Overlanding budget options

[Redfour5]

Well, sort of looking over overlanding approaches including a hard shell tent but then see that unless you spend a fortune for a closed up shell on the back that you can put the tent on, you are going to have to leave the bed wide open with all your stuff in the bed for people to oogle and easily take... I'm NOT going to be doing a whole major deal with all the doo dads hanging off the side of the bed rack etc., I'm just wanting the least expensive rack set up I can put a hard shell tent on. I would like to put all my stuff in the bed...

So, most set ups are like this one https://www.americantrucks.com/ram2...0-inch-round-led-lights-black-tr01b-plfr.html (this example is a decently priced one...comparatively). The problem is you can't put a tonneau cover on...

I then found this company and it is likely how I will approach it. RHR Swag makes dedicated racks with a tonneu cover for like 750 bucks with various heights. They also have a list of covers and whether their racks will work. My present one won't, but at 750, I'm good... So, an aluminum rack AND a tonneau cover for 750? There's one of their videos where some guy shows off a five year old version.

Of course a soft tonneau isn't going to truly protect your stuff, but it will be out of site and involve some work to get to it, in public and I've used soft tonneaus for 8 years now and where I live no problem. Racks can be short or over the top of cab... So, since I'm working on a budget what hard shell tent that isn't manure could I get and for how much? They generally are take your breath away cost like 2500 bucks least expensive. The soft tents can be had much cheaper, but they are also a pain as in setting up a tent on top of a vehicle doesn't exactly sound like fun and I"ve watched others do it and it always seems to involve four letter words as part of the process. So, in my research, I ran across this and it appears to be pretty well reviewed. https://inspiredoverland.com/

So, to meet my minimum requirements of having a rack that will support a hard shell overlanding tent AND sit over a tonneau and a decent quality clamshell tent, it appears that I can get it done for around $2,250... Like noted, if you want to go with a soft shell tent, you can dot it even cheaper...

So, for those of you wondering, this is about the minimum with apparently decent quality equipment... You can EASILY go 10K on this stuff if you want. I already have most of the supporting equipment and Costco black and yellow top boxes (under 10 bucks upon occasion) so if I am not concerned about looking cool this might work. Right now we are looking at the Magruder trail about a hundred miles from us (Montana Starting Point) as a test drive...

We also have a 28 foot single slide travel trailer...for more...civilized camping... I'd like to see what others have including the 10K approaches. I can dream can't I.

 

[UglyViking]

Not super clear if you're looking for recommendations or giving a review here to be honest.

Unless you really really want a RTT, my advice to you would be to avoid them. The only time they really provide value is if you're going on a stretch off road for multiple days where you don't have the space for both your truck and a tent, or where the ground just isn't conducive to a ground tent.

I had a clamshell tent like the one you linked (mine was a roofnest falcon) on top of a Leer100rcc. I wanted to keep it and make it work, I really did, but they are just not worth it in my experience. They make the truck squeak every time you move, and no matter how hard it's mounted it will shift around sort of like you're on a boat every time you move. I wanted to make this work so much that I sold my Leer (mistake) and swapped to a Yakima outpost HD rack to try and make it work. It absolutely killed the rear visibility and because it was a mid height and the RTT was "long" it also resulted in my head smacking against the thing more frequently than I'd like.

You can't store anything in those sleek clamshell RTTs due to their low profile, so you still need to setup the tent, and add bedding and all that. Plus their mattress options are usually rather firm, so you're gonna have to add another mattress to get any level of comfort.

If money were of no object then I'd recommend something like a AT overland topper. Where you get a topper and a RTT combined into a single unit. An AT overland topper enables you to store bedding and such in the collapsed part of the RTT, and you also obviously get full coverage in the bed. This can be a really nice bonus if you camp in cold weather, for stretches in the rain, and gives you a area to put down a chair or stand up to get dressed. All this at the expense of money, as they start around 12k.

If you absolutely have to have an RTT, then don't cheap out and look for the best bargain. Buy something quality like an icamper as it will be an overall better unit and last much longer. I'd also look for something similar to the skycamp design, where it's more of a clamshell than a wedge as they tend to be more spacious inside for getting changed, and also allow you to keep bedding in them.

 

[Redfour5]

Appreciate your feedback. I can get everything I need in the back under a tonneau. Yes, it is seemingly not as convenient, but I already have everything. Fifteen hundred bucks for something I can do now...is a chunk of change to be rolling dice on. This is the other side of my thought processes, kind of mirroring yours...

 

[dogbreath650]

A good, quick set-up ground tent is a lot cheaper and simpler I never liked RTTs because every time you want to move the truck you're having to pack up. With a ground tent you leave it set up, go exploring with the truck and return to the base camp at night. Seems like a lot of work and expense dealing with a RTT. I just don't see the advantage other than you're off the ground and it looks cool.. But there are a lot of them out there so maybe I'm missing something.

 

[UglyViking]

More and more people that rushed out to buy RTTs are now selling them and going back to quality ground tents. The only real benefit you have for a RTT is if you're camping on super rocky areas, or very wet grounds, where you'd be limited in ground tent options.

If that is valuable enough to you to drop 3-12k+ on, then by all means, but for most people, the type of camping they do, and the frequency, it just doesn't make sense.

That said, there are also a ton of guys with sliders that don't need them, or thousands in lighting, or a winch that never gets used, etc. For some people, the RTT is just part of the "overland build", in the same way that every guy with forces also needs a train horn…

 

[ollicat]

I have just an ARE MX topper and sleep in the back on a simple platform that allows storage underneath. So simple and quick.

 

[Redfour5]

Link to the ARE MX platform? topper?

 

[ollicat]

Link to the ARE MX platform? topper?

A.R.E. : Truck caps, truck toppers, camper shells, truck canopies, truck bed covers, hard tonneau covers and truck accessories from A.R.E.

A.R.E. Truck Caps & Truck Accessories manufacturer of fiberglass pick-up truck caps, truck canopies, tops, toppers, truck toppers, camper shells, canopies, hard tonneau covers, work caps and truck accessories.

4are.com

 

[ollicat]

This is not my truck but this picture shows what I am doing. Tent takes 5 minutes to set up and about 3 minutes to take down. I gives me about 20 more inches inside the cab that I can use for dirty shoes or baggage. Also, I am rigging up a small AC unit that will have a vent to exhale to the outside. I live in TN so this allows me to stay in state parks where I can plug into shore power in the summer and stay cool at night. I'm sure a little Honda generator would also power the AC but I like to stay where I can use a bathroom.

 

[Joints4Sale]

Not super clear if you're looking for recommendations or giving a review here to be honest.

Unless you really really want a RTT, my advice to you would be to avoid them. The only time they really provide value is if you're going on a stretch off road for multiple days where you don't have the space for both your truck and a tent, or where the ground just isn't conducive to a ground tent.

I had a clamshell tent like the one you linked (mine was a roofnest falcon) on top of a Leer100rcc. I wanted to keep it and make it work, I really did, but they are just not worth it in my experience. They make the truck squeak every time you move, and no matter how hard it's mounted it will shift around sort of like you're on a boat every time you move. I wanted to make this work so much that I sold my Leer (mistake) and swapped to a Yakima outpost HD rack to try and make it work. It absolutely killed the rear visibility and because it was a mid height and the RTT was "long" it also resulted in my head smacking against the thing more frequently than I'd like.

You can't store anything in those sleek clamshell RTTs due to their low profile, so you still need to setup the tent, and add bedding and all that. Plus their mattress options are usually rather firm, so you're gonna have to add another mattress to get any level of comfort.

If money were of no object then I'd recommend something like a AT overland topper. Where you get a topper and a RTT combined into a single unit. An AT overland topper enables you to store bedding and such in the collapsed part of the RTT, and you also obviously get full coverage in the bed. This can be a really nice bonus if you camp in cold weather, for stretches in the rain, and gives you a area to put down a chair or stand up to get dressed. All this at the expense of money, as they start around 12k.

If you absolutely have to have an RTT, then don't cheap out and look for the best bargain. Buy something quality like an icamper as it will be an overall better unit and last much longer. I'd also look for something similar to the skycamp design, where it's more of a clamshell than a wedge as they tend to be more spacious inside for getting changed, and also allow you to keep bedding in them.

I just picked up my '23 Rebel HD and have have a roofnest from a previous rig. I was debating between a rack/tonneau cover vs doing a Leer with bars. Do you think your problems came from the flex of the fiberglass shell?

 

[UglyViking]

I just picked up my '23 Rebel HD and have have a roofnest from a previous rig. I was debating between a rack/tonneau cover vs doing a Leer with bars. Do you think your problems came from the flex of the fiberglass shell?

My issues were a combination of things for sure. I know that part of my issue was the flex from the fiberglass, because I switched to a Yakima truck bed rack and kept the roofnest and it helped quite a bit.

But for me, there just wasn't enough upside for the cost with the amount of time I spent camping, and the places I camp, to justify the cost.