Finally have a little time to respond. I live out of my truck and have camped extensively in all types of weather. Hot, snow, rain, etc. I am currently on my second RTT and will be sticking with this one for awhile.
First, I have had two tents over the roofline with my current tent being a 12 inch wall above the roof. Noise is negligible and you get used to it. If I turn everything down I can hear it but it’s no big deal. MPG….dunno. I’m carrying a lot of weight and my average is probably around the 14 mark. I’m not too upset with it. It might have been 15 with the tent off. It didn’t make too much of a real world difference. I also drive 65 everywhere I go on paved roads. I save the high speed stuff for off road.
There are a few questions you need to ask yourself. What is setup and take down time worth to you? My first tent (James Baroud) would have been alright for maybe three days a week but tucking in the fabric got old. Especially in sub zero temperatures. Coupled with the low ceiling and lack of large rain fly (No windows open during storms), it wasn’t a great setup.
Is light weight worth it to you? How light weight? Every pound you loose is a feature you’re not getting. The tent I’m running now is heavy. Really heavy. 220 lbs. But I love it. I get the best of all the worlds as far as I know and it’s completely worth the sacrifice to me. To others, it’s not.
I would actually look at tents and racks last. Figure out what equipment you’re carrying, how you’re going to carry it, and then decide on the rack based on equipment. Then, look at use cases for the tent. If you get a tent that overhangs one side of the truck, you can’t set it up in a parking lot or parking space. I love to go to the beach in my truck and sit in the tent overlooking the ocean. I couldn’t do that in some places if my tent was lower or if it overhung one of the sides. Want to attach a shower cube or awning? That affects which tent and rack too.
The last thing I’ll mention here is weight on the bed rails. The aluminum bed on some raptors has torn due to the weight shifting. If you’re not pounding the truck off road and go with a lightweight setup, you should be fine. That being said, I am personally in talks to reinforce my rack with a frame based chase rack I am going to have fabricated. It depends on what you do, how you drive, and how you want to make sure the truck won’t be hurt down the road.
If you have any questions, this is something I’ve done many many many hours of research on. Good luck!
First, I have had two tents over the roofline with my current tent being a 12 inch wall above the roof. Noise is negligible and you get used to it. If I turn everything down I can hear it but it’s no big deal. MPG….dunno. I’m carrying a lot of weight and my average is probably around the 14 mark. I’m not too upset with it. It might have been 15 with the tent off. It didn’t make too much of a real world difference. I also drive 65 everywhere I go on paved roads. I save the high speed stuff for off road.
There are a few questions you need to ask yourself. What is setup and take down time worth to you? My first tent (James Baroud) would have been alright for maybe three days a week but tucking in the fabric got old. Especially in sub zero temperatures. Coupled with the low ceiling and lack of large rain fly (No windows open during storms), it wasn’t a great setup.
Is light weight worth it to you? How light weight? Every pound you loose is a feature you’re not getting. The tent I’m running now is heavy. Really heavy. 220 lbs. But I love it. I get the best of all the worlds as far as I know and it’s completely worth the sacrifice to me. To others, it’s not.
I would actually look at tents and racks last. Figure out what equipment you’re carrying, how you’re going to carry it, and then decide on the rack based on equipment. Then, look at use cases for the tent. If you get a tent that overhangs one side of the truck, you can’t set it up in a parking lot or parking space. I love to go to the beach in my truck and sit in the tent overlooking the ocean. I couldn’t do that in some places if my tent was lower or if it overhung one of the sides. Want to attach a shower cube or awning? That affects which tent and rack too.
The last thing I’ll mention here is weight on the bed rails. The aluminum bed on some raptors has torn due to the weight shifting. If you’re not pounding the truck off road and go with a lightweight setup, you should be fine. That being said, I am personally in talks to reinforce my rack with a frame based chase rack I am going to have fabricated. It depends on what you do, how you drive, and how you want to make sure the truck won’t be hurt down the road.
If you have any questions, this is something I’ve done many many many hours of research on. Good luck!
