Cab Roof Rack & Tent Recommendations

Hello All! I'm new to the forum and currently waiting to get a 2022 Toyota Tacoma, full Cab to fit the entire family!

Eventually I will get a canopy, but for now I want to take the family camping and I think the kids would be super excited to sleep in a roof top tent.

Can the OEM racks handle a good 2-3 person rooftop tent? I would like to avoid a bed rack for now. Do you have suggestions on roof racks if you don't think the OEM rack will handle it? I also have some sets of the Thule WingBars, but figured these wouldn't be able to hold static weight as well as a mounted system.

I'm also open to suggestions on tents/systems that would work well for a roof rack over the cab.

Cheers

 

Get a regular tent and camp on the ground with self-inflating mattresses and sleeping bags. You can never be sure what kids will like. It will be a much less expensive experiment.

 

@Toycoma2021 I think that is very sound advice! I'm just considering options. That said - my oldest grew up with a 1979 VW Westy Pop-top I had been restoring so I was thinking about recreating some of the feeling of sleeping on the roof.

 

Could always get a truck bed tent. The fancy sort with attatched rooms.

 

Napier 51000 57890 Sportz Link and Sport Truck Tent for 5.5 Feet 5.8 Feet Bed

$525 Napier 51000 57890 Sportz Link and Sport Truck Tent for 5.5 Feet 5.8 Feet Bed

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HZ5C821?_encoding=UTF8

 

Good luck! Sounds like a fun adventure. I will tell you this, the OEM roof rails (if that is what you are referencing) will not be able to hold a roof rack with that much weight. Note regarding the roof rails: "The roof rack features cross bars that are designed to secure cargo with more confidence. Provides additional secure tie-down points for various roof rack accessories. Can support a maximum of 75 lb. when weight is evenly distributed across both bars."

I applaud the roof top tent idea and there are a lot of really good insights from folks here. Personally, I would not put the roof top ten on top of the cab (please note, that is just me and many folks here do that). I just don't feel comfortable with the weight of the tent and then of course the weight of the folks in the tent. I have been eyeing this Leitner bed rack for a roof top tent. It is expensive and it is overkill but it is one of the few that is tested for maximum weight. My challenge is I keep going between the roof top tent and a camper.

Link:
https://www.leitnerdesigns.com/pages/toyota

Leitner is now making a system that works with a tonneau, which is quite new. I can't wait to check that out.

The bed tent might be a good, cost effective way to did your toe in the water and see if the kids really like it. I think that is a great suggestion!

Best of luck to you and the family ... can't wait to see what set up you choose! Definitely post back when you are up and running.

 

Let the modifications begin! Haha.

My tent .02 is for a iKamper mini although $$$ - buy once, cry once (those things never last on resale sites)

 

Yea, I'm gonna buy a cheap bed tent (that I probably won't enjoy but I'm gonna try it) and utilize my expensive tarps more than anything, lol. Screw all that $3k tent crap. I'll cut some wood and use a cast iron over the fire, poke a hole in the top of a water bottle for washing, and hide out for a couple weeks. They are nice though. The whole roof tent things. I just can't justify it the way I camp where I live. Too much forest to utilize.

 

Im looking for a proper rooftop tent that would go ontop my prinsu rack system, all i can seem to find are bedrack tents and similair things to those but not a genuine rooftop, any suggestions on where to look or a tent that would work would be much appreciated. im unsure if im just looking for something that doesnt exist or if its very rare but i swear ive seen some people with them on the actual rack on the roof and not in the bed or on a bed rack or on canopy