Okay so RTT's who's got one?
- Thread starter revor
- Start date
Sorry, completely unrelated. Lol.Oh lol. I was thinking you found some neat trick for a RTT using welding rod
Back to roof tents!
Mine is sitting quietly attached to the garage ceiling waiting for the snow to go away. We only got to use it twice because we got it late in the season so I'm really looking forward to some fun trips this coming summer. I kind of envy you guys that live in more moderate climates.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Large Maggiolina mounted on a large family trailer.
Things I like about the Maggiolina:
I feel like there's a better chance of staying dry with the fiberglass top.
The mattress is awesome, since it doesn't have a fold in the middle or anything.
Very warm, since it has 1" of foam under the mattress, and the quilted headliner.
Very fast to set up, and take down.
Vertical walls.
More aerodynamic than a classic RTT (or pelican cases or MFC's)
Things I don't like:
The top has proven to be less durable than I thought. It got bent from snowload from one overnight snow/rain fall. Has sprung back but... wow.
The mosquito netting probably won't stop black flies, too coarse.
No zip at the bottom of the door, you have to tuck this flap under the mattress.
It does have a huge footprint. I could have put and EA 2200 in the same space.
Things I like about the Maggiolina:
I feel like there's a better chance of staying dry with the fiberglass top.
The mattress is awesome, since it doesn't have a fold in the middle or anything.
Very warm, since it has 1" of foam under the mattress, and the quilted headliner.
Very fast to set up, and take down.
Vertical walls.
More aerodynamic than a classic RTT (or pelican cases or MFC's)
Things I don't like:
The top has proven to be less durable than I thought. It got bent from snowload from one overnight snow/rain fall. Has sprung back but... wow.
The mosquito netting probably won't stop black flies, too coarse.
No zip at the bottom of the door, you have to tuck this flap under the mattress.
It does have a huge footprint. I could have put and EA 2200 in the same space.
Corey
OverCamping Specialist
Medium Maggiolina Airland tent.
Mounted full time.
Pros:
Holds up to weather very well
Very easy to setup, check out my vids
Bedding all stays in place, no need to add it after setup
Cons:
Takes up more of your rack, no big deal to me though
Some ask me how many skis I carry in my giant Rocket type box
Around a 1 MPG hit on fuel mileage
Tent is very warm inside due to low ceiling, and the materials used throughout are top notch.
There is also a ton of information in the camping section on this site on roof top tents in general.
Mounted full time.
Pros:
Holds up to weather very well
Very easy to setup, check out my vids
Bedding all stays in place, no need to add it after setup
Cons:
Takes up more of your rack, no big deal to me though
Some ask me how many skis I carry in my giant Rocket type box
Around a 1 MPG hit on fuel mileage
Tent is very warm inside due to low ceiling, and the materials used throughout are top notch.
There is also a ton of information in the camping section on this site on roof top tents in general.
Connie
Day walker, Overland Certified OC0013
I only have experience with the Howling Moon, Eazi-awn and Technitop, but Technitop is my fave. It's a clamshell and you don't have to put the extra cover on it if you don't want to.
Pros
Really easy set up
Moon roof (on the newer model)
Clam shell that keeps out all of the dust while driving
Very long bed
Leaves plenty of space for the patio on the roof rack
The way it sets up you can sit up in the doorway to put your shoes on instead of hunching down
Plenty of room for storing bedding
The only thing I've seen destroy a Technitop is an elephant (ours survived a full on sand storm)
Cons
Noisy in wind
Can't remove the rain fly
Little egg cup floor structure in the clamshell is a pain in the behind to clean
Only comes in one size
Not elephant proof
Pros
Really easy set up
Moon roof (on the newer model)
Clam shell that keeps out all of the dust while driving
Very long bed
Leaves plenty of space for the patio on the roof rack
The way it sets up you can sit up in the doorway to put your shoes on instead of hunching down
Plenty of room for storing bedding
The only thing I've seen destroy a Technitop is an elephant (ours survived a full on sand storm)
Cons
Noisy in wind
Can't remove the rain fly
Little egg cup floor structure in the clamshell is a pain in the behind to clean
Only comes in one size
Not elephant proof
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Corey
OverCamping Specialist
laurie-the-lorry
Adventurer
Wow is that real, Scary monsters with the effa-lump
AndrewClarke
Adventurer
I have a 1.4 metre Hannibal. I haven't used it as much as I'd like to have, partially because my truck has been out of commission for most of the time I've owned it.
I came from a "sleep outside without a tent" background, and my wife came from a background of doing a strenuous day hike and then spending the night in a mountain chalet. To me a roof-top tent seemed like a step away from the Hilton, so I didn't expect my wife to feel that it was so rugged.
She likes it and convinced me to keep it this spring when I was considering selling it, but the problem was that the first trip we planned with it was around the time she found out that she was pregnant. 9 days and ~4000km in a Land Rover 110 in unseasonably cold and rainy weather when you have awful morning sickness isn't the best way to get broken into using the tent.
Now that we have baby #2 due two days ago, I'm trying to figure out what to do next. We won't all fit in the tent. I think I'm going to bow to familial reality and consider getting a small hard-shell camper. I'm considering putting the RTT on top of the camper so that I can have a base camp and then go do a day trip without having to pack up the tent, and without the extra weight on my roof.
I DEFINITELY do not want my wife seeing those elephant photos! :Wow1:
- Andrew.
I came from a "sleep outside without a tent" background, and my wife came from a background of doing a strenuous day hike and then spending the night in a mountain chalet. To me a roof-top tent seemed like a step away from the Hilton, so I didn't expect my wife to feel that it was so rugged.
She likes it and convinced me to keep it this spring when I was considering selling it, but the problem was that the first trip we planned with it was around the time she found out that she was pregnant. 9 days and ~4000km in a Land Rover 110 in unseasonably cold and rainy weather when you have awful morning sickness isn't the best way to get broken into using the tent.
Now that we have baby #2 due two days ago, I'm trying to figure out what to do next. We won't all fit in the tent. I think I'm going to bow to familial reality and consider getting a small hard-shell camper. I'm considering putting the RTT on top of the camper so that I can have a base camp and then go do a day trip without having to pack up the tent, and without the extra weight on my roof.
I DEFINITELY do not want my wife seeing those elephant photos! :Wow1:
- Andrew.
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Connie
Day walker, Overland Certified OC0013
I think the key is, don't leave food out on the table. Can't believe the monkeys didn't get there first.
We had a whole heard of elephant pass around us at night and they didn't disturb anything. I was laying there thinking "Please let them all have good eyesight"
We had a whole heard of elephant pass around us at night and they didn't disturb anything. I was laying there thinking "Please let them all have good eyesight"
Why leave it on full time?
kellymoe
Expedition Leader
Have had two tents. One Hannibal and my second was a Mombassa. Sold both of them. I really liked sleeping in them tho unless you used a pee bottle getting out in the middle of the night is a PITA. Can also be loud at night in windy conditions but I kind of like the sound of tent flapping in the wind.
I sold them both because they raised the COG of my truck, poor on road handling and a pain to take off. Since my truck is my daily driver I need to be able to pull into parking garages and carports and I was not able to do this with a RTT.
There are some new ground tents that set up very quick, the Turbo Tent being one of them. I now either sleep in the back of my truck on solo trips which is 90% of my trips anyway or i set up a tent for family trips.
Unless RTT's become much lighter and more compact I dont ever see myself buying one in the future.
I sold them both because they raised the COG of my truck, poor on road handling and a pain to take off. Since my truck is my daily driver I need to be able to pull into parking garages and carports and I was not able to do this with a RTT.
There are some new ground tents that set up very quick, the Turbo Tent being one of them. I now either sleep in the back of my truck on solo trips which is 90% of my trips anyway or i set up a tent for family trips.
Unless RTT's become much lighter and more compact I dont ever see myself buying one in the future.
timh
Explorer
I have a tent that I purchased from OverlandAccessories.com. They were selling off a bunch of overstock to bring in a redesigned model so I only paid $450. For the price it is fantastic. Seems to be very good quality athough I have only used it a few times so far.
My only complaint would be the ladder, I don't really like their design! Oh and the cover is a little floppy but I just made a couple of extra straps to hold it on better!
My only complaint would be the ladder, I don't really like their design! Oh and the cover is a little floppy but I just made a couple of extra straps to hold it on better!
I am seriously thinking about this one. How comfortable 3 people sleep in there?