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Howdy folks
I'm thinking of selling our tent trailer and purchasing a tent for over the canopy of my tacoma. I'll do a bunch of research on my end but was wondering what everyone else's experiences have been.
Are there brands to stay away from?
Are there specific styles that are better than others?
I live on Van Isl and it gets pretty wet, which is one reason for getting rid of the tent trailer -- does that impact the style I should be considering?
Thanks in advance!
J
I love my GFC.
I'm on the fence about selling it. If someone wants to by my Tacoma I would sell it.
If you want to see it anytime - I'm in Vancouver.
Cheers,
A tent that you have to take down to use the rig...that costs 2 grand, is heavy, and needs to be set up to dry out...plus it's heavy and awkward to mount/dismount, AND it increases the drag on your truck? What's not to like?! As an added bonus everyone will know you totally do overland stuff. I believe that to mount one on a tacoma you're also required to have at least one rotopax and a set of mattracks on display at all times, or you can't go to tacoma owners Starbucks nights.
Jokes aside, I'm not a fan. It has all the drawbacks of a tent, with the added inconvenience of a slide in camper.
The climb in from under neath style tent is better as you can stay inside the annex to cook, dress, hide from game. I have mine mounted so that it opens over the back of my Land Cruiser.
Brand names are better for warranty for sure, and names that are not some off-shore fly-by-night brand - like ARB, Tepui and a few others (all made in China).
I have had couple of ARBs and used to sell them when I was located in Duncan. I have been using these tents since before it was all the rage here in Canada - starting about 14 years ago.
I currently have an ARB Simpson III with Annex that I've used a lot, and even in some decently cold weather (eg: -8C while in the Peace Region)
**Make sure it has good quality zippers!!**
Yes, RTTs do have their drawbacks but also lots of advantages to campers and such.
Drying out is not a big deal, no worse than a tent trailer.
The Annex is worth having.
They all do reasonably well in wet and windy weather if you cinch them down properly.
Take-down and set-up can get pretty efficient, and is easier if it's not too cold out as the cover will flex better.
There are some good hard shell units available now too. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons of each style.
NH3
The upsides to having a rooftop tent have far outweighed the cons.
It’s not as convenient to air out as a regular tent (which you can just pop up in an apartment bathroom for a day), but it really isn’t too bad to deal with.
My gas mileage didn’t change one lick when I added my RTT. However, I’ve got it mounted on a half rack, so the top of it sits more or less flush with the roof of my cab. I ran the truck for about 5,000 km before I put the tent on it, and I’ve done about 13k since.
I wouldn’t not recommend the iKamper brand - I have the mini - but I also wouldn’t say it’s better than my buddies $2k CVT hard-shell.