i live in australia and i just bought a roof top tent with annex for $690 and the brand is "kings" there a pretty trusted brand and in my opinion there just as good as arb its longer than a king bed and as wide as a double with a 75mm mattress
I have this tent as well. I find it much easer to put the tension rods in the frame first, then pull it up to the awnings. I have had mine about 3 years now and have no issues so far!
That is a nice set up. I was looking at buying a purpose built camper trailer but I thought about a similar set up to yours. I am sold now. Thanks for sharing.
I chose to have the tent open off the back, so I only have a stilt on the back and a kickstand on the front. I haven't had any stability issues but I know a lot of people put jacks on both rear corners. It does feel weird climbing up so high at first. As far as the tent and wind; the tent is very very heavy quality material, it will stand up far better than any other camping tent I have seen. You just put the window flaps down and Buckle the rain fly down. I think any reasonable wind would be no issue at all.
banjowoodsman 76 you're welcome. I'm pretty happy with it overall and I recently saw a big sale for the tent that was a lot less than I paid, so if you watch their site and sign up for their email listing you can find great deals from time to time
Those ladder brackets look a little subpar for their purpose. As a welder, you should be able to fabricate some new heavy duty brackets. This is the first time I've seen a tent like this and I'm pretty impressed.
like below poster said, put the rods into the frame and then put them in the holes on the tent. They go in waaaaaaaay easier that way lol. no yanking like in your video
I do not care for the ladder. The steps don't line up so you have a miss step. I replaced with a telescoping ladder and absolutely love it. A couple years and over 50 trips, still going strong. The seam tape is releasing in a few areas but it appears to have been more of a backer for the sealer then the actual seal.
Great video dude. I have that tent mounted on my rack, in the back of my truck. I really like the tent, but I havent yet needed to use the Annex. I think Im gonna give it a whirl next trip. You hit on a lot of the good and bad things with the tent. One additional issue I have is the ladder. It only has the 1 locking slot when it is extended. This can cause issues if you are in a tight campground, and the ladder has to extend far enough to either be in the way, or too close to the guy next to you. I had this happen this past weekend. I think Im going to drill a few extra holes to allow a couple different settings to lock the ladder to.
Yeah, I was able to just move the ladder in or out to adjust the angle of it so it fit in the pre-drilled holes. It's worked for me so far, but I could see that if I was on really slanted ground it would be a problem. I normally park it on flat ground so that I can use the annex.
Thanks for the honest review. I was really wanting one of these, but this has made me think again. Don't know if it's just that company or maybe it was put together on a Friday (seam tape). The mattress is also a big concern too (loosing the firmness and the condensation issues). I would like to think that the tent would last a few years of camping but it doesn't look like the quality is there. That's just my opinion. But I do like the trailer it is sittin' on.
cavtj1 honestly it’s a very nice tent. I’ve had it two full summers now without an issue. It is made to last. The seam tape still looks the same and I don’t think any of the places it was coming off are really in places it was meant to be closely connected anyways. The mattress was kind of annoying but I got a foam pad for under it. They now sell a condensation mat but condensation is to be expected any time you have a honeycomb based tent. At least the condensation is down there and not up on the canvas like most tents
I don't own a rooftop tent yet but I have watched a lot of reviews on them. I have noticed that with the spring poles the if you put the end into the bottom and then hook in the top it seems easier to get them in. when removing the poles remove the top then pull the pole out the bottom so there isn't any tension o. the pole and no need to try and jerk it out.
I do love the review as I've been trying to decide between getting a rooftop tent on my jeep wrangler unlimited and getting a teardrop trailer. I like the easy of the tent and not having to worry about pulling a trailer when I go off-roading but on the other hand with a trailer I could just drop it off and then go wheeling without having to take the tent down.
Thanks Dan, my review is probably critical of a few items, but overall I am very happy with the tent. It's very good quality and a price that can't be beaten. The tent is great on top of the jeep, but you have to worry about hitting it on trees or boulders offroad and also the hassle of folding it up if you want to go anywhere.
Nice video. Appreciate the info. I have seen another guy on a different tent video remove those rods perhaps a little easier by removing the tent from the top of the rods, that is, If you can reach them i suppose.
Planning on building a trailer tent combo like this but curious about stability in pop up storm situations ! also Old jeeps are way cooler than the new ones I have a 95 YJ I am building up !
It seems to be perfectly fine and stable. That is one of the reasons I built it to open towards the back of the trailer. I built a kick stand to keep the trailer from tilting backwards. The hitch has the stock military kick stand too. Zero issues still.
What is the height of your rails that the tent sets on? What is the recommended height to allow the annex to work and fit properly from ground up? Thanks for the review I'm going to buy one and going to put it on a trailer I made up, a fully enclosed Stahl Box with out riggers, used for a tool trailer going to make it my camp trailer. Want set it up like you have your tent positioned, good idea.
I welded the rack myself. I didn't like most of the other options on the market (expense or design). It's 1.5x4 rectangular tube that is 18 gauge. I gusseted the sides with 16 gauge, and also ran rectangular tube inside the bed along the top. I made brackets that wrap around all 4 corners and another bracket each corner sits in to bolt the rack to the trailer. The bottom of the front/rear rails is 18" above the side of the trailer tub. To make it stronger, I slanted in the sides at 15 degrees. The aim was to make the rack very light to lower CoG and lessen the load on the trailer and tub. Tub racks are overkill and typically take up bed space too. I can pivot the rack up to load bigger items, but with 18" of clearance I can load most anything I need to (no tailgate on my trailer). I think the rack weighs around 50lbs. It's very strong and the trailer does well off road. You can see the rack better in my first video. IIRC the bottom of the tent is at about 71" off the ground, just enough room for me to walk under the half that folds out when I am in the annex.
Great review! Does anyone know if this is the same exact tent sold under other brand names (gordigear etc.)? It seems identical down to the canvas material, color and honeycomb base. Thanks for the review!
G Henrickson it appears to be similar but the materials are somewhat different and the window mesh doesn't appear to be the same. I think these tents are somewhat similar by design but some of the parts are different. The gordigear seems to be a close match in design (ladder and honeycomb base and tent design) but the materials may be different. I can tell you that the materials in the tuff stuff are top notch. The cloth is a poly cotton blend that is dipped in water proofing, and the seams are sealed. I researched a lot before my purchase to find a tent that had thick water prodded materials, an aluminum base and a share ladder because I knew some of the less expensive brands use cheaper materials, round ladders that jamb and ply wood bases that are only skinned in aluminum. The tuff stuff has quality components.
On your window flap and door flap support rods. You said they are hard to pull out when packing up. To make this simply unhook them from the holes in the flaps and then pull them out straight. That should solve your issue. Your tent looks very much like a Smittybilt even though it is named Tuff Stuff.
Thanks for posting this. I'm in the market and have actually been considering this tent for myself. Of the things you didn't care for about the tent, do you think they could be corrected for a little amount of money and time, or are they just not worth the effort? I know they anti-condensation mat is an easy fix. I'd hate to buy another mattress though, but I guess you really can't fix a mattress. What about the seam tape issues? Did you use it during any extended rains, or tow it through any serious weather and did it leak at all?
I don't think the seam tape is really an issue - like I say in the video, the tape holds well on all the sewed seams, it's just the other half of the seam. It's only really meant to keep water from coming into the sewing. If you wanted you could probably use an iron on the other parts, but like I said, that's pretty much cosmetic. The only real issue is the mat, which I am sure you could buy a cheap mat to put under or on top of it. The tent is very nice and I like it a lot. It will handle heavy weather very well.
Hey Eagleton. I enjoyed this review. When you were researching RTT's, did you consider the Smittybuilt one. Just trying to justify this price of 1350 vs 875. Thanks
vedubsums I did look at smithy built and I have a few things of theirs on my jeep. This tent is higher quality imho. I looked at a SB tent in person and it didn't compare. The material wasn't as rugged and I didn't like the base or the ladder. I also like the zip bag that covers the tent and the huge annex size.
George Salvesen not sure about the ARB, but the Tuff Stuff has foot of the loops to secure each window to the tent and prevent flapping. Haven't had any noise issues at all.
the trailer has a spring over axle (moved the axle below the springs). the bottom of the tent when open sits at 71", which gives me enough room to stand up in every part of the annex.
Im looking at purchasing a m416, I hoping you could share some details about the rack itself, like how high it sits and if you think its a good height for the tent/annex?
Daniel, I designed the rack to sit at 18" from the bottom of the bed. With the spring over raising the trailer 4-5" it sits perfectly so that the annex has just a little slack on the ground, which is taken up by staking the bottom of the annex into the ground (I did not do that for the video), it allows me to walk under the bottom of the tent and have head room of about 2". The rack is 16 gauge steel and I designed the sides to slant in at 15 degrees. I did this so that the rack transfers force down to the bed and inwards on itself at the top (like a pyramid or arch does). I welded brackets that wrap from the sides of the beds to the front or back of the bed. Inside the bed I ran more 16 gauge 1.5 x 4" steel that the rack brackets bolt to to reinforce the bed. I initially planned to build the rack down to the floor of the bed, but this design seems to work good and is completely removable. If I wanted to go back to stock I would just have to weld up the 9 holes I drilled through
The bed. I wanted the rack to be light weight so this is why I designed it this way. I also gussested the sides with 14 gauge at the top of each side. The COG was lifted by the rack and tent and the spring over, but because I have about 120lbs of batteries on the tounge I have seen no real issues with instability off road so far. I would probably have to lower it if I wanted to run a really hard trail with it, but I have done some moderate stuff with zero issues. It took me about 8 years to find s trailer I could afford and I landed it for $900. A steal considering it was in perfect shape. It's probably one of the nicest 416's I have seen considering its 51 yrs old now. Some of my other videos have restoration pics in them.
This also brings the top of the folded tent about even with the top of the jeep, keeping it out of the airstream when driving. I slanted the solar panel to help deflect air over the folded tent when driving too. I have about 1500 highway miles on it this summer in both loaded and unloaded weights and it pulls nice and smooth. It's a perfect set up for the jeep. I've pulled it over 11,000 ft tioga pass and all over the mountains. If you can find a 416, snag it! I looked and looked and finally found one about 150 miles from me so I got it. It was in a dry climate so the rust was just surface. I did POR15 on the underside, frame and in the bed before paint and bedliner
You may not want to use this style on a trailer as the overhang will make you duck each time you enter the tent. Go with a roof top tent with just doors on each end. I have an annex, but have never used it on the trail. takes too much time to setup.
It took me about 10 years to find a trailer in the condition I wanted for the price I wanted to pay. You can look at www.gsaauctions.gov, or look for other government equipment auctions online, or browse classifieds or jeep/offroad for sale forums on pages like www.pirate4x4.com, www.jeepsunlimied.com or www.expeditionportal.com. There are also a number of companies in Canada that sell canadian models that are newer. www.surpluscity.com is also a retailer in northern california that sells them from time to time. I personally found mine on craigslist and drove about 200 miles to get it. They are hard to find, but they are out there. I was also always on the look as I drove around...sometimes they can be found as "barn finds" or sitting out in a field at someones house. It takes patience and time, but if you look hard enough you will find it. Mine had only surface rust and was in really really good shape, and I paid $900.
You'd have to unzip it and pack/fold the annex, but it will all fit in the cover if you do...the annex needs to be folded and placed inside the tent before folding the tent down. I just keep my annex in the extra bag that comes with it and put it inside the trailer when driving.
Prætorian no, those straps just come off the frame so I think they are there to help fold the tent up or tighten it up. I've never used them. One end just connects around the frame pole and the other side is loose. They are about 2 feet long. One on each side.
Hello, great review and now thinking of getting the larger tent to sleep 4. My concern is I have a Baja Rack basket roof rack. Are the rails of the roof top tent strong? Afraid too much tension on the rails of the tent might bent over time...
Exploring the Outdoors the tent rails are very strong but you should check to make sure your rack can hold the 100lb tent and everyone in it. The way the rails are designed they are very strong, as is the honeycomb base.
Yep, our roof rack can hold 600lbs. I just got an email, from Tuff Stuff and the rep mentioned that the rails would hold nicely, but over time the amount of weight from 2-4 people might end up bowing the middle of the tent if there is no support under the center of the tent. I have been to forums but I haven't found a way to make it work without eventually destroying the tent. Thanks for your reply!
Yeah I don't see it bowing the tent...it seems incredibly strong to me. I guess that depends on how much the people weigh. I would be comfortable with up to 500lbs on mine, I worry more about. Y rack than the tent.
One more question if you don't mind. We will be overlanding Mojave Desert for 4 days. Have you encountered 80+ MPH winds on this tent? Mojave Desert is known for having some gusty winds up the 70's...
guys I never had any roof rack tent.. question here.. how stiff are the alloy corners on the ladder supported side? Is io okay to sit on those corners once in the tent?
Tomas Horuta I weight 170lbs. I can sit/move/lay anywhere I want on the tent. As you see in the video the ladder side is unsupported by anything under it. The ladder really doesn't provide any support, the hinges do, as does the seam where the 2 bottom aluminum pieces come together.
Did you get the liner for under the mat? Did it fix the issue with the moisture? Has your gear got wet at all ( sleeping bags, ect.) when you've close the tent in the rain? Thank you
I haven't gotten the liner, it's really not that big of a deal. I just flip the mat over every other day or so when I am camping and let it air out. I haven't had the tent in the rain, but the material is very heavy water proofed so it would have to be a really heavy and horizontal rain to get the water through the material.
did u swap the axle on ur trailer or did u get the wheel adapters? if u got the adapters where did u get them from and which ones r they? i have an m416 and i want to run my stock jk wheels on it
I didn't swap the axle, I just flipped the u bolts when i did the spring over axle - it cost zero. This is a 416-B1 so I am not sure the axle is the same as the M416, but the bolt pattern is the same as a JK (5 on 5.5). You'd just need spacers to move the JK wheels out a bit if you want to run larger tires. I had another video walk around of the trailer with more video up close of the wheels. There are cheap spacers on amazon avaliable. The big thing is that the axle bearing is big, so some rims will not fit over it, and as always you may been longer lugs.
by flipping the rack up I can fit my son's small ATV in the trailer. I could fit it in without flipping the rack if the trailer had a tail gate. I can't force myself to cut up a perfectly good M-416 tub though, so I won't do that. I don't think a full size quad will fit, but we have the Jeep which is pretty darn fun, anyways.
![Ep. 6: Snow Camping in the Winter Wonderland with iKamper Annex Plus [Electric heating pad, ASMR]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4cRIRW-U-y4/mqdefault.jpg)
i live in australia and i just bought a roof top tent with annex for $690 and the brand is "kings" there a pretty trusted brand and in my opinion there just as good as arb its longer than a king bed and as wide as a double with a 75mm mattress
I have this tent as well. I find it much easer to put the tension rods in the frame first, then pull it up to the awnings. I have had mine about 3 years now and have no issues so far!
Yeah, I never thought of that until someone said they did it that way too. me = airhead sometimes ;-)
That is a nice set up. I was looking at buying a purpose built camper trailer but I thought about a similar set up to yours. I am sold now. Thanks for sharing.
I chose to have the tent open off the back, so I only have a stilt on the back and a kickstand on the front. I haven't had any stability issues but I know a lot of people put jacks on both rear corners. It does feel weird climbing up so high at first. As far as the tent and wind; the tent is very very heavy quality material, it will stand up far better than any other camping tent I have seen. You just put the window flaps down and Buckle the rain fly down. I think any reasonable wind would be no issue at all.
Thanks, one of the better reviews of this tent. Glad you spoke out on your dislikes and gave price paid info.
banjowoodsman 76 you're welcome. I'm pretty happy with it overall and I recently saw a big sale for the tent that was a lot less than I paid, so if you watch their site and sign up for their email listing you can find great deals from time to time
Those ladder brackets look a little subpar for their purpose. As a welder, you should be able to fabricate some new heavy duty brackets. This is the first time I've seen a tent like this and I'm pretty impressed.
Yep - if they have issues i will make some more
Great review! Very informative and to the point. Thanks for you're professionalism and honest review!!!
Thanks Jim! I am pleased with the tent overall.
like below poster said, put the rods into the frame and then put them in the holes on the tent. They go in waaaaaaaay easier that way lol. no yanking like in your video
great video mate i got sick of how tight the poles were to get out too so i drilled out the holes 1mm larger no more problem with them now
Nice demo. Thanks for sharing your insight and user tips.
Motai's thank you!
Just got my roof tent today... LOVE it. Thanks.
99v8cobra glad you like it!!
I do not care for the ladder. The steps don't line up so you have a miss step. I replaced with a telescoping ladder and absolutely love it. A couple years and over 50 trips, still going strong. The seam tape is releasing in a few areas but it appears to have been more of a backer for the sealer then the actual seal.
Great video dude. I have that tent mounted on my rack, in the back of my truck. I really like the tent, but I havent yet needed to use the Annex. I think Im gonna give it a whirl next trip. You hit on a lot of the good and bad things with the tent. One additional issue I have is the ladder. It only has the 1 locking slot when it is extended. This can cause issues if you are in a tight campground, and the ladder has to extend far enough to either be in the way, or too close to the guy next to you. I had this happen this past weekend. I think Im going to drill a few extra holes to allow a couple different settings to lock the ladder to.
Yeah, I was able to just move the ladder in or out to adjust the angle of it so it fit in the pre-drilled holes. It's worked for me so far, but I could see that if I was on really slanted ground it would be a problem. I normally park it on flat ground so that I can use the annex.
Thanks for the honest review. I was really wanting one of these, but this has made me think again. Don't know if it's just that company or maybe it was put together on a Friday (seam tape). The mattress is also a big concern too (loosing the firmness and the condensation issues). I would like to think that the tent would last a few years of camping but it doesn't look like the quality is there. That's just my opinion. But I do like the trailer it is sittin' on.
cavtj1 honestly it’s a very nice tent. I’ve had it two full summers now without an issue. It is made to last. The seam tape still looks the same and I don’t think any of the places it was coming off are really in places it was meant to be closely connected anyways. The mattress was kind of annoying but I got a foam pad for under it. They now sell a condensation mat but condensation is to be expected any time you have a honeycomb based tent. At least the condensation is down there and not up on the canvas like most tents
I don't own a rooftop tent yet but I have watched a lot of reviews on them. I have noticed that with the spring poles the if you put the end into the bottom and then hook in the top it seems easier to get them in. when removing the poles remove the top then pull the pole out the bottom so there isn't any tension o. the pole and no need to try and jerk it out.
well there you go! I should have thought about that a lot time ago! thanks for the tip!
I do love the review as I've been trying to decide between getting a rooftop tent on my jeep wrangler unlimited and getting a teardrop trailer. I like the easy of the tent and not having to worry about pulling a trailer when I go off-roading but on the other hand with a trailer I could just drop it off and then go wheeling without having to take the tent down.
Thanks Dan, my review is probably critical of a few items, but overall I am very happy with the tent. It's very good quality and a price that can't be beaten. The tent is great on top of the jeep, but you have to worry about hitting it on trees or boulders offroad and also the hassle of folding it up if you want to go anywhere.
Those thing you called a pull tab, aren’t pull tabs, that is a peg and eye system to keep the windows closed
Great review! Looking at ordering this tent! Thank you!!
You earned it bud . May check this out n buy it too. Thank you
Nice video. Appreciate the info. I have seen another guy on a different tent video remove those rods perhaps a little easier by removing the tent from the top of the rods, that is, If you can reach them i suppose.
Planning on building a trailer tent combo like this but curious about stability in pop up storm situations ! also Old jeeps are way cooler than the new ones I have a 95 YJ I am building up !
It seems to be perfectly fine and stable. That is one of the reasons I built it to open towards the back of the trailer. I built a kick stand to keep the trailer from tilting backwards. The hitch has the stock military kick stand too. Zero issues still.
Great video! you should do a walk around of your Jeep! i saw it creeping in the back:)
I was thinking about that but wasn't sure if anyone would care enough to see it. It's nothing fancy anymore like the newer ones are.
some of my other videos have more of my jeep in them
thanks for being honest! thinking about getting one.
I am very pleased with it overall.
Put the rods in the bottom hole first then bow rod and put through eyelet. Reverse to remove.
Exactly how I do it. Mine is on my truck and sits very high. I install the prop rods from inside the tent once the tent is set up
Great video !
What is the height of your rails that the tent sets on? What is the recommended height to allow the annex to work and fit properly from ground up? Thanks for the review I'm going to buy one and going to put it on a trailer I made up, a fully enclosed Stahl Box with out riggers, used for a tool trailer going to make it my camp trailer. Want set it up like you have your tent positioned, good idea.
I welded the rack myself. I didn't like most of the other options on the market (expense or design). It's 1.5x4 rectangular tube that is 18 gauge. I gusseted the sides with 16 gauge, and also ran rectangular tube inside the bed along the top. I made brackets that wrap around all 4 corners and another bracket each corner sits in to bolt the rack to the trailer. The bottom of the front/rear rails is 18" above the side of the trailer tub. To make it stronger, I slanted in the sides at 15 degrees. The aim was to make the rack very light to lower CoG and lessen the load on the trailer and tub. Tub racks are overkill and typically take up bed space too. I can pivot the rack up to load bigger items, but with 18" of clearance I can load most anything I need to (no tailgate on my trailer). I think the rack weighs around 50lbs. It's very strong and the trailer does well off road. You can see the rack better in my first video. IIRC the bottom of the tent is at about 71" off the ground, just enough room for me to walk under the half that folds out when I am in the annex.
You should film this more midmorning / Day. The shadows here make it look so dark and hard to see Your details. Just a photo guys opinion.
Great review! Does anyone know if this is the same exact tent sold under other brand names (gordigear etc.)? It seems identical down to the canvas material, color and honeycomb base. Thanks for the review!
G Henrickson it appears to be similar but the materials are somewhat different and the window mesh doesn't appear to be the same. I think these tents are somewhat similar by design but some of the parts are different. The gordigear seems to be a close match in design (ladder and honeycomb base and tent design) but the materials may be different. I can tell you that the materials in the tuff stuff are top notch. The cloth is a poly cotton blend that is dipped in water proofing, and the seams are sealed. I researched a lot before my purchase to find a tent that had thick water prodded materials, an aluminum base and a share ladder because I knew some of the less expensive brands use cheaper materials, round ladders that jamb and ply wood bases that are only skinned in aluminum. The tuff stuff has quality components.
On your window flap and door flap support rods. You said they are hard to pull out when packing up. To make this simply unhook them from the holes in the flaps and then pull them out straight. That should solve your issue. Your tent looks very much like a Smittybilt even though it is named Tuff Stuff.
Donald Harrison that’s what I do, they still get wedged in a bit
Thanks for posting this. I'm in the market and have actually been considering this tent for myself.
Of the things you didn't care for about the tent, do you think they could be corrected for a little amount of money and time, or are they just not worth the effort? I know they anti-condensation mat is an easy fix. I'd hate to buy another mattress though, but I guess you really can't fix a mattress.
What about the seam tape issues?
Did you use it during any extended rains, or tow it through any serious weather and did it leak at all?
I don't think the seam tape is really an issue - like I say in the video, the tape holds well on all the sewed seams, it's just the other half of the seam. It's only really meant to keep water from coming into the sewing. If you wanted you could probably use an iron on the other parts, but like I said, that's pretty much cosmetic. The only real issue is the mat, which I am sure you could buy a cheap mat to put under or on top of it. The tent is very nice and I like it a lot. It will handle heavy weather very well.
Fab video! Thank you.
O Trader thanks and you're welcome!!
Hey Eagleton. I enjoyed this review. When you were researching RTT's, did you consider the Smittybuilt one. Just trying to justify this price of 1350 vs 875. Thanks
vedubsums I did look at smithy built and I have a few things of theirs on my jeep. This tent is higher quality imho. I looked at a SB tent in person and it didn't compare. The material wasn't as rugged and I didn't like the base or the ladder. I also like the zip bag that covers the tent and the huge annex size.
I have the ARB tent similar..and was wondering if your tents fly flaps all night like the ARB does...very annoying
George Salvesen not so far, they are the same heavy material but two sided, and it's been quiet. I haven't had it in a lot of wind though.
George Salvesen not sure about the ARB, but the Tuff Stuff has foot of the loops to secure each window to the tent and prevent flapping. Haven't had any noise issues at all.
Hey beautiful set up. whats the height of your trailer??
the trailer has a spring over axle (moved the axle below the springs). the bottom of the tent when open sits at 71", which gives me enough room to stand up in every part of the annex.
Great review, Great reviewer, thanks & God bless
thank you!
Great review :) it helps :D
Thanks! It's a nice tent!
What type of truck are u pulling with? Like to see a walk around.
1998 Jeep TJ. I'd do a walk around, but Im not sure too many people would be interested
Im looking at purchasing a m416, I hoping you could share some details about the rack itself, like how high it sits and if you think its a good height for the tent/annex?
Daniel, I designed the rack to sit at 18" from the bottom of the bed. With the spring over raising the trailer 4-5" it sits perfectly so that the annex has just a little slack on the ground, which is taken up by staking the bottom of the annex into the ground (I did not do that for the video), it allows me to walk under the bottom of the tent and have head room of about 2". The rack is 16 gauge steel and I designed the sides to slant in at 15 degrees. I did this so that the rack transfers force down to the bed and inwards on itself at the top (like a pyramid or arch does). I welded brackets that wrap from the sides of the beds to the front or back of the bed. Inside the bed I ran more 16 gauge 1.5 x 4" steel that the rack brackets bolt to to reinforce the bed. I initially planned to build the rack down to the floor of the bed, but this design seems to work good and is completely removable. If I wanted to go back to stock I would just have to weld up the 9 holes I drilled through
The bed. I wanted the rack to be light weight so this is why I designed it this way. I also gussested the sides with 14 gauge at the top of each side. The COG was lifted by the rack and tent and the spring over, but because I have about 120lbs of batteries on the tounge I have seen no real issues with instability off road so far. I would probably have to lower it if I wanted to run a really hard trail with it, but I have done some moderate stuff with zero issues. It took me about 8 years to find s trailer I could afford and I landed it for $900. A steal considering it was in perfect shape. It's probably one of the nicest 416's I have seen considering its 51 yrs old now. Some of my other videos have restoration pics in them.
This also brings the top of the folded tent about even with the top of the jeep, keeping it out of the airstream when driving. I slanted the solar panel to help deflect air over the folded tent when driving too. I have about 1500 highway miles on it this summer in both loaded and unloaded weights and it pulls nice and smooth. It's a perfect set up for the jeep. I've pulled it over 11,000 ft tioga pass and all over the mountains. If you can find a 416, snag it! I looked and looked and finally found one about 150 miles from me so I got it. It was in a dry climate so the rust was just surface. I did POR15 on the underside, frame and in the bed before paint and bedliner
When I say "18 inches from the bottom of the bed" I mean from the lip of the bed side on the top of the bed. That lip is pretty strong.
You may not want to use this style on a trailer as the overhang will make you duck each time you enter the tent. Go with a roof top tent with just doors on each end. I have an annex, but have never used it on the trail. takes too much time to setup.
Quick question, your trailer, where did you get it? I don't know what to search to find something like it.
It took me about 10 years to find a trailer in the condition I wanted for the price I wanted to pay. You can look at www.gsaauctions.gov, or look for other government equipment auctions online, or browse classifieds or jeep/offroad for sale forums on pages like www.pirate4x4.com, www.jeepsunlimied.com or www.expeditionportal.com. There are also a number of companies in Canada that sell canadian models that are newer. www.surpluscity.com is also a retailer in northern california that sells them from time to time. I personally found mine on craigslist and drove about 200 miles to get it. They are hard to find, but they are out there. I was also always on the look as I drove around...sometimes they can be found as "barn finds" or sitting out in a field at someones house. It takes patience and time, but if you look hard enough you will find it. Mine had only surface rust and was in really really good shape, and I paid $900.
Nice video ! How many people can sleep in it ?
CaliBoyz four adults comfortably, could get 2 adults and 3-4 young kids in it, but would be a little tight. My jeep seats 4 so this is nice.
Do you think that I could mount that on the OEM roof rack?
crruzzzer1 absolutely- the mounting system works will all types of racks, as long as your oem rack will support the weight.
does the tent fold up and fit under the cover with the annex attached? or do you need to unzip the annex everytime?
You'd have to unzip it and pack/fold the annex, but it will all fit in the cover if you do...the annex needs to be folded and placed inside the tent before folding the tent down. I just keep my annex in the extra bag that comes with it and put it inside the trailer when driving.
Thanks for the review. Do you know what the strap is for that you are holding at 9:38?
Prætorian no, those straps just come off the frame so I think they are there to help fold the tent up or tighten it up. I've never used them. One end just connects around the frame pole and the other side is loose. They are about 2 feet long. One on each side.
Eagleaton those straps are for you to hold onto while climbing on to the ladder. For those that are not that comfortable on a ladder. Like my wife. 🙂
Hello, great review and now thinking of getting the larger tent to sleep 4. My concern is I have a Baja Rack basket roof rack. Are the rails of the roof top tent strong? Afraid too much tension on the rails of the tent might bent over time...
Exploring the Outdoors the tent rails are very strong but you should check to make sure your rack can hold the 100lb tent and everyone in it. The way the rails are designed they are very strong, as is the honeycomb base.
Yep, our roof rack can hold 600lbs. I just got an email, from Tuff Stuff and the rep mentioned that the rails would hold nicely, but over time the amount of weight from 2-4 people might end up bowing the middle of the tent if there is no support under the center of the tent. I have been to forums but I haven't found a way to make it work without eventually destroying the tent. Thanks for your reply!
Yeah I don't see it bowing the tent...it seems incredibly strong to me. I guess that depends on how much the people weigh. I would be comfortable with up to 500lbs on mine, I worry more about. Y rack than the tent.
That's great to know! I might just go for it and try it out! :) Thanks for your help brother. :)
One more question if you don't mind. We will be overlanding Mojave Desert for 4 days. Have you encountered 80+ MPH winds on this tent? Mojave Desert is known for having some gusty winds up the 70's...
guys I never had any roof rack tent.. question here.. how stiff are the alloy corners on the ladder supported side? Is io okay to sit on those corners once in the tent?
Tomas Horuta I weight 170lbs. I can sit/move/lay anywhere I want on the tent. As you see in the video the ladder side is unsupported by anything under it. The ladder really doesn't provide any support, the hinges do, as does the seam where the 2 bottom aluminum pieces come together.
many thanks for the information
Does the rain fly easily come off? Is there any sort of a roof access from inside the tent?
justin guerreso there are just straps holding it on, so yes.
Nice video , anyone know if the rainfly removable for starry nights in the sand dunes ?
the rainfly is removable, but the tuff stuff doesn't have top windows - it's fully covered on top (no star views)
Did you get the liner for under the mat? Did it fix the issue with the moisture? Has your gear got wet at all ( sleeping bags, ect.) when you've close the tent in the rain? Thank you
I haven't gotten the liner, it's really not that big of a deal. I just flip the mat over every other day or so when I am camping and let it air out. I haven't had the tent in the rain, but the material is very heavy water proofed so it would have to be a really heavy and horizontal rain to get the water through the material.
my gear hasn't gotten wet
did u swap the axle on ur trailer or did u get the wheel adapters? if u got the adapters where did u get them from and which ones r they? i have an m416 and i want to run my stock jk wheels on it
I didn't swap the axle, I just flipped the u bolts when i did the spring over axle - it cost zero. This is a 416-B1 so I am not sure the axle is the same as the M416, but the bolt pattern is the same as a JK (5 on 5.5). You'd just need spacers to move the JK wheels out a bit if you want to run larger tires. I had another video walk around of the trailer with more video up close of the wheels. There are cheap spacers on amazon avaliable. The big thing is that the axle bearing is big, so some rims will not fit over it, and as always you may been longer lugs.
check out my other videos, too - the walk around is in there.
can you fit a quad atv in the trailer under the tent?
by flipping the rack up I can fit my son's small ATV in the trailer. I could fit it in without flipping the rack if the trailer had a tail gate. I can't force myself to cut up a perfectly good M-416 tub though, so I won't do that. I don't think a full size quad will fit, but we have the Jeep which is pretty darn fun, anyways.
hello is there a wiegh cap on the base????
not sure I understand what you mean? do you mean how much weight the can the tent support? I would say probably around 500lbs or so.
You earned it?????
B