Equipment Review
We had a few new items with us on this trip, and since we experienced some pretty windy and cold conditions, we figured it warranted some reviews. Hope this information is helpful to folks!
Tuff Stuff RTT, Overland Model
http://tuffstuff4x4.com/products/tuff-stuff-rooftop-mounted-tent-free-annex-changing-room/
After months of YouTube video and online reviews, this is the tent we settled on. Overall, very impressed with the tent from our first trip.
Setup - very straight forward out of the box. Put on the mounting hardware, lined it up on the factory roof rails and tightened it down. All tools for installation were included with the tent, along with the annex. We did decide to shorten the mounting bars, and we accomplished that with a reciprocating saw and a Dremel to smooth it out prior to installing the end caps.
Opening/Closing - very easy, and can be done by one person. The ladder provides sufficient leverage to open the tent from the ground, and the side step or rear bumper on the 4Runner was sufficient for all other operations. The pins on the ladder do not always lock into place, so it is important to verify they've locked before fully extending the ladder, otherwise, you will pull out the bottom half of the ladder and need to reseat it before opening the tent. Closing can be done with one person, but two makes it easier. One person on the ladder side, and one person on the opposite side to fold the tent into itself while it is lowered.
Cover - stiff at first, but got easier with each usage. The cold weather also plays a part in how stiff it is, so warmer is a bit easier. The cover zipper and Velcro straps held up well during the drive, and the tent stayed dry despite all of the blowing rain, snow and ice during our trip.
Annex - we think this is a must have for an RTT. Provides space to hold your gear, change, and provides some shelter from the weather other than the tent itself. This model included the annex and the floor. We used the annex with and without the floor, depending on the weather. The shape of the annex makes it tricky for pitching, and will differ depending on the model of your vehicle and it's height off the ground. At first we did not use the channel system to attach the rear side of the annex, and while this worked with zero wind, it will not work in a windy condition. It's a bit inconvenient, as you have to remove the travel cover in order to fully install the annex, but if it is windy, this channel is a vital part of the stability of the annex. Both the travel cover and annex channel attachments are very stiff, but by the third usage, was much easier to install. The annex also has vent holes, and this was pretty important to us. Since it was so cold and windy, we used both our Mr. Buddy Heater and propane stove in the annex, and these vent holes ensured that we had sufficient fresh air moving through the annex to avoid a build up of carbon monoxide.
Weather Proof - we had all the confidence in the world in the tent, but the first night on the Cabot Trail really cemented that belief. With wind conditions in excess of 30 MPH, the tent held up really, really well. There was no evidence of damage due to strain on staking points, zippers, seams or rain fly straps. As one could expect, it was noisy; we had some slack in our annex material as we have stock tires installed, with no lift kit, and the material flapped all night. (Woody the Dog was not a fan at all!) The tent and rain fly flapped a bit as well despite being tightened as much as possible, but the annex was the main contributor to the noise. In addition, this tent has many small openings due to its folding nature, but we had zero snow in the tent due to access from hinge points, vents or zippers. Only snow was due to us tracking it in the annex or blowing in when we opened the annex door.
Initial Setup Photos:
Tent after first windstorm (granted, we had good snow shelter from the trees)
Mr. Buddy Heater
http://www.mrheater.com/sporting/big-buddy-portable-heater.html
So, one of us grew up in Florida, and is always cold. Seriously, even in 85 degree F weather. So, Chris bought a heater, just in case we needed it. Turns out, it is pretty handy. We did not buy it with the intent of heating everything all the time, nor did we use it in that manner, but rather to just warm up the tent a bit right before we crawled into our sleeping bags and to warm up the tent when we woke up, as well as melt any ice from the tent before we folded it up. We hooked it up to a standard 20 lb. tank with a hose, but it also takes a smaller 1 lb. tank. On the low setting it provided ample heat to take the chill out of the air in the annex and the tent, and melt any ice build up.
We did use it when Woody the Dog started shivering uncontrollably (his first winter camping trip, poor guy), and we bundled him up in some blankets, and placed him in front of the heater to warm up. After a few snuggles with his humans, extra kibble and some time in front of the heater he was ready to just crawl into his sleeping spot in the tent. Right as rain the next day!
It is important to note that while the heater does have a safety guard on the front to prevent anything from touching the heating elements, a wagging tail can easily get through the guard, so you must pay attention if using this around animals or children.
Other safety features include a tip switch, which is very sensitive, and will turn the heater off immediately even with minor adjustments to its position while on. It also has a low oxygen monitor and will switch off to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. As mentioned above, we ran this heater in our annex, and the heater never turned itself off, due to the good ventilation the annex provided, all while still providing ample heat.
Boss Shower
http://www.mrheater.com/sporting/boss-xb20-battery-operated-shower-system.html
Chris was super stoked to pick up this shower, so we grabbed it at Cabela's on the way up. Unfortunately, it would not fire up while we were on our trip. The pump worked, and we would hear the igniter working, but we were unable to get it to function properly. Now that we are home, we will need to fiddle with it further to see if this was a low temperature condition or if the one we picked up is defunct. More to come....
Sea to Summit Sleeping Bag Liner
https://www.rei.com/product/797114/sea-to-summit-thermolite-reactor-extreme-mummy-bag-liner
As mentioned above, one of us is chronically cold, so Andrea procured this liner to put into her zero degree sleeping bag as a precaution. It's awesome! Not only did it get rid of that initial cold feeling when you first climb into your sleeping bag, it really kept her quite warm. Hot in fact. She even slept without a winter hat one or two nights. It is light, cinches up to enclose your shoulders, and is easily washable. This is a must have for anyone who tends to be cold and wants some extra help while winter camping, and this will most likely become a summer sleeping bag for Andrea instead of her regular three season bag. As a frame of reference, Andrea also sleeps in a designated set of thermals, wool socks and a winter hat.
