Tappa
Member
Last time it was about recovery and this time it's about comfort, at night that is.
I have several on the ground tents that we've used over the years and I have nothing against them as they come in handy and do their job well. However I've been very interested in Roof Top Tents or RTTs as they are referred to these days, due to the quick set up time and the advantage of being off the ground. The quick set up is nice when the weather turns bad or it's getting dark very quickly. The advantages to being elevated above the ground are for me the best part. Safety is one thing that comes to mind. If I'm on the ground, I'm subject to crawling things like scorpions, snakes and other wildlife forms that might visit camp during the night. Secondly is comfort which comes from having the sleeping area elevated helping to catch slight breezes on warm nights as well as a nice mattress to stretch out on. The disadvantages are: you are more exposed to high winds and blowing rain and it's a pain to climb down the ladder in the middle of the night to use the facilities if any. I'll take the safety and comfort of being up high. Now one thing I didn't mention which might make a difference to some is that putting this thing back down in the morning can be a bit frustrating as it is not as easy at it would seem. With a little practice it's doable and packs up just fine.
Back to the build, I didn't have a lot of money saved up for an RTT so I began to look at used ones online and after some time and energy spent researching I came upon a situation where a dealer was selling out his stock in RTTs and had three left at very reduced prices at 50% off. I called and it was a couple of hour drive to go and look at them. Off we went and came back with the tent installed on the vehicle for $1000 cash and the man even took me to the hardware store to find some brackets we needed to make the RTT fit my roof rack. It took most of the day but upon returning home I had my over-landing housing installed and ready for the first night of wonderful sleep at camp.
I have several on the ground tents that we've used over the years and I have nothing against them as they come in handy and do their job well. However I've been very interested in Roof Top Tents or RTTs as they are referred to these days, due to the quick set up time and the advantage of being off the ground. The quick set up is nice when the weather turns bad or it's getting dark very quickly. The advantages to being elevated above the ground are for me the best part. Safety is one thing that comes to mind. If I'm on the ground, I'm subject to crawling things like scorpions, snakes and other wildlife forms that might visit camp during the night. Secondly is comfort which comes from having the sleeping area elevated helping to catch slight breezes on warm nights as well as a nice mattress to stretch out on. The disadvantages are: you are more exposed to high winds and blowing rain and it's a pain to climb down the ladder in the middle of the night to use the facilities if any. I'll take the safety and comfort of being up high. Now one thing I didn't mention which might make a difference to some is that putting this thing back down in the morning can be a bit frustrating as it is not as easy at it would seem. With a little practice it's doable and packs up just fine.
Back to the build, I didn't have a lot of money saved up for an RTT so I began to look at used ones online and after some time and energy spent researching I came upon a situation where a dealer was selling out his stock in RTTs and had three left at very reduced prices at 50% off. I called and it was a couple of hour drive to go and look at them. Off we went and came back with the tent installed on the vehicle for $1000 cash and the man even took me to the hardware store to find some brackets we needed to make the RTT fit my roof rack. It took most of the day but upon returning home I had my over-landing housing installed and ready for the first night of wonderful sleep at camp.
