Roof Top Tent on a truck cap?....

Does anyone know of a truck cap that can hold a 225 lb RTT and also 4 people? My family will probably never tip the scales at 800 lbs combined, but was hoping to find one that could hold 1000 lbs just to be safe. This is what I have discovered so far....

ARE - dealer told me the HD Series can handle that but do not make for my 2015 Tacoma DCLB.
Leer - none of their caps hold that much.
Snugtop - nothing holds that much and I don't even think they have dealers east of the Mississippi anyway.

Not even sure if there are any other cap manufacturers. I guess I could also just put it on top of the cab but the model I want (CVT Mckinley) is too long for the cab. Would overhang. Any thoughts or ideas are much appreciated.

 

Should ask here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-rtt-owners-thread-with-bs.312269/page-325

 

RTT makers will tell you this: the ratings truck cap manufacturers put on their products are for dynamic loads, ie. driving at freeway speeds, offroad, etc while loaded. Sitting still, like while camping, they can hold much more.

 

i know snugtops max out at 500 lbs

 

idk, but these are cool

http://www.flippac.com/#page_1/

 

My guess is this will be out of my price range. And a pain to store. I can stand most rtt's on their side.

 

I cracked my non reinforced snugtop with my CVT Mt Rainier and Yakima bars.

 

Have you considered an aluminum shell, OP? They might not be as pretty, but they're rugged and I would imagine better for roof loading.

 

There are folks who do it but generally it's reccomended to put some sort of support structure inside to help with the weight. You also need to make sure the tent is secured and doesn't move around as it can contribute to fiberglass cracking. Another issue that can occur is spreading of the bed walls and cracking at the bottom of the rear uprights (there have been a couple of threads with pics).

Lots of threads here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forums/138-Roof-Top-Tents-and-Awnings

 

If I would do it all over again I would use a bed cage and bypass the topper

 

By the time you buy a new topper with tracks, towers and cross bars (I'd run 3 or 4 bars to spread the load - I destroyed a topper overloading the rack once) and your RTT... You'll be about 4/5 of the way to the price of a Flip Pac - and the Flip Pac is a topper. Just leave it on and you won't have to store anything.

 

Or now there is this too: http://expeditionportal.com/news-at-overland-announces-new-tacoma-habitat/

 

Don't like the looks at all. Deal killer. HD series from ARE would be best if they made it. There seems to be so many custom bed racks. You'd think someone would make one that can go under the cap and support more weight

 

I actually daydreamed about that recently... I pictured a bed rack that bolted to the floor of the bed, framed the entire inner contour of the shell and protruded through the roof of the shell for direct rack mounts. Of course, you'd want to seal the shell properly through use of gaskets and washers and such...

 

Will call and check both of these out. Little ugly for me and really question sleeping on the overhang part of them but worth a look. On the Tacoma Habitat I feel like my fat ass will make the front wheels lift off the ground.

 

That sucks. Have not heard that from many people though. May PM some that I see and ask if any issues. Will report back.

 

There are racks that go under caps but most modern fiberglass caps overhang the outside bed rail to improve the looks as well as the weather tightness. This means you'd either need some sort of drop bracket or you'd need to cut the fiberglass which would probably require you to put some extra effort into sealing it. I've seen pictures of both along with an external rack that tied into the sliders in the front and the rear bumper in the back and didn't touch the cap at all; it'd be easy to design one that was removable. Register on expeditionportal.com if you haven't and spend some time searching, that's where I've saw the pics.

Internal bracing takes up your already limited space if you tie it into the floor of the bed but there was a fellow on expo who designed his to attach to the internal tie down channels instead of tying into the floor. Pretty cool idea I thought.

Personally I'd avoid the Flippaack unless you find a great deal on a used one in good shape- meaning the fiberglass in the front near the hinges isn't rotting, the torsion bar hasn't broken and the tent is in good shape. The new AT shell looks much more promising from almost every standpoint.

 

Fuckin awesome!

 

Will def investigate this more. Really only looking for 1000 lbs max so should not be anything dramatic. I keep picturing a NASCAR roll cage but should be doable with much smaller diameter tubes.

 

I should clarify- there are ladder rack style racks that mount with a camper shell but they require drop brackets or cutting the fiberglass if the shell overhangs the outside of the rail- which most of the modern fiberglass models do. ex. http://www.rackwarehouse.com/hauler-aluminum-pickup-truck-cap-ladder-racks.html Every structure I've seen inside the shell was custom made. That's why the aluminum utility types are kind of popular even though they aren't fashionable, some have a stronger internal frame. Honestly it seems most folks just mount them and go without worrying too much about them but I'm like you, I'd like a bit more support. Using a track system like the Yakima or Thule should help spread the weight out better but I'm no engineer.

Here's a whole thread on mounting RTTs (not all of which is applicable). http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/1483-Roof-Tent-Mounting-Options