Enthusiast I
My first rooftop tent
- Thread starter Toyfixer
- Start date
Welcome to the club. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Member I
I have the same brand & model. We just got back on a 4 day camping trip @ Devils Fork on Greers Ferry Lake. You will notice the mattress isn't comfortable. I end up replacing ours with Exped Mega Mat Duo extra wide extra long queen size. Its a Foam insulation and air combine self inflating mattress you can adjust the comfort by adding more air with the pump . I can not say enough about this mattress, we both wife & I sleep like were sleeping on our home Tempur-Pedic mattress.
https://www.backcountry.com/exped-megamat-duo-10-sleeping-pad
I'll assure you, you will replace this mattress in time. It's not just Smittybilt's mattress's most of the RTT's mattress's are this way. You will wake up (least I & my wife did) with aching joints like we never faced before. We read all kinds of complaints about the RTT mattresses being extremely uncomfortable. I had a member "here" tell me about this Exped mattress as another member from American Adventurist too. You pull the deflate valve open & fold up the tent. When I open up the tent I close the deflate valve & open the inflate valve why I finish setting up camp (hour or so) I usually give about 10 pumps with the hand pump & the mattress is pretty much were the comfort level for the wife & I like it. Best money I've spent.
the photo is the wife straighten up the bedding.
https://www.backcountry.com/exped-megamat-duo-10-sleeping-pad
I'll assure you, you will replace this mattress in time. It's not just Smittybilt's mattress's most of the RTT's mattress's are this way. You will wake up (least I & my wife did) with aching joints like we never faced before. We read all kinds of complaints about the RTT mattresses being extremely uncomfortable. I had a member "here" tell me about this Exped mattress as another member from American Adventurist too. You pull the deflate valve open & fold up the tent. When I open up the tent I close the deflate valve & open the inflate valve why I finish setting up camp (hour or so) I usually give about 10 pumps with the hand pump & the mattress is pretty much were the comfort level for the wife & I like it. Best money I've spent.
the photo is the wife straighten up the bedding.
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I have about 50 nights in my Smittybilt and the only time the mattress has been less than comfortable was after my wife and I spent a lazy day together in it reading and relaxing. That night it felt a bit compressed. I have considered adding some type of mattress topper, but I worry that doing so may inhibit the ability to store the sleeping bags and pillows inside while traveling.
Enthusiast I
Member I
1st try the stock mattress that came with the tent, then make your judgment. I know what I read about people complaining & our experiences with several trips that "our" mattress caused all kinds of aches & pains to both of us. We tried pads underneath, sleeping bags underneath, 2" memory foam over the top of our stock mattress with zero results. The tent became more of a issue closing it after all the fixes we tried. We even thought about having a custom mattress made with cover but didn't know how that would work out w\o trying known the results. Like I mention a member here & a member at another forum suggested Exped Queen Duo. Best night sleep we both had since we owned our RTT. The folks at Backcountry were great to deal with & their customer service top notch. What I notice with this mattress (Exped Duo Queen XL & XW) once you pull the deflate valve open the air being removed the tent with our bedding: mattress sheet, top sheet & quilted top blanket closes nicely w\o any problems. Plus the mattress holds a insulation value which is a plus in cold weather & hot weather. If one suggestion I can give you is.....buy a anti-condensation matt for your RTT. The anti condensation matt prevents moisture (sweating) in the evenings which accumulates under your mattress which is caused by body heat that increases temperatures underneath the mattress & aluminum floor of the tent & the cold air.
Congrats on the purchase of the RTT. We love our Smittybilt RTT.
Congrats on the purchase of the RTT. We love our Smittybilt RTT.
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Enthusiast I
Wow! You did a lot of research on this. This is great I need to look into it. Thanks for help.
Toyfixer
Toyfixer
Enthusiast I
I do have one question, do the long black straps go over the cover or under the cover? Thanks again!
Member I
I had a local upholstery shop make me longer velcro straps for securing the cover. The stock ones were too short to allow me to close up the bedding inside.
I later had them add a zipper to the final side of the cover so that it could more easily be removed.
I added a USB LED light strip inside because the old version came with a dimmer battery-operated strip.
I swapped in a Tepui telescoping ladder. It's taller and more adjustable with a higher weight rating.
I later had them add a zipper to the final side of the cover so that it could more easily be removed.
I added a USB LED light strip inside because the old version came with a dimmer battery-operated strip.
I swapped in a Tepui telescoping ladder. It's taller and more adjustable with a higher weight rating.
Actually, a pretty simple thing that the wife did, we got a small basket that we use to put keys, flashlights, billfold, and anything else you carry up with you. Makes it a lot easier to find the stuff when you get up in the middle of the night to go pee. When you take the tent down just bring basket down with you, we always have kleenex and flashlights and various other things that stay in it so you don't forget them.
Influencer II
