FEEDBACK REQUESTED: Car camping (or overlanding) rack options

[RoadBoss]

also, just a little opinion for the OP.

RTT are cool, but I pretty quickly learned that they're more of a pain in the ass than they're worth. Not just the fact that you're killing your mpg and the drivability and versatility of your truck, but also actually using them. The fold up ones can be more difficult to pack up than a good ground tent (at least when its cold, wet, or really dirty), and the hard shell ones are super heavy and don't always offer a lot of room.

Campers like GFC are great, but you also have the problem of having it on your truck all the time. If you're getting out every other week or so that's awesome, but if you're only doing a few trips a year, I'd have a hard time justifying it.

Fast ground tents like the gazelle are great if you want a big space to do stuff in - get dressed, stand up, etc.. but you still have to decide what to sleep on, and there's a lot of space to fill with heat if it gets cold out.

Swags are great if you want a quick, comfy and warm space to sleep, and you can put them on a cot if you really want to get off the ground. - But they are not great if you're claustrophobic or want lots of space to move around in.

Everything has pros and cons, the hardest part is figuring out what are your priorities, and what you're willing to compromise.

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[Mr Adventures]

I used a universal front runner outfitters slimline system drilled into my bed rails. Works great with my soft (less expensive) tonneau, will update with pics later…

 

[LookARE]

personally, I'm a big fan of the RTT I have a 23zero breezeway 56 on a rci sport rack which has been a great setup for me. Setup can be a pain compared to a ground tent, but I love how comfortable it is, and being able to leave all my bedding and even a light up there is awesome. Plus, with another person, it is 10 times easier since you don't have to go back and forth constantly. Alone though, it doesn't take more than 10 min going slow to open up. As for fuel economy and drivability (tent sticks up about 6 inches), I only notice it makes the highway a little louder, and I'm probably losing 1-.5 mpg, but a good roof rack with a wind guard would fix that. I'm also on 34s and have a steel bumper, so I've given up on MPGs, unfortunately. Otherwise, I really like my setup, and camping isn't an excursion it's just a stop since all my gear is always with me.

TENT:
23zero is the best soft top choice, in my opinion, the mattress is great, and the blackout fabric has become a must. If you can spend the extra, get a hard shell iKamper seems like a no-brainer if you go this route. I eventually want to switch to a full camper shell GFC, but I also want to do some pretty extreme stuff.

P.S. I have been/slept in a GFC, Tepui, and Roofnest.

Rack:
The sport rack is great and was super easy to install they have a ton of options for side mounting stuff like bikes! I have a shovel and maxtrax right now but will probably get some rotopax. All in all very happy with it; super solid.

 

[MER21]

When I bought my Tremor, I did not even know what the term "Overlanding," meant, but I sure as heck had done my fair share of car camping not to mention camping during hiking or biking trips. Neither my wife nor I are all that excited about sleeping on the ground anymore, so the idea of a rooftop tent is very appealing to us.

I bought my Tremor used, and it already had a Ford flip style tonneau cover which does not appear to be compatible with any of the over the bed racks that can hold a RTT. While it pains me to consider this, it appears that if I want to go with a rack and RTT, I really need to either ditch the tonneau cover altogether or replace it with a RetraxONE XR or RetraxPRO XR.

First questions for you:
1) For those with the RetraxONE or RetraxPRO, how do you like it? Is PRO worth the extra money, in your opinion?
2) Any major cons to Retrax?
3) Are there others like it to consider?

Before I sink many thousands of dollars into this, I thought I might do this in phases. Here is my plan:

Phase 1:
1) Replace tonneau cover with RetraxPRO
2) Install Yakima SkyLine Towers with Skyline bars over the bed mounting on the T-slots
3) Continue to car camp but at more "overland" type locations using the Skyline bars to haul our bikes

The other option here would be to just ditch the tonneau cover and leave the bed open, but that limits secure storage options.

Phase 2 (when we realize that sleeping on the ground really sucks at our age):
1) Buy Yakima HD bars and adapter to install on the Skyline Towers
2) Buy RTT
3) Leave the bikes at home or buy a hitch-mounted bike rack

Phase 3 (if I decide we want to go further off-road):
1) Upgrade to Yakima OverHaul HD
2) Outfit with the essential overlanding equipment (recovery traction boards, etc.)

Final questions for you:
1) Is this a well reasoned plan?
2) Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

You should check out KB Voodoo Fabrications....the started the bed rack movement years ago with their tonneau cover compatible products. Great customer service and Made in the U.S.A.

Crossbars: https://www.kbvoodoo.com/ford-ranger-years-2019-to-present
*Compatible with most tonneau covers and even a Retrax specific offering

Their Max-Modular Bed Racks: https://www.max-modular.com/ford-ranger-years-2019-to-present
I believe you can also mount any of their bed racks to the RetraxONE rails with these: https://www.max-modular.com/attachment-brackets/retraxone-xr-brackets

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Hey Mark,

Some bed racks have accessories that allow you to mount bikes and other items over the outside edge of the rack. Xtrusion OVRLND has such a setup. I’m sure there are others.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

To bad Ford doesn’t offer this for the Ranger.

 

[SD4160]

RCI has adapters that allow tonneau cover’s. Billie Bars also allow covers and a low profile for a tent to mount. RCI now makes similar to Billie Bars system. Some tents can hold bikes on them as well. I think GFC tents can accept bikes.

Agreed!
I second (or third?) this approach. This is the route I intend to go if I go for a RTT. The RCI adapters were made to work specifically with the Bak Revolver X4s, which I have and am very happy with. I believe they're compatible with plenty of other roll-up covers as well.

This cover/rack combo might be a bit of a less expensive route(Don't hold me to that) without sacrificing quality of equipment. The one major drawback I saw with the Retrax is losing roughly 1 foot of bed cargo space because of the canister the cover rolls into. If you have the 5 foot bed, that's a substantial loss of cargo space!

Which ever route you go, it'll look great, be functional, and I'm sure more than serve its purpose. Keep us updated and good luck!

 

[Rp930]

Check out UpTop. Good guys.

 

[9zero1790]

personally, I'm a big fan of the RTT I have a 23zero breezeway 56 on a rci sport rack which has been a great setup for me. Setup can be a pain compared to a ground tent, but I love how comfortable it is, and being able to leave all my bedding and even a light up there is awesome. Plus, with another person, it is 10 times easier since you don't have to go back and forth constantly. Alone though, it doesn't take more than 10 min going slow to open up. As for fuel economy and drivability (tent sticks up about 6 inches), I only notice it makes the highway a little louder, and I'm probably losing 1-.5 mpg, but a good roof rack with a wind guard would fix that. I'm also on 34s and have a steel bumper, so I've given up on MPGs, unfortunately. Otherwise, I really like my setup, and camping isn't an excursion it's just a stop since all my gear is always with me.

TENT:
23zero is the best soft top choice, in my opinion, the mattress is great, and the blackout fabric has become a must. If you can spend the extra, get a hard shell iKamper seems like a no-brainer if you go this route. I eventually want to switch to a full camper shell GFC, but I also want to do some pretty extreme stuff.

P.S. I have been/slept in a GFC, Tepui, and Roofnest.

Rack:
The sport rack is great and was super easy to install they have a ton of options for side mounting stuff like bikes! I have a shovel and maxtrax right now but will probably get some rotopax. All in all very happy with it; super solid.

sharp truck !

 

[halligan1201]

also, just a little opinion for the OP.

RTT are cool, but I pretty quickly learned that they're more of a pain in the ass than they're worth. Not just the fact that you're killing your mpg and the drivability and versatility of your truck, but also actually using them. The fold up ones can be more difficult to pack up than a good ground tent (at least when its cold, wet, or really dirty), and the hard shell ones are super heavy and don't always offer a lot of room.

Campers like GFC are great, but you also have the problem of having it on your truck all the time. If you're getting out every other week or so that's awesome, but if you're only doing a few trips a year, I'd have a hard time justifying it.

Fast ground tents like the gazelle are great if you want a big space to do stuff in - get dressed, stand up, etc.. but you still have to decide what to sleep on, and there's a lot of space to fill with heat if it gets cold out.

Swags are great if you want a quick, comfy and warm space to sleep, and you can put them on a cot if you really want to get off the ground. - But they are not great if you're claustrophobic or want lots of space to move around in.

Everything has pros and cons, the hardest part is figuring out what are your priorities, and what you're willing to compromise.

I agree with this assessment. I have dedicated tents for the type of trip I'm on. Staying in one place for days without the family? My four season dome tent. If I'm moving every day and want to setup and tear down quickly? My swag. Taking the family with? One of my cabin tents.

I honestly still would like an insulated four season, hardshell rooftop solely for winter camping but the prices and the idea of having to take it on and off the rack keeps changing my mind. Although we see RTT left on all season or year-round, every manufacturer says to remove them between trips to prevent wear and tear on them. It's too much work for this guy but if you're one of the more industrious folks, a lift or pulley system would make it fairly easy to take it on and off.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

You have to decide what you want, and then build your system around that. My wife and I wanted a RTT, so we designed our system to work around that.

I have Billie Bars (8") and my tonneau rolls up underneath. I built a system to lift my tent off when I am not using it, so the tent is not on when I am not using it. I have the Breezeway 56" (queen sized mattress) and, with the Billie Bars, I am just about roof level. I have no measurable difference in fuel mileage with the tent on or off. It takes about 5 minutes to setup and tear down.

 

[NTXTremor]

RCI has adapters that allow tonneau cover’s. Billie Bars also allow covers and a low profile for a tent to mount. RCI now makes similar to Billie Bars system. Some tents can hold bikes on them as well. I think GFC tents can accept bikes.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if something like this existed, but it looks like only certain racks would have the clearance for a flip style tonneau cover. I will look into it, though, since it might allow me to keep my existing cover. Thanks!

 

[NTXTremor]

Go with a hitch mounted bike rack, and whatever bed cover, rack, RTT option you prefer.

IMHO, I think 1Up hitch racks are the best. I have one and it holds my bike secure on dirt forest roads. I have also used Kuat, Thule and Yakima options - all work well on pavement.

I have the Yakima Outpost w/ HD bars and a Yakima RTT. I used to have the Overhaul, but it was too tall for my liking. I do not use a tonneau, but often think about getting the RetraPro

When I need secure storage, I use a couple of plastic bins (Plano Storage Trunks) in the bed that I can pad lock and also cable lock to the tie downs. I've never had an issue. We have traveled weeks like that, and left the truck all over the place. I also have a large Orca (like Yeti) cooler that I leave in the bed. The beauty of the RRT and racks is that most large items in the bed are impossible to remove without the tailgate being unlocked

Below is my setup (same as profile pic).

Great suggestions. Thanks!

 

[NTXTremor]

it sounds like a well thought out plan to me! however i do have a suggestion ahead of yall going on with the plan. Try to arrange a test flight, if someone you know or a truck acc. shop has a roof top tent set up give it a go getting in and out, laying down etc. I loved the idea of a RTT but when i really looked one over in person it seemed like it would not be much better than on the ground in terms of comfort or ease of use. Being up of the ground is a big plus. But im old, fat and have bad knees lol so climbing in and out of the rtt was not as much fun as it looked like on you tube. if you have to get up to use the rest room at night getting down from the rtt is not real convenient either. but, i am not all thumbs down. i do still like some of the roof top and bed top setups and if i had the cash for one id likely force myself to get used to the issues i dont like about them. I think they are much less PITA than a normal tent set up. one of the members here had a sweet overland set up but i cant remember who. im sure the pics are around some place.

That is a good suggestion. REI has a display with a RTT, and they have offered to let me climb in to test it.

I assumed that a RTT is in some ways easier to setup and put away than a tent, and from what I have read, there are some real advantages to being off the ground for air circulation, etc.

 

[NTXTremor]

I have a RetraxOne and it was great on my recent trip through BLM land in Wyoming. I have no regrets. I hauled my two 23Zero swags on top of it, and it kept all my other gear secure underneath. I have the Elevate rack that works with the rail on the Retrax. I don't use a RTT so I use the rack to carry my kayaks when my bed is full of gear (I throw them in the bed when I'm not hauling gear). In the lowest position I can put my swags under that kayaks. In the highest position I can haul my swags and my bikes under the kayaks, and the bed is still open for gear and I don't have anything hanging off the rear hitch. And because of how the rack mounts to the rails, it's fairly easy to take off when you're not using it. I'd compare the Elevate with those Yakima in terms of specs - you'll probably find it will work and save you money in the end, especially if you order from @Stage3Motorsports like I did. As far as One vs Pro, you gain 250 pounds of weight hauling on top of it but I don't think I'll ever use that - I can't think of what I'd be putting on top of the tonneau that would weigh that much.

Thanks for the info on Elevate racks. I will check them out, but I am a bit of a diehard Yakima fan after 30 years of use. I really like their designs, and their RTT looks like the easiest one to install and remove.

I agree that the extra support of the RetraxPRO is not a feature that is really compelling to me, but do you think that there is much of a security difference between the two models? I would not think so.

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