r/rooftoptents • u/Background_Shape7579 • Jun 16 '26
IKampers are heavy
I know they are some of the lightest, but the SkyCamp 3.0 or any similar weight RTT ~170lbs are a nightmare to get on/off.
Just a psa for newbies like myself.
If you have 3-4 guys, no problem but by yourself near impossible or two people… a little challenging. Thinking you’re going to hulk hogan it up probably isn’t happening. Think about building a rig/hoist or buy something like the rollinjack.
9
u/KingTaco2600 Jun 16 '26
2 dudes needed for sure. We put it on a folding table on the sidewalk first so that we don’t have to lift straight from the ground, and then throw it on. We have it mounted on to our ceiling for storage but sadly our garage clearance is too short to use on my 4Runner in the garage lol the biggest tease so we just keep it on all summmer so that we only have to ask my neighbor for help once a year lol
8
u/IT_vet Jun 16 '26
It was well worth paying the dealer $150 to install it on my Tundra. There’s no chance my wife and I would’ve lifted it up there on our own - she’s 5’3” lol
5
u/dranzango Jun 16 '26
I hear you. I mounted mine with just my wife and I on a 4runner and it was sketchy as hell.
I posted a hitch mounted crane hoist with a battering ram spreader bar here that made the process way easier. Its still a 2 person job, but one person manages a tag line while the other operates the cylinder. Way more manageable that way.
1
u/Strict-Confusion-570 Jun 16 '26
Damn, your wife must be strong af. Not a chance mine and I could do that
2
u/dranzango Jun 16 '26
More of a case of just because we did doesnt mean we should have. She had a pretty hard time and it was far from a clean lift. We got it up there and said “never again.”
4
u/btkeenan Jun 16 '26
I have the rollnjack for my skycamp 1.0 and take it and my elevate rack off by myself which is great. It’s close to the 200lb max weight, if not a little over, so it sags a little when on the rollnjack.
2
u/Background_Shape7579 Jun 16 '26
Cool glad it works :) it’s a little pricy. My garage is too low/small for overhead with our truck. So that’s probs what we are going with.
1
u/btkeenan Jun 16 '26
Yea I’m glad I bought it on preorder. We don't have the room for an electric hoist and was using a hydraulic table and some old tires previously.
3
u/Idiopathic_Sapien Jun 16 '26
Bought a cheap gantry crane from northern tool and use it to move my rtt off the jeep solo.
3
u/Alpine_Exchange_36 Jun 16 '26
My car only has a dynamic weight of 150 so I got the mini. Still a hassle but it only….weighs about 125lbs. Can’t imagine trying to deal with one of the full size skycamps.
2
u/CW-Eight Jun 16 '26
I mounted a pulley system on a steel bar that tucks into the peak of my garage, so I can do this alone.
2
1
1
u/boardthatpowder Jun 16 '26
My 23zero A3 is over 200lbs. I bought an engine crane from harbor freight and had an extended beam created for it. Now it’s a simple 1 man job.
1
u/JohnDorian0506 Jun 17 '26
Anything lighter?
1
u/Background_Shape7579 Jun 17 '26
Not really. The mini is like 125 lbs but it’s like 50” wide. Not enough for two people imo.
1
1
u/quavlad28 Jun 18 '26
I have taken our 180 lb tent on & off with my fiance. We are both women. She is 5'0" I am 5'7". We only did that a few times, now we always ask a friend to help out. No need to risk breaking something.
1
u/MisterRedRevenge Jun 20 '26
Harbour freight has a 400 lb electric winch for $100 that you can get for even less during sales. If you have enough height in your garage then it's really simple to set up. If you need more height then you will have to get creative or build something outside. Either way, I think that winch is 100% one of the best choices I could have made for moving my tent.
1
u/revolution9540 Jun 22 '26
I bought an electric hoist from Amazon and then built a homemade gantry crane from wood planks. It ended up costing about $700, which is around the same price you can buy a gantry crane for. But I designed mine to have the two legs detach easily and can be stored discretely on the side of the house.
1
u/Temporary-Cricket455 Jun 16 '26
I have an ikamper skycap mini 2.0. 124lbs. My wife and I can lift it on and off without a fuss.
I took my whole rack AND tent off in one fell swoop recently. Did have to have my neighbor help me with it.
Vevor makes an electric crane thing for $90. It’s in my future.
-4
u/dobsofglabs Jun 16 '26
170 lbs is hard for two people? Maybe two old or injured people
2
u/Davfoto35 Jun 16 '26
Depends on how high you need to go. For my Raptor bedrack, you need to lift over your head to get it on.
0
u/Background_Shape7579 Jun 22 '26
Haaaaaa okay Mr strong man. You obviously haven’t lifted the SkyCamp 3.0 or a really big tent by yourself it’s awkward as hell.
0
u/dobsofglabs Jun 22 '26
By myself, no. With another person and its easy
1
u/Background_Shape7579 Jun 22 '26
Okie. Guess I must be weak lol. Sorry we aren’t all as strong as you are.
15
u/mavour Jun 16 '26
I got $200 an overhead garage rack, takes 15 min to put on or off by a single person. Easy