Roof top tent design and innovation.
Posted by Initial_d180@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 35 comments
Is it me or there been little to no innovation or improvement in the industry in terms of roof top tents? I find everything is pretty vanilla and cookie cutter. Especially when looking at clamshell tents it’s basically either all Chinese designs for the past 5 years or an alucab , the bush company. GFC seems ideal however single wall fabric turns me off. Anyone have any thoughts? It seems no one can actually hit the mark and check all the boxes.
slanger686@reddit
As someone who sleeps comfortably inside my car, how are the latest RTTs holding up in heavy wind and/or rain conditions? I couldn't imagine being up that high with heavy wind gusts knocking you around and/or the tent fabric getting soaked and then having to collapse it while wet and move on to the next destination.
Quizzar@reddit
I sleep in the car and some of my camping mates sleep in a RTT. Both have their pluses and minuses. Only downside is space, you don`t have as much space inside and you always have to move stuff around. With a RTT, you just pop it up, set up your sleeping bags and pillows and you`re ready to call it a night.
slanger686@reddit
Nice drawer system! I keep my bed and driver seat clear at all times so it's easy to go to bed and get up and go the next morning. With that said I've pretty much optimized what I bring as much as possible so there is now wasted space 👍
5corch@reddit
I've slept in mine with some pretty high wind gusts, and stability (mounted to a full size truck) and comfort are fine. The fabric gets a bit loud in really high winds though. Rain is also not an issue while inside the tent, but it can be a bit annoying to pack up when wet. Not much of an issue though as things dry fast around here.
slanger686@reddit
That's good! I live in Pacific Northwest and always have had issues with packing wet tents away and then drying them out at home and still have musty smell issues.
drewforty@reddit
I just installed my rtt but slept in the back for a few nights prior. I got tired of moving my gear in and out to free up space. It was also cramped and difficult to level as my whole cargo floor was slanted pretty steep. I imagine the right platform setup would be nice, but then I’m likely going to the roof for supplies instead. Lots of trade offs. I think once you go to a fridge setup you basically have to give up on sleeping inside.
slanger686@reddit
That thing sitting on my blue tote is a portable 23 qt fridge running off a Jackery 1000. I always keep my bed and driver seat clear so it's easy to go to sleep and drive off the next morning without having to rearrange a bunch of crap. I also made my own simple bed platform to level the rear seat sleeping area and store a folding table and 200W solar panel under the bed. I also fit my 11' inflatable paddle board in the rear driver side seat with no space limitations. I understand this setup only works for one person but for my needs it's great and I have great fuel economy travelling to Baja and back. Here is a pic of my gear from two days ago on south Oregon coast (in the north coast area now).
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Innovate on what? At a certain point, you hit a wall where the next improvement is marginal at best.
Look at the phone in your hand. It's got more megapixels and a quicker processor. But has anything meaningfully improved by a lot in the past decade?
Initial_d180@reddit (OP)
I agree to a degree but after almost 10 years of clamshell tents not one person can make a 80x50 under 150 lbs double walled fabric and 100% aluminum not made in china regardless of price just seems odd.
obmasztirf@reddit
My iKamper mini is only 125lbs.
drewforty@reddit
TopOak Galaxy Light is 51”, <5” thick, all aluminum, 120lb. Made in China like the rest though. I’m happy with mine so far especially for the price (just installed).
vasserland@reddit
The Alu-cab Gen 3R is like double walled, slightly larger and like 152 lbs...
shadow247@reddit
The market is bottoming out. The rapid growth is over for Overlanding. Companies like GFC will struggle in the next few years as things really cool off.
Hyr079@reddit
I've got the air cruiser RTT. Self-inflates in about 7 minutes with an onboard compressor. Packs down very small. Fits two adults and a kid. Absolutely love it. Definitely quite different from clamshells!
aerodynamix@reddit
How is the take down process? Would it be practical to take down every night?
Hyr079@reddit
super fast. collapses and folded within 2 minutes flat. maybe another 2 minutes to put the cover back on and cinch it up.
in_theory@reddit
I really like The idea of inflatable rooftop tents. Weight and costs seem to be the two big issues for inflatables.
Does it feel stable in high winds? How much does it weigh??
Hyr079@reddit
It's super light. around 100lbs. you can take the foam mattress out easily.
I haven't had it in high wind yet, but overall it is surprisingly strong and stable. I have no concern about taking it into bad weather. FWIW the noise of camping in high wind is often what bugs me most, and the fabric is heavy weight enough that I think it'd be OK. I've definitely had many a night of ground camping in an ultra light tent on windy plains where the flapping noise kept me awake until dawn.
in_theory@reddit
I'm in the same boat with wind noise. I was thinking inflatables might give you the stability to keep it quiet during high winds and still be light enough to be reasonable. I need to find one that's low profile so it doesn't kill my efficiency 😂
in_theory@reddit
That tent looks great! Link below. My only issue is the packed height. It looks fat when folded!
I wish somebody made uninflatable tent that folded into the profile of a standard clamshell or similar profile.
https://air-cruiser.cinchpopuptents.com/
Le-Bon-Vivant@reddit
I remember when iKamper came out with Skycamp years ago, which was very innovative at the time. Now almost every company has a Chinese made copy. Check out some of the inflatable rooftop tents. Seems really promising & extremely durable in harsh weather.
in_theory@reddit
I like the idea of inflatables. What's your favorite?
Le-Bon-Vivant@reddit
https://air-cruiser.cinchpopuptents.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22979027914&gclid=CjwKCAjw1tLOBhAMEiwAiPkRHvmFLcVC_epa0FORUyvJGY3N_R82Htgmj_oBBnpI4SKeAnMKsmETExoC8_8QAvD_BwE
Temporary-Cricket455@reddit
I personally think with RTT, lighter is the innovation point. People are strapping 200+ lbs 6-8ft off the ground and that really affects off-road and overlanding performance. Inspired Overland and their 80-90lb tents is pretty cool. There’s some neat tents that have big foot areas and fancy hinges, but they tend to be 200+ lbs, which maybe isn’t a big deal if you like gravel roads, but sucks the second you try to actually rock crawl and off-road.
This is all coming from someone who has had a Smittybuikt XL Gen1, homemade GFC style camper, and now settled on a mid-height rack + ikamper Skycamp mini, which is a happy middle ground with a 5ft bed.
honkytonkzero@reddit
Haven’t had a problem with a go fast off roading and doing some serious crawling, I think it’s the people with those big metal boxes on a smaller pickup like a Toyota that are going to see problems
drewforty@reddit
Most of the ultra lights have aluminum joists as floors and fabric bed-cover style roofs, which kinda makes me feel like I’d be better off with a nice ground tent. I went with the TopOak Galaxy Light bc all aluminum shell, 120lb - as light as I could find for all metal construction.
Muted_Ad_461@reddit
Yeah I kind of feel the same, most of the clamshell options look like slight variations of the same design, materials and layout haven’t really changed much over the past few years,
A lot of brands seem to be playing it safe, probably because the current designs already work and are easier to manufacture at scale, especially with so many coming out of the same supply chain,
GFC is interesting for sure, super lightweight and clean, but yeah the single wall is a dealbreaker for some people, especially in colder or wetter conditions,
Feels like everyone is stuck choosing between weight, durability, insulation and price, but no one really nails all of them at once,
Curious what you’d consider the “ideal” setup, what features are missing for you right now,
in_theory@reddit
My ideal tent would have: Weight under 100lb Profile under 5" Adding a hinge to maximize headroom is great. 3-4" self inflating mattress. Durable construction obvs.
Bonus points for insulation, hard sides, and two ply walls.
in_theory@reddit
The dometic TRT 140 AIR looks solid at 105 lbs from a known company but the high profile from the trifold is a tough pill to swallow. Could be a good option for truck bed racks at lower heights.
Dometic TRT 140 AIR | Dometic https://share.google/Gk3xMHB2rkQR21s8j
-WeOutHere-@reddit
I saw a new prototype design on instagram the other day. Standard wedge shape but instead of cloth, the sides were carbon fibre with a hinge across the middle. Allows it to be lighter and low profile.
in_theory@reddit
I like this. Weight under 100lb is ideal. Profile under 5" for minimal hit to efficiency Adding a hinge to maximize headroom is great. 3-4" mattress. Seems like this could be done for under $5k at launch and $2-3k after a few years.
Ya_Boi_Newton@reddit
Yeah and its $20k
Tonkatte@reddit
The most innovative RTT I’ve seen was a clamshell design with (folding) rigid side panels. American made, but I’ve seen a Chinese version since.
I believe RedTailOverland was the innovator, and they really dialed it in.
Kerensky97@reddit
Roof Top Tent Circa 1950s
They charge $1000 of these today. I guess the ladder is improved. The same vent at the top of the tent though.
Alb3rn-@reddit
The limits on innovation are the result of most of the RTT industry being made up of fabless brands that catalog-design from 2 OEMs in China.
There are only a small handful of OEMs unfortunately.