Upside Down RTT

[Ozarker]

The RTTs look cool, the tent on the second story with ladders running up look as if they are keeping the lions and bears out of your tent.

When I was in the Army, I used a hammock and stayed in trees several feet in the air tied off to other limbs. Then, I didn't have those midnight trips. I jumped out of bed. Now, I can't really imagine having to turn around and head down a ladder, especially half asleep. Seems you really shouldn't have a few beers in your tent either. And where I have seen pics with some small kids in the tent, seems like being out in the bush and having a small child fall breaking an arm is not a very good plan.

So, the question is, why aren't the tents on a lower level with racks to store gear above. Or in containers that could be set outside, that would make a table or swing out for the kitchen, etc. Travel with the gear low keeping the CG low and toss it above to set up camp and pitch the tent so you can step in from the ground?

I can see where such a set up would make one more vulnerable to lion and bear attacks, but seems it would be safer considering other risks.

[cruiseroutfit]

Common myths about RTT's.

1. They don't weight hat much, a mounted tent can weigh ~100lbs so it often has far less impact on the COG than most would assume. In your example its easy to assume the gear stored above the tent could weight the same 100 lbs if not more and would have to moved to set up camp. The draw of the RTT for me is the quick deploy function, stacking stuff above it removes that appeal.

2. Restroom breaks. We've hashed out several 'options' if you will but I have no issues taking care of business without climbing out of the tent. Traveling John, funnel system, 'out the window', Gatorade bottle. No different from a ground tent... the 2 second ladder climb isn't the issue, its getting out of your warm sleeping bag.

[Ozarker]

Agreed! Except that if you are over 50, that climb will be longer than 2 seconds I'm sure. I really can't see the lady of the camp going up and down either.

Good point on the time needed to pul stuff out and stack upstairs. My mom use to stick stuff in the travel trailer and we had to unpack it before we could go inside too.

I do like the idea of putting a fliptent on top of a camper shell with entry from the roof inside the shell. That probably takes longer to get out of, going through the basement.

Like I said, I do think they are pretty cool and if I were 30 years younger, I'd do alot of things differently, I probably should have made that more clear, the difficulty for old pharts.

And, they are really expensive, why couldn't you use a good ground tent (probably and build a box and rig any stablizer you might need? Yes, I'm older and cheap! LOL

[Corey]

From one old fart to another, just go for the roof top tent.
It will remind you of when you were a kid and played in tree houses.

Going up and down the ladder is not all that bad, you get use to it.

I would rather do that than use the autojohn again after dribbling on my nice down comforter.

[cruiseroutfit]

Agreed! Except that if you are over 50, that climb will be longer than 2 seconds I'm sure. I really can't see the lady of the camp going up and down either.

Absolutely something to be taken into consideration. I wrote an article you might be interested in, Is a Roof Top Tent for me? The RTT Conundrum

While I didn't include the 'aging' crowd I did include a caveat about children:

"Can be uncomfortable or dangerous with children. With a typical on the roof mount, you could be dealing with a tent that is six feet off the ground. The middle of the night bathroom breaks could be more of a pain"

Next time I update the article I'll make a note about those with mobility concerns as it could be an absolute deal breaker for some. My wife and I (along with our 100lb dog) have no issues with the tent ingress/egress but I'll re-emphasize that they are absolutely not to be consider a one size fits all answer and in fact may work for less than more. As a retailer of tents I have been jest-fully poked about my articles such as this one but I feel far better talking someone out of a product that likely won't fit their needs then I do making a few bucks just to see them looking for a better solution weeks or months later.

And, they are really expensive, why couldn't you use a good ground tent (probably and build a box and rig any stablizer you might need?...

Agreed, from my article: "Expensive, simply put. For a good reason. They have a remarkable amount of engineering, fabrication and assembly, far more than the average ground tent. That is not to say the price is proportionally fair compared to a ground tent, but given the radical market ratio of the two options, its easy to see why RTT's manufactures have to demand a higher price to turn any kind of profit."

For some (myself included) the added premium is well worth what could be just minutes when setting up camp. But spending 50+ nights in a tent each year those minutes added up to hours and hours. Combine that with no scouring the area for a flat tent spot, often after arriving well into the darkness and the added space I get by not having to store my tent, sleeping pads and mattress in the truck or bed space. It works for me but if my wife and I had a fleet of kiddos I'd absolutely reconsider a ground tent and likely would end up back in a Springbar where I started camping with my family as a child

[cruiseroutfit]

...I would rather do that than use the autojohn again after dribbling on my nice down comforter.

That is a whole different problem for a totally different thread

The ARB tents have full doors at both ends as well as full zip-out windows on the other two sides, considering my cab is at one window side I still have a 270* radius for dribble free gravity enabled relief

[chimivee]

So, the question is, why aren't the tents on a lower level with racks to store gear above.

Isn't a roof-top-tent that's not on the roof... just a tent?

[Corey]

That is a whole different problem for a totally different thread

The ARB tents have full doors at both ends as well as full zip-out windows on the other two sides, considering my cab is at one window side I still have a 270* radius for dribble free gravity enabled relief

There has to be a better way, especially with my type of tent.
One could set a 5 gallon bucket with those toilet seats on them, but it would take up a lot of room.

I thought Flyingwil was thinking up something more than a year back to be an accessory for all roof top tents, but I never heard anything else in the old thread.

[Ozarker]

From one old fart to another, just go for the roof top tent.
It will remind you of when you were a kid and played in tree houses.

Going up and down the ladder is not all that bad, you get use to it.

I would rather do that than use the autojohn again after dribbling on my nice down comforter.

LMAO! Just unroll it out the door until it hits a bucket!

Ladders don't scare me, it's Bud and I going up and down together. The other thing, the lady of the camp is not going up a ladder, I know I'll hear about it going up steps. She has some new hip parts.

Putting one on top of a truck camper shell would eliminate the lader to two step stools, one to the tail gate and one to the tent. That might work. Then you'd have a basement for the porta pottie!

[Corey]

Isn't a roof-top-tent that's not on the roof... just a tent?

Yes, and AutoHome even has a kit for it.

Feet (Art. M/09A)
Four strong feet allows you to place Maggiolina on the floor if desired. Measuring 25 cm high a safe distance from floor humidity, water, insects, stones etc. Foldable and clutter free they can be installed in any desired position.