Topic: Roof Top Tent

[CVXTERRA]

Hello campers! I have been looking at some reasonably affordable rtt's and had a couple of questions.

First, will I need some kind of special adapter to get the tent mounted to the cross bars. what should be used? custom fab?

Second, does the stock xterra roof rack have the ability to support a roof top tent with two adults?

anything else I need to know

thanks for any input

[knightrider]

are you looking at a clamshell/soft sided RTT or the hardshell vertical popup type?

Painroller/fixitguy had their clamshell tent mounted to stock roof rack, they should be able to answer if they had to do anything special.  I believe they had to mount there's pretty far back to retain access to the wetbox handle. 

the stock roof rack will have no problem supporting the weight, your suspension is another thing.  You will need a replacement leaf pack, either go custom with Deaver/Alcan or OME.

[CVXTERRA]

it would be the soft sided tent.
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Outdoor-Lifestyle-and-Camping/Overlander-Roof-Top-Tent.aspx?t_c=88&t_s=565&t_pt=9576&t_pn=S/B2783

I am not sure I would NEED access to the wet box if that made my life a little less complicated when it came to mounting options. I did not even consider suspension being an issue. would the driving weight of an extra 100 lbs be the issue or would it be sleeping up there? don't see how either would require any suspension modification?

[knightrider]

driving weight is the issue, stock rear suspension is soft and not going to handle 100-120lbs up on the roof very well.  stock springs and an AAL will be ok for a little bit but it wears out fast.  Painroller/Fixitguy just installed OME rear springs, so they will be able to chime in eventually and give you their firsthand experience.

[CVXTERRA]

That is very interesting, I would never have thought that the weight would play that much of a factor. Thanks! would modifying the suspension for the occasional camp trip effect my everyday commute/occasional off road? I am not very mechanically gifted but I don't even know where to start when it comes to suspension.

[knightrider]

Drive over a few speed bumps with a few friends in the back seat and you will know what I mean, even with a little extra weight, the rear suspension is very prone to bottoming out as the stock leaf springs are very soft.

Sent from my rooftop tent while stargazing

[RBduffer]

Yeah, what Knightrider said.

Our Xterras come stock with whimpy rear springs, so any real load puts them on tilt.  New, after market, rear springs are the best way to go, but I get by with an 'add a leaf' system and Firestone Air bags.  Less than $200 all together.  You will want to upgrade sooner or later anyway, but for sure with the RTT and camping gear.  Search here and at 'The New X' for more info than you could want

[Toro]

I know your in Monrovia.
   Drive N-S on Monterey crossing Huntington (by the Shell and Armstrong.) That dip will hit hard and bottom out your suspension. Then come do that same dip in my rig and you'll notice the diff.
    My driveway is always open to wrenching too.

[CVXTERRA]

Man that is really something. I am actually feeling a little discouraged about the this now but I am happy to get the knowledge.

I know your in Monrovia.
   Drive N-S on Montery crossing Huntington (by the Shell and Armstrong.) That dip will hit hard and bottom out your suspension. Then come do that same dip in my rig and you'll notice the diff.
    My driveway is always open to wrenching too.

I really appreciate the offer and I may have to take you up on this. I don't want to let the dream die but I was not prepared (mentally/financially) for having to modify the suspension for a 120b tent. I was thinking the stock roof rack maybe but didn't see this coming.

[knightrider]

I did not mean to discourage you. 

You do have other options, your X is old, but pretty low miles.  You could get an Add-A-Leaf($100) to help stiffen up the stock rear leaf pack, add some Timbren SES($200) or add air bags($250).   Just know that the AAL is kind of a short term bandaid and the leafs will sag over time, the timbrens replace the stock bump stops with progressive bumpstops that are designed to help the stock leaf pack carry heavy loads, and the airbags are filled with air and work in conjuction with the stock leaf pack.    The good news is the suspension can be fixed for less than a roof rack would have cost you...  a roof rack is easily twice that($1000-1500). 

the right move would be OME springs which are are around $500 from nisstec(need OME shackles and new u bolts).  The AAL and the OME leaf pack will lift the rear end about 1.5" without a load, probably .5-1" with the tent on the roof, so you may need a small spacer($100) on the front to be level-ish.  the timbrens and air bags will not lift the rear at all.

   

[PainRoller]

I'm not sure what to add here.  Duffer and Knightrider are right.  With your camping equipment and the RTT, your stock suspension is going to suffer. 

Our AAL didn't give us the support we needed, but that's because we have skids, sliders, and a dual swing arm bumper.  I kinda think without all the extra armor, we might have been okay with the AAL.  But that's just speculation.

Seems like everything we do to our rig, it affects something else.  It's just the way it is.

Even without the RTT, getting an AAL has its benefits.  And there are plenty of peeps here willing to help you install it.

But back to your original questions:

 - yes, you will need longer bolts and brackets to fit over the OEM cross bars (they are thick buggers).  Let me know if you need deets.
 - yes, the OEM rack will hold 2 adult weights (if you are both 250, not so much.....)
 - no, getting AAL's should not affect your everyday commute - but it might improve your off-road ride

There are some definite advantages to having the RTT:
1. Quick setup and teardown
2. Ability to store bedding in RTT (leaving more room in vehicle)
3. You don't have to unpack/repack rig every time (like sleeping inside rig)
4. No unexpected guests (snakes, scorpions, coyotes, etc.)
5. It's rather comfy with the mattress - and kinda like sleeping in a treehouse.
6. Chick's dig it....trust me 

Disadvantages:
1. There is a tent on your roof - you will feel it on a windy day going down the freeway
2. You can't leave it at the campsite and go wheelin - it always goes with you
3. Setup can be a tad messy if you just went wheeling in the mud...ask me how I know.

BTW - that's a nice looking tent you picked out.  Ours came with a zip-on Annex.  We don't use it much.  But if we were to camp in one spot for multiple nights, it would come in handy having that extra room.

[CVXTERRA]

I did not mean to discourage you. 

You do have other options, your X is old, but pretty low miles.  You could get an Add-A-Leaf($100) to help stiffen up the stock rear leaf pack, add some Timbren SES($200) or add air bags($250).   Just know that the AAL is kind of a short term bandaid and the leafs will sag over time, the timbrens replace the stock bump stops with progressive bumpstops that are designed to help the stock leaf pack carry heavy loads, and the airbags are filled with air and work in conjuction with the stock leaf pack.    The good news is the suspension can be fixed for less than a roof rack would have cost you...  a roof rack is easily twice that($1000-1500). 

   

I can't thank you all enough. As of right now it is looking like I may need to put the tent off until I can get the time to modify the suspension. You are right, the cost of a new rack would make this completely out of the question for a while due to the much higher cost, so I guess as far as having to do anything to make it work its the best case scenario. I really appreciate the advice. a whole lot I did not know. Looks like a mod day will be in my future.

I'm not sure what to add here.  Duffer and Knightrider are right.  With your camping equipment and the RTT, your stock suspension is going to suffer. 

Our AAL didn't give us the support we needed, but that's because we have skids, sliders, and a dual swing arm bumper.  I kinda think without all the extra armor, we might have been okay with the AAL.  But that's just speculation.

Seems like everything we do to our rig, it affects something else.  It's just the way it is.

Even without the RTT, getting an AAL has its benefits.  And there are plenty of peeps here willing to help you install it.

But back to your original questions:

 - yes, you will need longer bolts and brackets to fit over the OEM cross bars (they are thick buggers).  Let me know if you need deets.
 - yes, the OEM rack will hold 2 adult weights (if you are both 250, not so much.....)
 - no, getting AAL's should not affect your everyday commute - but it might improve your off-road ride

There are some definite advantages to having the RTT:
1. Quick setup and teardown
2. Ability to store bedding in RTT (leaving more room in vehicle)
3. You don't have to unpack/repack rig every time (like sleeping inside rig)
4. No unexpected guests (snakes, scorpions, coyotes, etc.)
5. It's rather comfy with the mattress - and kinda like sleeping in a treehouse.
6. Chick's dig it....trust me 

Disadvantages:
1. There is a tent on your roof - you will feel it on a windy day going down the freeway
2. You can't leave it at the campsite and go wheelin - it always goes with you
3. Setup can be a tad messy if you just went wheeling in the mud...ask me how I know.

BTW - that's a nice looking tent you picked out.  Ours came with a zip-on Annex.  We don't use it much.  But if we were to camp in one spot for multiple nights, it would come in handy having that extra room.

yeah the tent is very nice and quite affordable. It is also on amazon for over $100 cheaper and 4wp will price match. I was also looking at the annex for $130. What hardware did you end up using to mount it to the crossbars? I have been trying to figure out what would work best for our needs. Really enjoy sleeping in the car but I do have to pull a lot of gear out of the car in order to sleep inside of it. Planning a 4k mile honeymoon stopping at national parks and other natural awesomeness and figured a RTT may be the best option due to quick set up times and maintaining full storage inside the x. keeps the footprint small.

[FixItGuy]

If you get your RTT from Tuff Stuff Offroad in Costa Mesa, they'll point you to McFadden Dale across the street for longer rails & bolts. Then they'll point you across the other street to get said rails cut to size. Customer service there was uncommonly helpful.

If you're planning a 4K mile road trip for a Honeymoon - the RTT will be way better than shuffling gear in and out of the truck. It only takes 15 minutes to set up or break down.

As far as the suspension goes, we were carrying the tent with about 500 lbs of gear AND armor front to back. On the rougher trails, we blew our stock shocks and flattened out our springs (we were overloaded). We are now sporting a fresh new set of OME springs and RadFlos - the whoops on Mojave Rd were no problem! No bottoming out whatsoever. If you are running stock bumpers and no skid plates, the stock springs w/an AAL will probably be fine.

[Toro]

Dude, don't be discouraged. Some helper springs will hold you over till you make the suspension jump. Get the RTT and continue the family adventures is a good plan.
   Try these out for a minimum investment.
https://www.google.com/search?q=xterra+helper+springs&client=ms-android-att-us&tbs=vw:l&tbm=shop&prmd=sivn&ei=3AW8VujoJNCIjwOMgr2oBg&start=20&sa=N&biw=360&bih=592#spd=18186713859099448273&spud=0
  You will keep the stock rear end and just beef it up a bit.
   Get the RTT and cross that next bridge when you get to it.

[CVXTERRA]

Thank you all again. When considering different and potentially less expensive (than the tent and annex) options I came across the ARB awning and Annex room. Both could be had for under 500 and would not add the kind of weight that would require the suspensions to be modified immediately (though I still intend to revisit this). If I am honest I am really liking this idea.

How do people feel about these. I know that those who do run the awnings tend to prefer ARB for the quality and I have done a bit of looking into the annex and both seem to have solid reviews. I think this could be a solid alternative for about 1/2 the cost plus no immediate extra cost for suspension. I have talked to the fiancé and she is more on board with this plan than the rtt, noting the fact that I have already purchased the necessary items to make sleeping in the back of the x so delightful and not having to climb up and down a ladder in the dark to pee in the middle of the night. I have to say the more I consider this, the more I prefer it. I get the awning which is a good standalone product that I can use for range days or just hanging around the car and the annex which is fully enclosed and has an entrance in the front as well as one from the car. This would essentially turn the X into the bedroom and the annex a living quarters that could be used as storage, kitchen, and a small retreat.



    (video of set up and some features)

Now I do not intend to sleep in the annex, but I do feel that since it has a floor and can be screened in and the set up time is fairly quick it would be perfect for my needs.