Roof-Top Tents?

[rk_az]

There don't seem to be many people familiar with these, but they are a viable alternative for some folks. They can be mounted on a vehicle roof, over a truck bed, or over a trailer. Mine is mounted over my off-road trailer:

 

[wyoming556]

Nice camping rig. I'd use something like that but it always seems to be windy (Wyoming, Nebraska) when I'm hunting. If you get a real truck that burns diesel then you gan get a bigger trailer. That last pic was a few minutes after a windstorm ripped 1/2 the roof of the building in the background, trailer was fine.

 

[rk_az]

No thanks on the bigger truck or trailer! I like my setup just fine.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

compact tent set up looks pretty cool.

 

[Dinkshooter]

That high tent looks scary in the wind?

WY556 did you ever put up finished pictures of the inside of that thing?

 

[rk_az]

I use 4 wheel chocks, and an RV stabilizer under the trailer's rear bumber. I haven't noticed the wind yet. But then, I haven't camped in any hurricanes yet either!

The big selling points of this rig:

• I can pull this trailer literally anywhere the truck will go.
• The truck and trailer use the same size tires/rims, so they can share spares.
• I don't need to find smooth ground, or worry about tent stakes.
• Cleaning and drying the tent is easier after a trip because the tent never touches the ground.
• The pintle/lunette style of hitch is bomb-proof and has tons of articulation.

 

[wyoming556]

It's a cool setup no doubt. I can tell you put some thought into designing your rig. Did you do any of the fab yourself? I did the same thing on the axles on mine so the truck can share spares. I"m surprised you haven't noticed the wind yet. Im not taking hurricanes either, for example here today in Chadron it's gusting to about 50. Similar conditions where I hunt around Rawlins, Douglas, etc. I"m pretty sure those awnings and flaps along with that bag that sits on the fender would be torn to shreds within a couple of days of 50 mph winds. I'm sure the rv stabilizer under the back bumper helps stabilize the rig and keep it from tipping over backwards.

It defietly fits the bill if you don't want to carry tent stakes, sleep on rocky or uneven ground, and still be able to clean/dry the tent quickly. Where all have you taken it?

I use 4 wheel chocks, and an RV stabilizer under the trailer's rear bumber. I haven't noticed the wind yet. But then, I haven't camped in any hurricanes yet either!

The big selling points of this rig:

• I can pull this trailer literally anywhere the truck will go.
• The truck and trailer use the same size tires/rims, so they can share spares.
• I don't need to find smooth ground, or worry about tent stakes.
• Cleaning and drying the tent is easier after a trip because the tent never touches the ground.
• The pintle/lunette style of hitch is bomb-proof and has tons of articulation.

 

[rk_az]

I camp in Arizona only, mostly the southern deserts and "sky island" mountain ranges, around the Mogollon Rim, and in the White Mountains. 50mph winds, while not unheard of, are relatively rare in the areas I have camped so far, but the tent fly and all the flaps can be secured in the down position, and the cover tucked inside the trailer box, in such an event.

I bought the trailer already built, minus the tent. I swapped the 5-lug brake drums for 6-lug to match the Tacoma (yes, the trailer has electric brakes, which help on steep, loose downhills). I had the rack that the tent mounts to fabbed, as well as a rear bumper for the truck to get the hitch up just under the tailgate (to maximize departure angle). The trailer sits on Jeep YJ leaf springs, with shocks. There are also 4 Hi-Lift jack points and all kinds of D-rings and tie-downs.

I have had the trailer through some pretty nasty, rocky stuff, and it takes whatever the truck can dish out.

 

[idnative1948]

I am wondering the same thing also. Remembered you posting when you started that project.

WY556 did you ever put up finished pictures of the inside of that thing?

 

[wyoming556]

Alright here are the best I"ve got right now. In the first pic where you see the plywood window that is now a window AC unit. A Propane Buddy stove sits just below. The area behind the single seat is where I sit my boots and hang my jacket up.

The 2 doors on the right are food storage which is also accessible from the outside. 4 shelves for food and eating utensils. Stuff like cast iorn pans, paper plates, propane stove, etc in there.
The long seat on the right is where my dog sleeps. Good storage underneath for a couple of gun cases or a double bull blind.

The shelf next to the blue seat is where I keep maps, snacks, wallet, etc. The shelves with sliding glass doors above that are where I keep clothes, toiletries, etc.

The door next to the double rear door in pic#3 is hunting/fishing gear and also has access from the outside(Pic#4). Good places for fishing poles, coveralls, rain gear, pack, etc.

There are a total of 5 storage areas with access from the outside. Food/eating, Tent/tarps, Propane, Blind/decoys, and hunting/fishing.

The front aerodynamic storage area is where I kept the ice chests, bow target, grill, extra beer, etc.

I built the fabricated the trailer completely by myself out of square tubing/angle and bolted the ambulance to the rolling chassis. The ambulance is solid welded aluminum and actually weights several thousand pounds. Used a 7,000 torsion axle to match the 8 bolt pattern on the truck. The storage area in the front was to make it more aerodynamic and lengthen the wheelbase to make the trailer pull and back better.

Last year I drove my rig about 10,000 miles hunting everywhere from from spring bears in Darby, MT to nov whitetails in Wakeeney, KS and it was worth it for being comfortable while hunting and mainly keeping organized. Also not having to waste time tearing down/setting up like I did the years before with my range tent makes moving around much easier. Averaged 14 mpg while towing and I usually get about 20 so it costs me about 6 mpg to tow. Usually by day 3 my back seat is just a pile of stuff and with all the storage the trailer had it was much easier to stay organized. Also much easier to stay at truck stops along the way as well as take advantage of lot lizzards.

I admire guys like rk az for being able to pack so light with a small setup. I would imagine for getting in tight steep places that would be hard to beat. Kinda like a rock crawler trailer/tent setup. Unfortunately according to the scales at the trash dump my truck weighs 9,000 pounds empty and has a long wheelbase so I don't do much rock crawling.

rk az you should learn to fabricate. With your vision for building cool stuff like your trailer and tent setup I bet you could make just about anything you wanted.

 

[rk_az]

I often wish I had learned to weld. I just don't have the time or space. I am actually getting fairly close to having the truck and trailer the way I want them. The only real fabbing I have left is a bracket to mount my 2 spares to the truck's bed rack. Beyond that, it's just odds and ends, like a winch, holders for fuel and water cans, etc.

That's a cool trailer you have there.

 

[wyoming556]

I like the jack on the front bumper. I"m really wanting to get one of those for my truck. I was dead set on the ranchhand and then the other day I saw one made in canada (moose bumper) that was polished aluminum. Now gotta find $3,500 so I can get it.

.
Got an pics of the custom pintle hitch? I didn't see a headache rack on your rig. Any pics of the bed rack you are going to mount spare tires on?

 

[rk_az]

The bed rack is new, I just put it on this winter and don't have any photos yet, but it is like this one:

For the rear bumper, I took my U-Haul hitch and flipped it upside-down, built a cardboard prototype of the bumper, and took it to my fab guy.

 

[wyoming556]

Wow, you really did a nice job of maximizing the clearance for your application. Most people would have just flipped their receiver hitch over. Really like the heavy shackle brackets on the bumper as well.

What's the trailer weigh?

 

[rk_az]

I'm not sure, but shortly after that last photo was taken (before the tent was added, and the trailer was empty except for that spare tire in the photo), my future son-in-law and I got into a tight spot while backing down a steep, rocky hill on that jeep trail, and were able to lift the trailer and slide it sideways.

Those shackle mounts were higher profile than I wanted, but were already on the bumber by the time I saw them. But they serve the purpose.