Does anyone here hunt out of a rootop tent setup? Seeking feedback

[ljsommer]

I recently made a truck purchase (moving from a Tacoma to a Tundra) and I've historically used and loved a standard topper canopy for gear storage. I am looking at those now for the Tundra, and wondering if now would be a good time to consider one of the "integrated" rooftop tent (RTT) setups like SuperPacific or GoFastCampers (GFC).

In my mind, the pros and cons are:
Pros:
Better camping experience with less work (my body is starting to hate sleeping on the ground)
Can camp in a larger variety of terrain (example: park and camp on a fire road where there isn't room to setup a tent)
Kids would love it
Wife would feel more comfortable camping by herself or with her friends

Cons:
Cost ($8k - $12k)
Inability to quickly remove it if I want my truck bed back (compared to my current standard camper, I can easily remove that within 15 minutes with the help of only one person)

Does anyone have any experience with this? One question I had is how do you dry it out if you are out in the rain? When you collapse it down to drive home, how do you eventually dry it out if you life in Western WA?

[pianoman9701]

I was thinking about one for my Tacoma. But it would've limited my ability to use the truck to hunt different areas without breaking it down and packing up. My neighbor has one and it's pretty cool if you're camping in and hunting out of one place for the whole trip.

[MeepDog]

Rooftop tents are a fad that needs to go away. If people bought trucks with correct size beds of 6foot+ all they would ever need is a canopy. There is ZERO pros of a rooftop tent over a canopy unless you think throwing money away is a pro.

My problems with them:
The tent MUST be stored before you can drive away
The set up and tear down time is greater than zero
No heaters without risking the tent fabric
Have fun taking a leak in the night from 6 feet up unless you're okay with peeing on your truck
If it gets wet and you put it away it's gonna be gross
It costs 4x the most expensive canopies
Everyone knows you're camping
Nothing in the bed is protected from rain without another type of cover

The right choice is to take these things into account when you purchase a truck and buy one with a bed that you can fully lay down in. I can roll out of bed from the back of my truck and start driving in under a minute. If you want to spend money, get a canopy and a decked drawers system then throw a mattress on top of it.

[wafisherman]

I have a friend who has a pretty nice system. He likes it, but he's not a hunter. I think he just like the idea of it. Looks cool. But I don't find it very practical. Would rather pull a small camper or tent camp.

I just do regular tent caping typically. I have 2 large camp tents I have bought from costco over the years. Basic dome tents big enough that I can sleep 2 adults on folding cots just fine with room to move around and stand up. 1 is mine. The other is for the kids or any hunting buddies who join me. I have packable tents for backpacking but have found that day trips out of a base camp work just fine. And then my truck is ready to go when I want to hit various trailheads in the area.

One year, I was hunting with my daughter, and we were in one of the tents. Each sleeping on a cot. It was very cold and there was about a foot of snow on the ground. She was fighting a cold, so one morning, instead of dragging her along on a long slog in the slush (it was melting) and having her get cold and wet, I simply opened doors on both sides, converted the cots to recliners, and we sat there in our sleeping bags, rifles over our laps, and waited. A few hours went by and I had a small buck walk 20 yards in front of my side. I popped it.   So every time we go to that property, I just set up that tent as my hunting blind and add a little camo netting. a few camp chairs. Works just fine. One of my girls took one of our 3 deer out of that this season.

[Macs B]

A few years back I spent much more time in the woods than I do now, and covered a lot more ground.  The rooftop tent was one of the options I looked.  I opted instead for a snug bed topper and a stand alone tent that you could back up to and connect.  It gave me the option to use my truck to get around an area or run to town without having to pack everything up and then rebuild camp when I got back.  I always used the truck bed as a sleeper, and the tent as living space and cooking space. 

[bustedoldman]

If getting a RTT or a GFC type, factor in the loss of fuel milage as well especially if its taller than cab high. Might sway your thought of it.....

[baker5150]

Rooftop tents are a fad that needs to go away. If people bought trucks with correct size beds of 6foot+ all they would ever need is a canopy. There is ZERO pros of a rooftop tent over a canopy unless you think throwing money away is a pro.

My problems with them:
The tent MUST be stored before you can drive away
The set up and tear down time is greater than zero
No heaters without risking the tent fabric
Have fun taking a leak in the night from 6 feet up unless you're okay with peeing on your truck
If it gets wet and you put it away it's gonna be gross
It costs 4x the most expensive canopies
Everyone knows you're camping
Nothing in the bed is protected from rain without another type of cover

The right choice is to take these things into account when you purchase a truck and buy one with a bed that you can fully lay down in. I can roll out of bed from the back of my truck and start driving in under a minute. If you want to spend money, get a canopy and a decked drawers system then throw a mattress on top of it.

Why does it need to go away? 

[ljsommer]

A few years back I spent much more time in the woods than I do now, and covered a lot more ground.  The rooftop tent was one of the options I looked.  I opted instead for a snug bed topper and a stand alone tent that you could back up to and connect.  It gave me the option to use my truck to get around an area or run to town without having to pack everything up and then rebuild camp when I got back.  I always used the truck bed as a sleeper, and the tent as living space and cooking space.

Now that sounds like a neat solution - what tent did you find that worked well with that? I have one of these that I've used on a few turkey hunts and I imagine you could use this to create a tunnel between your truck bed and tent and really extend that usable covered space.
https://slumberjack.com/roadhouse-tarp/

[BD1]

Why the hate on the roof top deal 
If it is something that seems fun to do then why not? Not everyone likes camping on the ground nor sleeping in the back of a truck with a canopy. Roof top still gives you that great tent experience.  I love my travel trailer but still tent it in certain situations. If I was in my 20's again, the roof idea would sound like fun. Whatever gets you outdoors and having fun, the more power to you. I wouldn't want to pay as much as they want...that would be my biggest issue. Do it while you can my friends!!!!

[MeepDog]

Rooftop tents are a fad that needs to go away. If people bought trucks with correct size beds of 6foot+ all they would ever need is a canopy. There is ZERO pros of a rooftop tent over a canopy unless you think throwing money away is a pro.

My problems with them:
The tent MUST be stored before you can drive away
The set up and tear down time is greater than zero
No heaters without risking the tent fabric
Have fun taking a leak in the night from 6 feet up unless you're okay with peeing on your truck
If it gets wet and you put it away it's gonna be gross
It costs 4x the most expensive canopies
Everyone knows you're camping
Nothing in the bed is protected from rain without another type of cover

The right choice is to take these things into account when you purchase a truck and buy one with a bed that you can fully lay down in. I can roll out of bed from the back of my truck and start driving in under a minute. If you want to spend money, get a canopy and a decked drawers system then throw a mattress on top of it.

Why does it need to go away?

It's an overpriced, underused, fashion statement that is targeting the same types of people that got sucked into timeshare scams. It's no different than overpriced sneakers that you never actually wear, or a fancy off road truck that never leaves the pavement. Companies are using weaponized materialistic pageantry fads with high price tags to line their pockets. 10k for an inconvenient tent that disables your vehicle is completely ridiculous. If you ACTUALLY want to camp a bunch you'll find out very quick that it's a nuisance to set that thing up and tear it down again every time you want to go somewhere. The same crowd that is buying these trucks with 5 foot beds have now realized that they cant sleep in the bed so they are just trying to throw money at the problem instead of admitting the mistake and buying a different vehicle. If the size of your backseat is SO important to you that you sacrifice bed length, then buy an SUV and sleep in that. People are probably taking out loans to afford these silly tents that they put on their vehicle which also has a loan against it. The whole lot of it just stinks to high heaven. 10 grand will buy you a full blown drop in truck bed camper. If you want people to look at you get a face tattoo or dye your hair it's cheaper.

[full choke]

Rooftop tents are a fad that needs to go away. If people bought trucks with correct size beds of 6foot+ all they would ever need is a canopy. There is ZERO pros of a rooftop tent over a canopy unless you think throwing money away is a pro.

My problems with them:
The tent MUST be stored before you can drive away
The set up and tear down time is greater than zero
No heaters without risking the tent fabric
Have fun taking a leak in the night from 6 feet up unless you're okay with peeing on your truck
If it gets wet and you put it away it's gonna be gross
It costs 4x the most expensive canopies
Everyone knows you're camping
Nothing in the bed is protected from rain without another type of cover

The right choice is to take these things into account when you purchase a truck and buy one with a bed that you can fully lay down in. I can roll out of bed from the back of my truck and start driving in under a minute. If you want to spend money, get a canopy and a decked drawers system then throw a mattress on top of it.

Why does it need to go away?

It's an overpriced, underused, fashion statement that is targeting the same types of people that got sucked into timeshare scams. It's no different than overpriced sneakers that you never actually wear, or a fancy off road truck that never leaves the pavement. Companies are using weaponized materialistic pageantry fads with high price tags to line their pockets. 10k for an inconvenient tent that disables your vehicle is completely ridiculous. If you ACTUALLY want to camp a bunch you'll find out very quick that it's a nuisance to set that thing up and tear it down again every time you want to go somewhere. The same crowd that is buying these trucks with 5 foot beds have now realized that they cant sleep in the bed so they are just trying to throw money at the problem instead of admitting the mistake and buying a different vehicle. If the size of your backseat is SO important to you that you sacrifice bed length, then buy an SUV and sleep in that. People are probably taking out loans to afford these silly tents that they put on their vehicle which also has a loan against it. The whole lot of it just stinks to high heaven. 10 grand will buy you a full blown drop in truck bed camper. If you want people to look at you get a face tattoo or dye your hair it's cheaper.

Can you show us on the doll where the roof top tent hurt you?

I do not have a roof top tent, but I do not despise, or link the persons that do, into some type of capitalistic pyramid scheme. As others have stated they just seem to be more work than is necessary, and way to expensive.

[ljsommer]

Rooftop tents are a fad that needs to go away. If people bought trucks with correct size beds of 6foot+ all they would ever need is a canopy. There is ZERO pros of a rooftop tent over a canopy unless you think throwing money away is a pro.

My problems with them:
The tent MUST be stored before you can drive away
The set up and tear down time is greater than zero
No heaters without risking the tent fabric
Have fun taking a leak in the night from 6 feet up unless you're okay with peeing on your truck
If it gets wet and you put it away it's gonna be gross
It costs 4x the most expensive canopies
Everyone knows you're camping
Nothing in the bed is protected from rain without another type of cover

The right choice is to take these things into account when you purchase a truck and buy one with a bed that you can fully lay down in. I can roll out of bed from the back of my truck and start driving in under a minute. If you want to spend money, get a canopy and a decked drawers system then throw a mattress on top of it.

Why does it need to go away?

It's an overpriced, underused, fashion statement that is targeting the same types of people that got sucked into timeshare scams. It's no different than overpriced sneakers that you never actually wear, or a fancy off road truck that never leaves the pavement. Companies are using weaponized materialistic pageantry fads with high price tags to line their pockets. 10k for an inconvenient tent that disables your vehicle is completely ridiculous. If you ACTUALLY want to camp a bunch you'll find out very quick that it's a nuisance to set that thing up and tear it down again every time you want to go somewhere. The same crowd that is buying these trucks with 5 foot beds have now realized that they cant sleep in the bed so they are just trying to throw money at the problem instead of admitting the mistake and buying a different vehicle. If the size of your backseat is SO important to you that you sacrifice bed length, then buy an SUV and sleep in that. People are probably taking out loans to afford these silly tents that they put on their vehicle which also has a loan against it. The whole lot of it just stinks to high heaven. 10 grand will buy you a full blown drop in truck bed camper. If you want people to look at you get a face tattoo or dye your hair it's cheaper.

I appreciate your passion. Let me present another perspective. Those people who buy 5' bed trucks (that you have repeatedly expressed a dislike for) are likely buying them because it gives you a compromise between the value of a truck bed and a very capable offroad platform. Maybe it would help if I explained how I use my 2017 Tacoma OffRoad:
My Tacoma is regularly and thoroughly used as a mountain biking shuttle truck, a dirt hauler (I've had a full yard of soil in the back, and have moved about 10 yards total), a lumber hauler, a hunting truck, a muddy dog hauler, a kid hauler, a road trip vehicle, and an off-roading vehicle (Tahuya, Galaghar Head Lake, Moab, etc) and lastly, a commuter.
For it to accomplish all those tasks there has to be some serious compromise. The further I get into the activities listed above, the more I learn that if I want my vehicle to be a "do it all" rig then there must be compromise, by definition.

With that out of the way: there's nothing evil about a truck with a short bed. It won't fit as much, but it gives you a better break over angle and departure angle and it's way easier to park. An integrated RTT canopy setup does not "disable your vehicle", in fact the utility of the camper section in the back is slightly increased as the integrated RTT models tend to have pretty tall canopy space so that the extended tent piece can clear the top of a pickup cab.

Yes, they're expensive. I covered that in the original post. I am sure that some folks that buy them will not use them enough to justify the spend. My family and I love outdoor sports and activities and while there are certainly some drawbacks to this setup, let's not pretend that there aren't drawbacks to a typical ground tent either. I've done enough of that to know.

[MeepDog]

My Tacoma is regularly and thoroughly used as a mountain biking shuttle truck, a dirt hauler (I've had a full yard of soil in the back, and have moved about 10 yards total), a lumber hauler, a hunting truck, a muddy dog hauler, a kid hauler, a road trip vehicle, and an off-roading vehicle (Tahuya, Galaghar Head Lake, Moab, etc) and lastly, a commuter.

The first 5 items on your list would benefit from a 6 foot bed. You can still fit kids into a truck with a 6 foot bed, gas mileage on road trips and commutes isnt an issue if youre looking at rooftop tents because you could buy 3 commuter cars with that money, and frankly no one takes fancy trucks off groomed trails because pin stripes down the paint lowers the resale value. The only benefit is parking is easier at the mall.

[baker5150]

Rooftop tents are a fad that needs to go away. If people bought trucks with correct size beds of 6foot+ all they would ever need is a canopy. There is ZERO pros of a rooftop tent over a canopy unless you think throwing money away is a pro.

My problems with them:
The tent MUST be stored before you can drive away
The set up and tear down time is greater than zero
No heaters without risking the tent fabric
Have fun taking a leak in the night from 6 feet up unless you're okay with peeing on your truck
If it gets wet and you put it away it's gonna be gross
It costs 4x the most expensive canopies
Everyone knows you're camping
Nothing in the bed is protected from rain without another type of cover

The right choice is to take these things into account when you purchase a truck and buy one with a bed that you can fully lay down in. I can roll out of bed from the back of my truck and start driving in under a minute. If you want to spend money, get a canopy and a decked drawers system then throw a mattress on top of it.

Why does it need to go away?

It's an overpriced, underused, fashion statement that is targeting the same types of people that got sucked into timeshare scams. It's no different than overpriced sneakers that you never actually wear, or a fancy off road truck that never leaves the pavement. Companies are using weaponized materialistic pageantry fads with high price tags to line their pockets. 10k for an inconvenient tent that disables your vehicle is completely ridiculous. If you ACTUALLY want to camp a bunch you'll find out very quick that it's a nuisance to set that thing up and tear it down again every time you want to go somewhere. The same crowd that is buying these trucks with 5 foot beds have now realized that they cant sleep in the bed so they are just trying to throw money at the problem instead of admitting the mistake and buying a different vehicle. If the size of your backseat is SO important to you that you sacrifice bed length, then buy an SUV and sleep in that. People are probably taking out loans to afford these silly tents that they put on their vehicle which also has a loan against it. The whole lot of it just stinks to high heaven. 10 grand will buy you a full blown drop in truck bed camper. If you want people to look at you get a face tattoo or dye your hair it's cheaper.

Can't people just do what works for them?   

I'm not a roof top tent guy, but I can imagine those who like them do for varying reasons.

[ljsommer]

My Tacoma is regularly and thoroughly used as a mountain biking shuttle truck, a dirt hauler (I've had a full yard of soil in the back, and have moved about 10 yards total), a lumber hauler, a hunting truck, a muddy dog hauler, a kid hauler, a road trip vehicle, and an off-roading vehicle (Tahuya, Galaghar Head Lake, Moab, etc) and lastly, a commuter.

The first 5 items on your list would benefit from a 6 foot bed. You can still fit kids into a truck with a 6 foot bed, gas mileage on road trips and commutes isnt an issue if youre looking at rooftop tents because you could buy 3 commuter cars with that money, and frankly no one takes fancy trucks off groomed trails because pin stripes down the paint lowers the resale value. The only benefit is parking is easier at the mall.

You're (almost) right! Mountain biking regularly takes me into "iffy" territory, and if you saw how scratched up my truck is I think you'd approve. I bought this truck with the intent of using the hell out of it, and I've been doing just that every since I bought it. I realize I might be the exception here, in the truck world, but believe me when I say this thing gets used. I have been completely thrilled with it in all aspects except one: It's incredible uncomfortable to drive, due to the small cabin size (yet another compromise to increase it's off-road utility).

[ghosthunter]

Well I don’t have a roof top tent, I see them turkey hunting but at 73 I zero interest in crawling up a ladder to sleep. I still don’t own a full size truck. Just too big. I am on my 2 nd Nissan Frontier and it’s gets used.

I prefer the size because it’s easy to turn around on narrow roads and has all the power I need, to pull my fiberglass Rv,or utility trailer any where I want to go. Hunting season this year it saw 4K miles . It’s a crew cab but the back seat is more gun rack than passenger seating. If I needed an another truck I would buy the same. It’s quiet and dependable.

And rather than driving a full size bed every where I bought a 5 x 10 utility trailer which I can sleep in or haul trash, use for dry storage at hunting camp. Move stuff for family.

Way better than a full size truck in my op.

[ipkus]

The only benefit is parking is easier at the mall.

And the convenience store.  And the doctor’s office.  And the job parking lot.

I’m a short bed guy because like almost everyone else my truck is my daily driver and as much as I hunt and fish that’s still less than 10% of my daily driving.

But I also think the elevated tents make zero sense unless you always drive to one location and camp the entire time from right there.  Which I personally don’t know anybody that does.  With that said, I don’t preach to others, you do you and I’ll do me.

[teanawayslayer]

There a pain to hunt out of. Set up
Every night and break down every morning. I’ve used it quite a bit on scouting trips. But there is less to do durning those trips so the set up and break down isn’t bad. When it gets wet set it up on a dry day and let it air out. They dry out pretty quick.

[CaNINE]

How else can I justify the tiny ladder on the back of my 4Runner?   

I thought about a RTT but it just didn’t make sense for hunting. Snow loads? Nope.

[Stein]

$250 bed rug, $85 Mr. Heater and I'm as happy as a clam in any conditions in the back of the truck.  I couldn't imagine paying $5k for a small tent.

[ghosthunter]

$250 bed rug, $85 Mr. Heater and I'm as happy as a clam in any conditions in the back of the truck.  I couldn't imagine paying $5k for a small tent.

Well if I am camping where I want to be mobile every day with my camp. Like scouting trips. I use my short bed and a Tent Cot. My tent cot is very comfortable, hang a small tarp if needed put cot under. Cook on tail gate. 15 minutes packed and gone.

[blackveltbowhunter]

You will know best what your individual needs are. I have stayed multiple nights in a GFC and a couple others i don't remember the brand, but they were bigger with ladders coming off the side like platform.  I have never owned one, and don't anticipate ever needing to. I spend a lot of nights in a rig however, hunting and just camping.  Overall I would say i would advise to shy away if looking to use it for hunting, but certainly don't share meeps level of disdain 

IMO the pros: They are cool, kids love it. They impact the mobility of your rig very little. Setup is quicker and more efficient than a full ground setup of similar size. They free up some area in the bed of the rig. Safer in grizz country. They seemed very weather proof. ( heavy rain, and some wind, no snow experience)

Cons: You need a good option for drying. A shop you can pull into that is heated and put a fan on it is ideal. And will keep it working well for years. They dry pretty quick, but will also mildew pretty quick if not dried out after use. If you don't have a good plan for this, then I would pass no matter what, as you will be destroying a significant investment rapidly.
   If your using your rig to travel back and forth from camp to hunting area, its a PITA. Too much hassle for me under the best conditions and will only increase the later into season you get IME.
   Expensive for what it is and add-ons, add-on.

  During early season I need high mobility. I rarely have a "basecamp" but will spend many nights in my rigs. Both my tundra and 4runner are setup so I can sleep very comfortably, and be on the road in the time it takes for the rig to warm up, that includes brushing my teeth and a cup of coffee. the roof top just ends up cutting into that time by being another thing to stow. Late seasons I like a nice base camp, and am usually driving a good bit between hunting areas to and from. Being able to have a "home" for the long nights is a game changer. Again the cramped quarters and no heat are not ideal in this situation.

   A rooftop is not well suited for MY hunting needs. yours may be different.
   

[Boss .300 winmag]

Here you go @ljsommer

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,289975.0.html