What tent rooftop setup for 5+ people?

[Slapping_Rabbits]

I haven't. I can see how that might work in some situations, but I don't think it would be much of an advantage for the types of hunting I have been doing, which mostly involve hunting on a friend's farm, on one end, or backpacking way above tree-line with a lot of gear where vehicles aren't allowed, on the other.

oh nice pics! where is that?

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[MarineHawk]

oh nice pics! where is that?

Central Colorado.

 

[Slapping_Rabbits]

that looks about right. i've lived in estes and spent time in grand junction. i do like co and i do miss mountains.

 

[Bobzdar]

Thinking ahead a little here. I dont have a gladiator currently (maybe this coming summer), but I am planning out its use. My wife was wanting to maybe get a small camper and tow it to say the beach etc. I was curious if there were any overlanding style tents or a setup that could accommodate 5 people? 2 adults, 1 teen, a 3 and 4 year old. I feel it would be 100% easier to just pop a tent open vs tow something there. Are there any setups that also include the bed of the truck combined with a tent?

There are multiple - and it depends on your tolerance for set up time and what amenities you need. I have multiple setups that range from a backpacking tent to a 27' airstream. In general, I take the airstream if the terrain isn't rough, without question. There is no beating the set up time and amenities of a camper, especially if the weather turns, and towing it isn't an issue for me. For rough terrain, I have a Crua Loj. It's a 4 season tent, I've installed a stove jack for winter camping, and it easily sleeps 6 in a separate insulated bedroom (great in all seasons as it blocks light and sound). Downsides are it weighs 200lbs, takes up a decent amount of room in the bed and takes 45 minutes to set up and take down. Not great for spending one night, more for base camp style camping (which is mostly what I do).

I'm not a fan of RTT's, I don't think they solve any issues other than maybe reduced pest nuisance, and create a bunch of others, not the least of which is usually very limited room and having to climb out in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I would rather go with a camper shell in the bed, but neither will really be practical for 4 people. In almost all cases, a good ground tent will be better. I also have an instant tent that takes around 45 seconds to set up and sleeps 4 comfortably. Then a good instant awning for cooking or eating under if the weather is bad, makes for a good setup if you're just doing single nights instead of base camp style camping. For base camp style, the Loj has everything needed, including a porch with awning (see pic). I pulled the tailgate under to cook as it was snowing off and on and it's not fun having a smokey tent (we were cooling bacon). If I back in from the front, the whole bed will fit under the awning and it has side doors to use, but I haven't had the need for that yet. I was able to fit everything in the pic (except the plastic chair, that wasn't mine) in the Gladiator under the tonneau. The back seat was full, but mostly with my buddy's crap as he's the worst at packing for camping I've ever witnessed...

As to storage vs. an RTT - using a rack accomplishes the same, so you can store your tent and sleeping gear up there easily enough. I have one but only use it if we carry large stuff in the bed (like bikes).

 

[Jake in Cali]

Repeat from earlier post:

I can’t understand why anyone would put a tent ON their truck. I have about 18 tents for all kinds of situations. When they are set up, and I am hunting or doing other things, I can drive off immediately to haul a buck, drive up to a vista or trailhead, or make a run back to the nearest store, just go wheeling, tow out a friend, etc. …

For example, I have a 12’ 12’ tent that fills up a modest duffle bag and takes up much less space. What am I missing?

You can’t drive your Jeep with a tent on it. It becomes a stationary RV without the real comforts. Kind of eviscerates the Jeep’s main purpose—to drive around in difficult terrain.

Getting a real camper may or not make sense. But, why put a tent on your Jeep that renders it immobile and takes up more space than a much larger conventional tent that takes up less cargo space that allows you to go Jeeping while the big tent with numerous cots and comforts remains functional somewhere else?

While I generally agree, I have been to places such as Saline Valley in Death Valley that in order to avoid the burros, rattlesnakes and amazing rocky ground that I can see using a RTT.

 

[Cliff89]

I have a Rightline SUV tent (ordered via ebay)and it can handle up to 6 persons. Other options are available, click here to find out more. My kids are happy with it, and whenever we go camping that's good enough for an overnight stay or just 1 day hanging around over Yosemite.

 

[Factoid]

20 years ago when my four were younger, we used a RTT for the wife and me and put the kids in a ground tent at the bottom of the ladder. They all seemed to like that except my middle daughter who used to complain that they had to sleep on the ground, while we got the cool upper bunk. I finally told her it was so the bears would eat them first and by the way who sleeps closest to the door? I thought it was funny, but that created a whole other Issue. I’d still do it again.

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