Best tent option for the Rubicon trail?

[kmboren]

This summer I am planning on going and running the Rubicon trail as well as Fordyce trail. What tent will work well for these trails. I have a 10x14 kodiak. Should I get something different? Anyone want to rent me there roof top tent? I am also planning on going to Oceana OHV area while in Ca with the jeep. .

 

[Kevin B.]

I'll loan you my RTT, but I'm in the wrong direction...

 

[mesha]

We used a backpacking tent to save space. Your kodiak is an awesome tent, but it is huge. Space gets tight trying to pack all the gear for a couple days.

 

[Hickey]

I just used a cheap Coleman 4 man tent. It worked.

 

[mbryson]

We have just used our Eureka A frame tents. A little big but still packable.

Davy's cool backpack tents/bags are the way to go if you have them.

I couldn't fit gear for three of us in just the "Jeep". I rigged this up on my "cage" to carry sleeping bags and such.

A Trasharoo or similar is an excellent addition in my experience.

A JKU is a great Rubicon packing device. However, you have an XJ. I bet the Kodiak will use up at least 1/2 your cargo area? Adding food, sleeping bags, pads, etc to that will get pretty clumsy pretty quickly?

 

[pkrfctr]

Depends, are you hauling the tent or do you have a pack mule (hummer) going? One issue with canvas on fordyce is youll want to pack it up high so it doesnt get wet. Id grab a little dome tent. An RTT on Fordyce could get interesting too, its a hard trail where flops and rolls are the norm.

 

[pELYgroso]

Is a RTT advisable or not for the Rubicon? Too much weight up top?

 

[pkrfctr]

Is a RTT advisable or not for the Rubicon? Too much weight up top?

I think it would depend on if you ran the sluices or not. If you bypassed them you'd be fine, remember Jeep takes stock rubicons on it every year bypassing the nasty stuff.

 

[mesha]

When I ran the rubicon a RTT would have made no difference. The trail does change from year to year, so it could be totally different now.

 

[TurboMinivan]

Space gets tight trying to pack all the gear for a couple days.

^^ THIS.

I was solo in my TJ, and I still felt short on space for how I wanted to pack my stuff. I used a lightweight 2-person tent (really more like 1.5 person size) and that was fine.

 

[lhracing]

Bear resistant

 

[Hickey]

I second the trasharoo. Those things are great for camping.

 

[kmboren]

I think it would depend on if you ran the sluices or not. If you bypassed them you'd be fine, remember Jeep takes stock rubicons on it every year bypassing the nasty stuff.

Not sure. But I don't think that it will be there.i have to camp 5 people so I thought about getting a dome tent for the trip or one of the Coleman instant up tents. Do have the whole top of an exo cage to utilize. I actually fit everything but my cooler and portable toilet on the way back from hole in the rock camp.

 

[kmboren]

I think it would depend on if you ran the sluices or not. If you bypassed them you'd be fine, remember Jeep takes stock rubicons on it every year bypassing the nasty stuff.

Of course I am going to run the slucices and every other optional thing that I can try. This is kind of a once in a life trip.

 

[mbryson]

Not sure. But I don't think that it will be there.i have to camp 5 people so I thought about getting a dome tent for the trip or one of the Coleman instant up tents. Do have the whole top of an exo cage to utilize. I actually fit everything but my cooler and portable toilet on the way back from hole in the rock camp.

If you have done the two night thing at Hole in the Rock, I'd just duplicate that setting?

 

[pkrfctr]

If you have done the two night thing at Hole in the Rock, I'd just duplicate that setting?

He cheated on hole in the rock, had his own sherpa

 

[I Lean]

I just used a cheap Coleman 4 man tent. It worked.

Ditto here. Nothing special, but a bunch smaller than your Kodiak I'm sure.

 

[smfulle]

I didn't have to house the whole family and my CJ2A doesn't hold a lot of gear so I just had a small "2" man tent that most nights I didn't even set up. If the weather is nice, it's kind of fun to sleep out under the stars. I was glad I set up the tent the one night in the two trips on the trail that it rained. I did have an air mattress. My old bones can't take sleeping on the ground any more.

 

[ID Bronco]

If I remember right, some of the spots we camped in to get away from A-holes wouldn't have had enough level space for a huge Kodiak. I'd probably pack two smaller ones in case of this. It is super fun, and yes, run all the lines you can, it's along way to go for a leisurely trip, although very scenic.

 

[Greg]

We took our 4 man Turbo Tent and with a big group when we ran the Rubicon, there were some nights that finding room for it for it wasn't easy. If you don't need a big tent, take a small 2-3 man that has a smaller footprint.

I wouldn't want to haul a RTT thru those trails, that's a lot of weight up high running on a trail that has some very off-camber sections.