Is your RTT installed full-time, part-time, or as needed?

[bald.eagle]

I'm curious how most RTT owners choose to keep their tents installed. Do you install it strictly as needed per each trip you take, leave it on for a season, or is it permanently installed?

Hearing several stories now of folks having their RTT's stolen makes me wary to keep it permanently installed, but then I feel like leaving it on for a season brings the same risk. Is installation too much trouble to take it on/off per trip?

I do not have a RTT yet, and I currently have a factory roof rack. But I wonder if there's a way to make a RTT more easily installed/removed per use, possibly leaving it attached to cross bars that have a quick disconnect to the roof rack? Maybe a pulley/lift system in the garage would help remove/store/install the RTT while not in use?

I'm going to attempt to post a poll, and would be interested to hear others' input. Thanks folks.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

I'd like to leave mine on year round, but I hate salt. Drive thru car washes do a better job (and cheaper) then a full out wand wash, so I try and take the tents off in the winter. Whether it was my old soft shell tent, or my current hard shell tent.

 

[harbinger808]

mine is on permanently for the past 3 months. if i find a way/space in our garage i'll switch it to as needed. but in all honesty, my wife and i enjoy just deciding on a whim to take our kids camping and we cant do that if we needed to mount the tent back up each time.

 

[bald.eagle]

Harbinger, the on-a-whim trips is something I want to keep possible, which is why I'm trying to understand and possibly simplify the install/remove process. I don't want the tent stored in the garage, getting stuff piled on top or around, making it a hassle to load up any time I want to head out. Salt and winter weather is not an issue for me, but the risk of theft and also the MPG losses are a concern I'm trying to avoid.

This pic shows what I was thinking of for removal/storage, using pulleys and eye bolts into the garage ceiling joists you could easily set up a cheap hoist.

The issue then becomes the actual bolts/mounts holding the tent to the truck. I still have a factory roof rack, so I am unfamiliar with aftermarket options, but I am curious if there are any cross-bar mounts that are "quick and easy" to install, whether with clamps or a single bolt, to remove the cross bars while still attached to the RTT- versus having to undo multiple U-bolts to remove the tent completely from the cross bars.

My apologies if any of this seems ridiculous as I don't have a RTT yet, but these sorts of solutions are going to help me decide on if I want a vehicle-mounted RTT, or a trailer mounted solution. I appreciate the input.

 

[stingray1300]

I struggled with the same issues. So here's what I came up with. I made a "skateboard" for the RTT to live on when off the truck. It stands on the edge on the 2' x 3' castered piece of 1 1/8" plywood (overkill, but that's what I had on hand, so...). Cost me $12 for the casters. There are holes drilled near the edges of the board for tie downs if I need. So far, I haven't needed them. The tent is pretty stable when moving it around.
.
I rigged up a system with an electric hoist inside the garage, to hoist it up to the ceiling, and made a fixture to hang the tent on. I scrapped that in lieu of finding a place where the tent could hide in a corner on its edge.
.
Now here's the fun part: getting the RTT on and off the truck, almost 7ft off the ground. So, being a long time ironworker, and having a couple of spare hours, I made a "crane". It just sits it the corner of my fence. It has a single ball bearing "bearing" cap that slides over a post. Welded a couple of 3/4" nuts to the sides, built a "boom" out of 2 pieces of angle welded side-by-side with spacers, with a wheel at the end of the boom. I made a perch for a bottle jack to raise and lower the boom, and a boat winch (hand crank) to raise and lower the load line. I leave the Thule cross bars bolted to the RTT rails, so it's easy to line up the towers and drop the cross bars onto the rails mounted on the truck. Once I first touch the tent, it's mounted in about 15 minutes and ready to go. Here's a couple of pics:

 

[harbinger808]

dr brown... i understand your concerns as they were all mine also. first of, we have only one vehicle in our family and being a land rover lr4, the rtt has actually allowed us to "up" or mpg as we stay about 5mph under/over the speed limits never passing 75mph anymore. we average about 15-16mpg now vs. 12-13mpg. i used to think about the tent being stolen but in all honesty, thats why its covered under our insurance.
this is what we based our mounting system on :
http://prospeed-group.co.uk/product/xrs-roof-tent-adaptors/
we built our own system and actually welded tabs to the roof rack itself. as of now, only 3 bolts need to be unscrewed and the 4th is just a bolt slightly smaller in diameter and stays snug with tape wrapped around it. i'm in the process of designing a new shed in our front yard. when we arent using the rtt on the vehicle, it will mount to the roof of the shed so my kids will have access to it and have a "tree house"

 

[bald.eagle]

this is what we based our mounting system on :
http://prospeed-group.co.uk/product/xrs-roof-tent-adaptors/

Those mounts look a lot like an idea I had in my head. Something like "cups" that could mount to the rails for the cross bars to nest into, possibly held in place with a clevis/cotter pin instead of a threaded bolt, for quick and easy install/removal. Maybe that would be too vulnerable from a security standpoint, maybe a specialty head bolt that requires a special tool could be used to make it more secure. Surely there's endless ways to design the mounts. I'd be interested to see your mounts.

BTW, Dad of the year, RTT for a treehouse? They'll love that. I'm already imagining my kids are gonna fight over who gets to sleep in the RTT while we camp.

 

[harbinger808]

Those mounts look a lot like an idea I had in my head. Something like "cups" that could mount to the rails for the cross bars to nest into, possibly held in place with a clevis/cotter pin instead of a threaded bolt, for quick and easy install/removal. Maybe that would be too vulnerable from a security standpoint, maybe a specialty head bolt that requires a special tool could be used to make it more secure. Surely there's endless ways to design the mounts. I'd be interested to see your mounts.

BTW, Dad of the year, RTT for a treehouse? They'll love that. I'm already imagining my kids are gonna fight over who gets to sleep in the RTT while we camp.

i was originally thinking of having "cups" also but we decided on something simpler for our first try. i bought these tabs that will allow a 1 1/4" diameter steel tube to be screwed on from both ends. Planning on swapping the steel tubes for aluminum ones once a i save more money. we did this project in one weekend with limited supplies so we could go on a family trip

 

[bald.eagle]

i was originally thinking of having "cups" also but we decided on something simpler for our first try. i bought these tabs that will allow a 1 1/4" diameter steel tube to be screwed on from both ends. Planning on swapping the steel tubes for aluminum ones once a i save more money. we did this project in one weekend with limited supplies so we could go on a family trip
View attachment 380622View attachment 380623

Looks like a perfect solution to a simple problem. I think many people (myself included) try and make a problem too complex and miss the simple fixes. So your cross bars are threaded on the ends, and the bolts go in from outside the tab to hold them in place?

That roof rack looks really slick- I like the low profile design.

 

[harbinger808]

Looks like a perfect solution to a simple problem. I think many people (myself included) try and make a problem too complex and miss the simple fixes. So your cross bars are threaded on the ends, and the bolts go in from outside the tab to hold them in place?

That roof rack looks really slick- I like the low profile design.

Exactly as you stated I was originally going to just buy a set of the Prospeed mounts since I have that rack but because of the uniques nature of the awning and the way I needed it mounted, that idea wouldn't work so we made our own. In hind sight, I could have gone with 3/4" or 1" OD steel to save some weight. Most likely than not, I'll just get some aluminum tubes with threaded ends made for me once I clean the sofa and find some spare cash

 

[Happykamper]

I really like the swing arm method, great pics. I have a few rigs. The majority are all on full time as these are driven mainly just for expedition . But the JKU & Tacoma have lifts in the barn where they hang till needed. The JKU is used a lot for Kayacks . And the Tacoma for running around. Personally don't like them up there when not in use for a variety of reasons . I really like the crane method on page one though !!! Nice thinking

 

[TheFutur]

I keep mine on my trailer your round under a tarp. I move it between my truck and the trailer but it spends all year outside.

 

[Rezarf <><]

Simply put, these are not easily tossed up onto a roof. Mine is mounted to the top of my trailer, seems to be about as good as it gets for me. Frees up my daily driver to be just that and not ding my mpgs, access to garages, less wear and tear on the RTT.

If you plan on spending at least two trips a month in the backcountry, then I would leave the tent on top. If not, then I would mount it during the season you will get out at least twice a month. Otherwise, I would look at other optionsf other than a RTT (like an Oz tent or pop up) as I think it is during frequent off road use that they really shine.

 

[dman93]

@stingray1300, would you be interested in making another crane ... for me?

 

[nuclearlemon]

installed full time, on a rig that sits outside in the colorado weather. i have a maggi, so i don't have to worry about covers getting rotted or destroyed, so that helps out.