Roof Top Tents aren't all they're cracked up to be
Explore Southwest Explore Southwest
12.3K subscribers
813,082 views
0

 Published On Premiered May 18, 2021

More popular than ever but the truth is that Roof Top Tents are kind of a bad idea when it comes to camping for 99.99% of us. This video is my laundry list of issues with RTTs in general, not just this particular brand and model.

That being said if you watch my recent short video you can get a feeling for my recent anger toward my particular RTT as well. If you can measure a tents difficulty setting up by how much blood you spill (literally) while setting it up it's probably a good sign there is a problem with the tent. 2-3 bloody fingers with every tent setup, guaranteed.

Oddly enough almost every complaint I have about this tent I knew of before I bought it. I just thought it wouldn't be a big deal and I could work around the "Cons" of the tent. Turns out that when all the "Pros" fall flat, and the "Cons" are worse than expected, you start to wonder why you dropped over $2000 for something that you only use 50% of the time and can be done just as well if not better with a $250 tent.

Does this mean I think you're an idiot for buying or wanting one?
Absolutely not.
There are benefits to an RTT and especially if your style of camping fits around it, it may not be so bad. What what I am saying is that I think many people cling to and make excuses for their RTT because of "cool" they are and how much money they've invested in having one.

But I'm a stickler for gear that serves me, not gear that I have to serve. And I also don't like having to spend a premium on gear that is all pomp and style but delivers very little for me in the way of actual functionality. I believe camping is about simplifying things to the basics, and I don't want to spend my rare and valuable vacation time struggling with something too complicated for the simple job it's supposed to be providing me.

00:00 - Intro
04:06 - Too Expensive for little benefit
04:36 - It makes you immobile
07:12 - Setup time is about the same as a ground tent
08:12 - You have to level the whole vehicle
09:14 - Not all campsites have a level place to park the RTT
11:16 - You have to sleep in parking lots
11:34 - So noisy in the slightest breeze
13:12 - Not fully sealed. Has mouse sized holes
13:53 - Massive heavy tent ruins MPG
14:20 - Weight exceeds almost all vehicle roof limits
16:55 - Setting up a 120lb tent 6ft off the ground is awkward
17:21 - It doesn't hold as much as you expect.

show more

Share/Embed