My roof top tent.

DrMacZed

New member
Not sure if this is the correct place for this... so mods pleas feel free to move it and chastise me :).

I don't have a lot of pictures of it; but here are some pictures of the semi Ghetto RTT I made this summer. First some back ground. I have been lurking on this excellent forum for awhile now and am always amazed at what people build. I really want a "proper" RTT some day but I have some size and constraints with my chosen place to mount it; that and the whole "money' factor. So I took a regular 2 person tent that was narrow enough to fit in the back of my ranger and built a box to put it in that I can mount on top of my Kargo master rack.

Preliminary fit tests:
rtt6.jpg


rtt2.jpg


rtt4.jpg


rtt3.jpg


And a few from the maiden voyage:

rttn.jpg


rttsetup.jpg


rttsetup2.jpg


I know it's not as fancy as the commercially available RTTs but it worked,very well as a working prototype. I already have a ton of ideas for how to make a better one in the future. I am currently sketching a bigger better one that I intend to build some day. I did however meet all of my criteria save one. First it is self supporting without the need to use the ladder as a support leg. Two, it was very comfortable and warm. Three, it did not cost a whole heck of a lot of money and it justified my purchase of a welder. The fourth criteria that it should not weigh a gazillion pounds went right out the window after I realized the need to add some cross bracing to support the floor and the center hinge point. I can however, carry it by myself and mount it unassisted but it is a lot easier with help. All in all though, I am quite satisfied with the results,.... For now :)

Thanks for looking.
 

indiedog

Adventurer
Very well done! The box idea is one I've had but in a different format. Does your tent store inside the box when not in use? Is it waterproof?
 

DrMacZed

New member
Thanks every one, you humble me with your positive responses. I will try to answer some of the specific questions.

spressomon:
the tent takes a bit longer to deploy than a standard flipout RTT and there is a bit of junglegyming involved to set the tent bows. The tent itself is secured to the platform via bolts where you would normally stake it to the ground. I added the hoop at the front to hold the rainfly open at the bottom and to give a bit of rain protection to the ladder, and it doubles as a handy place to hang towels.

indiedog and Sergeant_V:
yes the tent, with the mattress and bedding inside, does indeed fold into the box, all I have to do to deploy it is unlatch the hold downs, attach the support legs and the ladder support grab the ladder, give a good tug and viola it opens up. The support legs latch into the tailgate latches and the ladder support is secured to the ladder. Then the before mentioned junglegyming comes into play as I then need to climb up the sides to unfold and set the tent support bows. Then I attach the lower bow to hold the rainfly open. I used some bungies to hold the rain fly down at the foot end and secure the head/door end of the fly to the lower hoop using the stake holes in the fly. I would say total set up time is maybe 5 to 10 mins. As for water proof? the only answer is "sort of" I need to secure some kind of flap to cover the closure and I made some slight miscalculations on how much "sqiush" I could get from the foam I used for a mattress. I need to make the box about 2 inches taller to accommodate the mattress, thankfully plywood is cheap and I should be able to reuse a lot of the main components in the next evolution.
 

DaktariEd

2005, 2006 Tech Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
Nothing ghetto about it!
You had an idea, worked on it, made it happen...
That's what counts IMO.

My first conversion vehicle was a 1963 VW Bug.
Outfitted the interior for solo log distance traveling, complete w/bed, cabinets, and cooler. :victory:
We all have to start somewhere.

Cheers!
safari%20copy.gif
 

805gregg

Adventurer
I don't get this RTT deal, I can understand it in Africa, where there are animals to get away from. But in the US it's so much easier to be on the ground. Who wants all that weight up high. I've got a Atuffy tent that sets up in seconds.
 

DrMacZed

New member
I don't get this RTT deal, I can understand it in Africa, where there are animals to get away from. But in the US it's so much easier to be on the ground. Who wants all that weight up high. I've got a Atuffy tent that sets up in seconds.

Well for me, first, I like the idea of being able to drive to a place and not have to worry about clearing a place to put a tent, I just roll up fine a reasonably level spot to park and bada-bing I got a tent set up and ready to sleep in. Second I wanted to see if I could make one that worked reasonably well. Lastly there is a certain amount of "gee whiz" factor to having an unassuming looking thing that turns into a cool little penthouse suite. At least for me there is.
 
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slimtwo

Adventurer
I don't get this RTT deal, I can understand it in Africa, where there are animals to get away from. But in the US it's so much easier to be on the ground. Who wants all that weight up high. I've got a Atuffy tent that sets up in seconds.

To each his own, however, I like the "zip, flip & sleep" idea myself+, because more times than not, I'm pullin into camp after dark. And setting up a tent in the dark is not my idea of fun! And like "DrMacZed" said, finding a some what level spot for the tent, is not always eazy.
Just my opinion!

Happy trails!
 

Titanpat57

Expedition Leader
Well for me, first, I like the idea of being able to drive to a place and not have to worry about clearing a place to put a tent, I just roll up fine a reasonably level spot to park and bada-bing I got a tent set up and ready to sleep in. Second I wanted to see if I could make one that worked reasonably well. Lastly there is a certain amount of "gee whiz" factor to having an unassuming looking thing that turns into a cool little penthouse suite. At least for me there is.

I'm totally into the whole "wow" factor thing...great work and ingenuity there Doc..nice little expo rig too!!

Enjoy!!

Pat
 

1leglance

2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
great work...very creative.

I loved having a roof top tent...here in the desert southwest there are lots of sharp things to tear up your tent, lots of crawling things wanting in your tent and condensation in the morning means packing up a dirty tent.
 

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