Roof campers? Please explain

[Paddy]

Hi guys, please let me preface this as an honest question. Not "trolling". I don't understand the concept of the roof top tent. It seems to solve a problem that doesn't exist while also creating about 10 more.

Pros:
Allows more safety from animal attacks?
Allows nice big foam bed
Frees up space inside rig
Provides bird nest POV
Faster pitch/break


cons:
Expensive
Does not easily remove from truck
Involves rickety ladder that would be unpleasant both drunk and hungover
Requires truck to be on level ground
Requires breakdown to use vehicle
Limits tent placement from areas of shade/wind protection
Limits use to "vehicle designated/rv" parking in some campgrounds
Draws attention
Large dogs?


Enlighten me to the benefits of these because to me they seem like a possibly bad idea

 

[bagelsjustbagels]

• 
  Easy deployment.

• 
  The luxuries of a "real feeling bed" without the hassle of a pop-up trailer. or anything bulkier, this really is a hit with the ladies as well

• Also, while camping in Big Sur with a large group of people, I had the easiest set up-did not have to worry about rocks on the ground-and when it rained like CRAZY, I was the only one who did not have to move around 3-4am due to puddles underneath their tent.

• Furthermore, when camping in a different location each night- this makes it ideal to be able to move from spot to spot without really having to rearrange bedding too much, i leave my twin extra-long sheets and two pillows in there, and close her up.

• as for the ladder, THere are ways to upgrade it or stake it down. for myself however, even with some(and by some I mean lots) of beers in me, the ladder was never a problem.

• Lastly, Its more versatile-going down Hwy1 I pulled over numerous times at parking lots or dirt lots near beaches and was able to get away with "Surf-beahc bumming it" whereas I'm sure a real tent on the gov land would have gotten me booted.

• Also- the view from up top is amazing. less dirt, easy clean up. no trailer or large registration to deal with. with my Tepui Ayer, at just 90lbs i load and unload it myself and at the end of my trip, change the sheets and put it all back for next time.

• Then when I leave, i throw it on the truck in 5 minutes, get to my location, open in in another 5 minutes and BAM, bed in the middle of the forest and I'm ready to relax.

Obviously, cost is a big problem, and so is weight if you are alone and try for a bigger tent. All in all however- I think once it is established there is nothing better than a good priced RTT to help make the mini vacation a lot more relaxing. Tepui's are great, and believe it or not-I'm just a customer not a sales rep hahaha.

 

[DiploStrat]

When overlanding, as opposed to camping, the roof top tent offers some HUGE advantages, as mentioned by bagels:

-- Faster setup/takedown with no need to use pegs, etc. Gives you the option of camping in the middle of a town, etc.

-- Often much, much cooler because of better air flow.

This may not count for much if you drive to the lake and then camp for a week, but when touring, where you drive every day or so, pitching a conventional tent gets old, fast.

 

[photoman]

Good information so far. A couple more:

- Frees up space in the vehicle as you do not have tent, cots, air mattresses, sleeping pads, or any of those items anymore. Depending on your tent you might also be able to leave your sleeping bag and pillow in the tent when moving from one location to another.

- Faster take down - You don't have to pull stakes, poles, fold the tent just right, fold ground cover, and then try to make it all fit back into those stupid little bags.

- One person setup/take down of a 4 season tent.

- instant shade- most of the tents fold open which gives you a small shaded area next to one side or rear of the vehicle

With all the positives listed - they do have drawbacks like you mentioned in the original post. They are not ideal if you want to hold a site but use your vehicle and they may require special mounting and assistance to place or take down from the roof. Cost is relative. There are cheaper RTT's and there are very expensive traditional tents.

Personally - I have a 2 person backpacking tent, a two room cabin tent, and a roof top tent. I take the tent which fits the trip.

 

[carbon60]

The "speed of setup" point is really hard to believe in until you've used one. I have a hard shell CVT Mt Baker and keep sheets, duvet and pillow (and the ladder) inside. It literally takes 1 minute to be in bed.

The other subtle but very important point is the view and airiness afforded by being elevated. It's a real pleasure that's hard to describe.

A.

 

[Box Rocket]

For me it boils down to a few things.

1). Comfort. It's not this way for everyone but I am always more comfortable sleeping on the nice foam mattress in my RTT than I ever was on an air mattress or pad in a ground tent. The only comparison was a really nice cot with a foam pad on top but that was very bulky to pack and was quite a hassle. Being of the ground especially in the rain is wonderful. It took some convincing to get my wife to camp until we got our RTT. Now I don't have to sell it at all, she's often asking when we're going next.
2). Convenience. Setting up a ground tent is a quick way to make me agitated and grumpy now that I'm used to my RTT. Having your bed set up in 90 seconds versus fumbling with tent poles and looking for a level spot and kicking rocks and stumps out of the way is a dramatic change. Not only does the quick setup and take down make everything easier and more convenient, but as has been mentioned the ability to camp essentially anywhere is nice.
3). Room for gear. It seems like a minor thing but not needing to pack a tent, sleeping bags, pads etc inside the truck frees up a lot more space inside the vehicle and makes the trip that much more enjoyable because you don't feel like you're buried in gear the whole time your driving.
4). Mobility. I prefer moving from place to place on trips and covering a lot of area and seeing a larger variety of things. Setting up a typical ground tent campsite every night and taking it all back down the next morning is extremely tiresome. It's hard to explain to someone the benefits of pulling into a campsite after midnight in the rain and being in your sleeping bag in less than 5 min and being back on the road within minutes of waking up the next morning. You just can't do that with the typical ground tent.

 

[Paddy]

Okay those are good points. Some of them look easier than others to deploy. My friend has a maggiolina that seems pretty cool. I suppose you could always carry a small tent in case there was a reason to use it but in my region, and places I call home for the night, my rig is level enough for sleeping a very small number of times. And something I've learned on many trips is that shaded tent is very necessary sometimes. The foam bedding part is very valid however.

 

[photoman]

Okay those are good points. Some of them look easier than others to deploy. My friend has a maggiolina that seems pretty cool. I suppose you could always carry a small tent in case there was a reason to use it but in my region, and places I call home for the night, my rig is level enough for sleeping a very small number of times. And something I've learned on many trips is that shaded tent is very necessary sometimes. The foam bedding part is very valid however.

Its not hard to level a truck, it doesn't have to be RV perfect level - just eyeballed to fairly level. Some people buy leveling sticks which you can stack as needed, you could carry a couple small pieces of lumber. I just use a shovel to scoop out some dirt and then roll a tire into the hole. I am fine with a slight slope down towards my feet so I just make sure my head is not on the down slope or the side to side is not significant.

I have an African Outback Technitop- It sets up in just a few quick steps and 5 minutes max.

 

[brianjwilson]

Okay those are good points. Some of them look easier than others to deploy. My friend has a maggiolina that seems pretty cool. I suppose you could always carry a small tent in case there was a reason to use it but in my region, and places I call home for the night, my rig is level enough for sleeping a very small number of times. And something I've learned on many trips is that shaded tent is very necessary sometimes. The foam bedding part is very valid however.

I live in the same region and have absolutely no problem leveling my rig. A rock, log, etc works fine. Otherwise I prefer my head higher. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Let me put it this way. I've had way more issues finding a suitable spot for a tent on the ground than I have had parking my rig. My jeep doesn't care if its parked on large rocks on a river bed, a flooded site on the coast, downed trees or sticks or anything else.

Did I mention that I don't have to sleep on the ground? Yeah because as you know it rains here. A lot.

My situation is a little different than a regular roof top tent, but I have standing/changing room in the back of my jeep. I can set up my tent in about a minute, in the rain, without getting wet at all. I can climb up from the back seat. "Tear down" works the same.

For me, I almost never stay at the same site more than one night. I travel, sleep, and travel again usually. So quick and easy setup off the ground is a huge bonus. Even in the snow it works well.

A conventional roof tent has some issues. Requires a big heavy rack, it's tall, can't stay kayaks or toys on top, etc.

But when you travel for days on end and pack up every night, plan to stay out regardless of the weather it sometimes makes more sense. If you're just driving to a campground nearby for a nice weekend, a ground tent is fine.

 

[Paddy]

Maybe the weather is a key factor, I'm more of a fair weather camper so I value shade more than rain performance. I can totally see how rain would make the roof more enticing.

 

[carbon60]

I've camped in everything from blizzards to hot beach weather. Tent works for all of those. I am able to drive into shade, and even relocate without "packing up" if a site proves too hot.

 

[southpier]

is this the right place to ask about thermal property (RTT)? not that a tent has more, but to sway the arg..., uh, conversation.

 

[carbon60]

is this the right place to ask about thermal property (RTT)?

Depends on the type of RTT: hard shell fibreglass models will handle temperatures differently than the classic safari-style models.

In my case, with a "wedge" fibreglass model, I can park nose into the weather and have really incredible protection with no flapping at all. I use a 3-candle UCO Candlelier (with all windows open a crack) to heat the tent and minimize moisture buildup. It burns for almost 9 hours.

I also have a large amount of insulation under us, because the tent came with a 2" high density foam that we found too hard and added a couple of old ¾ length Therm-a-Rest self-inflating pads underneath it.

A.

 

[southpier]

thanks. anyone fit "firm" sides to these units? maybe not hard materials, but something along the lines of those gadgets put in the windshields of cars to kick back sun.

 

[XJINTX]

Don't think anybody mentioned large sized dogs. I have an off road trailer and will upgrade with a RTT but I'm procrastinating. I take my lab with me on most camping trips. I currently use an OZ RV2 tent. Stores in rack on my trailer and is very fast to setup as we know. The rainfly acts as a shade for me here in TX too when I leave as a basecamp. Not sure if RTT has a rainfly or how hard to setup one?
Does anyone else travel with larger dogs and a RTT and try and get dog in tent? Mine is spoiled and would be whining all night if i left out or in my jeep