Shelter Thinking about selling my RTT and going back to a ground tent…

BP Green

BP Green

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Oct 23, 2010
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I’m torn.

On the one hand I really enjoy the experience of sleeping high up above the ground. I’ve gotten better sleep in my 23 Zero than have in any other tent I’ve ever used. Hell, I’ve slept better in it than in my own bed at home. But there are also some downsides I don’t like about it.

Chief among them is the weight and inconvenience of taking it off the rack and putting it back on when I want to use it. My son lives in Minnesota so I have to hunt down a couple buddies every time I need to do anything with it and that gets old.

Up to now I’ve gotten around it by just keeping it mounted on my Jeep Gladiator but that got old as well. My Gladiator is also my DD. AND I wheel every single day and that’s a lot of weight to be lugging around 24/7.

Curious what you RTT guys do with yours? Do you mount it during camping season and just leave it on then take it back off when the season is over? Or do you mount it for a trip then take it back off again?

I’m thinking screw it, just sell it and go back to a ground tent but not sure I can be happy sleeping on the ground or in a cot again after the RTT experience. I keep going back and forth on it. Not sure what to do. Thought about keeping it and using it just for special occasions but I don’t have the room to store it in my small garage either. It’s pretty much either keep it on 24/7 or get rid rid of it entirely?
 
I don't have a RTT but I have a VW T4 California camper van. Once you start sleeping in a nice mattress, elevated from the ground, critters, humidity, etc... anything else will leave you a bad taste and feel uncomfortable. Also the RTT is much easier to setup than the ground tents and does not require even flat ground.

Mikel
 
I've been doing the RTT thing since before it became "all the rage". The secret to happiness is to leave the tent on year-round and get used to the way your rig feels with that weight up there. Anything else is just too much work (especially the whole hunting down of pals to move the tent).

Of course, I'm talking about hardshell tents. I had an Eezi Awn soft tent at one time and sold it. Soft tents are much, much more work than hardshells. They take longer to open, much longer to close, harder to dry out, etc..

For the first several years I would put the tent on in March and take it off after October 31st. For the last two winters I've simply left the tent on all winter. Though, I think it's a good idea to store the mattress and bedding somewhere else to keep condensation out of it during the winter. Night after night of fluctuation around 32 degrees leads to a moldy mattress in the spring.

It's even better if you can build a dedicated rig for camping and stop using that car as your DD. This doesn't seem to be a very popular option though. When I return from a trip that sees temps under 40 F at night, then the tent needs to be opened in the driveway for at least 48 hours to really dry it out. This is made much easier if you can let that rig sit for 48 hours. Closing the tent to go get milk, then open it up when you get home gets old really fast. :)
 
After the mud at the MTN West Overlander show in Fort Collins, CO, I doubt you would question keeping your RTT. If you intend to sell, let me know as I really like the 23 Zero products.
 
I'm on the fence of getting one.
I've been a ground tent camper for over 40 years, and didn't like the idea of raising my center of gravity when offroading. Also don't like ladders when it's foggy/wet outside.
But they seem to be improving very quickly.

My buddy has an iKamper 2.0 mini. It's spacious (for a RTT) and I've seen him setup and breakdown his in about 5 minutes, much less work than my tent.
He even left his sleeping bag and pillow in there.
It looked very convenient, a lot less dirt/dust as well. The downside is you have to keep an urinal container up there to pee.

I'm considering the iKamper 3.0 mini or tuffstuff alpha 2, BUT mount it to a small offroad worthy trailer, so I only take it out when I'm camping.
 
I ordered a new James Baroud today. Mine was eight years old and the zippers were starting to fight with me. The only other problem I had was replacing the roof vent a few years ago (electronic parts). Never had a leak in that tent. It never screwed up a camping trip. All-in-all, it’s been a great tent over eight years @ appr. 15 trips per year. That comes out to $30 or so per camping trip. I spend more than that on food. :)

After a lot of research on all the new hotness, I decided to stick with Baroud. They are still selling the same models and I found a screaming deal on one due to the off-season (about $1500 off shipped). And, this means I won’t have to tear the Jeep apart for a month to change tents. It will drop right in the same spot. The Propex heater, electrical connections, lighting, and everything else will be the same.

If anyone is still looking, PM me and I’ll give you the name of the guy I’ve been dealing with. Communication and pricing was exceptional. He sells a couple of other RTT brands too.
 
Have you ever slept in a good hammock with an “under-blanket” and rain cover?? Best sleep outdoors I’ve ever had and wish I’d tried them out sooner.

As another option consider just getting a pole settup to suspend one or more hammocks between it and your truck. Should be much lighter and take less space…
 
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The need for a second (or third?) person for mounting is what keeps me from buying one.

Too bad my son moved away...
 
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