World Traveler III
Rtt all the way.. avoid those critters. My joints are as good as they were.. still I will pick up rtt over floor camping any day..
Roof Top Tent or Ground Tent?
- Thread starter Michael
- Start date
Traveler III
Enthusiast II
Traveler III
Enthusiast I
I’m thinking awning with side walls as my tent. Cot and sleeping bag.
Only downside would be having to run an errand.
I do however have a Gazelle 4 plus and a 2 person tent as options.
Only downside would be having to run an errand.
I do however have a Gazelle 4 plus and a 2 person tent as options.
Member III
if I sleep overnight on the trial, I will have 3 medium to large dogs with me. They can't climb those stairs and I'm not hauling them up and down.
Regular ground tent for me, they're not that hard to set-up in my opinion and weights about 5 lbs.
Regular ground tent for me, they're not that hard to set-up in my opinion and weights about 5 lbs.
Enthusiast III
From an objective standpoint ground tents are by far the more logical choice. From a subjective standpoint RTT's are cool and I want one.
Ground tent pro's: A standard decent quality dome style ground tent can be had for - depending on RTT price - about a 1/10th to a 1/20th of a RTT. They are easy and quick enough to set up (takes me in real time about 5-8 minutes). They are far roomier, easier to have a family in, easier to have pets in, easier to go do midnight business in, exc. They are far lighter. Extremely weatherproof/windproof with proper guy lines. They allow you to set up camp and then take your rig and explore. You can find flatter ground easier and not spend 5 minutes leveling your rig so that your RTT is flat. Allows you to setup your tent in an area the vehicle can't get into. No one I have heard of is getting dragged out of their ground tent by a mountain lion, nor are little creepy crawlies getting into a normally maintained ground tent.
Cons: Takes a little longer to setup. You have to setup your bedding as well. Certain ground conditions make setting up the tent annoying and messy (mud, snow, exc).
RTT tent pro's: They are cool and it would be fun to have one. A little faster to setup than a ground tent if you get a hard shell /clam shell style and not the older style square fold out. More comfortable in the sense of cushion. Bedding can stay inside it. Easier to setup in muddy/wet type conditions. Superficial sense of security.
Cons: Cost the same as your kids first year of community college. Not much space. More cumbersome ingress and egress. Have to pack up to go explore with vehicle or run errands. Limited to areas your vehicle can get to and be roughly level. Not great in wind. Heavy.
I think the reality is that ground tents have far more benefits than cons, and other than the perceived ease of setup are largely more efficient than a RTT. With that said, I want an Ikamper Sky Camp and when I get one someday I will absolutely come up with justifications for owning it and why its better than a ground tent!
Ground tent pro's: A standard decent quality dome style ground tent can be had for - depending on RTT price - about a 1/10th to a 1/20th of a RTT. They are easy and quick enough to set up (takes me in real time about 5-8 minutes). They are far roomier, easier to have a family in, easier to have pets in, easier to go do midnight business in, exc. They are far lighter. Extremely weatherproof/windproof with proper guy lines. They allow you to set up camp and then take your rig and explore. You can find flatter ground easier and not spend 5 minutes leveling your rig so that your RTT is flat. Allows you to setup your tent in an area the vehicle can't get into. No one I have heard of is getting dragged out of their ground tent by a mountain lion, nor are little creepy crawlies getting into a normally maintained ground tent.
Cons: Takes a little longer to setup. You have to setup your bedding as well. Certain ground conditions make setting up the tent annoying and messy (mud, snow, exc).
RTT tent pro's: They are cool and it would be fun to have one. A little faster to setup than a ground tent if you get a hard shell /clam shell style and not the older style square fold out. More comfortable in the sense of cushion. Bedding can stay inside it. Easier to setup in muddy/wet type conditions. Superficial sense of security.
Cons: Cost the same as your kids first year of community college. Not much space. More cumbersome ingress and egress. Have to pack up to go explore with vehicle or run errands. Limited to areas your vehicle can get to and be roughly level. Not great in wind. Heavy.
I think the reality is that ground tents have far more benefits than cons, and other than the perceived ease of setup are largely more efficient than a RTT. With that said, I want an Ikamper Sky Camp and when I get one someday I will absolutely come up with justifications for owning it and why its better than a ground tent!
Member III
We went from ground to RTT back to ground. There are perks to both but I feel the real RTT perks are really only realized with a hardshell that can be consistently deployed and packed in under 2 minutes by almost anyone.
Ground tents don't have to pack camp to do a day hike or a quick run into town for a brewery or supply run. They aren't limited to your large vehicle so you can camp in places you can't get a truck by walking a few dozen yards to a better lake or creek-side spot. They're the super lightweight option - a typical large dome tent is not even 20% of the weight of most RTTs and you can get much lower by going with backpacking tents. That weight is also down low instead of floating around up top which is a huge benefit for vehicle stability. Most important to some is price where even the highest end, 4-season, double-walled mountain expedition ground tents are still only just scratching into RTT prices.
RTTs keep you out of the mud and rocks and above critters which are definitely perks. #1 reason we bought one to try was my wife's prior skiddishness in the wilderness. They set up and take down relatively easily but I haven't found this to be much a benefit unless you're talking a hardshell tent that can be up and down so quickly it negates the ground tent's "ability to leave camp" perk. They can also be set up in places you normally can't set up a tent... at most you need fold-out room and a place for the ladder which makes even parking lots or small turnouts off trail viable for a hard-shell.
The biggest issue I have with RTTs is the overhead clearance. Even with a planned 3" lift and 37" tires, I'll be able to park my JT in most garages (big, as I live near DC and everything is a parking garage) as I'll still be under 7 feet but slap an RTT on top of even a stock Tacoma or 4Runner and you're already looking at 7 1/2 feet which would be more than any building I've lived in would handle. You can tuck the tent behind the cab (we did on my Tacoma) but then you lose bed space.
Ground tents don't have to pack camp to do a day hike or a quick run into town for a brewery or supply run. They aren't limited to your large vehicle so you can camp in places you can't get a truck by walking a few dozen yards to a better lake or creek-side spot. They're the super lightweight option - a typical large dome tent is not even 20% of the weight of most RTTs and you can get much lower by going with backpacking tents. That weight is also down low instead of floating around up top which is a huge benefit for vehicle stability. Most important to some is price where even the highest end, 4-season, double-walled mountain expedition ground tents are still only just scratching into RTT prices.
RTTs keep you out of the mud and rocks and above critters which are definitely perks. #1 reason we bought one to try was my wife's prior skiddishness in the wilderness. They set up and take down relatively easily but I haven't found this to be much a benefit unless you're talking a hardshell tent that can be up and down so quickly it negates the ground tent's "ability to leave camp" perk. They can also be set up in places you normally can't set up a tent... at most you need fold-out room and a place for the ladder which makes even parking lots or small turnouts off trail viable for a hard-shell.
The biggest issue I have with RTTs is the overhead clearance. Even with a planned 3" lift and 37" tires, I'll be able to park my JT in most garages (big, as I live near DC and everything is a parking garage) as I'll still be under 7 feet but slap an RTT on top of even a stock Tacoma or 4Runner and you're already looking at 7 1/2 feet which would be more than any building I've lived in would handle. You can tuck the tent behind the cab (we did on my Tacoma) but then you lose bed space.
Enthusiast II
I’ve had my RTT attached to my M100 trailer for the past year and we love it because everything stays ready to hookup and head out on a trip whenever we want. It is definitely faster and easier to setup and rear down than my ground tent..... but the ground tent is still in the garage, in case there comes a trip that I can’t bring the trailer.
