Ground tent camping vs Roof Top?

I have not tried Roof top camping but have wondered about it.

Having twice crossed country from New England to the west cost "tent camping" at state parks, I wonder about the idea of a tent on the roof.

I will say, twice we "camped out" in adverse weather (rain and wind) in the back of the Taco under the protection of the Softopper. The cold got to me one time, but blame the sleeping bag, The tent would have been no better. In the wind, the Softopper showed it's true colors!

But I wonder...

Climbing up and down from a RTT seems suited to youth, not so much "for those of a certain age". And when the wind blows, Oh Is it bearable? What of rainy nights?

All the glamour photos of RTT are done from remote control flying cameras, or still shots in pristine conditions. None on wind blown rain at 33 degrees F. What is the RTT experience when things get sour?

Plus Leveling the truck seems such a pain, and 'most" camp spots are not really geared towards "out of the back of a pick up" set ups. It's "tent or RV" mostly.

Out in the wilds, call it dispersed, the RTT makes sense to me, until weather comes in.

Then the ground tent wins... in my mind.

I would like to hear the practicals from other. Open to ideas

TIA

 

You mostly answered your own questions.

I have never used an RTT, but no way I’d be up there on a super windy desert night.

RTTs do seem to keep out the cold well, especially with a nice sleeping bag. They keep you off the ground away from critters. Easy enough to set up.

Up to your preference.

 

I’ve been pondering the same exact things. I’ve ground tent camped and bed of truck camped all my life. I like the easy setup and go of the RTT but have the same concerns that you mentioned about weather. I’ve heard when it’s windy, it can be a long night.

I ended up getting a Doghouse RTT at a reduced price brand new in box from the manufacture this year. I haven’t had a chance to get out and use it yet, it’s still in the garage. I have a trip planned at the end of July where I’m going to test it out. I may or may not be one of those guys selling their used once or twice RTT guys or hopefully I’ll fall in love with it.

I have concerns about fuel economy with the tent mounted on the truck. It’s large and impossible for me to install and remove by myself so I feel like it will reside on the truck most of the time making me look like a “taco bro”. I tend to think this will be the biggest downside of the RTT in my case. Where to store it or leave it on year round?

I’ll try to update this after my install and trip. What are your thoughts on storage/leaving it on the truck all year?

also for context, I live in Washington state, mostly I camp in areas with plenty of tree coverage from wind but also camp near the coast and possibly in the east side of the state where it’s flat desert. The coast and desert may be miserable with the wind.

 

Depends where you live. If you live in the Seattle area and leave the truck outside a lot, I would not leave the tent up there year round.

 

Yeah I’m same side of the state but south about an hour. That’s another concern I have is how durable it would be sitting up top all year. I feel like wet cold or dry and hot, neither would be great for the cover. One concern is having the tent get wet, which will most likely happen, then not being able to dry it out very good.

 

I’ve been in my tent in “high” winds, it’s just like any other tent but IMO, with more support. I’ve slept in it down to 20 with no heater and just a good sleeping bag.

the biggest advantage of a RTT in that cold is you’re getting off the ground so all your body heat doesn’t get soaked up by the earth.

 

So Tacoma-ish area. Would not leave it up year round around there.

Get a buddy to help you pull it off before rainy season. Make sure it’s nice and dry for storage.

 

I’ve put mine away wet multiple times. As long as you open it up eventually, it’ll be fine. The only time I had issues with mold or etc is when I just didn’t open it at all within a couple days after my trip.

 

Good foul weather tents are all low and close to the ground with lots of poles and guy lines….

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/anybody-ever-get-eaten-by-a-bear-while-sleeping-in-a-rtt.563714/

 

Yeah that will most likely be the route I go. I’m right by Tacoma JBLM area, I know I need to take it off, just don’t want the headache ha

 

So i should stop by home depression and pick up a few day laborers?

 

I will have to finish the restoration of my 85 4Runner soon and create a good dry space to open it up and let it breathe

 

Was it cocaine bear?

 

I did consider getting a 23Zero swag for those trips I know will be in bad weather…then I’d probably sell the RTT

https://23zero.com/product-category/swags/

 

Finish restoration, sell me 4Runner, win win.

I’ll come pick it up

 

Unfortunately, I’ll have it until I die, it’s been with me since 1999 now and trailered around while I was in the Air Force. The salty climate in Florida wasn’t kind to it, that’s the reason for the resto

 

Hey all jumping in late on the convo. I was totally going for the RTT. Getting too old for the ground sleeping. I just picked up this rig I plan on getting a rack to swap from truck to trailer depending on the route taken. This thing is solid and the material is thick looking forward to using it here this week. Looking to see what this trailer can handle.

 

That’s what I’d love to do! I’ve been considering finding a short bed off a Tacoma and turning it into a trailer. That way my canopy could be on the trailer if I ever needed to store it…all money I guess

 

I was going to go rack and RTT on the truck then this package came about, a super good deal, or I justified it well in my head. Under 6k for all you see plus annex. If you’re interested I know a guy in Vancouver, WA with a few more setups like this. I wouldn’t have afforded it otherwise, Ramen for a bit but worth it.
I think that would be a great alternative getting a Tacoma bed. This trailer is tall and not sure how to downsize the 37” Humvee tires