Roof Top Tent (RTT) Questions

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Randun

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116
San Clemente, CA
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Randun
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TheOneandOnly
Hello everyone!

I'm thinking of getting a roof top tent, and I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on the different types of RTTs that are out there?

I have been doing my research and I see that there are soft tents, hard ABS/Fiberglass style tents, and I have also seen aluminum tents. Does anyone have any pros or cons of these different types of tents?

Thank you so much for your time and your help!
 

Yroundrdn

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Enthusiast III

473
San Diego, CA, USA
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Ben
I researched all the popular ones and came to a few "important features" for our needs. For us the choice was the Overlandpros Mohave. I have been very impressed with the tent and seems to match up with the others that are more than double the price.

Here is a good review on it and our thoughts as well.
Overlandpros Review
 
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Randun

Rank 0

Traveler I

116
San Clemente, CA
First Name
Randun
Last Name
TheOneandOnly
I researched all the popular ones and came to a few "important features" for our needs. For us the choice was the Overlandpros Mohave. I have been very impressed with the tent and seems to match up with the others that are more than double the price.

Here is a good review on it and our thoughts as well.
Overlandpros Review
I just looked into that tent. Thank you so much for the information.

It looks like a soft tent to me. Is this correct?

Great review on it as well. Thank you for that
 

JButtress

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If you're looking for a cost effective way to get into a roof top tent, one of the better ones is Hi Vis Overland out of South Carolina for sure. The prices are great, the tents are built very well and are sturdy and strong and the business is veteran owned. I couldn't recommend them enough
 

diabetiktaco

Local Expert New Jersey, USA
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Marlboro Township, NJ, USA
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I have the roofnest falcon. It's an aluminum low pro flip up. I honestly got it so I can still fit in the garage. That's the only reason. Cons are the bed is small compared to something like a 23zero walkabout 72.
 
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Dubbz2337

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NorCal
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Brian
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Whitaker
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I just picked up a CVT soft-shell tent. I got the biggest one they offer, family of 4 and 3 dogs. This past weekend was our first outing with it. It was extremely comfortable and spacious. I don't know that I would be ready to comment on the setup/teardown as this was my first time and I am still learning the process and making slight adjustments.

I will say that I was very happy with the level of customer service throughout the process with the CVT team.

Had I ordered one prior to adopting our 2 grandchildren, I probably would have chosen a hard shell tent. They just don't offer the room we need.

HTH

Regards,
Dubbz
 
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Oregon_trail

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Medford Oregon
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Micah
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White
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So the soft tents are nice because you can leave a lot in the tents. I mean all my bedding plus some is sitting in it right now which consists of 4 pillows, down comforter, a fan, two extra twin blankets, a sleeping bag and all the stakes and things that go with the tent. Like I said a lot can go in them but it comes at a cost over hard shell or the kinda clamshell ones that fold out like a regular RTT and those are very fast to setup which is awesome if you are traveling daily but you can’t keep as much in them if that’s important to you.
 
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JMD23

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Enthusiast I

404
Brentwood, CA, USA
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JohnMark
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Dolde
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I have the roofnest falcon. It's an aluminum low pro flip up. I honestly got it so I can still fit in the garage. That's the only reason. Cons are the bed is small compared to something like a 23zero walkabout 72.
I'm looking at the falcon model also. Do you think the 1 adult and 3 small kids will be ok? I have a 4runner and I dont want to get the XL because it overhang in both side
 
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Advocate I

1,515
Denver, CO, USA
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Wade
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25978

I had a Tepui Autana that I really liked. It was a softshell and as stated above, you can leave all your bedding in there which is super convenient. It also has an overhang that you can zip another room onto. It takes some setup time, but in the winter or inclement weather, it was pretty nice to have. I had it mounted on a topper and opened off the back so you could access the bed from the lower room. I recently saw a 23 Zero RTT in personand it was very similar to the Tepui but much better construction, might be worth checking out.
 
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Randun

Rank 0

Traveler I

116
San Clemente, CA
First Name
Randun
Last Name
TheOneandOnly
If you're looking for a cost effective way to get into a roof top tent, one of the better ones is Hi Vis Overland out of South Carolina for sure. The prices are great, the tents are built very well and are sturdy and strong and the business is veteran owned. I couldn't recommend them enough
Thank you so much for letting me know about this great company. I have never heard of them, and I will definitely check them out.

Thank you so much for your time and your help!
 

Randun

Rank 0

Traveler I

116
San Clemente, CA
First Name
Randun
Last Name
TheOneandOnly
I have the roofnest falcon. It's an aluminum low pro flip up. I honestly got it so I can still fit in the garage. That's the only reason. Cons are the bed is small compared to something like a 23zero walkabout 72.
How do you like the material of your roofnest? I have not really experienced an aluminum RTT yet.

That's great that it fits in your garage. That's kinda important. :)
 

Randun

Rank 0

Traveler I

116
San Clemente, CA
First Name
Randun
Last Name
TheOneandOnly
I just picked up a CVT soft-shell tent. I got the biggest one they offer, family of 4 and 3 dogs. This past weekend was our first outing with it. It was extremely comfortable and spacious. I don't know that I would be ready to comment on the setup/teardown as this was my first time and I am still learning the process and making slight adjustments.

I will say that I was very happy with the level of customer service throughout the process with the CVT team.

Had I ordered one prior to adopting our 2 grandchildren, I probably would have chosen a hard shell tent. They just don't offer the room we need.

HTH

Regards,
Dubbz
Thank you so much for your opinions. I really appreciate it.

I'm so glad to hear that your first RTT trip was a success. That is great news!

I am also glad to hear that you were very happy with the customer service that CVT has provided you.

Thank you again!
 

Randun

Rank 0

Traveler I

116
San Clemente, CA
First Name
Randun
Last Name
TheOneandOnly
So the soft tents are nice because you can leave a lot in the tents. I mean all my bedding plus some is sitting in it right now which consists of 4 pillows, down comforter, a fan, two extra twin blankets, a sleeping bag and all the stakes and things that go with the tent. Like I said a lot can go in them but it comes at a cost over hard shell or the kinda clamshell ones that fold out like a regular RTT and those are very fast to setup which is awesome if you are traveling daily but you can’t keep as much in them if that’s important to you.
Thank you so much for your opinions. I really appreciate it.

I have heard the same thing about soft sided tents vs hard shell tents. It sounds to me like there is a tent out there for everyone if you can just decide what is the most important feature for you (i.e. ease of set up and break down, storage, etc.).

Thank you again for your time.
 
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Randun

Rank 0

Traveler I

116
San Clemente, CA
First Name
Randun
Last Name
TheOneandOnly
I had a Tepui Autana that I really liked. It was a softshell and as stated above, you can leave all your bedding in there which is super convenient. It also has an overhang that you can zip another room onto. It takes some setup time, but in the winter or inclement weather, it was pretty nice to have. I had it mounted on a topper and opened off the back so you could access the bed from the lower room. I recently saw a 23 Zero RTT in personand it was very similar to the Tepui but much better construction, might be worth checking out.
Thank you so much for your opinions on Tepui and 23 Zero.

I really like the benefits of a soft sided tent (storage), but the ease of set up of a hard shell tent sounds amazing too.

I definitely want a RTT with an overhang. I have been looking at those lower annex rooms and it seams like something I would be interested in using in certain situations.

I'm going to look into that 23 Zero that you recommended. Thank you so much for your time!
 

Advocate I

1,515
Denver, CO, USA
First Name
Wade
Last Name
Jackman
Member #

25978

Thank you so much for your opinions on Tepui and 23 Zero.

I really like the benefits of a soft sided tent (storage), but the ease of set up of a hard shell tent sounds amazing too.

I definitely want a RTT with an overhang. I have been looking at those lower annex rooms and it seams like something I would be interested in using in certain situations.

I'm going to look into that 23 Zero that you recommended. Thank you so much for your time!
Its probably about the same time to deploy a soft RTT as most ground tents. Getting it open only takes a minute but to get the window rods in and the overhang staked out requires a little more effort. For me it was worth it in order to have the annex room. That thing saved my butt in the winter.
 
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diabetiktaco

Local Expert New Jersey, USA
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Marlboro Township, NJ, USA
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Eric
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Beauchea
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How do you like the material of your roofnest? I have not really experienced an aluminum RTT yet.

That's great that it fits in your garage. That's kinda important. :)
Seems okay. I like the ease of use and the material is holding up to when I pull in the garage too quick and hit the door frame.
 
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