Wanted: ARB Rooftop Tent

[sixstringsteve]

right in my budget too!

 

[TRD270]

Oh pish-posh. RTT's are silly--you need a finch: http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/index.php/products/for-minimid-size-trucks/finch-5-0-4-door/

:greg:

Thats what I'm talkin about, I want one of these for my F150

 

[sixstringsteve]

Nevermind...

Many thanks to Kurt at Cruiseroutfitters for having just what I needed in stock and for providing lots of advice about which setup to get. And thanks to Olly for loading it for me with his gypsy skills.

 

[Cascadia]

 

[TJDukit]

Congrats Steve, I gotta say I'm a little jealous.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Thanks. Fortunately I sold my suspension parts that came with my tacoma, and that helped pay for it.

 

[skiboarder]

I looked into those for a long time. I decided to go the tent cot route. Cabelas make a nice one. Let us know how you like it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Good call. I was wavering between a cabelas double tent cot or a rtt. You could buy about 4 or 5 tebtcots for one try, but I think I'll use it enough to justify the cost. I actually bought a double cot tent from cabelas then returned it because it was so huge. Not much smaller than a try when folded up (though it was a lot lighter).

The two things I like better about the arb is that there is room to sit up inside and play cards or change if you need to, and you can leave your sleeping bags in it and fold it up.

I still love the tent cot though, I think its an awesome design at a great price.

 

[skiboarder]

Sitting up is a concearn. And if more then one person goes with me, that is a concearn. I have the double cot. What swayed me with towards the cot was the ability to leave it at camp and go wheeling. Plus the price of the rtt. If we (my wife and kids) do some more back country expeditions. the RTT is still an option.
I found on youtube people that made their own RTT. Some were garbage but, some were very nice. You should check it out for fun.
Keep us posted on the rtt.

 

[Kevin B.]

I don't understand the appeal of the tentcot. Buy a tent and put a cot in it, lots cheaper...

 

[sixstringsteve]

I like that a tentcot sits up off the ground. If it's rainy or muddy your tent stays dry. Also, I feel that cots are brutal on the floors of tents (unless you have a sturdy tent like a springbar). They're also stupid fast to set up.

[video=youtube;BKO-oZWNwaA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKO-oZWNwaA[/video]

 

[TRD270]

Agree on stupid fast to setup, a buddy of mine took his up to our last flaming gorge trip. I'm not sure I would want it if I was staying in the same place for more than a day or two. But I could see a real advantage on a trip like HITR where you are sleeping in a different camp every night. Literally show up to camp, unfold and your ready.

 

[skippy]

That tentcot looks like it would take up to much room in the back of a rig...

 

[Kevin B.]

It kinda looks like it wants to be mounted on top of a offroad trailer, though... reinforce the legs and bolt it on, make a cover for it, I could see that if you had an awning or something to set up for living space.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Another guy had the same idea:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/34869-Tent-Cot-to-Roof-Top-Tent-conversion


I ended up returning my tentcot because it was so huge folded up. It's about the same size as a RTT, but about 1/3 the weight. I think it could be cool to throw on a roof rack and pull down for a quick tent.

 

[skiboarder]

Building a roofrack now for that reason. I saw that thread in my research. I am going set up my rack to put the tentcot up there. Not going to cut off legs though. I want to leave it as versatile as possible.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I was thinking of a big rack over the bed of my tent, and I'd hang the tentcot under the rack. That way I could still put stuff on top of the rack, and the tentcot could just slide out easily without disturbing the stuff on top. It could work...

 

[Kevin B.]

Another guy had the same idea:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/34869-Tent-Cot-to-Roof-Top-Tent-conversion


I ended up returning my tentcot because it was so huge folded up. It's about the same size as a RTT, but about 1/3 the weight. I think it could be cool to throw on a roof rack and pull down for a quick tent.

Interesting. Did you have a double or a single? How heavy was it?

 

[sixstringsteve]

I had a double. It weighed 56 lbs. Not horrible, but it wouldn't fit in the trunk of a car like I had hoped. It has a bar running down the middle, which didn't bother me, but that does mean you can't just lounge around the entire thing like a tent.



The double Cabela's Deluxe Tent Cot packs down to 55 1/2" Long x 35" Wide x 9" High.

Exterior dimensions (inches): 88 L x 56 W x 38 H
Interior dimensions (inches): 87 L x 52 W x 24 H

Weight: 56 lbs

Weight Capacity: 450 lbs



More FAQs here:
http://www.cabelas.com/dome-backpacking-tents-cabelas-deluxe-tent-cot-1.shtml

 

[skiboarder]

Mine is a christmas present. The double is large. I wanted to go on the freeze your butt off and try it out. The boss(wife) said no. So i scheduled work for that day. The double has room to store some stuff when set up.