FEEDBACK REQUESTED: Car camping (or overlanding) rack options

[NTXTremor]

rooftop tents can be polarizing.

I'm not a particular fan of them for plain old car camping. they're expensive. you're still sleeping in a tent. and now you have to climb up/down stairs. and with my bladder, the last thing I'm doing is climbing down the stairs (aka breaking my neck because I fall down the stairs) in the dark to find a place to pee.

I'd rather spend my money on a quality cabin tent. maybe something like a Clam Quick-Set or similar, with cots and comfy stuff.

The one place I see that rooftop tents really are better than most other options is when you're doing real off-roading and traveling between campsites every night (not setting up a basecamp and exploring around it). The mobility is a real advantage for that kind of thing.

FWIW, I have a Yakima OverHaul HD rack on my Ranger (no tonneau). I love the rack, but Yakima is pissing me off something fierce right now. Lost an endcap for the bars awhile ago and Yakima has NONE available. Period. No way to preorder them. You can sign up for email notifications for when they come available, but no guarantee that they'll make enough for you.

etrailer allowed me to preorder one months ago. ship date keeps getting pushed back on it. I dunno if I'll actually get it.

And this isn't the first time I've had this problem in the past couple of years. I stripped a bolt (my fault, not Yakima's) and the plate for the t-slot attaching the towers to the HD bars. I'm STILL on the email notification list 2yrs later and the parts package that just includes those few items still hasn't come available. I ended up having to buy an entire hardware kit to get the 2 parts I needed.

AND, somehow, lost one of the tower locks that locks over the bolt head. I've been on the notification list for that part for over a year, and none have come available.

I'd think twice about ANYTHING made by Yakima right now. Their customer service people no longer answer my questions about spare parts to repair the stuff I've bought.

Your description of where RTTs are better is exactly my intention. I expect that we will mostly camp one night and move to another location the following day, but you never know.

I am surprised and disappointed to hear about your troubles with Yakima. They have always been great for me, but clearly there have been supply chain issues recently. Everything is hard to get, but that doesn't forgive them for not having better customer service.

Thanks for the feedback.

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[NTXTremor]

this was my experience as well. I rented a teardrop trailer with a rooftop tent. I was so in love with the idea of it, but in actuality it was no better than a regular tent IMO.

All of that just to say “try before you buy.” See if you can rent something with a rooftop tent for a weekend trip before shelling out $3k+ for one. And remember, it’s only easier to set up if you leave it on all year long or don’t factor in the time it takes to take it on and off your rack.

Great idea! I will look into a rental.

 

[NTXTremor]

Agreed. The two big appeals of a rooftop are the quickness of setup and teardown and the not on the hard ground. There are tents like the Gazelle that set-up and tear down as quick (or quicker), swags that are faster than both, and plenty of options for quality mattresses (not air beds or sleeping pads). I really wanted to justify a RTT but in the end couldn't find a way.

We normally camp with an air mattress, so even though I can set up my tent in maybe 5 minutes, it takes a while for the mattress to inflate, and same with tearing down the campsite.

My wife wants me to buy an Exped MegaMat which would be much faster than an air mattress, and it sounds like people like using these in their RTTs as well.

 

[NTXTremor]

Have you considered the roll up aluminum covers? I have the Bak Revolver X4S. I installed the taller Billie Bars over top of it. Still rolls up. nice to have a secure space for daily activities and the utility racks stay in place too.

For the record - BillieBars use a clamp that wraps around the bed rail. Once they are installed, tonneau cover rails can then be added. This both raises the rails and moves them inwards. I didn’t want that. So I cut up the brackets and bolted them through the bed rails.

I had not considered that, but it is an interesting option. And you do not lose some of the space in the bed due to the rollup. Cool idea! Thanks!

 

[NTXTremor]

Just get a GFC.

Took Teddy on a fun camping trip this weekend with the crew from @deckedusa . ?@nathanielakey

Thanks for your suggestion! I have read a bunch of your reviews.

I am not set on any RTT just yet, but these are on the list for sure.

 

[NTXTremor]

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.

Well, my #1 priority is keeping the wife comfortable and happy, and even though RTTs are expensive, they will pay for themselves pretty quick compared to staying at the Ritz-Carlton.

 

[NTXTremor]

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…

Cool. I would love to see pics.

I am not too excited about drilling into my bed rails, but I am not going to eliminate any options yet.

 

[NTXTremor]

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.

Looks like an awesome setup. Thanks for sharing!

 

[NTXTremor]

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

Thank you! I will check them out.

 

[NTXTremor]

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.

Nice setup! Thanks!

 

[NTXTremor]

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!

I do have some concerns on cargo space with the Retrax, but with just the two of us, we have the full back seat and the rest of the bed. With a RTT, I think we would be fine, but it will still be a concern until I really pack for a trip once or twice.

 

[Wes Siler]

Thanks for your suggestion! I have read a bunch of your reviews.

I am not set on any RTT just yet, but these are on the list for sure.

If you do end up getting one, and come up for an install, I'll buy you a beer.

 

[Bashell]

We normally camp with an air mattress, so even though I can set up my tent in maybe 5 minutes, it takes a while for the mattress to inflate, and same with tearing down the campsite.

My wife wants me to buy an Exped MegaMat which would be much faster than an air mattress, and it sounds like people like using these in their RTTs as well.

I just picked up a an Exped yesterday. Going boondocking this weekend to test it out. My plan is to throw it in the back of the Ranger when I get it and just camp out in the bed with the tailgate down.

 

[9zero1790]

i know towing something can also be a pain and brings up new issues. but for around the cost of a rtt setup and the goodies to go with it you could get something like this =

you can get it with off road friendly suspension and tires so they can go where the truck goes. bed is already made when you get to the spot, can have ac / heat and on board water, storage and all sorts of comfy items, electronics. That ones from a company north of us in Oklahoma. I talked to them once and they were pretty nice and welcome input for customer requests and up grade options.
https://www.ukancamp.com/
no im not endorsing this guy, just one of many small campers i have checked out.

 

[NTXTremor]

I just picked up a an Exped yesterday. Going boondocking this weekend to test it out. My plan is to throw it in the back of the Ranger when I get it and just camp out in the bed with the tailgate down.

I definitely want to hear how you like it. Keep us posted!

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