So for those with Overlander rigs, questions..

[Muddyape]

Aside from the axles (switching those out), everything else is “just stuff” as explained and can be stripped off in an afternoon and leave it as a rockcrawler lol. I dont know if this is my final iteration but it will just evolve. I retire in about 10 months and this thing will be going to the Dempster Highway which is about 12,500 miles from home round trip. I may get a little more efficient for that but I went to the Badlands and the Needles Highway etc. and it did what I needed it to do. Mine sits at 8’1” and parking anywhere but a walmart is out of the question

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[SCJ Zach]

I have had multiple different setups. Soft and hard RTT's, full and half racks. currently I use a flated topper and a truck topper tent so that I can enclose the bed with the tailgate down. I like the setup because when I get home, in a 20 minute process to airdown the flated and fold it up to store. Truck bed during the week, weather safe camper in 20 minutes. The only real downside is I have to unload the truck bed to sleep in it, but that has helped me to not carry unnecessary items and pack in containers that are easily removed from the truck bed. I am currently awaiting the tonneau tent to be released. It looks like maybe the perfect setup for my use.

 

[Muddyape]

 

[Muddyape]

Tonneau tent!

 

[SCJ Zach]

Tonneau tent!

I am legitimately excited for it. I think it's an awesome solution for those that use their trucks but still want to camp. I don't camp extremely often. 6-8 times a year. So the Canopy Campers are too expensive to justify for that. I have use a ground tent, and that's great but requires a good soft flat spot which isn't always available. I have run a tonneau for most of the trucks life (6-1/2 years and 136k) and it just fits my needs the best.

 

[Pickle_Bill]

iKamper mini (125 lbs), Billie bars 8" rack (50 lbs and can still open my factory mopar tonnueu). All my bedding fits inside and I like the low profile for less wind and better clearance in the woods. I just use totes with my camping stuff in the bed. Easy to get together for a trip.

 

[MNWillys]

I have had multiple different setups. Soft and hard RTT's, full and half racks. currently I use a flated topper and a truck topper tent so that I can enclose the bed with the tailgate down. I like the setup because when I get home, in a 20 minute process to airdown the flated and fold it up to store. Truck bed during the week, weather safe camper in 20 minutes. The only real downside is I have to unload the truck bed to sleep in it, but that has helped me to not carry unnecessary items and pack in containers that are easily removed from the truck bed. I am currently awaiting the tonneau tent to be released. It looks like maybe the perfect setup for my use.

What is this Tonneau Tent thing you’re mentioning? Sounds interesting!

 

[vicsvx]

I built a m1101 military trailer for overland/ car camping. Truck bed has fridge and bluetti and random odds n ends, trailer has most of the necessary camp gear always In it, 40 gal water tank, on board power, tankless water heater, solar panel and shore power hookup and obviously the tent. Fun build. Easy to use and doesn't hinder my truck to do other truck things

 

[ChrisNLA]

I enjoyed having my roof top tent and rack for the short time that I did. Ultimately I did not want it on the truck full time - but I did not have a way to lift it off and did not want to call friends over constantly to do it, so I sold it.

I have a small tractor now with pallet forks - I probably wouldn't mind having an RTT and rack again since it would be pretty easy to take it on and off now.

For now though, I am using a Gazelle ground tent (quick up and down) and my gear packs into three weather proof cases. I can load / unload for camping in a few minutes. Down here in Louisiana though camping season is short and there isn't really 'overlanding' to speak of, so I prefer to be able to set camp down for a couple nights and be able to leave with truck. I'm not packing up and moving daily.

Last camping trip I went on was actually Atlanta Motor Speedway for a NASCAR race weekend and it was nice not having to pack down the truck to run to town lol.

Maybe next time I will build out a trailer. I think that would be a happy medium for me.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

Doing the Trailer route myself. I want a decked system as well, It looks like the single drawer is a better use of space and I have a 5x8 trailer to do my truck stuff. The Camper shell I'm running is limiting my tall stuff already, so I think a drawer system is in my future.

 

[Muddyape]

 

[dylanhack]

I built a m1101 military trailer for overland/ car camping. Truck bed has fridge and bluetti and random odds n ends, trailer has most of the necessary camp gear always In it, 40 gal water tank, on board power, tankless water heater, solar panel and shore power hookup and obviously the tent. Fun build. Easy to use and doesn't hinder my truck to do other truck things

@vicsvx Nice! The M1101 or M1102 has been on my bucket list for a while. Do the hydraulic brakes work OK for emergency stopping as opposed to electric trailer brakes?

 

[vicsvx]

@vicsvx Nice! The M1101 or M1102 has been on my bucket list for a while. Do the hydraulic brakes work OK for emergency stopping as opposed to electric trailer brakes?

I put electric brakes and the redarc brake controller... Been working amazing! The hydraulic surge brakes would have been a nightmare for offroad or regular driving

 

[WambliSka]

First, thanks guys for taking the time to share your views and experience. I think I need to further break this down for my own processing.

I just took a look at the latest generation Decked system and the single drawer makes a LOT of sense for me. Right now I have an over the cab tent that I use quite frequently for quick overnight or weekend trips and it works fine though durability of the example I got is HIGHLY suspect. The biggest issue is that the wheel wells on the bed make it impractical for my wife and I to lay down a couple of sleeping bags side by side. Now, if I had the Decked system in place this would give me a bigger flat area which would actually increase the usable space back there. And the weight of the system, which I was sweating before, seems to be a non-issue since the system is under 200lbs which is not a big deal for my needs. So it looks like this is a go upgrade to my rig right away.

This would also solve a day trip problem I have when we take the Gladiator out to the desert to shoot for the day (a common family outing) I end up with a bunch of guns that I need to locked inside the cab when we stop for lunch or an early dinner. With the drawer I can clean out the cab of all the "stuff" I normally carry in the back seat now and have no issues taking 4 adults and the dog out and about, with all the gear safely tucked away in the back.

I think then the question becomes do I do a RTT on a tall rack, one of the short half height ones or do one of the metal cab enclosures... I think in all cases I would want something that relatively easily comes off the vehicle for day to day use and for that I think I'd like to set up some sort of pulley system that would allow me to take the whole thing off and drive out from under it. So a little more research on that subject is needed.

My desire to live off the grid for weeks is pretty much non existent, mostly because wife will take a day or two on the glorious outdoors but then she requires a real bed and a shower to continue the journey. So I don't need all the stuff folks require for extended stays. Foam pads, sleeping bags, a stove and a cooler provide everything wife, dog and I need to survive 2-3 days out and about before a night at a hotel to refresh and re-supply is required to keep wife happy.

The tonneau tent setup looks really interesting for now as an upgrade from the cheesy tent I'm using now, and I'm liking the idea of setting up a trailer for future longer stays out in the desert so further consideration on the front seems prudent. But durability could be a problem since I live in a place with full blast sunshine 360 days a year. Again need some ore research.

I think I see a roadmap developing ahead of me....

 

[ericw.]

For now though, I am using a Gazelle ground tent

The Gazelle tent is one of the best tents ever made. I still keep my T4 because it's so spacious.

I went the trailer route with a RTT and store it in the garage but I'm not sure that a RTT offers many more conveniences over the Gazelle, aside from being outfitted with a mattress by default and not needing to carry my bedding in a tote.

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