RTT recommendation for family of 4

[Mdsertell]

As title suggests, I am working on a overland/hunting/camping build using my 2021 Ram PW.

Plan is to get a quality RRT with annex and add a 270 awning and mount them to an RSI cap (once they are in-stock and I can actually get one). Setup will be used for family camping trips, hunting trips and son's travel baseball out-of-town trips.

I’ve looked at so many different websites (iKamper, Roofnest, Roam, OVS, etc) and videos, etc; that they all start to run together. I’ve even even contemplated making a spreadsheet to keep everything straight. However, I am curious what “real-world” folks actually use and recommend.

Thanks for taking the time to share your suggestions, tips and advice!

 

[Heyfish]

My family of 4 has been using the Teupi Autana 4 for about 4 years or so. The mattress is 96" x 72" so if you aren't taller than 6', you can sleep head to toe on the short dimension so everyone gets 24" of width for sleeping. It started out fine but as the kids keep growing, it's getting really tight. It's a 4 person tent but that's 4 people laying shoulder to shoulder so the bigger the kids get, the less space you have.
Overall, it's been great for us. I have the tent mounted on a shell/cap on the back of the truck. It's awkward having 4 people with one door/ladder so I made a little wood "deck" so I can attach a ladder to it and use both doors on the tent. We camped once without the second ladder and it was a pain. In the picture, you can see the wood on the left. The tent opens to the right. Having the platform makes it easier to deal with the cover and all that too.
We have actually talked about getting two smaller hard shell RTTs and mounting one over the cab. The hard shell tents open and close easier so that is appealing. We have the annex for the tepui but only use it if we are going to be staying multiple days at a time. It only takes about 5 minutes to set up so it isn't a huge pain. The best part is having a place to change and keep warm when it's cold out. Let me know if you have other questions.

 

[Mdsertell]

thanks for the reply...our boys are "BIG" for only 13&14yrs old (5'8"/5'9" and growing). I am really drawn to the hard-shells due to convenience and ease of set-up but not opposed to a soft-shell or hybrid

 

[Lemsteraak]

Rooftent tend to come into their own with vehicle dependent use. A place to quickly set up in areas where it may be difficult to find a good spot.

You should be able to find good camping spots for what you are doing and the downside of having to strike your tent every time you want to go anywhere may be a big hassle. The "family" tents tend to be really big folders that have a lot of bulk and weight, not to mention expense. The biggest downside that I see with these tents is that there is little to no safety testing. Check the weight, in the example above a four person Autana on Thule's website shows a weight of 180 pounds. Thule's mounting racks are rated for 165 pounds max. I could go on but you get the idea.

My vote would be for a really good ground tent

 

[Shadow Overland]

Stay away from anything Freespirit Recreation. I've posted my experience with them. I'm looking to replace my FSR with either a CVT Mt. Hood or The Bush Company AX27. The AX27 is a sweet unit, but looks like it will be a bit too long for me to fit on the bed of my Super Duty and stay behind the cab vs. over the top. Ran into the same issue with GoFast campers. If you don't have the issue with length, then my research would have me get a GoFast first (made in the USA and warranty from the USA) and then the AX27 second.