmug.com/photos/335612113_NnLmQ-L-1.jpg

How funny that your first post is in this thread!

Welcome to the portal...NICE RIG!!

[MDH33]

How funny that your first post is in this thread!

Welcome to the portal...NICE RIG!!

Thanks. I've been doing a lot of reading and looking at great pictures and trip reports on the site. Haven't had anything useful to contribute until now. ;)

[Corey]

Corey- Stuff your shoes in the space between the bottom of your Magg and the top of your truck's cab. No need to ever bring shoes into the tent.
Thanks, that is an idea.
The only thing that would concern me is the mice.

Long ago I camped at the same campground when I had my tent trailer.
I woke up in the middle of the night to the commotion of a mouse taking the shoe laces out of both of my tennis shoes.
They are fast, and can field strip a pair of shoes in seconds :D

Mice might be able to scamper up to the roof, or even crawl up the ladder and then jump to the space you are talking about.

I once saw a mouse another time in my tent trailer crawl up the pole of a broom I kept inside to sweep out the constant supply of pine needles being tracked in.

It jumped from the top of the broom handle over to the bed.
They can jump pretty far.

Nice setup you have there Bear.

[Mike S]

Shoes can be stuffed under the tent platform. I use a hanging net bag that is suspended from the tops of the lift arms of the Maggiolina - one hook in each arm at the foot end of the tent. I climb up, sit on the platform in the doorway with my feet on the ladder and remove boots and socks and put them in the net bag. The rest of my clothes go on top - and are ready in the AM.

As for the calls of nature - I go before I hit the sack. No worries.

[pskhaat]

Where in Evergreen are you?

[HMR]

The only thing that would concern me is the mice.

Mice might be able to scamper up to the roof, or even crawl up the ladder and then jump to the space you are talking about.

:confused:

[MDH33]

Where in Evergreen are you?

Just off Brook Forest near the lower Maxwell Falls trailhead.

[pskhaat]

Just off Brook Forest near the lower Maxwell Falls trailhead.
Know the area well, used to walk my dog nearly daily there. I lived in Evergreen for many years; family has a place on the lake to escape the TX & AZ heat :)

Sounds like we will soon need an Evergreen Marg' Hour at the Whip'.

[MDH33]

Know the area well, used to walk my dog nearly daily there. I lived in Evergreen for many years; family has a place on the lake to escape the TX & AZ heat :)

Sounds like we will soon need an Evergreen Marg' Hour at the Whip'.

Sounds good. There are a few Rising Sun/Land Cruiser guys up here in Evergreen and Kittredge. Join us for a trail run when you're in town next. :beer:

[pskhaat]

...tThere are a few Rising Sun/Land Cruiser guys up here in Evergreen and Kittredge

I used to be one of them. :)

[grahamfitter]

To bring life to an old thread, a small net strung under the overhang of our (Autohome Overcamp) RTT has worked very well for storing footware overnight.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_gz-y-wcOhAI/TLUGuFQCOeI/AAAAAAAACFM/Dsb6xY-yWF8/s800/DSC_3863.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_gz-y-wcOhAI/TLUGu1mlQYI/AAAAAAAACFQ/-4PyFibwt6w/s800/DSC_3864.jpg

The ends of the cords are tied to inch or so wide washers at each corner which slide through the C channels.

[coastie kyle]

I solved this problem before I even took the tent out. Ill post a pic tomorrow but I bought a dark grey plastic milk crate looking thing. I drilled some holes in the bottom for water drainage. I used some plastic chain from lowes, connected to all four corners by opening links. I connect it to the tent by a round carabiener on the metal pole that holds up the sun/rain visor. And it works great for storeing extra stuff in while driveing.

[roberto]

i am going to add small hooks on underside of RTT like I seen someone else do to to hang ones shoes so they dont get rained on and no muddy shoes in tent and they r not on the ground drawing critters in??

R

[tdesanto]

Get a Globetrotter or T-Top tent, problem solved.

[matt s]

As to the pee issue.

Funnell and plastic tubing run out and away.





I am only half joking.

[Token]

As to the pee issue.
Funnell and plastic tubing run out and away.


Used to know a guy that had his Goldwing motorcycle set up for VERY long range riding.. I think he could carry 18 gallons of fuel (saddlebags and truck had fuel tanks).. Was enough for him to ride coast to coast to coast nonstop.. (across the US twice) And he did.. He kept snacks handy and a large camelback on the back seat.

For peeing.. Never saw the contraption myself, but it was described as a "heavy duty condom with a hose". Hose ran out the thigh of his riding suit and attached to another hose that was ran out the back of the bike.

Most mechanics refused to work on the bike until it had been steam cleaned.. Guess the pee tube allowed for a bit of fogging behind the bike..

Boot / tent problem.. Plastic Rubbermaid box in the corner of the tent works well for me.. Even has a lid in case they have an odor issue..

[Uncle Roger]

To bring life to an old thread
I apologize for the crappiness of the photos...

I have a Columbus tent (Autohome) on Thule bars. I got the bars extra long -- they were the same price, I think, and I figured the extra length would be good for something. Turns out I was right.

I bought some pieces of 6" wide (I think) commercial door step -- the stuff that covers the line where the inside meets the outside under the door of a store or office building -- and used U-bolts to mount it on the thule bars.

They're great for shoes at night and, as an added bonus, makes for a really handy "coffee shelf" to put your cup while you get your keys out and load stuff in the vehicle. (Until, that is, you drive off with your cup still up there.)

Note: ignore the eye-bolts sticking up; I was playing around with the idea of limb risers, but the shelves aren't strong enough.

[Kohburn]

i imagine the same thing that I do for hammock backpacking. a mesh bag to let them dry out hung under the entrance.