put regular tent on roof?

[FandL]

I'm beginning my build now....

My platform will be 8x11 on top of my M101 rack system. I chose a Giga 7x10 Mountain Adams cabin ten. The tent had high ratings and appears to be able to withstand high winds. I started a thread "Pics of ground tents on top of rack platforms" for any ideas and direction.

Please send any thoughts. I'll be on this tread too....

 

[Mark Harley]

FandL I like it and It will match nice with the orange piping.
Post more as you go.

 

[Mark Harley]

I am happy with my $30.00 tent and $100.00 steel expanded metal deck.

 

[gm13]

While a RTT would be great for some areas I like the option of setting up lakeside too. so I found this Marmot Limelight that fit the footprint of my Brownchurch rack. I cut ply into strips that stack for low windage while traveling. Made "U" channel rails that fit over the front and rear edges of the ply to line it up/unify it. Along with straps front and back to keep ply slats together. Tent was "staked" down with releasable cable ties through holes drilled in ply. Set up wasn't too onerous. Sold that rig but it worked well. ladder is an Extend and Climb.

 

[Bluedog225]

This is good stuff. I was having trouble with dropping a couple of grand. Thanks.

 

[FandL]

FandL I like it and It will match nice with the orange piping.
Post more as you go.

Thanks Mark!

The awesome family pics with your rig are what hooked me with my build.....

Frank

 

[FandL]

GM13

Nice set up! My plan is to use the same ladder to conserve space inside the tub of my M101. Now I need to locate a few remote camping sites.....

FandL

 

[concretejungle]

Very cool guys!

I tried the tent cot strapped to my roof rack about 10 years ago. While it did work, it was not convenient at all. I had to ratchet strap the legs to the rack to keep it stable and that was after setting it up and lifting it onto the roof. Also, i didn't have a ladder to get in and out so trying to climb onto the roof was sketchy.

But, i do like the light weight idea of a regular tent that fits the footprint of your rack.

 

[WeLikeCamping]

I camp in the desert all the time, and I usually will set my REI camp dome 2 tent up on the trailer, but the tent is just a bit too wide, and it requires that I step over the side rail of the trailer to get into the tent - something I don't relish after having a bit of whiskey. So, I can up with this exact solution. 3/4" plywood sheet, with hand-holds cutout all around the edges for easier handling, glued some edge-molding strips on, sealed it with a stained waterproofing seal and gave it a good sanding. I tested the idea with just the sheet of plywood as a prototype, it sits perpendicular across the front of my trailer, extending over the sides, making convenient work-space for my stove and whatnot. Clamp it down with spring clamps and there is no movement. Throw down a outdoor rug in the trailer, and I've got a sweet little setup that is easy to get in and out of, elevated for some protection from critters and best of all won't get wet - throw a popup shade over it and it works a charm for staying warm and dry. I'm pretty sure I can use the same approach if I am just in the truck as well. I have yet to go out with the completed rig, but will post up pictures when I do.

 

[overl4nder]

Wow this is quite an old thread. I am having similar ideas now, after not finding a proper 3 person RTT which adds less than 6" height to the truck. The main motivation is keeping height low.

This is the idea I am thinking about

buy a couple of these
Connect them with heavy duty commercial hinges so that they fold on top of each other. So while driving its like having 2x 1.5" roof racks or 2x2" roof racks sitting on top of a 4040 profile adding about 90mm height to the truck < 4"

When camping open them up, and place a roof telescoping support (1000lbs capacity) under the second one as you fold it out, or use a telescoping RTT ladder. Place 7ftx6ft instant tent on top, put in king bed air mattress, and you have a 3 person sleeping platform.

The weak link is the telescopic ladder support under the fold out bit, bit if you add a roof support, and cliimb from back of the truck instead you never really put much weight on the fold out part, with most of the body weight on the 60" portion (queen bed) which is on the camper shell.