RTT or Oz tent type for family of 4

Mpl1978

Member
I live in florida and just purchased a '04 lx470. I have a wife and two boys, ages 6 +8. I am 6 torn between a RTT (23zero breezeway) that had some black out fabric and seems easy to setup or an OZ tent or any ground tent for that matter. The vehicle is not my daily driver if that helps out the opinion. I like the blackout aspect and being off the ground for better breeze etc for the RTT, but I am wondering how much of a PIA it is if you have to break it down every day to do day trips for hikes etc. I want the best, most comfortable option to ensure my wife sleeps well so that I can keep going! I am willing to spend some money to ensure that.......

I was looking at the shiftpod........seems interesting and secure.

Any help?
 

VanFam

New member
I wanted to add my three-four cents..... I have two vehicles, a 2wd e150, and a 2000 Nissan Xterra. I have an ARB 2500 awning on both vehicles, and I purchased a full wall room from ARB that fits on both rigs. I wanted to avoid a RTT because I live in an area where four seasons means removing the RTT from my daily driver and storing it...not an option for me. So the awning room works great as a tent, plenty of room, dry, and easy to store. In cold weather its not the warmest so I also have a decent ground tent and heater setup. My biggest issue with the Oz tent (and trust me, I really tried to justify it) was the size. The pack down size is too long to carry it inside the vehicle, and its too long to fit in my roof basket. My plan for next summer is to put another ARB on the other side of my Xterra so that I can have an awning and tent room deployed at the same time and its still about half the cost of a RTT. Like I said, just my experience.
 

stumog

New member
I have had both and kept with a rtt for quick one or 2 nights stays and got a bell tent for longer base camps.

The oztent isnt great when you start adding the front and sides takes ages and in the wind and rain is a nightmare. Also very heavy and long its a pain to move and store

Bell tent is 2 poles to put up is errected with in 5 mins with a much bigger floor print. Fits in the boot
 

MOguy

Explorer
I like to setup camp and still take my vehicle out exploring, I may stay in the same place for a few days. I have two boys (older at than yours at this point) and we have been camping, exploring, overlanding or whatever you want to call for man many decades. Even as a kid we did road trips. I can't imagine doing it with a RTT or anything that stays attached to the vehicle not allowing you to hop in and go see what is over there.

I have done everything from a couple different bumper campers to various tents, cargo trailer(lifted on 33s) bungees and tarps. I would never tie up my vehicle and not be able to hop in and go.
 
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Mpl1978

Member
I think the best thing may to get that gazelle t4 tent for 200 hundred range and see how that goes first. The reviews are great and it sets up in 45 seconds. I could get the tent, arb awning with optional room and still be far less than a rtt.
 

MOguy

Explorer
I think the best thing may to get that gazelle t4 tent for 200 hundred range and see how that goes first. The reviews are great and it sets up in 45 seconds. I could get the tent, arb awning with optional room and still be far less than a rtt.

Those tents pop out like a my hunting blind. I have a larger Core instant tent that sets up quickly and takes down quickly. The Core's structure is more like a traditional tent. It has been in a couple storms and held up fine but I think I line the Gazelle type structure better.
 

Laps

Active member
Kodiak Canvas tents. Extremely sturdy, waterproof, breathes in cooler weather and has great ventilation. Easy to setup once you do a few times. I had originally thought that I was going to purchase an Oz Tent, but found the Kodiak Canvas tents to be a great value. Recently had it for 2 weeks along the Colorado Continental Divide traverse trails and it performed beyond expectations, from 100 degree days in Arkansas and then New Mexico, to 20 degrees and heavy rains in the mountains of Colorado.
 

ducktapeguy

Adventurer
Depends on what type of camper you are. If you're setting up a basecamp for a few days and need to drive around everyday, a ground tent makes more sense because you don't need to pack up every day. If you move camp every day, then a RTT could be more convenient.

I have a Kodiak tent in addition to a RTT. For me, most of the canvas style ground tents take up too much interior space and the poles are too long to fit inside, so they have to go on the roof rack. If that's the case for you, you'll be climbing up and down to access the roof no matter what tent you get. The difference is with a RTT you only need to climb up there open it and close it. But with the ground tents, you're have to unstrap it, haul it down, unpack the bedding, then do the reverse when packing up. Given a choice, I usually pick the RTT when camping unless there's a reason not to, but I rarely stay in the same spot for more than one night so it works out great for me. There are times when the Kodiak is better, so it's a matter of deciding what type of camping you do.

Since you have kids, I can say that kids love the RTT. Nobody gets excited about sleeping on the ground, but being up high feels much different. And if you have a lot of crawling things on the ground, it's a lot easier to convince the family to go camping if they're not sleeping on the ground.
 

Mpl1978

Member
Well I picked up a springbar family camper 10x14. It is large but it gives the family plenty of room, although once the kids are older, I can see going with an RTT and ground tent. The tent just landed today, so i am excited to unpack it.
 

alia176

Explorer
Well I picked up a springbar family camper 10x14. It is large but it gives the family plenty of room, although once the kids are older, I can see going with an RTT and ground tent. The tent just landed today, so i am excited to unpack it.

Congrats on getting a fine tent. If you're planning on moving daily, this tent will piss you off but for base camping, this is a nice tent. My local buddy is a family of four (one is an infant) went from a Springbar to an Oz tent for ease of setup/tear down. He was using a cordless drill driver and lag screws to secure his Springbar tent to the ground so you may want to go that route. On some of our trips, he was moving daily and that was a challenge with a Springbar. But, we all helped him with his tent setup and tear down whenever possible.

Another local buddy has a shiftpod for his family of three and he loves it. However, he doesn't move daily so this works. When he is camping with me, he sleeps inside his 4runner. I think this tent is the cat's meow while costing a premium. It is insulated, tall enough and has a normal door. You can exist inside it if the weather gets crappy outside and you don't need an awning or a vestibule. The reflective material helps keep it cool in the summer I'd imagine but I have no direct experience.

Glad you didn't go the RTT route.

Enjoy making memories and that's what it's all about, really.
 
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