Anyone have experience with a Roof Top Tent?



Just purchased this RTT:

The Autana Ruggedized™ is the toughest roof top tent on the market. It is perfect for 4x4 trailers and tough off-road rigs.

- Two built-in screened SKY panels which allow for a great view of the stars and surrounding vistas when the rainfly is removed
- Diamond Plate Base
- 360g Dual Stitched Fabric (40% heavier than standard models)
- Anti-condensation mat (1/2") under the mattress
- Fully wrapped 3/4" heavy duty internal frame
- Heavy duty 3-bolt hinges and welded aluminum base construction
- Extra-large internal pockets, gear anchor points, & bedding Straps
- Fully enclosed annex featuring the same heavy duty material used for the tent canvas (designed around a vehicle height of ~72-inches).

Nope, but you better remember where you are when you roll out for a 3 AM whiz.

LOL. That’d be my damn luck.

I’d sure like one of those, though in an area where there are a lot of rattlesnakes!

Someone needs prostate pills....

Wow! Looks like it would attract tornadoes better than a trailer park.

And all this time I've been using the ground.

It will buckle your roof . Guaranteed.

I'd certainly be shy of playing bouncy-bouncy.

They are pretty popular with the truck camping and overland crowd i watch a bit of on you tube. They seem to like them. They say that they make their jeeps a bit top heavy but I never seen any reports of damaging the roof.

those things are stupid expensive

Those things are all over the place here in the mountains of Utah. I can see it on a truck because the racks are very stout. On top of an SUV I’m just not sure about.

First time I ever knew they made such a contraption.

They start at over $1000 and if you add luxuries like a ladder and a roof, they can top $3000. I'm content with terra firma, thank you.
As far as bending a roof or a rack, a car's roof rack should have a weight rating. It would be wise to find out what it is.

Where the roads are somewhat drive-able, I hunt and camp out of a beater minivan with sto-n-go seats ... If I needed to go other places that are too much for the Chrysler I take a truck and a tent... rougher still I am on foot.

I've had my minivan places that a city boy would have stuck a Jeep... my secret on driving a minivan in the mountains is that I just don't give a damn about hurting it.

Setting a teepee on top of a BMW SUV may be for some, but not me.

I've camped on and off for 40 years. I've camped out of truck shell and all manner of tents. I'm sitting here scratching my head and wondering why anyone would want to do this.

I can think of all kind of downsides. I can't think of a single upside to the arrrangement.

Having a tent on the ground allows you to use the ground for insulation. You can manage your heat budget by managing your contact with the ground.

Camping inside a vehicle gives you ready shelter. You open the back of the truck cap or whatever, and your bed is there and a little this and that, and you're tucked in. The problem is that the metal truck bed is a big heat sink. Once it gets below 50F, you've got to have insulation or the heat will get sucked out of you.

This contraption? I can't think where there's any benefit. What I do see is that you're doing all your set-up over your head and not down on the ground.

How do you procreate in this thing? I fathered at least one son out of a tent for sure-- not so sure on another. I've had a lot of practice in this arena. Intercourse is one of the main reasons for tent camping, isn't it? Does it require extra tie-downs? A ground crew? I'm bloody well sure everyone in the dang campground is going to know what's going on. You get a guy like me and one of my larger partners in a contraption like that, and you could roll the whole freaking rig!

When you see one on top of a 3/4 ton diesel with 6 inch lift kit and 35 inch tires you sit there and wonder what the hell.

Bought one this summer......4Wheel Parts....

Smittybuilt.......$700 shipped complete......tent...ladder......rain fly......heavy cover

weighs 115 lbs......includes nice mattress (stays in tent)....plenty of windows/skylights

Easy to set up.......actually rather comfy......wife loves it....well made product

This one is the budget series.......you can spend $3K if you wish.....

The rack is where you get beat up......paid $399 on Flea Bay for mine.....universal type

1.5" tubing to fit standard truck bed.....Tacoma mounts are $6-700 different mfg's

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/smittybilt-overlander-roof-top-tent-2783/_/R-DSBP-2783

Henry Mtn's Utah.......



Boulder Mtn's Utah

Tikka that setup I can see and really not much different that a shell. It’s when there on top of the shell 8 feet off the ground that I don’t get.

If you are an overlander, especially in a Jeep, it is a matter of room and convenience.

Late fall and wintertime use would not be wise, as stated earlier. I am going to put the Smittybilt one on my little Jeep trailer...

Why buy a tent that doesn't sit on the ground? Seems to be an answer to a question that was never asked.

After seeing tikkanut's tent on the truck, I have (if I can find it) a tent that goes in the back of the truck. Sleep on the truck bed floor, not on a platform.

Bunk beds are bad enough. That thing would be a pain in the butt.

Set up and take down, give or take 5 minutes.