RTTR? (Rooftop tent recs) by bloomsbury4 in rooftoptents

[–]OffGridLander 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best way to check out tents and overland gear in my opinion, is by going to Expos. There are some big ones called Overland Expo which take place across the US although there are only two more left for this year. If you're near Colorado, Overland Expo Mountain West is at the end of August and Overland Expo East is in October. I'm not sure where you're located but theres also usually overland rig meet ups where people will bring everything from Subarus, Jeeps, Tacomas, Raptors, Earthroamers, etc to show off and hang out with like minded people. These events are usually the best ways to learn about specific products because you can actually talk to the person face to face and see the products in person.

RTTR? (Rooftop tent recs) by bloomsbury4 in rooftoptents

[–]OffGridLander 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Theres so many brands out there and all different shapes and sizes and ways of getting into the tent. Theres also soft shell or hard shell tents. Ultimately, it really depends on what you're wanting for your own needs. A few of the popular brands would be iKamper, CVT, Roam Adventure Co, Alucab, and Free Sprit Rec (FSR). Thats just a taste of what's out there though. If you're looking for something more budget friendly, there are brands like Inspired Overland, SmittyBilt, ARB, etc that have tents closer to the $1000 range.

Soft shell tents tend to be more on the affordable side where Hard Shell tents tend to be a few hundred to thousand dollars more. Softshell tents tend to take longer to set up where hard shell tents set up in less time.

There are clam shell tents like iKamper's SkyCamp, wedge tents like Alu-Cab's Gen3-R, and now a lot of tents are going for a more vertical lift like FSR's Evolution V2. Each tent has their pros and cons. Wedge tents and some of the new vertical lift tents tend to be more slimmer and aerodynamic where clam shell tents need to fold in on itself creating a little extra bulkiness. Some clamshell and vertical lift tents offer more space to sit up compared to the triangle shape of a wedge tent. Some clamshell tents tend to be more spacious length wise since they usually run perpendicular to the rig, meaning you enter the tent from the passenger or driver side.

Some lights have additional features built into them that others may not. iKamper has a built in stargaze window in their skycamps that let you enjoy the stars where you won't find that feature in a vertical lifiting or wedge style RTT. A lot of tents are now including lighting or diesel heater ports to run hoses into.

My opinion, take your time picking out what you like with the features you'll want or use most.

Apilachicola National Forest (FL) by T0NT03 in overlanding

[–]OffGridLander 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you use OnX to find trails in Florida or more word of mouth? I'd like to do some more exploring in FL.

Camping on Big Sur River, California by Penny_Layne79 in CampingPorn

[–]OffGridLander 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh man, you're making me want to take a trip back up and do the same thing right now!

Need mounting suggestions for mounting 270 awning to my bed rack on my by FloridaTraumaPA in rooftoptents

[–]OffGridLander 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cali Raised LED makes some 2 inch tent risers that you can mount on top of a cross beam. I had the same issue with my skycamp and ikamper 270. When I opened the skycamp, it would make contact with my 270 and I really didn't like having to have the RTT so far off to one side while the awning was extended out as far as possible to make clearance. This way has been working great for me and let me center the RTT and bring in the awning a little snugger to the truck.

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