Roof Top Tent - Brutally Honest Pros AND Cons

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Roof Top Tent - Brutally Honest Pros AND Cons
Because something is popular, that means it's good, right? Well, no, of course not. I talk about the truthful ups and down of using a roof top tent. Practical applications and what you will appreciate, but what you also might hate. It's not all instagram glamour, you will need to understand the downsides before making this expensive purchase. RTT's are not for everyone, they were designed for serious overland traveling but have been adopted by the weekend crowd (including myself). Is that a good thing? (roof top tent vs ground tent)

00:00 Intro
00:58 Pros
05:15 Cons
14:41 Final Thoughts

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[BigRockOutdoors]

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[robertskillings]

Honest comparison from me... I have been camping all my life, from elk hunting every year at 10, 000 feet in the snow, to family time in the states. Toyota Sequoia 23zero RTT on the rack. No more 8 mpg pulling a camper which is huge problems with another axel and roof to maintain and cant go off road to some awesome places. No more spending half hr setting up and trenching a ground tent and waking up soaked from a storm. Constant battle keeping mud out. No more rocky and uneven ground to deal with, not to mention the bears etc. It takes 5 minutes to set up our RTT and were out of the elements with a view with tons of comfort. 2 mpg loss is nothing compares to pulling a trailer. It's well worth what we have invested. I think the important part is the vehicle it's mounted on. Have some power or don't get to big a tent. Have a good wind deflection in front from the rack. Get bikes or in our case E-bikes mounted on the back for travel to the store or exploring. It's really a great rig but takes time to afford investing in everything but nothing in comparison to any kind of trailer.. I also made a $150 dollar power winch lift for removal. One piece at a time they say.

[snowdrop]

Living in the UK we dont worry about bears and cougars and wolves. We do have one fox but we think it lives in Scotland

[finerbiner]

My wife and I moved up to a roof top a few years ago and everything you say is true. But, we can make the bed almost as comfortable as home and that is a huge deal. Until we retire and go full trailer, that will keep us camping.

[chrisknapick]

This was really helpful. We live near the ocean and would like to camp near the beach overnight to catch some paddleboarding early in the morning. A tent straight on the sand is not fun and dangerous (several people were killed recently when a truck ran over the tent during the night) so being up and off the ground is a big deal. You have some really good points made and a lot to think about. Thanks for taking the time.

[sampsonscott]

Hey! Just wanted to say I love your style and subtle humour! Thanks for the great video

[gaiholley]

You have made some excellent I used a rooftop tent to travel for six months around Australia and found it fantastic.... quick and easy to set up and extremely comfortable. Although having said that, the major downside was being stuck in place when set up. This really came home when camping on the Nullarbor South Australia when a brown snake made an appearance in camp. Subsequent camping trips we moved the rooftop tent to a 4wd trailer and it worked perfectly....

[albertmogul]

Great points on roof top tents. I’ve decided to go against the grain and pack my suv as if I’m backpack camping. Everything light and packable. Seems as if everyone wants to bring a house to the camp site. The simplicity of camping gets lost. I like pitching up a tent on the ground. Not instant pop tent. It gives you something to look forward to and do at the camp site. Just my thoughts. All the gear does look great on the jeep. But gas ain’t cheap. To each there own. As long as it makes you happy and enjoy the outdoors. That’s all that matters. Enjoy!! Life is too short . Make memories.

[milsurprifles]

I hog hunt in Texas, and we’ve had some 200-300lb. pigs come through in a sounder and root through camp, and being off the ground is a huge relief. Not too worried about mountain lions and stuff, but man, I’ve been in a ground tent and have been awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of pigs just outside the tent and it is not a good feeling. To me, that’s the #1 pro to a roof top tent for my use.

[mikemullis]

Weighing the pros and cons of putting one of these on my Jeep WranglerJLUR. Realistically I would use this 5-6 times a year to basecamp out of while I ride my KTM 500 which I carry on a hitch carrier. Currently I’m just carrying a large plastic tote that contains a tent and hammock rig that I choose when I get to camp. I use an air mattress in the tent. Also pro tip, I have a dedicated 1L Nalgene bottle so I don’t have to leave my tent at 2am. 😉

[amrmarzouk]

Thank you. This was informative. I agree with you on most of the points. I’m still looking and evaluating. I think I’ll use normal tent instead of over the top.

[neilfeliciano]

No matter where I overland and set up tent, internet always says theres cougars in my area. Thank god for roof top tents!

[shadyproductionsinc.]

Thank you very much for the pros, but mainly about the cons. I see your point of view from every aspect you mention.
I literally was going to invest in a RTT this week, I really do think I have to have a think again about doing so.
Thanks again from here in the UK 👍

[fltxb]

Awesome, honest info! Right or wrong, this video would keep me from ever going the rooftop tent route. So appreciate the honesty. Keep up the great work, between this and the Gladiator 1-year review, subbed to this channel for quality info!!

[MoonflowerGypsy]

Thanks for this. Some points I never even realised. Like petrol usage etc. Weight dynamics. I learnt alot here.

[CosmicLightSource]

I have a pick up (I'm in Scotland, UK) and was contemplating getting a roof tent simply so I could de-dog the cab and have them in the loadbay instead, but the cons you mentioned I'd thought of too, so I might just get a 270⁰ awning instead and put my mattress in the loadbay as usual. Current set up is a custom made loadbay tent as I don't have a canopy. A hardtop canopy with windows is on my priority list. You've helped me cement my decision. Thanks.

[mirthenemrys]

If i had a garrage, and one of these, i would certainly build some form of either manual(hoist chain) or motor driven(could use a cheap harbor freight pull motor) to lift it up to the ceiling both for storage and lack of enthusiastic helpers. Out side of having a garage, a 'rack' could be built in a drive way or similar to 'slide' the tent off on to it, think ive seen videos on this method somewhere.
For the mileage issue, yeah placement is key on these. On most truck beds a simple rack across the bed even shorter then yours would be best, both for helping with aerodynamics and center of gravity(lower the better). Also placing it close as possible to the cabin of the truck would help with that slip stream.
I do see people who keep theirs on year round... their trucks are generally spotless and they work 40+ hour office jobs, must be nice to afford that fuel bill each fill up these days ;)

[imbgdaug]

I'm not sold on getting one. 2 cons got me. One, once it's set up, your not moving. Two, having it on there all the time losing mileage is not good. I have a toyota rav4 and mainly for mileage. I will stick to my ground tents. Thank you for a great video.

[kennethhope]

Hysterical!!!! Cougar!!! I spit out my coffee!!!! Awesome

[TheOneBiteCannibal]

Mounted relatively low on an off-road-capable trailer is the way I went with mine. Make camp, unhook from the trailer and go play. And you're only dragging the tent setup around when you go camping.