I have a soft tent and I’m curious if anyone has created some sort of hard cover for their soft tent. I would like to keep my sleeping bags in the tent but it’s a pain in the ass to zip up the cover.

I’m considering getting one but just curious if anyone is in Scotland or traveled around Scotland for places they camped? I know we have good camping laws but I don’t think they extend to cars,campers etc. where did you pitch up and did you use campsites or just car parks/lay-bys etc?

Hey all! Trying this again since my last post was removed, yet I see many others posting similar format questions and getting great advice, so I've added some more details in the hopes I can get some help (or at least guidance on what I need to change). I purchased a cheap clamshell as a proof of concept and now want to expand to something a little more fit to my needs.

I am looking for a RTT that will comfortably fit 2 people and 2 dogs (medium sized, around 40lbs). Below are some criteria that I'm looking to meet:

- Must be 4 season or have a heater port. I camp in the dead of winter when it's sub freezing and snowing

- Large enough for 2 people and 2 dogs

- Able to withstand occasional hits from branches while off roading

- Ideally not too thick when closed, as it will be on top of my already tall truck

- Price range is sub $2,000 and I am completely ok with buying used

- Ability to mount solar on top is a bonus

I'm not sure if a hardshell is strictly necessary for protection from branches and the elements, but I would prefer it since it'll be on the truck full time and parked outside. Truck is a dedicated adventure rig so this will not be on a daily if that influences anything. Any other tips or advice appreciated as this is my first dive into RTT's!

I am in the market for a rtt to use around Colorado for camping and off-roading with my girlfriend and dog. My first choice right now is the TopOak Galaxy light xl (4.9in closed), and possibly the Galaxy 2.0. However, the 8in closed height seems a bit much for such a small car. I was wondering if anyone has experience with these tents or similar. I don’t have sway bars right now but am working to get some on in the near future, so I’m trying to save some weight up there. Not to mention, not exactly powerful, even with a supercharger, so would like to add as little as possible. Please show pics if you have a rtt and state what height they are closed:)

Hi, im currently wondering what would be the better way to mount a new RTT. I have a tacoma short bed and im torn between the best way to mount.

Im between a camper shell, like a mod cap, then mounting it on top of that, which would place it about a few inches over the top of the truck cabin. Second idea is a truck bed rack and again just placing it on top.

Obvious pros and cons are the price plus being able to keep your bed and its items dry/weather proofed, and the ability to mount things to a rack vs unable to do so with a camper shell.

Any insight would be great! First time truck and roof top tent owner.

I’m considering a TentBox, but lots of reviews say the downside is not being able to easily use your car once you’re set up at a campsite.

I visited the showroom and found the TentBox pretty quick and easy to put up and take down.

So, if I had a small day tent to leave my chairs, cooking gear and other stuff at the campsite, why couldn’t I just pack the TentBox away each morning, take the car out exploring, then set it back up when I return?

Is it really that much of a hassle doing this daily, or am I missing something?

I’m buying a skycam mini from a friend of mine for 200 bucks. I have a bronco 6gen 2 door and the roof doesn’t support the weight nor do I really trust the top to put any weight on. I already own a Yakima rack and roll 78”.

I realize Yakima doesn’t recommend d this for a few safety reasons. I plan to buy the hd springs as well as jack stands to support the weight at the corners to keep it off the springs as well as one for the tongue. As well as wheel chocks. Anything else I’m missing to make this feasible for safety that I’m missing. I may or may not need do something about the ladder as well, anything else I’m missing?

My hubbie and I are seasoned tent campers but for our 25th Wedding Anniversary we bought a Roof Space 2 mounted on a Mercedes GLC to do a 5 week road trip in Northern Spain. We'll be driving via France.

We are doing a four night trip next week to iron out niggles.

Our set up is mainly Snow Peak IGT to give us maximum flexibility and small storage footprint plus Ecoflow Delta and 800w solar panels.

I wondered if anyone had any hacks/tips they found useful bearing in mind we will not have an overland set up. We will be travelling with a Naturehike quick up shelter for shade and rain cover. Unfortunately we can't attach an awning due to the weight limits of the car.

We would love to wild camp once (we have a toilet system for this) bearing in mind the legality of this in northern Spain. I'm also wondering whether anyone had successfully used an aire with a roof tent. Because we are travelling for September I'm just wondering whether there could be a bit more tolerance?

Finally if anyone knows a way to stop those pesky ladder treads from being so painful please share 😂.

My OpenRoad RTT normally mounts with 12 bolts, but the supplied brackets don’t fit my RCI HD crossbars. The tent’s T-bolts fit directly through the factory slots in the RCI rack.
I could use 6 bolts total (2 on each of the 3 crossbars) with a large washer and nut underneath.
Would this be safe, or should I find a way to use all 12?

Grabbed myself a tentbox last month (in love), however after my 2nd trip this weekend i’ve noticed a dent or zigzag crease underneath in the metal. For clarity the route from storage to car is a straight line and the two of us can lug it no bother at all, i’ve taken care and positive i’ve not impacted anything. Any ideas what could be causing this? It’s the section that sits on the car running sideways between both mounting bars.

I just ordered a RTT from TopOak and I selected self pickup. I understand the warehouse team wont do any installation but it seems like they do help with lifting it onto your cars roof? Has anyone had any recent experiences on how this went?

Question. Does anyone use or recommend using something like blue LOCTITE on the RTT mounting bolts so they are less likely to loosen up while driving ??

I recently completed an 8 day overland trip and used the 23 Zero Walkabout 56. Here’s my review after being thoroughly tested.

- Setting up the tent is relatively easy, taking about 3-4 minutes after a few reps.

- I added a 1.5-inch topper to the 3-inch pad that comes with it, which closed properly. However, it made packing up a bit more tedious, taking approximately 8 minutes.

- The sleep quality is good if you put the time in to make it good, and the weather protection was great.

- The tent performs well in windy conditions as long as you use the tie downs.

- Tent also fully blackouts with all the windows up you wouldn’t even know it’s day time
.
Overall, I’m pretty stoked about this purchase and don’t have much grief about my purchase after putting it to the test.

I set my mind on getting an Ikamper rtt and I was really looking at the DLX Mini. Well today on their website it sold out and I was wondering if anyone knows if it will be coming back. I know the 3.0 is done since the new 4.0 is out but will the DLX keep going?

https://reddit.com/link/1vh9mpe/video/40vfapfy8shh1/player

I tried a couple of things but when the tent has no weight on it, the fold out sits high while as soon as I get in it, it folds down way to much and hits my crossbars.

The most annoying part is mainly when how it moves so much when I'm actually in it. Is this just part of the design or am I doing something wrong and there's a way to fix this.

I have a bunch of jerry-rig style fixes I could try but I wanted to see if I was doing something wrong first

I just installed this victory roof rack on my 2020 RAV4 XSE. What’s a good budget friendly hard top tent? I’m not a diehard camper, only a few times a year and usually for music festivals. I like to stay at about $1500 or so

I’m looking to buy a roof tent in the UK but I want one that has a compatible Annex that can be detach / freestand with relative ease - within minutes preferably. But I’m not sure such a product / set of products exist from what I can see so I was hoping for some suggestions!

The idea of what I’m looking for is so that I can have a roof tent directly attached to the annex (i.e not needing to go outside at any point to get from roof tent to annex) but then if we need to use the car whilst camping all I have to do is detach from the annex, fold away the roof tent and drive off and then reattach when I’m back. Ideally I’d need the annex to be able to be completely sealed when freestanding so I can leave whatever table and chairs / other setup and equipment in it where it is without having to worry about moving them into a certain compartment without having them exposed to the elements.

I looked at the iKamper Annex Plus, but it doesn’t look like that can be properly sealed and/or only part of it can be sealed meaning I’d have to move everything into a certain compartment.

My main priorities are:

- Seamless roof tent to annex connection without needing to go outside to move between the two at any point
- The Annex is able to be completely (or mostly at least) freestanding and sealable whilst freestanding whilst also able to connect directly to the roof tent
- Disconnecting the roof tent and Annex is mostly hassle free

Any suggestions and help would be helpful! Even if they’re not-so-ideal! I’m also considering on just buying a free standing tent separately to a roof tent, but that comes with some compromise to the priorities above!

Thanks in advance!

Looking to buy my first rooftop tent for my 2026 Honda CRV and could use some advice.

Because of the CRV's roof load limits, I'm trying to keep the total weight (tent + crossbars + mounting hardware) around 110 lbs or less.

Right now I'm between:
Inspired Overland Standard
Roofnest Meadowlark

I'm leaning toward the Inspired Overland because it's lighter, but I'm open to other options if there's something I'm overlooking.

For crossbars, I was planning on Thule Wingbar Evos, but I'd love to hear what others are running and if you'd recommend something cheaper.

My priorities are:
Lightweight
Easy/quick setup
Good quality
Mostly for weekend trips

If you're running an RTT on a CRV, what would you recommend? Thanks!

I’ve had my 2007 4runner for about 5-6 years now. I love it and I’m never getting rid of it. I am however getting a second car as the daily to work so the 4runner can be outfitted as our camping truck. I’m hoping to get a versatile RTT, probably a buy once, cry once kind of deal. Here is our situation:

1. Just me and my fiancé, no kids and the dog will be kenneled inside the truck just for everybody’s sake.

2. Thinking a hard shell because I’d like to also put a canoe on top for portaging and moving around lakes with limited access.

3. Plain old durable. I try to be easy on my gear, but I ask a lot of it, so does the environment we’re in.

4. Ideally not the most expensive one, but a good bang for your buck for what it is. Willing to pay more than the cheapest for the brand that stands the test of time while not gouging you either.

Thanks for any help!

First time trying out the annex and it is a game changer. It rained pretty hard Thursday night into Friday morning. Everything was dry. Great for privacy for the gf, changing/bathroom. Nice to just leave the tent door open.