The TRUTH about ROOF-TOP TENT Camping - (watch before you buy, pros and cons) Tacoma Overland

Some of the most innovative tents out there now - bit.ly/2lLN2ef (the current tents I've been using since this video)

The fact that you don't have to worry about rain - snow - snakes - insects and uneven terrain is selling point for me. Most of the times those things are what ruin a camping weekend.

It's like a tree house for grown ups I think that's the Appeal.

$1600.00 OMG! My wife will leave me.... can't do it. But if she left me, I'd have a tent to live in... Hmmm?

Biggest disadvantage: walking out half awake at night to take a piss and falling 10ft on your face. Next diy project: rooftop tent piss platform.

My wife said she’d leave me if I buy this tent....sure gonna miss her

I'm new at being old, I never thought ladders would be difficult, they eventually become not easy, then one day you wake up and you try to avoid them. Nice Video.

This exact Tacoma is the one that made me fall in love with the design, off-road capability of the TRD Pro. This truck in any color (preferably blue or silver) is what I would love to have in my driveway with all the camping gear and hunting stuff with dirt bikes in the back would be a dream come true but that’s why im a work reallly hard in school to buy myself one.

I expected this to be a nitpicky video about tents. I was wrong! This is very informative and practical. Thank you!

Great video from the pro and con department for the best part is I'm being told by somebody who actually uses the equipment 👍👍👍👍👍🏻

Hi. I really enjoyed your video. You and I appear to be very like minded. Recently my wife, daughter and I travelled the Australian Outback for 1-year and lived in our canvas rooftop. In order to visit the most far-flung places - a rooftop is by far the best. There are far too many Pros to list - however here are my biggest Cons that you should factor in planning your next 4x4 intrepid trick: 1. Wind (with/without rain) is a rooftop's biggest enemy. The thin outer-most waterproof fly is at huge risk of tearing - wrap your rooftop in rope, round and round before you sleep and park with bonnet pointing into the incoming wind (for a rear folding tent); 2. Low branches and narrow 4x4 trails can damage your folded tent when you are on the move. I'm going to put up a sacrificial canvas wrap or metal shield for my next trip; 3. When staying multiple nights at one spot, you are forced to pack away the tent if you want to pop away to see an attraction or visit the supermarket in your vehicle. A bit of a pain; 4. After a few months the canvas and elastic will age and you'll need to be agile enough (for us 50+ types) to climb the roof and tuck away the edges when folding up the tent. My Land Cruiser tent with 4x4 lift kit is 2.6 metres off the ground. I was amazed how non-agile my body was in those first few months ! Other than that ... rooftop is the way to go. Nothing to tow. Nothing to eat you on the ground. One more tip: If your tent rack is stretching the weight limits, then add more feet to spread the load. I've got 6 feet down both sides of my 4x4. Regards, Shane from New Zealand

I thought about a RTT, as I rarely camp in a designated Campground... The 3 issues I had that sold me on an off road tent trailer instead are- 1) You have to break up camp if you want to drive anywhere 2) There is no place to sit and relax / change clothes etc. and 3) My 90lbs Rottie won't go up ladders...! I really love my tent trailer as it is set up for off road (15" off road wheels and tires and suspension, lightweight and short).

Great video,as far as leveling I found a good welder locally and build my own rack so either side I could push up and pin it to level instead of the vehicle....keep up the good videos thanks

Good job. Maybe I didn't listen as closely as I should have, but another three key advantages are the great ventilation of a roof-top tent. I've slept in the hottest environments and ventilation with all the windows open is superb. The awnings capture a little bit of that wind and direct it into the tent. These awnings extend well over the windows and provide excellent rain protection. Finally don't forget about the view! You are raised off the ground and here in California I often pull to the edge of an ocean bluff and the view is amazing.

Thank you for an excellent comparison on this! I also thought of the expense of changing vehicles and replacement parts needed to move the tent to another vehicle. Going up and down that ladder for some of us 'seniors' would definitely be entertaining. I still love the idea of camping up among the trees. I'll probably settle for a hammock. Lol

I've been thinking about getting a rooftop tent on my tundra because it is way easier than a tent. I settled for buying a truck tent for the bed of my truck. It has some of the same pros but not as much cons. Although I do have to empty out everything from the back of my truck, I get the pro of being up high. Here are some pros and cons I have experienced with a truck tent-- 1. lose space for a kitchen on the tailgate 2. lose space for things in the bed of the truck 3. able to use the tent as a ground tent and save my camping space if needed packs into a small bag 4. deconstruct the tent every time I wanna take my truck out on a trail I do like to go off-roading in my truck so having a place to put my stuff plus having a good place to sleep at a low and efficient cost, makes getting a truck bed tent a good option.

I've been ground-tenting it for a few years now, touring on my motorcycle. Now 60, and a year from retirement, I want to get my wife to see why I enjoy it so much. We're breaking ice with a simpler (cheaper) truck tent plus an inflatable truck bed mattress. Hopefully, she will like the kool-ade and we will have a new passion for our next 40 years of marriage! Once again, I thank you for a terrific video.

Your Tacoma and roof tent looks amazing! I could sit on a camping chair and look at them for hours. I want a Tacoma so bad it hurts. Great video! Thank you

Thanks for taking the time. Appreciate the info.

Great video makes you really think about what works best for your type of camping. We backpacked for for years then got horses and horse packed for years , then started car camping four wheel into some place and set up a ground tent with coolers , stove , screen room , solar shower . Did that for another 10 years ( we don’t stay in Campground’s if at all possible) . Rented a pop up tow trailer loved it moved us off the ground.nice bed kitchen inside heater could take it off road . Purchased a pop up used it for several years sold it bought another one ( put lift kits on them ) to keep us out of campgrounds easy to tow and back in tight places :-) we often said we could not understand why you would want a travel trailer ? And here we are with a 23 foot Lance four season travel trailer with a full side slide, bathroom kitchen , queen bed , refrigerator solar etc .put a 6” lift on it use it 90% of the time off the grid dispersed camping . Since our backpacking days we would mostly camp for a week to two weeks at a time for over 40 days a year ( our jobs allowed this ) with our travel trailer the only limiting factor is how much water we use and how much our black water tank can hold before we have to empty it . It’s really nice to get to a place where you would like to camp and all you have to do is level open the slide and camp . So as you can see the only thing we have not camped in is a rooftop camper which I find to be very interesting . The problem is my wife and I are 70 years old so lifting big dogs up ladders is not in our wheelhouse anymore . The bottom line is get out as much as you can even for just a day and find what works best for you . Happy Trails