I don't understand open bed trucks with racks and tents.

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Lanlubber In Remembrance

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I see a new thread coming, Overlanding chicken coop builds! “How many hens you running?” “You doing a house or a tractor?” :laughing:
I had 20 in that one, Three turned out to be Roosters so I gave them to a lady who raises chickens. I gave that coop-pen to my ex girlfriend as a
wedding present.:laughing: It was a house with a pen. The house was 24" above a chicken run below. The house was two story inside an they loved it that winter after the build. I built two more for my current chickens but I only allow 6 chickens to each pen that are 8 'x 8' x 6' high.
Video included here:

 

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Wallygator

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Same back ground and I agree, where is the advantage of an RTT unless it is on an SUV. Even more perplexing to me is the RTT on a trailer craze. Almost every one I see the RTT is too low to get proper access to the trailer. I am sure the RTT is going to be a short term craze.

The hard shell RTT like the James Baroud on a Wrangler make perfect sense. A sleep platform as secure, durable, compact as a Thule. With a 5 second setup time. And you can drive/reposition fully setup. But the average RTT is exactly why I no longer tent. Setup/Packup is way too complicated.... especially in the rain.

Flame me if you want but thats my view on RTTs.

View attachment 104189

I agree with your views on "traditional" roof top tents. The set up and take down is simply not worth it IMO. I specifically picked a tent that would go up faster than putting the vehicle in park, turning it off, and walking to the back of the vehicle. An it stows away just about as fast. On off road trailers it's as simple as having a lid that flips up, which is possible with a tent mounted on the lid. The trailer is actually more suited to the "tradional" style of RTT as that style of tent is hinged in the middle. However, I think the RTT "craze" is far from short term, I believe it's here to stay.
 

MMc

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haha you have to ask our wives for this answer. My wife says the same thing. I personally dont want a camper or canopy anyway because I want to be able to access the whole bed from outside without having to pull everything out or climb to the back of a canopy. I also dont want to store a spare and jerry cans where I sleep so a camper is out for me. I also need to be able to remove the whole thing easily so I can still use my truck when I am not overlanding. I have an electric winch mounted to the roof of my garage so I can easily remove the whole system at once by myself. But yeah, I dont think any of us think it is an old man thing but our wives certainly do lol
The truck is a driveway queen, I can do most the everything around the house as it sits, I use a rack for all my flammables, right behind the surfboards. Taking the rack and shell off is a major pain in the a$$. I went with 315 tires so they would fit in the wheel carrier.
When I was selling and driving I used a Honda minivan. Got all kind of crap from friends about a minivan mom. I didn't tell them I keep a 9.0 longboad safe when the surf was good. What I drive has nothing to do with who I am.
 

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JButtress

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I see a lot of trucks here with a open bed, the rack with a roof top tent, why? What is the advantage. Is it because of the cost? is it most beds are short these days? Why no shell/topper? Why not a pop-up shell.
I have a long bed truck, shell and a overhead rack. The rack is for my toys, Surfboards, Kayaks, Fishing rods. whatever, sometimes I sit up there and watch the surf... I can sleep in the back and my stuff stays dry in the rain. It doesn't get dusty or muddy. It's mostly safe when I park somewhere and leave my truck. When I had smaller trucks brought a tent to keep stuff or sleep in, the rack/s was for toys and gear.
If this offends some of you, I apologize in advance. I just don't understand. If it works for you please tell me why.
In all honesty for me, who has a Silverado with a bed rack and roof top tent...I dont like the look of the shells. Not saying they look bad by any means, but just not for me
 
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Wampa150

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I see a lot of trucks here with a open bed, the rack with a roof top tent, why? What is the advantage. Is it because of the cost? is it most beds are short these days? Why no shell/topper? Why not a pop-up shell.
I have a long bed truck, shell and a overhead rack. The rack is for my toys, Surfboards, Kayaks, Fishing rods. whatever, sometimes I sit up there and watch the surf... I can sleep in the back and my stuff stays dry in the rain. It doesn't get dusty or muddy. It's mostly safe when I park somewhere and leave my truck. When I had smaller trucks brought a tent to keep stuff or sleep in, the rack/s was for toys and gear.
If this offends some of you, I apologize in advance. I just don't understand. If it works for you please tell me why.

I don’t have a RTT, although I like the idea. My F-150 is an open bed and an old Con-Ferr I floated over it flush. I use it for hunting but it has been pretty handy for Overlanding as well. During hunting, I can keep my spendy and dangerous stuff in the bed. With the tailgate locked, you can’t get anything out. I did leave the sides open so I can reach in to shift things around, but nothing can be pulled out. The rack now doubles my bed capacity. I’m running 35’s so a spare takes up a lot of room. It goes on the rack with a Plano that holds my bedding, a Pelican 1740 trunk and mobile compressor (cased). I also have a removable winch I can put up there if the Pelican goes in the bed. The trunk has wheels so it glides in and out of the bed. There’s a lot you can do with a bed rack and also a lot you can’t. You’re on the right path. Ask questions and figure out what works for you. Don’t be afraid to try some stuff out
 
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tjZ06

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I ended up going with a WJ, partly because I already had it, but then I probably already had it with this in mind...

...aaaannyway, I totally "get" the idea of the RTT on a rack in the bed of a pickup. For me, having a pickup bed would be nice for some of the stuff you don't want in the interior of your Jeep (firepit/firewood, garbage, extra fuel, game if you hunt, chainsaw, recovery gear, somewhere to throw-off muddy clothes/boots, etc.). Additionally you can have RTT and get the usual advantages (don't have to find a rock/root free spot for a ground tent, up away from bugs 'n little critters, perceived safety from bigger critters, etc.) without being nearly as high. But honestly, the big draw for me would be having the top of the RTT even with the top of the cab of the truck (when stowed). This would be much better for aero (helping with wind noise and MPG) as well as better for tree-lined trails. If I was spending somebody else's money I'd love to do a Jeep Gladiator for those reasons.

-TJ
 
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Wampa150

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In all honesty for me, who has a Silverado with a bed rack and roof top tent...I dont like the look of the shells. Not saying they look bad by any means, but just not for me
If you’re familiar with the Pandra, he’s got a setup I think you’re looking for. It’s a Tundra, not a Chev but it’s still a full size truck. The problem is that the after market is so Jeep/Toyota focused that the domestic guys get left out in the Overlanding goodies arena. Most of my stuff is one-off.
 

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If you’re familiar with the Pandra, he’s got a setup I think you’re looking for. It’s a Tundra, not a Chev but it’s still a full size truck. The problem is that the after market is so Jeep/Toyota focused that the domestic guys get left out in the Overlanding goodies arena. Most of my stuff is one-off.
Yep one off custom made... But, for me it is fun to custom design and make your own stuff.. I love it when guys with jeeps ask me where they can get my stuff... lol
 

JButtress

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If you’re familiar with the Pandra, he’s got a setup I think you’re looking for. It’s a Tundra, not a Chev but it’s still a full size truck. The problem is that the after market is so Jeep/Toyota focused that the domestic guys get left out in the Overlanding goodies arena. Most of my stuff is one-off.
Yea, finding stuff for Silverado is darn near impossible.
 

Lanlubber In Remembrance

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Whatever, its about comfort and convenience. Not everyone is on social media. The OB forum is about as close as i come.
Not everyone would agree that the RTT is comfortable or convenient. I think @BillBob means copy cat your friends, not necessarily a social media literally. Whatever you have, is your business anyway, so don't let comments like that bother you.
 

Lanlubber In Remembrance

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I know its subjective but i dont like the attitude "they do it to show off".
BB is just a very opinionated guy, he's very old school, keep it simple kind of guy. His bark is worse than his bite. He has a very nice home built rig that serves more than one purpose. He is very practical and cost conscious.
 

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The two major advantages for an RTT for us have nothing to do with time to setup (as was mentioned previously); I think it was billiebob that mentioned the joy (or lack thereof!) of setting one up or tearing it down in the rain, and I’m 100% in agreement! I would also agree that some people may feel that they need to have an RTT due to social pressure, though there are lots more reasons to own one beyond that and they are definitely in the “nice to have” category, not “need to have”.

However, time is not a big advantage with traditional Eezi-awn style RTTs. Our RTT takes about the same time to setup as our ground tent, and the same should be true for any well designed ground tent — they aren’t complicated, after all!

The reason we like an RTT is because of three advantages. The first advantage is not having to worry about the ground condition (rocks, mud, insects, sticks, roots, or even occasionally pavement — none of that matters with an RTT). This means that we can spend more time exploring the world, and less time going from spot to spot looking for a suitable campsite. Basically, anywhere works with an RTT.

The second advantage, and the reasons many are mounting one on a truck rack over the bed, is that an RTT keeps your whole sleep system (mattress, bags, pillows, shelter) outside of the cargo space. This is a few cubic feet of lightweight stuff, so being able to use that space for other stuff is valuable. In a truck, the interior space (in the cab) is even more precious, as there is less of it, and keeping it in the box requires a dust and waterproof solution of it’s own, which takes up additional weight and space. With an RTT, that stuff stays up top, out of the way, dry and ready to use.

The third advantage is we do find the thicker mattress in the RTT to be nicer than our thermarests, and is therefore a bit more comfortable.
 

Wile_Coyote

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I went with a rack instead of a cap for many reasons. Here are a few:

I use my truck primarily for overlanding in the desert. I need a Baja chase rack with tent rails. I need to be able to get at things like propane, CO2, shovel, sledge, jack, gas, etc.. in the bed from the sides. I don’t want to go though a window in a cap. I don’t want to crawl into a cave either.

I also need a secure place and way to store this gear where so it’s ready when I need it. Critical gear can’t be packed away in the back of a cap. I want quick easy access.

My rack doesn’t rest on the sides of the bed or bed rails. It’s bolted to the bed itself. This transfers the weight of the load to a lower point. I can say from experience with both types of setup, bolted to the bed handles (corners) significantly better. In my case this is an important difference.

Clamps on the bed rails are not for me. I camp in the desert and like to take washboard at speed. The vibration can be intense. In my experience this is very bad for clamps. Most caps are clamped to the rails and I don’t want to worry about my cap and tent sliding off.

I don’t like the idea of a significant load applied to the sides of the bed over time.

Sleeping on an air mattress in the bed won’t work for me so there’s no advantage to sleeping under a bed cap.

My rack wasn’t cheap and it’s custom made. Still, I bet it cost less than a brand name new cap with similar capabilities.

It’s also likely stronger and overall lighter than a cap. It’s steel so maybe the weight is a toss-up. It’s definitely stronger.

It’s all about what suits your needs the best. For me, this works way better than a cap ever would.


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Wow, you have some weight in there. Is that Floor jack mounted to the bed? I'd hate to see that heavy-weight object become a skull crusher in a roll-over.
I would assume it is hard-mounted, given the other items appear to be hard-mounted.