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My daughter asked for a RTT for her birthday/Christmas present so being the crafty dad that I am, I set out to build one. The real story is I had already built her an aluminum roof rack so that we could easily mount my RTT to her Jeep and this would've worked just fine for her but I wanted to try something different. Being inspired by Alu-cabs amazing Hercules and Icarus tents for the land cruiser and land rover I started designing one for her XJ. I wanted the lid of the tent to also be able to carry gear like maxtrax or her paddle board so I designed it to have an integrated roof rack. Here are the quick specifications;
1)Aluminum construction .125 with the frame work for the top and bed frame being 6061 structural aluminum.
2)mattress is a Full size, 2" natural latex
2)Sunbrella marine grade canvas with no see um screens and YKK #10 zippers
3)Insulated top and bottom
4)Total weight is 150lbs.
5)Permanently attached with the option to remove interior roof of the jeep if she wants to make a full camper out of it...(I designed it do this, it is up to her if she wants to cut the roof out)
6)Low profile with a total height of 9"
I first used 1/8" plywood to cut out and make templates for the tent. I sheared and bent the aluminum to the sizes and shapes determined by the templates. After fitting everything together I welded and braced the corners, fitted the hinge and lift struts. I then used masking tape and plastic to make the pattern for the canvas, sewed the canvas, and doors/screens and attached it to the frame work using awning track and Keder awning rope that I sewed to the canvas. This made for a super easy and a nice attachment to the tent frames. There is a door/screen on each of the three sides. I insulated and then upholstered the inside lid, and then painted it a base color of white ( her choice of color, my free spirited daughter wants to hand paint it, murals or something.) Then used sikaflex adhesive sealant and mounted it to the roof of the Jeep to the 10 factory roof rack mounting locations. Here are some pictures.
1)Aluminum construction .125 with the frame work for the top and bed frame being 6061 structural aluminum.
2)mattress is a Full size, 2" natural latex
2)Sunbrella marine grade canvas with no see um screens and YKK #10 zippers
3)Insulated top and bottom
4)Total weight is 150lbs.
5)Permanently attached with the option to remove interior roof of the jeep if she wants to make a full camper out of it...(I designed it do this, it is up to her if she wants to cut the roof out)
6)Low profile with a total height of 9"
I first used 1/8" plywood to cut out and make templates for the tent. I sheared and bent the aluminum to the sizes and shapes determined by the templates. After fitting everything together I welded and braced the corners, fitted the hinge and lift struts. I then used masking tape and plastic to make the pattern for the canvas, sewed the canvas, and doors/screens and attached it to the frame work using awning track and Keder awning rope that I sewed to the canvas. This made for a super easy and a nice attachment to the tent frames. There is a door/screen on each of the three sides. I insulated and then upholstered the inside lid, and then painted it a base color of white ( her choice of color, my free spirited daughter wants to hand paint it, murals or something.) Then used sikaflex adhesive sealant and mounted it to the roof of the Jeep to the 10 factory roof rack mounting locations. Here are some pictures.
