Why so many negative YouTube videos about RTTs?

[Clawhammer]

RTTs have all the drawbacks of a normal tent, but at least they're obscenely expensive.

 

[vintageracer]

Why so many negative YouTube videos about RTTs?

Maybe it's because so many people bought into the RTT Dream and found out what a Nightmare a RTT can be.

 

[Shadowboxin20]

4Runner is what it is. A 2 decade old design with barely an upgrade. A simple test drive should have made that obvious.

 

[1000arms]

I agree the bathroom thing is kind of a pain but man the hard shell RTT are the way to go IMO. ...

For part of the "bathroom thing", you might find the following useful:

Nalgene Wide Mouth Rectangular Bottle (64-Ounce)


Plus, if needed, (or something similar):

Lady J

pissing in bed with my family sleeping next to me……hard pass

Then again, you might not.

For anyone who might consider it, I'm able to use the wide-mouth Nalgene bottle while on my side, while my girlfriend needs to be more vertical. We don't have any kids, but, it isn't tough to stay covered up while urinating in to a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle, with the right sleeping gear. Warmer that way too, especially at -20 F.

"As a side note, we’d also come to the realization that if you’re traveling with another person in a small camper in a third world country and can’t go to the bathroom in front of them…you probably have a much bigger problem." from Gary Wescott:

Living Legends: Gary and Monika Wescott of the Turtle Expedition - Expedition Portal

Overland Journal's Chris Collard interviews one of the most well-traveled duos in overlanding.

expeditionportal.com

 

[NatersXJ6]

pissing in bed with my family sleeping next to me……hard pass

Thats strange. All of my kids did that for years!

Actually reminds me of a funny story. My 8 year old daughter and I got caught in a storm at about 9k’ in the Sierra Nevada camping in one of our rooftop tents. Early in the morning she wakes me up, wind ripping through the pass, a steady drumbeat of ice rain/snow on the side of the tent, and says “Daddy, I have to go…”

I respond with “Do you realize what that means?”

She thinks a while and says “I’ve been thinking about that for an hour, and yes… I have to go.”

I laughed and laughed and then she said she could see the sun rising so we should just get up!

 

[AbleGuy]

“This is why about 20 years ago I tried to get Warn to make a full sized plastic model of their winches. They could sell the plastic ones that are for people who never use them but want the look. They said they would sell the real ones as their is a larger profit margin then from on the $29.99 plastic one.”

Frenchie….absolutely awesome idea! ?

You could start perhaps a whole new, separate fun thread here just for posting ideas like this creative fakery!

 

[Shadowboxin20]

I mean, my 6 yr old son would piss on me without thinking twice.

I’ll take the 5 second climb down the ladder. Ha

 

[beef tits]

I have had a few rooftop tents, from garbage like Smittybilt, to Tepui all the way up to Autohome Maggiolina. The cheap ones are trash, and while the expensive ones are better, they still don't make for a great camping experience IMO. Frankly my Hennessy Hammock beats the pants off all of them at a fraction of the price.

I picked up a Bad@ss tent to try out a wedge for once, but have a feeling I will still prefer the hammock. Trying new things is fun but finding something small, reasonable and lightweight that also works well is a great feeling.

All in all? IMO, RTTs get a bad rap because they are overrated as hell...

 

[Rudyesparza83]

It all comes down to preference and what fits your current situation.

I have camped in tents, trailers, back of pickup trucks, hammocks, the ground and rtt's. All are suitable for catching zzz's.

My wife and kids love the rtt. It is fun for the kids to have somewhere to climb into. It provides my wife with some notion of safety (bears/people). The annex gives you a changing room and a place to eat if the weather is bad. Setup is pretty easy, now that we have been through the setup cycle a few times. Etc.

Would I ever spend that much money on a floor tent? Nope.

Looking back, did we over spend for a tent on stilts? Maybe

But, if my kids are happy and my wife is happy. Then I am a happy camper. It may also be different because my tent is mounted on a M416 trailer.

 

[MOAK]

I wasn't planning to buy one, but had the opportunity to drive one for a bit and came to these same conclusions. He missed that the interior is quite small as well.

That’s hilarious- quite small compared to a Volkswagen Beetle or quite small compared to a Cadillac SUV? They nearly have the same interior room as an 80 series Landcruiser, which, is not small by any standards. But, there ya go, all things are relative in the eyes of the beholder. I agree, compared to the interior of a Freightliner Cascadia, they are very small. LOL

 

[plh]

That’s hilarious- quite small compared to a Volkswagen Beetle or quite small compared to a Cadillac SUV? They nearly have the same interior room as an 80 series Landcruiser, which, is not small by any standards. But, there ya go, all things are relative in the eyes of the beholder. I agree, compared to the interior of a Freightliner Cascadia, they are very small. LOL

I guess I felt this way compared to my old '05 Montero as that is what I was daily driving at the time. Montero rear cargo volume to seat 1 - 96.4 ft³ vs 4Runner 88.8 ft³ , IIRC, the 4Runner interior is a bit narrower as well.

But non the less, I no longer have the '05 and still no desire to own a 4Runner.

 

[wyowandering]

Sadly many of the videos are nothing more than clickbait to get views.

 

[AbleGuy]

Sadly many of the videos are nothing more than clickbait to get views.

Yeah, if the social media advertisers who wind up supporting some of these “over landing light” YouTube etc. influencers were smart, they would make sure that there was some kind of a timer on the pages of these influencers to measure whether people clicked on something and then immediately clicked off it because it was junk, or whether people actually stayed on the site to view the full clip.

I can’t think of how many times I have gone to a site out of interest falsely generated by misleading leads or descriptions and then as quickly as possible shut down the page because it was so ridiculous

 

[MOAK]

Well the list of the reasons may have missed the #1 reason I have seen. That is the price! People let the price control over 75% of their decisions. This would be like comparing a VW Bug to a Rolls Royce. They are both vehicles but totally different. Over 20+ years ago when I got my first RTT their was only one company bringing them to the U.S.. They were made in Italy by Ziffer since 1959. They were specialized for expedition tents. After about 5 years another brand showed up then within the second 5 years the U.S. had around 5 total brands sold in the U.S.. Then the Cheap China tents entered the market place. They call them RTT's just like the early companies did. (We all know that all cars and tents are the same!)

Now the RTT is a much like the 4-wheelers, Winch and Hi-Lift jack is. The "overlander" has the RTT as their winch and Hi-lift. Now for the people who want the look of a RTT and not the expense, they can make their own for a fraction of the price. You would build out a 1' X 1' frame in the style of your favorite RTT. Sew up a cover out of canvas or buy a replacement cover. BAMB!!! you have the look for next to nothing.

This is why about 20 years ago I tried to get Warn to make a full sized plastic model of their winches. They could sell the plastic ones that are for people who never use them but want the look. They said they would sell the real ones as their is a larger profit margin then from on the $29.99 plastic one.

So why?

Well until I retired from working I used my RTT at least 250 nights a year. Now that I am retired a do not use it that much.
Why so many negative YouTube videos about RTTs? You ask 10 people and you will get 10 different answers. I would bet that 9 out of the 10 got the cheapest RTT they could find. If you asked 10 people who got the upper price range of the RTT's you would get a opposite answer. The people who bought a better quality RTT. They saw the difference and bought a better quality and are much happier.

I am not saying that people who have bought RTT's are not justified to have their opinion. They just did not know what they were buying.

The largest complaint that I have heard that is a result of buying the cheaper tent. The fabric is noise of the sides flapping in the wind. There are some where the sewing is bad, seams leak, light use of reinforcement where needed, low grade of material. Then the one where people dislike climbing a ladder! that last one brings a smile to my face when I hear that.

Why so many negative YouTube videos about RTTs? People would rather blame others for their mistake, then themselves! I say this because the people who complain and post up about their experiences. The next person does not research what they are buying. Maybe if they read or contacted the people who are negative about them they would not be the next one to make a negative YouTube videos about RTTs?

Agreed 100%, well almost 100% maybe closer to 98.9% One does get what they pay for. Sure, some things are way over priced, but not usually in such a small market as is the 4x4 camping crowd. After a lifetime of doing this we have come to understand the difference between “bling bling shines things” and what actually works.

 

[MOAK]

I guess I felt this way compared to my old '05 Montero as that is what I was daily driving at the time. Montero rear cargo volume to seat 1 - 96.4 ft³ vs 4Runner 88.8 ft³ , IIRC, the 4Runner interior is a bit narrower as well.

But non the less, I no longer have the '05 and still no desire to own a 4Runner.

Once again everything is relative. Cool how you refer to your 05 as being old. I have a daily driver that is a 90 and my LC is a 96. I consider the 90 F Ranger to be old. I consider the 96 FZJ80 to be just broken in. To your point, yes those Monteros are spacious. ????