Shell and Roof Top Tent FAQ
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- čas přidán 14. 05. 2020
- I frequently get questions on my roof top tent, truck shell, and the pros/cons of having this set up. In this video I go over what to expect when doing a set up like this and why I like it. I don't claim to be an expert, just a guy who likes adventure and has an opinion.
If you enjoy this video please like and subscribe to the channel.
Here are a couple links to the shell and tent:
iKamper Skycamp - www.ikamper.com/pages/skycamp
A.R.E. CX HD - www.4are.com/product/hd/
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#ShellandRoofTopTent #TruckTopperandRoofTopTent
Great video,love the roof top tent set-up
Thanks man!
Just remember to pop your tent up, before measuring for awning brackets. I have the same tent, and it will push out the space needed to fit your awning. Great video and nice rig!
Topper + ikamper. You're winning
Awesome setup!
Thanks man!
You give really good reviews. I'm looking at the CX HD for my 2018 ram. so this was great . I want to do the same painted black side doors as well.
Hey thanks man! Since that video I've been on five trips with this set up, the topper is very solid and I stand by what I said in that vid. You certainly won't regret it, and I still love the two tone! Cheers brotha!
Looks really nice
Thanks man!
This helped a lot. Looking for a rooftop tent while also having a camper shell
Great job on everything. Speaking, filming, informing, I'm just very pleased with your advice and ways of thinking. I have basically everything you have there. Just on a bigger platform. Cummins 2500. Even having my roof top tent on my topper I still get 19,20 mpg on highway at 65 mph.
Hey thanks man, much appreciated. I'm sure your rig is a beaut! To me, the build is half the fun. Cheers
Had a question for both of you, any issues with the rtt on the shell? I have a GMC 1500 with a LEERXR, I’ve read mix reviews about the rtt on a shell. I see it all the time but unsure if they have a different type of shell with some extra stability
Exact information I was looking for! Thanks, so much, for putting this video together. No B.S., just good information. I splurged and bought a 2019 TRD Pro. Hatin' the payments, but love the truck. Just wish Toyota would have stuck with the 4.0 liter engine. That, combined with the 3rd gen body style and features would be the ultimate. I wish I had the $ to switch the diffs to 4.88 gears, which gets rave reviews! Nice truck you have. Stay Safe on your travels and adventures!
Best tacoma build on youtube. This guy and this truck is fye!
I appreciate that! Thanks man
@@squaredawayeveryday no problem! What’s your Instagram?
Great video great review. I was researching camper and it was great to find your HD review and makes me feel better about throwing all that weight on the shell. Sub'd.
Awesome, I'm glad it was helpful. Thanks for the sub! I just finished up with a move and will be throwing out a bunch of videos very soon.
Just found your channel and watched a couple of videos so far…subscribed too. Very nicely done and very professionally presented. You’re well spoken. I am planning an imminent acquisition of a Tacoma (likely a 2021 TRD Pro) and definitely want to add a rooftop tent and the iKamper would be the likely candidate. I have researched a ton of these and they have the greatest appeal so far. The hard shell would be a must for me. I cannot yet wrestle to the ground the topper/no topper question but you make a persuasive case for it and if I was going to, this model might just be the one. Like you, this will be an adventure vehicle and not a work one. Thanks so much. Extremely useful.
Hey Marcus, thanks for the support and subbing to the channel! I'm in the process now of making the Ikamper review, so stay tuned. You're hesitations toward the topper are certainly warranted. If you don't plan on doing a drawer system keep in mind that you'll have much more space under the shell than what I do. Regarding an adventure rig only, it would be hard to recommend anything but a topper. Let me know if you have any questions regarding your build along the way. Hopefully you opt for the Lunar Rock color on those 2021 models, the rig would probably look incredible with a color matched topper. Cheers and happy hunting!
- Brad
I just ordered a 2022 Tacoma TRD Pro. I presently have a 2018 Z71 Colorado with an A.R.E. cap. But, when I get the Tacoma, I plan to get the same cap as you have. I'm also getting the Decked system. I'm 62, my wife doesn't camp with me and my kids have flown the nest, so Ill be going with the Skycamp Mini as it will be just me. When I ordered my Tacoma, I wanted the color you have, but, not an offer for the 2022, so, went with the gray. Great video, thanks for sharing.
How do you only have 31 subs? The quality of your vids is top notch. Just subscribed!
Hey Luc, thanks man! I appreciate the support, we'll get there. In the mean time I'm just having a good time making vids. Cheers!
Ordered my A.R.E shell back in the beginning of Feb. right after receiving my new Silverado, and I just received it earlier this week (over 20 week wait) was told several times that it was being built and and that it would be shipped. Original time frame I was told was 10-12 weeks. After that just plan on getting the runaround. I even offered to drive up to Ohio and pick it up when they told me it was a shipping issue, only to find out that it hadn't been built and that it was just another line of BS they were coming up with. On a good note only 2 of the 4 windows leak....I like the function of the vented windoors but they leak pretty bad. Not looking forward to taking it the dealer, I'm sure they will make up some crap. Paid $3350.00. I recommend going with Leer (I have one on my Ram) it's been on for 12 years and have had NO issues. If I hadn't spent so mush I would take it off and use it for target practice then burn it to the ground. (With the so called fiberglass shortage) you can tell that the shell is much more flimsy than the older style. Have a nice day
I’m still deciding over the long bed or short bed ugh I really want to be able to sleep in the back camper shell but the short bed just looks so much better
I get it! There are definitely pros to both, those RTTs sure are comfy these days though...
Super informative video. This is the setup I want. Thank you!
Tacoma has payload capacity of just over 1100 lbs. Topper and RTT takes up say 300. That does not leave much room for passengers and camping gear. My worry is, I have been using Smittybilt XL (130 lb) RTT on VW Atlas (about 1150 lb payload). After loading up for extended road/camping trip with family of 4, took it to the scales and was close to maxing out. And I don't have any off-roading gear/solar/battery etc. Wanted to venture beyond the dirt roads and looking at Jeep Gladiator (sport) or a full-size truck (Tundra Trd pro/Silverado Trailboss/Titan Pro4X) as those have around 1500 lb payload. And it is hard to safely secure gear or weather-proof without a topper. Still trying to work that out for overlanding and light off-roading.
Such a great review, Thanks! Looking at picking one up for my Tacoma. I'd like to put a 270 awning along with RT Tent. How wide are the cross bars? I want to be able to fit both. Thanks.
Hey thanks man. You should be able to request the width of the load bars when you place your order.
Great video. I checked out your other review on the ARE CX HD and am highly considering it over the Leer 100XR due to the additional load capacity. Do you feel like you lose storage space within the CX HD due to the skeleton? And would you recommend securing cargo webbing to the skeleton for additional storage, or might that impact it's stability?
First off, thanks for checking out the channel! These are both great questions. To your first question, yes, you will loose storage capacity due to the internal skeleton; primarily for gear that is heavy and needs to be slid in and out. I wouldn't hesitate to put cargo webbing up for securing smaller items. I don't think I would mount anything crazy, but anything below 30 pounds or so should be no problem. To this point I have no interest in changing my topper out. Hope this helps!
Hi, I'm waiting on my CX HD and I am also getting a IKamper sky camp 2.0. Does your cross bar are the a.r.e. one and were you able to use the 2.0 brackets with it or should I request the 1.0 Thanks
do you think those typical aluminum camper shells you can find on marketplace are capable of holding a wexge style roof tent?
So I’ve got my leer shell and I’ve got dv8 front roof rack on the cab but I want to know what’s good rack for the shell that’ll support the weight of rooftop tent
Like your videos! I am considering a similar set-up to yours (ARE CX HD top & I Kamper RTT on my 2020 Tacoma OR DCSB) but I have two questions for you --- is your Tacoma a short bed (it looks like it but I gotta ask) & does the Prinzu rack on the cab provide (needed) support for the RTT or do the racks on the ARE shell provide enough support? Thanks in advance; am looking forward to future videos.
Congrats on the new build! You don't "need" the additional support from the Prinsu rack, however the outside of the frame has been slapped when the truck flexes just right under slower speeds. Would those tent slaps from the flex of the truck be enough to hit the actual cab, I don't think so, but you never know. I like the added protection to my cab, but you probably don't need it. Hope that helps!
What rack do you have on top of your canopy? I’m looking for one, I have an 8ft bed and a canopy on a 2012 f350
Scrap the awning idea bro and check out KUMA pop up gazebo 👌
Pretty slick, this is the first I've heard of it. Thanks for reco!
Any idea what the total height is? Wondering if I could fit this setup in my garage?
Hi again --- one last question: Does the roof top tent clear the shark-fin antenna? It looks like it but I cannot tell from the video (which I have watched again!)
Hey thanks for the views! Yes, with this set up the tent clears the shark fin. Side note, the standard radio works, however with the bottom of the tent being aluminum the XM radio can be very spotty.
I got a leer topper. That extra space is a luxury dog house for my 2 dogs now lol Think those are safe for a rooftop tent for 2? I'm thinking about getting the prinsu rack for both cab and topper.
Hey Jay, yeah I'm sure that should be fine for a two person RTT, however do be sure to check the dynamic weight rating with leer before purchasing your tent. Also, when mounting your tent to the topper, only attach the tent to the topper rack and not both the topper rack and the rack over the cab; this would prevent proper flexing on the truck bed and could damage your equipment/truck.
Dude open up the tent!!!!
have you had any issues with the ARE topper moving back and forth on the rails in the bed
Not at all, although it's always a good idea to check the mounting points.
what rack did you use for the ikamper 2.0? since the ikamper weights is 160lbs
I'm using the standard Yakima rack that is attached to the internal skeleton of my topper. Check out my A.R.E. CX-HD review for the details.
Here’s a question for you ... does the longer tent 2.0 block off your xm radio or navigation ? I see that it completely covers the shark fin ?
It doesn't mess with the nav, however the xm radio is pretty much non-existent.
@@squaredawayeveryday yeah I figured one or both we be toast ... appreciate it 👊
Did you relocate your shark fin antenna? I can't live without my xm on long road road trips!
This is a great question, no fin relocation. With that said I had XM when I first bought the truck, worked fine. Just tried hooking up XM with this current set up and couldn't get a solid connection. Not a big deal on my end, but I thought it was a great question and had to test it for ya. If anyone else has had a different experience please feel free to share. Thanks everyone!
@@squaredawayeveryday Thank you!
What’s your MPG as of now with all these setup?
Im sitting right at 17.4mpg, not too bad considering.
Do you have the front of the tent mounted to the prinsu rack as well? If so, does frame twist have any negative effect on the tent frame?
NO!!! Never bridge a tent on a truck. You need to pick either a bed or cab mount, never both. In my case I’m mounted to the topper.
@@squaredawayeveryday I figured, So no issue with the weight of people on the unsupported side of the tent?
@@grant49 You will get twisting of the tent as the truck frame twists, never bridge.
How much weight can an ARE cap take? I can't seem to find it anywhere online
I’ve put my Yakima roof top tent on my ARE camper shell and used it twice with myself and my girlfriend and I’ve had no issues. Combined weight was under 500lbs. As long as you’re under that you should have no issues.
How’d you get the tent on your topper?
My wife and I threw it up there, it was a pain; so much so that I've never removed it.
Freaking boat engine is mounted to a fiberglass piece, sometime have wood as a core. Fiberglass is strong!!
Does it fit in a normal garage?
It does not.
Is the tent load being shared with the prinsu or is it not connected at all?
Great question, no load is being shared with the Prinsu. The load bars on the shell are taking all the weight of the tent. Sharing loads between a bed rack and cab rack on a truck will not allow the bed and cabin to flex properly and could damage your truck. Thanks for the question!
@@squaredawayeveryday Thats what I was thinking but was just curious! Thanks for responding!
Just kinda indecisive on weight on the camper shell. Otherwise I would be doing this in a heartbeat. I have a SnugTop Super Sport. I can't figure out how much weight dynamic and static weight that it supports.
I'm sure your current SnugTop is more than strong enough. An easy way to know for sure is to send an email to SnugTop. Thanks for checking out the channel!
I think the taco is a good truck for a campertop. It’s obviously not made for the working man with that little tiny 5ft useless bed. Can barely dump rubbish with that thing.
I agree it's not a work truck.They make different trucks for different purposes, similar to tools. There is no truck or vehicle that can do everything. Long in the short, I would never be able to move 2 tons of rock in the bed of a Tacoma, but I would also never be able to drive tight technical trails with a Ram 3500 Cummins...
@@squaredawayeveryday true, I have a 2019 taco. Bed is useless, not to mention I put a tool box back there which makes it like a 3’ bed now. Also stock payload is about 900 pounds. It’s my first time buying a truck newer than a 2001. I already have a 89 bronco, I guess I’ll have to get a third truck to do my garbage hauling/work truck stuff.
That's the ticket, I bought a small 6x8 trailer for anything that would normally require a bed; although this can be somewhat inconvenient at times. I'm currently looking for an additional truck (most likely a Tundra or Ram Cummins) to daily drive. The way I have my Tacoma set up now, it's pretty much just a designated adventure rig. Congrats on the 19 Taco!