What is your preferred shelter? (Rooftop Tent vs Ground Tent vs Etc...)

  • HTML tutorial

What is your preferred shelter?


  • Total voters
    202

peeeeetey

Rank IV
Launch Member

Member II

889
Harrisburg, NC, USA
First Name
Pete
Last Name
Meuser
Member #

20275

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WREL270
I still have the truck, but I’ve added a “new” vehicle to the stable as well. It’s a 1985 4Runner, and it has all sorts of new fangled things on it like fuel injection and power steering! The 4 Runner is much more comfortable, and will be for longer trips, and the truck will stay closer to home.
We have a 98 4runner but prefer the 05 tahoe for the room.
 

Gone_xtrkn

Rank IV
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,116
Houston, TX, USA
First Name
Brendon
Last Name
P
Member #

21726

RTT for us. Wife loves it, comfortable for two adults and a dog or two and doesn’t get as dirty/muddy as a tent+footprint. It’s also nice to be able to unfold the thing and have a shelter ready to rock with bedding all set up. Also, we think it’s pretty cool.

Negative effect on MPG and driving characteristics? Sure, but not too hard to compensate for. Takes up space when not on the roof? Sure, but we make it work. Setup of our basic clamshell soft tent with the little window tension rods being a pain would be my only real gripe, but you can use it without them in a pinch and, IMO, a smaller car like a Subaru is great for RTT use because everything is a bit closer to the ground.
 

peeeeetey

Rank IV
Launch Member

Member II

889
Harrisburg, NC, USA
First Name
Pete
Last Name
Meuser
Member #

20275

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WREL270
We are normally hammockers but we are working on a sleep in the car system. I bought a 8 inch air mattress which is covered by the 1 inch memory foam bed topper which proved totally insufficient for breaking the hardness of the rear bed of the Tahoe. We have tried it once and it was comfortable in mild climate conditions but we are about to try it in cold. I have a 100 amp hr lithium battery with solar on order for powering a heater but good sleeping bags and running the car as needed works too.
 

rsweet

Rank V

Member III

2,298
Huntington Beach, CA, USA
First Name
Robert
Last Name
Sweet
Member #

17264

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KN6IHR
There is no one size fits all. I love my Alu-Cab RTT. My wife likes it because we are off the ground. No rocks or uneven terrain. Warm as hell and we are in and out in minutes. Find what you like and go with it. For us it is a perfect fit. I leave it on 365 days and it is my daily driver. I backpacked for years and would just sleep out in the open, not everyones choice. No one can define your comfort zone except for you. Not all equipment is equal either. My goal to camping is to make it as comfortable and enjoyable for my wife. I believe in quality gear to make the experience worth having. Starting at great footwear to good layering. Build from there. Quality gear is so much more affordable than it was in the 80's . Buy stuff that lasts and nature will reward you. Buy once, cry once. Buy cheap and you will have a cheap experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Retired

Boucher

Rank V
Member

Member II

2,011
Maidens, VA, USA
First Name
John
Last Name
Boucher
Member #

14789

Service Branch
Retired USN
Great camping gear. Had I been younger when I started overlanding this is what I would have wanted. Particularly suitable for a jeep.
Yeah PO had it built to be pulled behind his jeep I guess used it once then it sat for 12 years in the garage till I picked it up. I would rather just sleep in a tent but it is useful to get the wife out with me
 

ThundahBeagle

Rank V

Advocate I

1,548
Massachusetts
First Name
Andrew
Last Name
Beagle
Member #

0

I still have the truck, but I’ve added a “new” vehicle to the stable as well. It’s a 1985 4Runner, and it has all sorts of new fangled things on it like fuel injection and power steering! The 4 Runner is much more comfortable, and will be for longer trips, and the truck will stay closer to home.

Love those old 2 door 4-Runners! Ok. So, take me with you the next time you go buying trucks and SUV's. I feel as though there is that omega-shaped stone time portal somewhere, the one Dr. McCoy went through in the original StarTrek. Only it seems to lead you to 1987, and your pick of the litter for great Toyotas
 

cgranier

Rank VI
Member

Trail Blazer II

3,340
Miami, FL, USA
First Name
Carlos
Last Name
Granier
Member #

30043

Gazelle T4Plus here. I can fit 3 full size cots inside and still have plenty of space left. Bought a toilet seat that fits on top of a 5-gallon bucket and now have an en-suite bathroom as well.

I also have two tarps I bought at Walmart (I believe it's a 10x12 and a 12x20) and some retractable awning poles on Amazon, plus plenty of paracord.

And I bought the better tent stakes from Gazelle (which should really be included with the tent, but...).
 

M Rose

Local Expert
Mod Team
Member

Advocate III

5,584
Northeast Oregon, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Rose
Member #

20990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W7FSB
Service Branch
US ARMY Retired
Gazelle T4Plus here. I can fit 3 full size cots inside and still have plenty of space left. Bought a toilet seat that fits on top of a 5-gallon bucket and now have an en-suite bathroom as well.

I also have two tarps I bought at Walmart (I believe it's a 10x12 and a 12x20) and some retractable awning poles on Amazon, plus plenty of paracord.

And I bought the better tent stakes from Gazelle (which should really be included with the tent, but...).
I agree with the upgraded stakes... it’s on my list of needed items, along with the accessory footprint
 
  • Like
Reactions: cgranier

Lanlubber In Remembrance

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,827
Mimbres, NM, USA
First Name
Jim
Last Name
covey sr
Member #

16986

Ham/GMRS Callsign
none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Yeah PO had it built to be pulled behind his jeep I guess used it once then it sat for 12 years in the garage till I picked it up. I would rather just sleep in a tent but it is useful to get the wife out with me
Yup, that's a big consideration. My wife would only go camping - hunting with me if I left her in a motel somewhere and I took the kids with me. She had no love for my tent camping and sleeping on the ground.
 

tjZ06

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate I

2,268
Las Vegas/Palo Alto
First Name
mynameisntallowed
Last Name
Adams
Member #

20043

It's definitely interesting to see the results here, the good old ground tent still prevails! It's currently my preferred method as well, for several reasons. First and foremost is what my Overland vehicle is: a lifted WJ. It's pretty tall (I haven't measured, but I can tell you it doesn't clear my 7' garage door by much) so a Roof Top Tent would be way, way up in the air. Also, a RTT would mean I can't park it in the garage. Also, it's a lot of weight way up there, my Jeep is setup flexy (though it does have Antirock sways front and rear) and I like "challenging" trails so I don't think I want 120+lbs on the roof. Also, the WJ is actually pretty small and the bigger hard-shell RTTs I'd choose (no way I'm going RTT and dealing with an annoying cover and stuff) would have a big "mushroom head" look on it (yeah, it matters to me a bit). Finally, there's cost. Any of the RTTs I'd consider are $3k plus. I already spent way too much doing my build in 2020, I need to chill out on spending on the Jeep in '21. As for other options, like a trailer or sleeping IN the Jeep, well my choice of vehicle and type of Overlanding also limit those. My flexy suspension probably wouldn't be the best for towing a particularly heavy trailer. I know it can, and has been done, but personally I don't want to drag a trailer on the trails I do. Also, we have an RV and do 'camping' trips like that when I need/want all the amenities of home. The entire point of the Jeep for me is quick, simple, back-to-basics trips where I don't have to deal with the hassle of a RV or trailer. As for sleeping in it, my choice of a WJ bites me once again, in that they're just not long enough. Technically if I made a platform that would fold forward when I slide the passenger seat alllllll the way forward I'd fit, but I think it'd get to be very "coffin-like".

I like the space of a ground tent to have my gear and keep it clean/dry. Easy to change or take a "hooker bath" (baby-wipe clean-up, though now there are many wipes made for this purpose that work much better). There are downsides of course, like having to find/clear a good space for it. Less protection from critters (whether real or just "feeling" safer). And a bit more time to setup/take-down (vs. sleeping IN the Jeep or a hard-shell RTT, really no more time than a soft-shell RTT). The ground tent's biggest drawback is on trips where you move every day. Then it's sort of a lot of setup/takedown. Back on the plus-side, on multi-day trips where you establish camp but go out and adventure during the day, you can leave your ground tent setup, unlike a RTT or a sleeping setup inside the vehicle that makes it undriveable.

-TJ
 
Last edited:

ThundahBeagle

Rank V

Advocate I

1,548
Massachusetts
First Name
Andrew
Last Name
Beagle
Member #

0

It's definitely interesting to see the results here, the good old ground tent still prevails! It's currently my preferred method as well, for several reasons. First and foremost is what my Overland vehicle is: a lifted WJ. It's pretty tall (I haven't measured, but I can tell you it doesn't clear my 7' garage door by much) so a Roof Top Tent would be way, way up in the air. Also, a RTT would mean I can't park it in the garage. Also, it's a lot of weight way up there, my Jeep is setup flexy (though it does have Antirock sways front and rear) and I like "challenging" trails so I don't think I want 120+lbs on the roof. Also, the WJ is actually pretty small and the bigger hard-shell RTTs I'd choose (no way I'm going RTT and dealing with an annoying cover and stuff) would have a big "mushroom head" look on it (yeah, it matters to me a bit). Finally, there's cost. Any of the RTTs I'd consider are $3k plus. I already spent way too much doing my build in 2020, I need to chill out on spending on the Jeep in '21. As for other options, like a trailer or sleeping IN the Jeep, well my choice of vehicle and type of Overlanding also limit those. I know it can, and has been done, but personally I don't want to drag a trailer on the trails I do. Also, we have an RV and do 'camping' trips like that when I need/want all the amenities of home. The entire point of the Jeep for me is quick, simple, back-to-basics trips where I don't have to deal with the hassle of a RV or trailer. As for sleeping in it, my choice of a WJ bites me once again, in that they're just not long enough. Technically if I made a platform that would fold forward when I slide the passenger seat alllllll the way forward I'd fit, but I think it'd get to be very "coffin-like".

I like the space of a ground tent to have my gear and keep it clean/dry. Easy to change or take a "hooker bath" (baby-wipe clean-up, though now there are many wipes made for this purpose that work much better). There are downsides of course, like having to find/clear a good space for it. Less protection from critters (whether real or just "feeling" safer). And a bit more time to setup/take-down (vs. sleeping IN the Jeep or a hard-shell RTT, really no more time than a soft-shell RTT). The ground tent's biggest drawback is on trips where you move every day. Then it's sort of a lot of setup/takedown. Back on the plus-side, on multi-day trips where you establish camp but go out and adventure during the day, you can leave your ground tent setup, unlike a RTT or a sleeping setup inside the vehicle that makes it undriveable.

-TJ
I dont drive my WJ as much as I used to. Ut when I did we used a 3 person ground tent. I dont think a 3 person ground tent with just 2 poles takes very long to set up. Breakdown might be a little longer, because of the need to sweep it out as I pack. When I'm with the little lady, she wants a bigger tent (no comments from the peanut gallery!) so we have a 6 person tent for us and the dogs.

As I mentioned before, almost 2 years ago I bought a 2014 GMC Sierra double cab, and have since placed a Leer 180 cap on it. I've camped out of it and it seems great. No need for any tent. But I'll still probably pack a tent anyway. Maybe keep one in the Jeep, once I get it a new battery and start running it again.