Any tall people using the Skycamp series?

HouseVVares

Member
I have been using the iKamper XCover for years and in general I have been happy with it.

I'm 6'2" and the diagram for the XCover shows the length in the sleeping direction to be 7'6". That seems big on paper but I have found that I normally end up sleeping cattycorner in the tent due to the vertical walls of the tent angling inward. When I add a pillow and decent blankets and sleep 'normal' in the tent I seem to always be brushing the walls.

I have been toying with the idea to switching smaller tent and I think I like the Skycamp Mini. But the diagrams for that series show the sleeping dimensions at 6'11". Just from looking at the pictures online the vertical walls still seem to angle inward although I can't really tell how the angles might compare between the two tents. But my fear is that it will be even worse trying to sleep 'normal' in the tent, and by me having moved down from the 4 person XCover to the 2 person Mini, I will not be able to sleep at an angle to overcome this.

So; does anyone have a Skycamp series tent that is around 6'2" or so and have any experience with this?
Asking a slightly different way; if there are any tall folks that have found a hardshell RTT that you fit well in, please let me know what you found. I'm trying to keep everything below the roof line over and over a 5.5' truck bed. So that limits me from the longer fore / aft options out there. But I'm still interested in hearing any feedback folks may have. Thanks!

Here is my current setup just for reference on the truck.
1650472030232.png
 

JackW

Explorer
If you are looking for a "tall man's" roof tent that is very low profile, lightweight and superbly built take a look at the Terrapod tents built by a friend of mine in Gainesville, Georgia.
I was so impressed with his tent I sold a perfectly good Maggiolina that I had been using for ten years and purchased one of his tents for my Land Rover Defender.
Its only 5" tall when closed so you could mount it so it just clears the roof of your cab and gain some vertical storage in the bed of your truck.
I'm extremely pleased with mine. I bought the SOLO model since there is no way my wife would climb a ladder into a roof tent and I needed more space on my roof rack.
As a retired Lockheed Manufacturing Engineer I really appreciate the design, construction and materials that Chad incorporates into his tents. I spent a good portion of my career on the F-22 and F-35 aircraft so I know good stuff when I see it.

Chad is "very" tall so he built a tent that he could be comfortable in. He has developed the design of this tent over the past eight years from initial prototypes to full on production models and he does not cut corners in quality.
I've looked at many of the the roof tents on the market over the last twenty years and his tent was the best design that I've seen. My SOLO weighs around 85 pounds.

His thread is here: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/tired-of-all-the-huge-rtts-so-i-made-my-own.203689/

Terrapod1.jpg

His latest Desert Tan version would match your truck very nicely

1650490103993.png
 

Lemsteraak

Adventurer
You are right to be concerned if you are 6' 2", this is usually about the limit for a standard rooftent. I was at an event where there were three of us with the same tent, AutoHome Columbus and we were comparing notes. In cold weather all three of us will sleep with our heads in the "V" while in good weather our heads will be at the big end. My toes will hit the ceiling of a standard Columbus but it isn't a problem for me, I sleep on my side. They do have an extra long Columbus now.

It really depends on the conditions you plan to go out in. In very cold weather you want a small tent, think mountaineering tent. Years ago, last millennium the small Maggiolina "Adventure" was something like four inches shorter than the standard one today. The idea was that you wanted a small tent for cold weather. The mattress was like a foot shorter, where you would put your pillow on a ledge one side or the other outside of the crossarms. Same was true for your feet, they would almost touch the fabric. It was a really warm tent. I was told that there was an earlier model called the "Alpine" that was similar but designed for high elevation Alps.

My buddy that I often camp with has an iKamper SkyCamp and loves it. They use it a lot in the summer, it opens from the side so they have have room. He is a tall guy too. Don't have info on their other tents
 

HouseVVares

Member
Thanks for the info on the Terrapod. I had skimmed that thread a long time ago but not really been following it. I do keep my truck in a garage, and currently I have an inch or so between the roof and the garage door; so anything over the cab is not really something I looking at right now.

I guess part of my problem is just not being able to see or try out different options too easily... I really do like the side folding style of tent. And I think getting sides walls near vertical has been a thing for ground tents for a while, so I guess I'm a little surprised that it is not also a thing for RTTs. Just staring at my current XCover I'm not sure I see a reason why it could not have the design tweaked to make it more vertical....

Anyway, thanks for the replies and I'm going to try bumping this question up again; I was expecting a few more "tall" folks might have run into this and had some feedback.

Thanks all.
 

Pitchpt

Observer
While I cannot speak directly to the Skycamp tents that you referenced, I do own and regularly use a Tuff Stuff Alpha 4 tent ( which looks like an Ikamper Skycamp clone). I am 6’9”, and find it to be plenty spacious for two people, or more. I easily sleep lengthwise, and can sit up in bed. While the tent is somewhat bulky, I appreciate the fact that I can keep 2 sheets, a light blanket, and a down comforter In the tent, and still fold it up.

FWIW, I have been extremely impressed with the quality of all of the Tuff Stuff tents I have owned, currently on my third. And, well not pertaining to your original question, I have tried a Terrapod tent, and found it to be too short. Probably not an issue for you at all at 6’2”.5A1CAE9C-6799-4ABB-9787-85A9911E9257.jpeg
 

Overland Ram

New member
Hi there I’m a taller camper myself at 6’5” and I run the tuff stuff overland Alpha series hard shell RTT. It sleeps myself, wife and two kids comfortably. I can easily sleep lengthwise and when I go out alone I have more room than I need. The tent as it sits on my truck is flush with the roof line too. I have a mid rise truck bed rack at around 8.5-9” off the deck. Here’s a picture for reference. Hope this helps with your decision making! Cheers! 9B239747-116F-45AB-9226-7AE23654C877.jpegD7E9E123-3525-4F53-A4F3-13BBAF84766E.jpeg
 

JackW

Explorer
The designer of the Terrapod is 6'7" (a really oversize human) so he built a tent he could stretch out in. Plus he's a really nice guy with a background in Industrial Design and experience working at Boeing.
He had a pair of custom extrusions made for the frame of his tents, uses a lightweight 1" thick composite panel for the top and bottom of the tent and uses aircraft quality fasteners and sealant in the construction.
I looked at his initial drawings and noticed he was using modular design so I bugged him to build a narrower solo version of the tent for me.
He declined my request until he had another potential customer ask for the same thing so with two of us begging him to build us a narrower version of his standard tent he finally conceded.
He took my tent up to OEX East last year to display in his booth and was surprised how much interest it generated. The SOLO model is now a regular option in his lineup.
I'm extremely pleased with mine and recommend them without any reservations. My Maggiolina was a great tent but the Terrapod is better and considerably lighter.
Since the Terrapod is only around 5.5" tall the original poster could have it go over the roof of his truck cab and still have enough clearance for most parking garages and low clearance situations.

Terrapod with ladder.jpg

Terrapod side view.jpg
 
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