Non-Rivian rooftop tents

[Prime]

So far we've really enjoyed the mini 3.0 and 0 regrets. Wife and I have so much more room than in the 3 person tent we came from. We've camped in it through two good thunderstorms and no water inside. I see people putting carpent on the floor to stop condensation from forming but we've not encountered that. Setup is as easy as it looks in the videos. We like the drawstring windows that act like blinds. It's an expensive tent but overall quality is excellent. The fabric is quite thick and stout. And the tent seems designed with repairability in mind.
We're going to be spending the next 2 weeks in it and we don't have any concerns.

Was mounting in reverse any harder than the alternative? Did you have to get any additional mounting hardware or is what came with it fitting your rivian crossbars just fine?
Also how’s the range looking with it installed. It looks pretty aero so hoping ok.
Thanks again for the response! Glad you’re enjoying it, my wife and I are also highly considering the mini 3.

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[Northish]

Was mounting in reverse any harder than the alternative? Did you have to get any additional mounting hardware or is what came with it fitting your rivian crossbars just fine?
Also how’s the range looking with it installed.

Nope, there aren't any added complications from mounting it backwards. Fits just fine with the standard included hardware.
As for range, we haven't been able to detect a difference with or without it on at interstate speeds. It sits below and behind the cab so it doesn't seem to catch any air in our experience.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

So far we've really enjoyed the mini 3.0 and 0 regrets. Wife and I have so much more room than in the 3 person tent we came from. We've camped in it through two good thunderstorms and no water inside. I see people putting carpent on the floor to stop condensation from forming but we've not encountered that. Setup is as easy as it looks in the videos. We like the drawstring windows that act like blinds. It's an expensive tent but overall quality is excellent. The fabric is quite thick and stout. And the tent seems designed with repairability in mind.
We're going to be spending the next 2 weeks in it and we don't have any concerns.

This isn't helping my struggle with trying to convince myself not to buy it.

iKamper isn't helping either as the pickup location is local and they say they'll install it for free. The customers I talk to aren't helping either as they keep going on about how good it is. The main detractions are the blocking the brake light, and decreasing rear visibility.

Specific issues to me is I'm not a hardcore tent camper, and it's a lot of money for something where I'm not sure what my usage pattern will be.

Long term I want to replace my Winnebago Revel (based on the Sprinter Platform) with the Rivian + Something, but I don't know what that something is. I enjoy the Revel, but I just don't like Diesel and DEF. Plus not being retired means constantly coming back home which doubles the fuel cost.

So the IKamper Mini 3 is likely just going to be an experiment to see how well that kind of thing will suite me. I already know traveling with an EV suits me well despite the limitations imposed.

Mostly what I do with the Revel is weekend trips and once or twice a year 2+ week trips. I don't cook in it much. In fact one could say its a 4x4 toilet that I can sleep in.

Seeing the prices of towables really has opened my eyes to how good of value the Revel was when I bought it (back in 2018).

 

[AltaTruck]

I put the iKamper mini on mine as well back in April. I mounted it backwards for better aero. I have had it on two trips to WV and really noticed no hit on range. The only issue is putting the supports for the window fly facing the rear truck window as they hit the spoiler. I just leave them off and it works well.

 

[Andystroh]

We went with a Free Spirit Recreation High Country 55. Reasons being:
- We are hoping to use it in the snow quite a bit; this one looked easier to clear and had fewer window awnings to collect snow.
- Standard material is an insulated quilted material.
- Larger footprint than the hardshell options
- Quicker setup than a lot of the other softshell options
- Their office is very close in CO to us so we could check them out and pick it up easily

We used it this weekend and are pretty happy. We camped around 11000 ft and it dropped into the upper 20s; we were in warm sleeping bags but did not get cold. It was pretty comfortable as well. Setup and takedown really is pretty quick, no complaints there (although also no snow to deal with). No wind noise while driving around and no impact to efficiency (around 2.2 in all purpose). All in all, satisfied. We will provide an update this winter when we have used it in the snow.

Also, the auto leveling feature is sweet. That removes so much of the effort of finding a nice spot.

 

[Zac]

I finally was able to set up my Overland Pros Anza 2000 (king size bed big enough to fit my family of 4) on my truck this past weekend after getting a hoist installed in my garage. I haven't slept in the tent yet (will in a few weeks), but so far I really like it. For those still shopping for a RTT, it is good quality and easy to set up/take down despite being a soft shell. Plus, the price is about half of an iKamper.

Also, no matter what RTT you get, I highly recommend buying a hoist. I purchased the Hoister Direct on Amazon and had it installed with the help of a handyman to make sure it was done correctly. It makes it much easier to put on and take off the RTT and it gets the tent out of your way when you are not using it. I was able to set it up by myself very easily in a matter of minutes.

Thank you to all the folks on this forum for the tip about getting a hoist!

Here are some pics of the RTT on my truck:

 

[Blueassassin]

I finally was able to set up my Overland Pros Anza 2000 (king size bed big enough to fit my family of 4) on my truck this past weekend after getting a hoist installed in my garage. I haven't slept in the tent yet (will in a few weeks), but so far I really like it. For those still shopping for a RTT, it is good quality and easy to set up/take down despite being a soft shell. Plus, the price is about half of an iKamper.

Also, no matter what RTT you get, I highly recommend buying a hoist. I purchased the Hoister Direct on Amazon and had it installed with the help of a handyman to make sure it was done correctly. It makes it much easier to put on and take off the RTT and it gets the tent out of your way when you are not using it. I was able to set it up by myself very easily in a matter of minutes.

Thank you to all the folks on this forum for the tip about getting a hoist!

Here are some pics of the RTT on my truck:

wow that's a big tent what does it look folded up?

 

[Zac]

wow that's a big tent what does it look folded up?

I don't have a pic of that, but it does overhang the rear. My thought is that it shouldn't be too big a deal when driving and it feels very secure when opened and sleeping in. The trade off for me of having it fit the bed better, but not having enough room for the family, wasn't worth it.

 

[norivian]

Today I did a test fit of the iKamper X-Cover. This is a very large RTT that opens up to roughly the size of a King size. It has an overhang of roughly 15” past the tailgate. Still, I think this will work. We’re planning a camping trip in a couple weeks.

Nice tent. Not certain (about traffic laws) but one can’t legally have objects extend past one’s vehicle without attaching a flag (or something) to warn others about the protrusion?

 

[Zac]

Nice tent. Not certain (about traffic laws) but one can’t legally have objects extend past one’s vehicle without attaching a flag (or something) to warn others about the protrusion?

In CA, it's required if it is 4 ft or more past the tailgate.

 

[EVTrukHog]

Has anyone successfully deployed the iKamper Mini in conjunction with a 180 or 270 degree awning? any photos of this setup? I'd like to have tent stairs on driver side and awning cover the Camp Kitchen area of the passenger side... but having difficult time picturing this setup.

 

[Mark’s RT-1]

Just installed the 23Zero X2 tent yesterday ! Haven’t used it yet, but it deploys and fits perfectly. Quality is excellent far

as I can tell. Love the blackout material feature.

shell is installed backwards on purpose. I ordered a driver side opening unit to install backwards to open on the passenger side. Wanted the aerodynamics to fit behind the cab better. I like it!

 

[derekmw]

Just installed the 23Zero X2 tent yesterday ! Haven’t used it yet, but it deploys and fits perfectly. Quality is excellent far

as I can tell. Love the blackout material feature.

shell is installed backwards on purpose. I ordered a driver side opening unit to install backwards to open on the passenger side. Wanted the aerodynamics to fit behind the cab better. I like it!

looks nice! How does it mount to the crossbars? Using the T-slots? Or brackets similar to Yakima?

 

[Mark’s RT-1]

I had to make wider custom brackets. Original stainless bolts worked perfectly. E mailed Armadillo USA and asked them to consider offering wider ones to new customers.

 

[derekmw]

I had to make wider custom brackets. Original stainless bolts worked perfectly. E mailed Armadillo USA and asked them to consider offering wider ones to new customers.

Ah bummer, this is about what I’m seeing for all these roof top tents with our wide crossbars.

i really like Yakimas brackets but they are near impossible to find.

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