5 SURPRISING REASONS YOU SHOULDN'T BUY A ROOF TOP TENT!!
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- Owning a roof top tent isn't always sunshine and rainbows! After using my RTT for a full camping season I thought it would be useful to share my honest opinion on the major downsides I have experienced owning one. You may agree or disagree with some points because hardshell and softshell RTT models can be quite different. I hope you found these 5 things I hate about my RTT relatable or helpful to know!
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If 4 minutes takes forever then I'm starting to feel bad for your girlfriend
Set up a 10 man ground tent and then complain about a 4 minute setup time :/
loll.4 mins .
For music festivals I would set up a ten man instant tent for just myself or with a girlfriend. It’s not hard and doesn’t take long if it’s one of those instant ones.
@@dmay949 Ours was not an instant one. It was possibly the worst purchase decision of my adult life.
@@PhallacEye oh man I know the horror haha I feel for you.
@@PhallacEyeinvest in the instant pop up one . No fussing with poles. Just unfold
If you've got access to a garage with some reasonable head room, install a locking pulley in the ceiling and attach a removable steel ring to the top of the tent at its centre of mass, or use a couple of cables wrapping around the tent if you can't find anything to screw into. You can then remove it single handed and keep it stored in the roof of the garage. My father kept a sailing boat like that for years, much heavier than a roof tent.
I am of flimsy build but handled my Klondike wooden kayak single-handedly, no rigging, for years. But Im not that soft, either. It's the size of the fight in the dog, not the dog in the fight, that matters. I feel sorry for young girls looking for real men. Sold out.
Yeah, that's what I thought too, but the garage door is the limitation - even a stock SUV like a 4Runner or FJ will not fit under a standard 6'6" garage door with a RTT.
@@Afriqueleblanq , Interesting! A kayak is narrow. A Roof Top Ten is not. I'd like to see you hoist a 150lb RTT on top of my Jeep by yourself. I'm sure some sort of incline ramp could be built to help push the tent up on top of my Jeep. Or even build a portable hoist. But after paying $3,500 for the tent, I wouldn't go to the additional expense and trouble. I'll just stay with my $100 ground tent and replace it as needed. Although I am thinking of investing in a small teardrop trailer. At 73, sleeping in a tent on the ground IS getting old. Plus, a tear drop trailer gets me off the ground and out of the elements. And in some campgrounds in Grizzly county, sleeping in a tent is prohibited. It also fits in my garage. A RTT on my Jeep won't clear my garage door.
I spent over 100 nights in a tiny cheap 35$ ground tent while traveling for work. Now, having saved that money, I love my RTT and I could find these more as trade offs or frustrations.
Bring a hammock or cheapie tent to set up at camp to hold your spot or use to hike closer.
Exactly what I was thinking
Seriously considering buying a RTT for round the country fishing trips. Good to see a video around the negatives of the setup. If these are the biggest drawbacks with a RTT they seem like a great option. 4 min setup doesn't sound too bad haha. Cheers for the info
I think they're great for extended camping trips! And I agree, some of my complaints aren't deal breakers for many people. There is a reason they are becoming so popular, most people love them!!
I have the same tent he has, it takes me less time to prop it up just because I have it on a pickup truck. I can step on the side of the bed all around... I have my rods in the bed or on my mini pontoon in the bed of the truck. I don't remove the tent cover I just let it hang off the side, makes it super easy to work with.. If you add a little WD40 to the ladder you have nothing to worry about really. It also helps to have a tent on a pickup because I can put lights on the base of the tent and light up the bed to rig in the dark early morning.
Man the setup of a RTT is fun and something I have looked forward to it every time. Only thing you should change from what he had is buy a RTT that does have a telescoping ladder. I have the same ladder system as in video and thing only thing I am changing. Have told all my friends and family that getting the RTT is everything I hoped it would be. Love the whole concept.
Pro tip, don't take the cover off completely leave it attached on the driver's side and let it drape down, or roll it up if you need access to the doors. Much easier to put back on and doesn't take up a bunch of room in your rig.
I'll try this next time I'm out! thank you for the suggestion :)
We love our rooftop tent! We carry a spare tent and we also have never had a problem getting into tight places. I guess it's not for everyone .
The big reason I don't get a roof top tent is the cost! I priced a hard shell roof top tent. It was $3,500.00. Are you kidding me? I've been using a ground tent ever since I was a teen. I'm now 69 years old. I refuse to pay that kind of money for a glorified tent.
Totally understandable!
Nice age
@@fizzlevel heheh you get it
Yeah, you can buy a poptop roof fitted to a van for half that.
@@adambrickley1119 , Really? I'd like to know where. Most places I've checked want close to 10 grand or sometimes more to install a pop top on a van.
Good vid and some good points. I helped a friend pack up his softshell RTT the other day and it was an absolute pain in the bum....hardshelll is the way to go. If you want to reserve a campsite just take a $20 tent with you and set it up....works for me. Cheers for the vid
Glad you brought up the camping by the river. I came across the same issue, so I purchased a very light small packaging tent and now I have options. But yes, it did kinda sucked.
Great point about not being able to get to the out of the way site with your tent - never thought of that.
Thank you, it happens frequently as you can imagine!
To avoid the bugs guts on the front of the tent, and to improve gas mileage, build a sloped air deflector to fit in front of the tent.
Agreed. I'd just wear gloves to take it off. Doesn't seem like a Con to me; seems pretty simple to overcome.
@@jefffeltes9309 Sure, but wearing gloves won't improve your gas mileage.
We have a telescoping ladder, when using it in sandy places the ladder still has difficulty adjusting. To help with this we added a small hand held broom to knock out any loose sand and dirt out.
Reason # 1 - Outside of a ladder, what other way is there?
Reason # 2 - Why not just have a ground tent as well and boom problem solved?
Reason # 3 - Take said spare tent and use it as a decoy
Reason # 4 Hard shell but damn it's expensive. Except that new superlite!
Reason # 5 I got nothing. That's just part of it I suppose.
@Patrick Hubert go fast campers
Bug splatter - add a wind deflector to take the bug hits! Problem solved! Think outside the box, the deflector could also be angled backwards to help push air over the RTT rather than hitting a perpendicular surface that it then needs to go around. Doesn’t have to be overly complicated!
I would add to reason #5 that when camping in near freezing temperatures, the cover becomes very stiff. It's much harder putting the cover over the tent than when warm.
When I pull up to camp, I usually change one of my broken cvs and then just fall asleep drunk in the dirt .
I don't understand how this video has so many dislikes? It was so informative and helpful.
I researched alot to get one of the root tent but biggest issue was trying to find a place that installs roof racks for the tent. I am lost.
Just a few "plus" points for softshell roof top tents 😊 I'm a 70+ year old solo female traveller, measuring 5ft 4in with a softshell RTT on an FJ Cruiser. It takes me (alone) 4 minutes to have my RTT open and ready to sleep in and +/- 8 minutes to close it up and be ready to set off. I wouldn't swop it for the world - it creates no condensation (a problem with hardshell tents), it's light (45 Kgs), has not significantly changed fuel consumption and is MUCH warmer during winter than a hardshell. To keep my camping spot? Easy - I leave my table, chair and a couple of other bits & pieces.... 😊‼️👍🏻🌺
P.S. Yes, the cover does get a little stiff in colder temperatures - so, solution, I climb up on top of the roof and close the cover from "top down" 😉
Excellent review....
Gets straight into practical issues....I bailed out at 1.56 because that was enough good information on which to decide
I won't be buying one....
Cheers buddy you saved me a bundle of cash ...
Some good points. I have owned all sorts of tents over the years up to wall tents for hunting camp. The roof top tent is the best purchase I have ever made. If you want an easier to use RTT get a clamshell version like the Alucab or the Roofnest Falcon. Ground tents are great when you are in college 😂
Or you want to be comfortable. Get a good springbar tent that you can stand up in. Only takes 7-8 minutes to set up and you aren’t crawling around in a tiny tent.
I use those quick three second pop-up tents as placeholders. Works great
I carry a Catoma EBNS mil spec version in the vehicle that I set up if I need to leave the campsite to go into town for provisions. It’s always kept my campsite, and is a super quick set up that weighs 4.5lb. You just toss it out and run one pole through the spine.
Now thats a pro tip!!! Thanks for sharing Ronan :)
That’s why I’m building at trailer, my truck is a 1500 Silverado with the 6.2 engine with a 9 inch lift so ya I can’t afford anymore loss in gas mileage lol. Great vid
Right on, thanks for the feedback!
Jealous of use in america it probably costs me more to run a 1.6 turbo fiesta in the uk than your car 😂😥
Exactly! All of these reason are why I got rid of my RTT. It's just me, so I changed the inside around and now I sleep in the vehicle.
G'day from Australia, I have the ARB Simpson 3. Nice tent but all of those things you listed is pretty much what I'm having issues with too. It's relatively easy to set up provided you have 4 foot long arms to reach and unlock the ladder pins. Packing it up is a pain in the ass and its bulging at the sides, the zipper gets tight, poles don't want to tuck in, can't get into any underground carparks because it's so high. Going to offload it soon for a quick pitch/ easy up tent on a roof rack later on. I've put up quick pitch tents before and they're so much more convenient.
Bro, I've had the SB XL tent and annex similar to the one in your vid and you are 100% correct. They seem cool at first but in reality they are a pain to put away, the extra weight is felt on my truck, ugh I'll be selling soon -
They seem very appealing at first but you don't really know what to expect until you experience it yourself. RTTs aren't for everyone but a cool product nonetheless!
The whole tent is quite heavy even for two people to lift and install on the roof. Thus it’s just impossible to install it on one own, but it’s gonna be sweet to camp alone sometimes for a getaway, on a drive-camp mode.
I have seen a small hoist system setup attached to garage or carport roof. And one person can lift the roof top tent off of the vehicle
isn't temperature an issue in those? I imagine it is much harder putting that in the shadow over a regular tent
Thanks for illuminating the topic and making it easier for us, the future buyers, to decide on a tent style. Thank God: these are all First World Problems!
Comments:
1. a conventional, compact, back-packing-tent can always be packed along, and carried 50 yards for that perfect site, or to serve as a place holder when leaving the site with the vehicle.
2. It would be interesting to learn about the tent's true impact on the gas mileage. I presume the drag caused by the tubing of an empty rack could be even worse. Given that air rag, and the car's energy state is exponentially (not linearly) higher with every additional mph, going slightly slower would likely eliminate any extra drag of roof cargo, add safety, allow more time to look at the scenery, and look really cool :)
Great video man. All really good points. I still think the pros of a rooftop tent outweigh the cons, but to each their own. cheers!
I completely agree! Thank you so much for watching and the kind comment!
You can have a canopy trailer with a rooftop tent. That's what we have. That'll fix your storage, height problem and also your manouverability problem.
Great suggestion 👍🏻
Hi can you show me what you mean by this? and do you have any suggestions for brands? 🙏
Thank you awesome! I will not get the landrover ladder for sure and not use this one! Great info!
I bought mine and absolutely love it! Should have bought one with a tandem.
Thanks for sharing your experience with these tents, a very helpful video for anyone looking into camping options.
Does this type of tent at night keep you cooler in the summer and discourage the majority of ants when compared to a ground tent? I love hammock camping, but recently the craze of packing predators which might be rabid keep me inside a vehicle where it is just too hot even this early in the year...
All great points as always 😃 thank you!
Thank you for watching!!
All good points to be considered. Helpful video. Thanks.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind feedback :)
It’s all about the hard shell! I got the auto home Columbus variant, love that thing. Slept in -5* F in vail, CO. Also being off the ground is the whole point right?
I agree!! Hardshells are the move
The Gen 2 of the tent you have fortunately did fix a couple of the rtt drawbacks. Ordering one right meow for my Forester Wilderness!
Thanks for all the great info!!
Any time!
I got rid of mine (I had the exact one) and the reason why is mainly set-up time. I have a 3.5" lift on my Jeep, and I literally almost fell backwards many times while setting up and taking down. I always imagined falling back and hitting my head on a rock, morbid but true right? Also the lack of mobility after set-up sucks! Thinking of doing a hard-shell that pops straight up.
I totally agree with you. My arms are always so tired after hanging onto the side rails while opening the tent. I would pick a pop up hardshell too!
very insightful! thank you!
You're so welcome!
How do u feel about the Rivian R1T? I feel like it's a huge step in the right direction for camping. It also had a tent like urs.
This guy is a "soft shell"
What's a soft shell from the 🇬🇧
Yep.
Stay at home ace. Sounds like camping is a bit hard for you. 😂 🇦🇺
i have a 3 person CVT RTT, 3 years now! on my 4 runner tent opens to the back. with the annex on my tail gate down i’ve got great access to the inside of the vehicle. I am 68 years old 155 lbs, 5’7” And i put the tent on my car by myself! CONs have to make the bed in the morning lots of looky loos like to come check it out! PROs meet a lot of nice people! what i hate the most is having to come back home!
Hey, you got a home though.... That's pretty nice.
I was pretty much sold on the rooftop tent idea, but then I took a good look at the top of my 2019 Ford Escape and there is an antenna on the roof towards the rear that angles back at a 45 degree angle towards the rear. The rooftop tent I'm looking at (Roof Nest Falcon or Sparrow Eye) would interfere with that antenna. I spoke to customer service and they said they thought I could make it work, but they had never run into this before, so I don't dare order the tent unless I can find a seller that can tell me it will work. Very frustrating! Anybody else have a 2019 Ford Escape with a roof tent that has an answer to this?
Move the antenna?! Shouldn't be too difficult
Cars still have antennas?
Why don’t you just carry a ground tent lol.. then you won’t have that issue with pulling up the the lake front
I installed a hard shell tent on a trailer and I carry a spare tent with me just in case. Problems eliminated.
Can the ladder be replaced with a telescoping one? I’m thinking of buying one and replace it with my tent’s sliding ladder!
Just bring a crappy Wal mart tent to save your spot!
Swags are the way to go. Been using them for 2 years.
It’s good aye love how quick and easy swags are to set-up
Link?
In regards to removal.
Invest in a cheap pulley system to take the tent setup on/off, like people do with the huge hobie pro angler kayaks.
You can even leave it hanging up in your carport, garage etc once removed to save space.
Not that hard really imo.
Most people have both or either, if you don't you can fabricate a cheap frame to drive under or even slang the pulley system from a decent tree.
Hi Wilma, I completely agree that pulley systems are the way to go! Unfortunately, my current house doesn't have a garage so I am S.O.L. Maybe some day though haha
@@rooftentinsider512 Build an A-frame with slip joints and pins. Then you could just put it up long enough to get the tent off and break the A-frame down. Put some straps around it and store it with your tent.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Question. Would it be possible to orient the tent so it opens over the rear of the FJ, offering an over hang over the back door for cooking etc??? Would really appreciate a reply. Thanks a bunch
I’ve seen Australian rigs that do that.
The tent opens up and the ladder connects to the front bumper.
You can install the tent to access from any side driver passenger or rear
obviously you can use it only where your car can get..... some of them are really fast to close and you are not loosing the use of your. Also, if you are afraid to loose the spot - just leave something behind. There are so many different tents with different pros and cons and you can choose what works for you. I love my hard-shell tent (never used soft one, so do not know)super fast and easy. Sometimes I had to set it up in darkness, no problem.
Why wouldn’t you also have a normal tent (and hammock) with you? Why would your only shelter be your rooftop tent? I have several forms of shelter along (including the rooftop tent) to suit various scenarios.
For pickup trucks, the costs are considerable: (1) the RTT ($1000 - $3500); (2) bed rack system ($500-$1000); (3) storage solution for RTT ($?); (4) gas mileage decrease ($?); and (5) other things you might buy to better store or secure your stuff now that there's a tent over your bed ($?).
Never seen such an ancient ladder! We use easy pitch clamshell tents, not that Berber village you have on the roof. RTTs are great if you know how to buy. Now, if you have seen us play rugby in 🇿🇦, just know that we don't get to cry about pitching a tent. We are just more masculine than some, I think.
Yeah it’s not a reason to buy a tent just buy the good ones lol.
You have got me thinking now and thanks for this video
Just about all of the criticisms were either brand and/or model specific.
A lot of the issues about setting up and non telescoping ladder are only issues on that brand and model!
You have a four men RTT so it's going to be bigger and heavier just get a two man RTT with a telescoping ladder that pops up and collapses down instead of folding out and over. It will be lighter and easier to set up and break down.
For not being able to access a site where the vehicle can't go carry along a regular tent for those situations problem solved.
You can't complain about poor gas mileage if you're too lazy to take the tent off the roof when you're not camping. A simple pulley system in your garage $10 from harbor freight problem solved.
This should be listed as a review of this particular make and model not rooftop tents in general. They're not all the same.
You make very valid points! I don't have a garage unfortunately so I have to leave the tent up there. You're right about buying a
pop-up with a telescoping ladder, it would solve most if not all of these issues. I think many entry level campers will buy the style I have and upgrade to the hardshell overtime. Thank you for the constructive comment I do appreciate it!
I have FJ.... and I put Warrior platform roof rack... best for set up for roof top tent... like that you r lower.... and more easy set up
Thanks man! After opening my tent for the first time these are all true 😂
Any time!
i just decided to get a suburban for the extra storage and space while keeping my capability and the place to put my tent
I found a cvt mt.rainer a guy only used a few times and he gave me a steal at 1600 with the bed rack on Facebook market. Honestly if u wanna get a deal on one of these rtt just look around. He probably spent north of 3000 and I got it for less than half with the included bed rack. My advice if you wanna try but not spent to much is look on Facebook market and similar things. Deals are everywhere you just gotta look.
Buying used is by far the best way to get the most bang for your buck!! Facebook marketplace is an awesome way to go about selling an RTT. And they go FAST
Any Ideas on how to solve the dog problem? haha It's a good observation... I can't lift him above my head, and he will hate any tipe of harness. I even thought of putting a rug on the cars front window like some sort of carpet that the dog can climb by itself...
Take a ground tent with you also and set it up at your camp spot so when you go kayaking or exploring the ground tent will hold your camp spot.
None of those complaints matter much if you really really hate sleeping on the ground with all the bugs and critters ...
Telescopic ladder, take a portable tent with you, Kings pop up. I’ve made some big mistakes with the camping gig too.👍
Seams to me that all of your complaints are oblivious and something a person would of figured out before purchasing one. Basically the same for me with a small tag along trailer tent. But I never expected a Rose Garden with it, just some convenience. Never did a trip without taking my loaded Backpack and a decent Jungle Hammock for that real feeling of freedom.
I still think the pros out way the cons. You should have purchased a higher quality tent like Tepui. I mounted my just above the bed of my Ford pick up so it doesn't really affect my gas mileage and no messy bugs splatter all over it at the end of the drive.
i settup a hoist system in my garage so i just back my truck in and go when it’s camping time
If you are new to camping, or have been camping since the good ole 'camping in the ground I may need to dig around the tent just in case it rains' days to a RTT, shouldn't be complaining is all I'm saying. RTTs are not for everyone though, I'm in my late 20s and I'd love to get an RTT to go camping, I've had my fare share of on the ground camping that an RTT would be amazing...my parents on the other hand love camping, as they have taught me, but at their age a floor tent is just too low and a RTT is a bit high given the ladder to be going up/down... so now they just rent an RV for those long weekends. So to each their own I guess.
What crossbar did you use on the fj?
We have the I kamper ....Its great ...So well made .....Can flick it out in minutes .Park anywhere etc.
Love that!
What tent to do you have for a tent?
This was the smittybilt overlander in the video
Bought one used it 3-5x sold it. So much hassle, terrible mpg hit also
Fair points, you hate them or love em! Thanks for commenting on the vid :)
Thanks, really helped meake a decision.
Thanks for your honesty 🙏🏽
Top Heavy Tents were designed in South Africa to keep campers out of reach of Lions and Hyanas, not needed in North America, get a Gazzell ground tent, sets up in 90 seconds
Planning ahead solves most of these issues.
Sometimes I scratch my head at the down votes. This was an informative review on the cons of RTT, that no one wants to talk about. Also I think it's valuable if you're going to down vote the video, leave constructive feedback in the comment section and let the channel know why you gave them a down vote, so they improve.
People love leaving mean comments that aren't helpful. But like this one there are many more kind comments and likes thankfully. This video in particular gets a lot of replies but I thought it was truthful and helpful. Thank you for the nice comment!
I think this video got a lot of thumbs down because of the title. It says “why I HATE my rooftop tent”, when really you’re discussing some of the issues of RTT use and ownership. In the video it didn’t come across as hating on the RTT, more about being aware of x y z before purchasing.
The bug splatter, simple solution is to add a wind deflector to take the bug juice. It wouldn’t have to be anything overly complicated. If it bugged (pardon the pun) that much, you’d already have this worked out and installed. It could give slightly better fuel usage too.
very true 2nd point... just take a light ground tent that packs small with you anyway (MSR Hubba Hubba etc)
You can set it up so it's detachable from the roof, people in Australia do this.
Trade that FJ in for a truck and put it over the bed. It'd solve a lot of your issues. I have a cheap tp style hot tent from Amazon to use to mark my site. Truck bed = massive storage.
For anyone looking for a rooftop tent that isn’t $3,000, check out body armor’s tent. $900 and it has legit no issues with it I love mine
I just checked that roof top tent out online. Looks legit!
The smittybuilt is also around 900 and I’ve been using it for a year now and it’s great
@@edgarandreasyan521 I’ve heard smitty built is great, that’s actually how I found out about rooftop tents
@@rooftentinsider512 I bought mine a week after they came out which was June this summer, watched a lot of videos on expensive ones and people still seem to run into problems but everything with this one works smoothly. If you are looking to buy a rooftop tent I honestly think this one is the best, for the affordability. I feel like mines the same quality as all the $3,000 ones
@@drewlawrason4560 yes it’s been good I’m now trying to buy an annex and a awning to go along with then while setup lol
I have this exact tent. It's such a pain. Plus decreased mpg. Hind site 20-20. I would never purchase another one. The price and difficulty of these ridiculous tents are definitely not worth your money or time. Purchase a Coleman instant tent. Best tent ever.
Started with a smittybilt also same model upgraded to a tapui the biggest one they make same style just 4 to 6 person, put it on a trailer have non of the issues so much better than sleeping on the ground plus with the annex we get 50% more tent instantly.
Very good point. Thank u for sharing.
well if i where to own a roof top tent, id still bring a regular tent for those locations where its simply worth parking your car and traveling a bit on foot to get to a good spot and if u want a tent that's quick to setup a Popup tent is the choice
You sound like you need a teardrop camper. The roof tent works for me because i tow a trailer with two atvs. The truck just gets me to the camp the atvs are for exploring. As for the cover/grime in the later a power wash after a trip helps alot.
If leaving the camp site is an issue I would just leave a cheapy tent and cooler set up while your gone so that nobody takes your spot..
What a great video, thank you. And thanks for not promoting tattoos
1:45 ever thought of using it as a ground tent by taking it off?
3:03 there is a tent called ikamper that has a 1 minute set up
I don''t understand why these are even popular. No one ever said, 'I wish I could sleep on my car roof' when i grew up camping
If that's all the negatives ...I'm getting one
Leave a cheap $5 ground tent from Goodwill at your camp when you drive away
More reasons- top heavy when you are crawling and for what you pay, it's hard to see the value.
Helpful video but I don’t think I’ve heard any issue that I couldn’t easy solve
@@khmerbraveheart lol
This affirms my decision to get a simple pop up.
If you’re going to complain about wanting to camp by a lake and how it’s hard to get your dog up in the dang tent on top of your car maybe you should have just gotten a regular tent