Rooftop Tents - Show em and what you like and don't like

[nc_beagle]

For those afraid of heights. This worked pretty well for me.

 

[Playmaker10]

I decided on a 23Zero Walkabaout 62". As their headquarters are 25 minutes away I wanted to support local for one. But their mattresses were substantially thicker and more comfortable than anything I tried. I really would have preferred the hardshell Kabari (or new Armadillo) for setup/takedown ease but chose the softshell for a few reasons. 1) Couldn't justify the increased cost of the hardshell for how infrequently I use it. 2) The softshell has substantially more room. 3) The 23Zero softshells fold out and allow for an annex attachment which would allow us to have another place to let the dog sleep instead of building a ramp system to get him up safely.


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That's looks really clean. We'll done!

 

[jgdblue]

Here’s some pictures of what was my setup until I traded my truck last week.

RCI HD 12 inch high rack with tonneau cover adapters. Tent is an FSR Evolution 55, awning is an FSR batwing 270. I love the whole setup, the tent goes up and down in a minute or less, the awning is freestanding without poles and goes in and out even quicker. I have the optional roof racks on top of the tent to mount kayaks, bikes, roof box, etc.

The tent is 87” long and sits just about flush with the end of the tailgate. I traded my truck for a Laramie Sport with a 5’ 7” box, so now I’ll have some overhang over the tailgate, but the tent will be in the same position on the rack front to back, so weight distribution will be the same. I traded for a short box as the truck will now be a daily driver, and I wanted a shorter wheelbase as the longer truck is a little unwieldy at times.

The tent is very comfortable and well made, as is the awning. I previously had a 23zero Walkabout 62 and that was my favorite rooftop tent, just huge and extremely comfortable. I sold it and went with the FSR because I wanted something that went up and down quick, so we could drive to a different spot to ride, or grab coffee or food.

I’ll post up pictures of my new setup once I get it finished up!

 

[JerryBsizzle]

Did some searching, but can't really find a thread on rooftop tents. I'm not a stranger to rooftop tents, but never had one myself. I'm about to move out of a parking garage at work so I'll be able to add height to my truck now. I hunt public land and do a lot of tent camping in a Kodiak canvas tent. Really want something a little quicker and up off the ground though. My dad bought an iKamper Mini in the summer of 2020, sold it before Christmas! He never thought about climbing down to pee, and he goes 3 or 4 times a night lmao.

I really would like to hear thoughts on people with a hardshell and why you like it or dislike it, and the same for a soft tent. I like the idea of more room in the soft tents that double in size when folded open. Also I would not want it longer than my bed. I already have a Yakima rack. Thanks! Pics of my dad's iKamper and my rack.

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Since I had asked the question about rooftop tents and I've been camping this weekend, I figured I could update with some pics of my setup and you may see why I'm hesitant to go to a rooftop tent (but part of me really wants to)

 

[1BADRAMLIMITED]

Here’s some pictures of what was my setup until I traded my truck last week.

RCI HD 12 inch high rack with tonneau cover adapters. Tent is an FSR Evolution 55, awning is an FSR batwing 270. I love the whole setup, the tent goes up and down in a minute or less, the awning is freestanding without poles and goes in and out even quicker. I have the optional roof racks on top of the tent to mount kayaks, bikes, roof box, etc.

The tent is 87” long and sits just about flush with the end of the tailgate. I traded my truck for a Laramie Sport with a 5’ 7” box, so now I’ll have some overhang over the tailgate, but the tent will be in the same position on the rack front to back, so weight distribution will be the same. I traded for a short box as the truck will now be a daily driver, and I wanted a shorter wheelbase as the longer truck is a little unwieldy at times.

The tent is very comfortable and well made, as is the awning. I previously had a 23zero Walkabout 62 and that was my favorite rooftop tent, just huge and extremely comfortable. I sold it and went with the FSR because I wanted something that went up and down quick, so we could drive to a different spot to ride, or grab coffee or food.

I’ll post up pictures of my new setup once I get it finished up!


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That looks super functional, I might copy this setup. Thanks for sharing.

 

[boogielander]

Since I had asked the question about rooftop tents and I've been camping this weekend, I figured I could update with some pics of my setup and you may see why I'm hesitant to go to a rooftop tent (but part of me really wants to)
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okay that's really nice setup lol
the one thing i miss about ground tent like that is the footprint and interior space.

if you are camping at developed campground with flat surface most of the time then i'd say stick with what you got.
but if you're going to camp at public land and do more dispersed camping, clean flat surface is going to be hard to find. I do 99% dispersed camping that's why I go with RTT. That and also fast deployment and take down. (regarding flat ground: you can always level the truck with rocks, leveling blocks, etc to make leveled sleeping surface for RTT)

so i'd ask myself: am i going to do more dispersed camping more, or do more developed campground camping? Do I really want to be deploying and taking down fast? If yes to both questions, then RTT is the way to go!

 

[Funky6rudda]

Hey guys, im looking to mount my RTT on my 2020 limited but struggling to find a low profile rack to mount it on. My bed rails seem to be different to every other ram ive seen. Any recomendations? ideally want it to be removable for off season. This is with the end cap removed, i dont mind loosing the tonneau cover.

 

[boogielander]

Hey guys, im looking to mount my RTT on my 2020 limited but struggling to find a low profile rack to mount it on. My bed rails seem to be different to every other ram ive seen. Any recomendations? ideally want it to be removable for off season. This is with the end cap removed, i dont mind loosing the tonneau cover.

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get rid of that cover and that rail. that rail looks like aftermarket add on and not OE.
go with a mid height bed rack from RCI or Chassis Unlimited that clamp on to the channel underneath the top of the plastic cover piece that runs from bulkhead to the tailgate

 

[Funky6rudda]

get rid of that cover and that rail. that rail looks like aftermarket add on and not OE.
go with a mid height bed rack from RCI or Chassis Unlimited that clamp on to the channel underneath the top of the plastic cover piece that runs from bulkhead to the tailgate

That rail came from Dodge over here in Dubai maybe its different in the US.
This is what i ended up with, i had a custom made rack which allow me to mount things on the side but also open them so i still have full access to my ramboxes. Pretty happy with it!

 

[boogielander]

That rail came from Dodge over here in Dubai maybe its different in the US.
This is what i ended up with, i had a custom made rack which allow me to mount things on the side but also open them so i still have full access to my ramboxes. Pretty happy with it!

oh maybe it's different over there then!
interesting that they put differnet things over there!

glad it worked out for you and ironman stuff are quite decent too

 

[Jedi9]

Smittybuilt Gen II with awning coming off the other side (cooking) of the trailer

 

[boogielander]

just realized i never updated my setup here.
as some of yall know i sold the bedrack and roof tent setup to a gofastcamper.



i think it still counts with the tent integrated, just I got access to the tent from inside the camper vs from outside like before.
This is actually very beneficial for my trip to Arctic Ocean, because now I got interior space to work and hangout when the weather's not good outside, and all of my gears are stored inside the camper kept clean instead of getting dirty being left in the open bed with the bed rack and RTT setup. I actually gained more storage space with the camper.