Roof Top Tent or Ground Tent

[2011Supercab]

The biggest reason I don't have a RTT,

If it's raining and you want to drive the trails, into town, what ever, your packing a wet tent then setting it back up wet to sleep in that night.

Where with a ground tent or popup trailer, it stays reasonably dry inside.

 

[rubydist]

I agree that there is no 1 right answer, there are significant pros and cons to each.

I don't think that anyone mentioned that the RTT is also cooler than the ground tent, since it is up in the air the wind will affect it more. This is an advantage in the summer and a disadvantage in the colder times of the year.

 

[dvdswan]

I'm just a simple person. I've always used a regular tent when needed. No experience with a RTT. I have thought about getting one many times but always talk myself out of it thinking it would be better to get/build a camp trailer. Nothing outrageous just a simple teardrop with awnings. Plus, you have a kitchen, etc.

 

[Shran]

The biggest reason I don't have a RTT,

If it's raining and you want to drive the trails, into town, what ever, your packing a wet tent then setting it back up wet to sleep in that night.

Where with a ground tent or popup trailer, it stays reasonably dry inside.

My experience (a bunch of my friends had rooftop tents) is the exact opposite. They stay dry inside just fine. Some of them even have mattresses built in... couple guys I know even folded up their sleeping bags and stuff inside all the time. The outside stays wet and they REALLY suck to put away in cold weather or wet weather - but so do ground tents - and they're not usually covered with mud from the ground.

Mud on the ground and packing up a wet tent suck. I have an awning room and that's #1 of my two complaints, #2 being that it sucks to pack up in the wind and it's difficult for one person to set up. Otherwise we have used the crap out of it and it's been great - just has to be staked down really well.

I started out sleeping in the back of my Explorer when I first was using it for long camping trips. It was great. Literally everyone I know who had a RTT no longer has it and they either have a pickup topper or a camper trailer. Setup/tear down time/difficulty and a high COG, very heavy item to remove when not being used were the main reasons I saw my group go away from RTTs.

This is my ARB tent room setup, there are much cheaper options out there that are just as good.

 

[2011Supercab]

but so do ground tents - and they're not usually covered with mud from the ground.

But with a ground tent/tent trailer, you don't need to take it down to go to the store or drive some trails.

 

[Shran]

Yes. That's true. Teardown to run trails during the day is a major deal with my group. It's just a necessary evil... nobody particularly likes it but we never stay in the same spot more than one night. We've talked about doing a base camp type deal and that may change what equipment we have... I would 100% do a ground tent if we went that route.

 

[sgtsandman]

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

If you are going to have a base camp to return to for a couple of nights or more, the ground tent is going to be better overall. The downside is that you have extra dirt to deal with unless you thrown a tarp under it and you have the potential of visits by wildlife. But a a quick setup tent, like the tents eric and snoranger have do make them pretty darn convenient. Plus you don't have a load sitting up high but that kind of tent is pretty bulky. So will take up a significant amount of bed space.

If you are going to be in a new place every night, the RTT is going to be a better choice. The quickest and easiest to setup and take down are the hard shell models. They have the down side of usually being smaller than a bag model but are more resilient to abuse from vegetation on the trail, collect less road dust, you don't have to fight with the bag to get it closed, and the mpg penalty is less since it has a smoother shape and there is nothing flapping in the wind. Of course there is the load being up high that is a negative as well but it is out of the way and leaves more room for gear in the bed.

Both of the above are going to be quicker and more convenient to setup and take down over a traditional staked tent or a soft covered RTT. So, how important is convenience and setup/take down time for you? Which is going to work better for the Vagabond portion of the trip and the camping portion of the trip for the annual meet? Which is going to have more priority for you? I'm guessing the Vagabond portion is going to be night only stays and moving on. Also, what if you do the TAT again? Which will work best for that?

If you had a bigger bed, I would throw out the idea of truck bed camping but that 5" bed is just too cramped to sleep in, even for me. So, that really isn't an option.

You already nixed the idea of an off road trailer. That could have been the answer to both the Vagabond portion and the main meet portion since you could leave it hitched for an over night and disconnect for a more than one night stay. Of course, there is the drag penalty and something extra to worry about clearing something as you are driving along. A small off road trailer mitigates some of that but it could still be a hang up point you wouldn't otherwise have.

You could go the Two-man tent route to save on space and setup/take down time. With practice, you can set one of those up pretty quick and there are models out there that are almost like the Gazelle in setup time and won't require staking down. They can be pricey though and they aren't as small as a traditional stake down tent. Nor as light.

I'm just throwing out food for thought. Whichever way you go is going to be a compromise.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I did think about sleeping the back of my truck for the vagabond trip since I do have a 7' bed with a topper.

Kinda hard close close up the back end from the inside.

If you are in the back of the truck that means all of your gear has to be somewhere else. So instead of setting up and packing up a tent you are completely unloading and reloading a truck and all your gear sits outside or at best under the truck all night.

We always put a tarp under a tent FWIW

 

[sgtsandman]

I did think about sleeping the back of my truck for the vagabond trip since I do have a 7' bed with a topper.

Kinda hard close close up the back end from the inside.

If you are in the back of the truck that means all of your gear has to be somewhere else. So instead of setting up and packing up a tent you are completely unloading and reloading a truck and all your gear sits outside or at best under the truck all night.

We always put a tarp under a tent FWIW

If you're interested in looking into the truck bed camping rabbit hole. Facebook has a group on the subject. As far as closing the back end, some have attached a strap or a rope to the tailgate and the lift gate to close them. You could rig up a handle to operate the latch for the lift gate. There were some ideas about locking the lift gate from the inside too.

As far as the gear, that is a problem to work out. Some people build cabinets and shelves. Some do platforms with drawers and access panels so they can get into the drawers when the truck is closed up. Even others do a bit of both. But with you having the slide in, then you have something you need to take apart and store when you don't want it in the bed.

 

[Shran]

The other bummer of RTTs is that you don't have room to stand up and get dressed or whatever. So everyone I know, who had a RTT, also had an annex for dressing/cooking/pooping/etc. At that point you are setting up a ground tent anyway.

I tried the tarp-under-the-tent thing and it works great if you have a pickup that you can toss a wadded up muddy tarp into the back of. I quit using it when I camp in the Explorer - not a handy place to put a dirty tarp, I just live with the mud on the tent.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If you're interested in looking into the truck bed camping rabbit hole. Facebook has a group on the subject. As far as closing the back end, some have attached a strap or a rope to the tailgate and the lift gate to close them. You could rig up a handle to operate the latch for the lift gate. There were some ideas about locking the lift gate from the inside too.

As far as the gear, that is a problem to work out. Some people build cabinets and shelves. Some do platforms with drawers and access panels so they can get into the drawers when the truck is closed up. Even others do a bit of both. But with you having the slide in, then you have something you need to take apart and store when you don't want it in the bed.

I kinda keep going back to a trailer of some sort. Then everything has a home and i dont have to drag the christmas tree out to get to the camping tote. Are we taking the F-150, Ranger or Bronco? Who cares, any of them can pull it.

The other bummer of RTTs is that you don't have room to stand up and get dressed or whatever. So everyone I know, who had a RTT, also had an annex for dressing/cooking/pooping/etc. At that point you are setting up a ground tent anyway.

I tried the tarp-under-the-tent thing and it works great if you have a pickup that you can toss a wadded up muddy tarp into the back of. I quit using it when I camp in the Explorer - not a handy place to put a dirty tarp, I just live with the mud on the tent.

We always did it more to help keep stuff from stuff from stabbing thru the floor.

 

[Shran]

You could get a service topper if you were worried about getting locked in by the tailgate. This one and my Chevy topper at work can both be opened from inside.

I scored this lil fella for free and my plan was to do exactly that with it but it's a hair too long for a Ranger (fits a Dakota) and modifying it to fit turned out to be a huge undertaking.

 

[snoranger]

I’m still interested in the Intech Flyer… but someone said Vagabonds don’t need no trailers.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You could get a service topper if you were worried about getting locked in by the tailgate. This one and my Chevy topper at work can both be opened from inside.

I scored this lil fella for free and my plan was to do exactly that with it but it's a hair too long for a Ranger (fits a Dakota) and modifying it to fit turned out to be a huge undertaking.

View attachment 101673

I saw one of those awhile ago that was in a newer (98-11) longbed Ranger that was tempting.

I mulled it but I had a hard to committing my truck that hard to it. My truck is pretty versatile how it is, I don't know if that style of topper would help it do much more than "overland" which I only do once or twice a year. I have heard that style of door is supposed to be best for keeping dust out though.

 

[Fast Eddie]

The other bummer of RTTs is that you don't have room to stand up and get dressed or whatever. So everyone I know, who had a RTT, also had an annex for dressing/cooking/pooping/etc. At that point you are setting up a ground tent anyway.

I tried the tarp-under-the-tent thing and it works great if you have a pickup that you can toss a wadded up muddy tarp into the back of. I quit using it when I camp in the Explorer - not a handy place to put a dirty tarp, I just live with the mud on the tent.

When I tent camped, I'd put the tarp on the inside. It was large enough to go up along the edges (about 3") and around the corners, causing rain water to go 'around' the tent while keeping the floor dry. I learned that one the hard way