Roof Top Tent versus Ground Tent

Sounds like someone should do a ground tent on roof/rack/bed diy..........................?

 

I have had both. On my old F150, I had a smittybuilt overlander XL, and then the Overlander regular size. I liked the smaller one better because it was not as heavy getting on and off. One of the biggest cons of a RTT is the time/effort it takes to load/unload it. Another thing to keep in mind is if you camp with furry friends or kids, getting them up and down can be a pain as well. We have 5 dogs, so chucking them in and out of the tent got real old pretty fast. lol.

We now have the Gazelle T4. I LOVE it. It takes less time to set up, easier to store, and is twice the size of our old rooftop tent. I'll post a picture or two of our set up. We have room for a queen size air mattress, a Mr. Buddy heater, and a couple of dog beds on the floor for the pups. Plus, there's about a million pockets on the inside of these tents to hang lights, clothes, etc. from. Its great.

I saved and waited to get the rooftop tent last summer with the bed rack over the truck bed and everything and was so excited to finally be "cool" like those instagrams, and the we ended up selling the tent within 4 months and a couple of trips and buying the Gazelle. For our needs, the ground tent was a better option. We'll see in the future if that changes.

My anecdotal breakdown of pros/cons is:

Pros:
-RTT relatively easy set up/take down
-Elevated off ground for added security/comfort
-Doesn't take up any space in the truck/truck bed.

Cons:
-Cost (not just the tent, but the rack system to support it)
-Difficult to get kids/dogs in and out of.
-A pain to unload by yourself if you don't have a hoist system in garage
-Limited space and height in comparison to ground tent
-Have to sleep where you park. Which can sometimes suck if there is a better spot somewhere but can't get your vehicle to it.

 

My biggest peeve of the rtt was drying it out after use in the rain. Lots of times its still raining when we get home. My garage isn't big enough to deploy the rtt on the rack inside to dry out and then I have no vehicle while it dries. The T4 sets up in my parking spot inside to dry out easily.

 

Agree with that completely! That was an issue for me as well.

 

Same experience and agree. Had an XL sized RTT, I was okay to leave it on my truck full-time, but opening/ closing by myself was a pain— I had to carry an A-ladder— to get me the height I needed to close the 200# tent by myself. It was very cool when the awning was set up... but not worth the effort, when we typically camp in a different place each night... and want to drive the truck in between, if ever we do go back to a base camp. I sold it and got a Gazelle as well.

 

maybe bed tent but only sleeps 1-2? i use one and like being off the ground especially in rain. the only thing i dont like is same as rtt when you want to take the truck out. but it's easier imo with a bed tent. i clear it out by just moving everything inside then lift up the bed tent and put it on the ground. i can choose to leave all my stuff in the truck to prevent theft or move everything back into the tent on the ground. take 5-7min so not that bad but i'm off the ground so worth it to me.

 

Did camping in ground tents for 10+ years. Low comfort and a real PITA if weather does bad. Last straw was a massive rainstorm with the wife, 2 teen kids and 2 dogs. We started looking for a pop up camper after that.

If you look around you can find some decent older pop up campers for low cost. We ended up buying one for just $1300.

 

camper shell and Gazelle

 

Got the t4 gaz. I love it. Great for me the wife and the kids

 

I just got one of these as a gift. Do you leave it on in the tent all night? What tank do you prefer to use with it?

 

that is a serious tent!

 

Love my RTT. It's sooo comfortable to sleep in. I've NEVER been as comfortable nor slept as well on the ground as I do in the RTT. But, it doesn't like to stay on the truck when we're bashing through the desert. The compromise is a cot tent. I sleep really well on the cot, never thought I would. Setup is fast and doesn't take up too much space. For camping with the family, wife, 2 teenage girls and 2 dogs, I'd like to add a Gazelle to our quiver. With the family we have the soft topper so the dogs sleep in the truck, 2 people in the RTT that' on the trailer and 2 in a ground tent.

 

No don’t leave it on. I’ve got one and it’s nice to be warm but basically has a wall of fire on one side, so high flammability risk. You *could* maybe leave it on if you have a hard, nonflammable surface to set it on and a lot of space between the heater and bedding, clothing, furry animals. Unfortunately most tents (and RTT’s) don’t have this safe space.

What I’ve done with mine is use it to heat the tent before bedtime then turn it off. First person awake turn it on again in the morning to heat so everyone else can get dressed in comfort.

What actually happened... is that I stopped taking it on camping trips. I used the small green propane tanks that fit this and campstoves.

 

RTT. Make the bears have to work for their meal
I used to set the tent up in the bed of my truck. Have since got a camper.

 

I have both Smittybilt RTT and a 6 person Coleman.
When we camp out at the family property , i usually park down on the river bank which is covered in 4"-6" round rocks , so a traditional tent is not ideal. Thats where the RTT is handy.
The kids set up the Coleman on the grassy spot above the river bank.
The German shedder wanders the perimeter at night so he doesnt get to sleep in any tents.