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jplblue

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Got the chance to take out the R1S for a shakedown trip over the weekend. The goal was to see how much we can take along, even though we didn't use or need some of it. The R1S with the iKamper Skycamp 2.0 capably accommodated 2 adults, 2 young kids, and a dog.

We had the following gear:
  • Aquamarina 16' inflatable drop-stitch canoe + paddles and PDFs
  • Brompton ebike conversion with passenger seat for a kid (or 2)
  • North Face Homstead shelter
  • Iceco 40L refrigerator
  • Bluetti 1500 Wh solar generator
  • Sterilite 3 drawer tower
  • Pop-up privacy tent + portable toilet set-up
  • Coleman camp table + 4 camp chairs
  • Bedding, kitchen, clothes, food, etc.
This setup would be geared towards longer trips in the future.

A few notes:
  • Was averaging about 2mi/kWh (I accidentally reset the trip meter mid-trip!)
  • The tailgate is clutch for getting the iKamper on. Like our Element, having the tailgate down with the liftgate closed gives great access to the roof
  • Auto-leveling is a gamechanger for camping with a RTT. Unfortunately, auto-leveling does not work on our driveway ("park in better terrain," the R1S tells us)
  • We went to the Adirondacks and were a bit nervous about the charging at first, but things worked out great. The Welcome Center has free 50kW charger (CCS) and has a playground, picnic tables, etc., making it a great place to hang out for an hour or so
Will try the minimalist route next trip and have the wife and kids sleep in the car while I and the dog sleep in a tent.

Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks 20230527_090811
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks 20230527_135117
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks 20230527_173058
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks 20230527_172112
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks 20230527_185232
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks PXL_20230527_224624709
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks PXL_20230528_145156192
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks 20230528_103709
Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks 20230528_082139
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909phillyman

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Got the chance to take out the R1S for a shakedown trip over the weekend. The goal was to see how much we can take along, even though we didn't use or need some of it. The R1S with the iKamper Skycamp 2.0 capably accommodated 2 adults, 2 young kids, and a dog.

We had the following gear:
  • Aquamarina 16' inflatable drop-stitch canoe + paddles and PDFs
  • Brompton ebike conversion with passenger seat for a kid (or 2)
  • North Face Homstead shelter
  • Iceco 40L refrigerator
  • Bluetti 1500 Wh solar generator
  • Sterilite 3 drawer tower
  • Pop-up privacy tent + portable toilet set-up
  • Coleman camp table + 4 camp chairs
  • Bedding, kitchen, clothes, food, etc.
This setup would be geared towards longer trips in the future.

A few notes:
  • Was averaging about 2mi/kWh (I accidentally reset the trip meter mid-trip!)
  • The tailgate is clutch for getting the iKamper on. Like our Element, having the tailgate down with the liftgate closed gives great access to the roof
  • Auto-leveling is a gamechanger for camping with a RTT. Unfortunately, auto-leveling does not work on our driveway ("park in better terrain," the R1S tells us)
  • We went to the Adirondacks and were a bit nervous about the charging at first, but things worked out great. The Welcome Center has free 50kW charger (CCS) and has a playground, picnic tables, etc., making it a great place to hang out for an hour or so
Will try the minimalist route next trip and have the wife and kids sleep in the car while I and the dog sleep in a tent.

20230527_090811.jpg
20230527_135117.jpg
20230527_173058.jpg
20230527_172112.jpg
20230527_185232.jpg
PXL_20230527_224624709.jpg
PXL_20230528_145156192.jpg
20230528_103709.jpg
20230528_082139.jpg


View attachment 54630
Thanks for sharing! Good looking setup! I plan to head-out camping with the family about a week after I take delivery of my R1S, and I have similar equipment (and family size), so it was nice seeing how things 'fit' in your setup. Seeing your pics gives me confidence that I'll be able to carry everything that I need for the outing. Did you have any concerns with the RTT and the load rating of the crossbars handling all 4 of you up top?

Thanks again for sharing!
 
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jplblue

jplblue

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Thanks for sharing! Good looking setup! I plan to head-out camping with the family about a week after I take delivery of my R1S, and I have similar equipment (and family size), so it was nice seeing how things 'fit' in your setup. Seeing your pics gives me confidence that I'll be able to carry everything that I need for the outing. Did you have any concerns with the RTT and the load rating of the crossbars handling all 4 of you up top?

Thanks again for sharing!
The 4 of us + a dog! The wife did ask about the static load rating, but adding up the numbers, it came out fine. We also had questions about the spread of the bar, since it spans further than we typically have it, but I didn't notice any additional flex or instability. Potentially having a third crossbar would've been ideal, but three crossbars do not line up level and would force the iKamper to flex.
 

909phillyman

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The 4 of us + a dog! The wife did ask about the static load rating, but adding up the numbers, it came out fine. We also had questions about the spread of the bar, since it spans further than we typically have it, but I didn't notice any additional flex or instability. Potentially having a third crossbar would've been ideal, but three crossbars do not line up level and would force the iKamper to flex.
You pretty much corroborated what I had heard about the crossbar mounting points, and how they are not level, so I guess that's not practical unless you add a middle crossbar and then a 'shim' of sorts to the rear crossbar to try and level out the RTT mount with the middle and front bars. Might be worth trying once I take delivery. If I do, I'll report back as an FYI.

I have an OVS Bushveld 4 person tent so my setup would resemble yours pretty closely, so short of experimenting with the 3 bar setup, I think I'll use the front and rear mounting points as well. I guess my biggest unknown now will be adding up my static and dynamic loads with my Smittybuilt 270 awning, and hoping that it all falls in line within load ratings. Fingers crossed, and thanks again for sharing, as well as the feedback on your experience! Can't wait to get out there myself!
 

seanocono

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Love this post! Thank you for sharing. Do you have any head-on, or tail end photos of the full size Skycamp on the R1S? I know the tent is a fair amount wider than the rooftop, so I am curious how the overhang looks on both sides.

Edit: And thank you for sharing that helpful tip about the crossbar mounting points. I hadn't read that before, but it makes sense.
 
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jplblue

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Love this post! Thank you for sharing. Do you have any head-on, or tail end photos of the full size Skycamp on the R1S? I know the tent is a fair amount wider than the rooftop, so I am curious how the overhang looks on both sides.
The picture is a little funny looking because of wide angle, but the width of the iKamper is almost exactly the same as the length of the front crossbar. This was something I noticed while putting on the tent, and helped greatly with centering.

The rear crossbar is a little narrower than the front, so there's maybe a 1.5'' overhang each side from the edge of the crossbar.

Rivian R1T R1S Shakedown Camping Trip with R1S and iKamper Skycamp 2.0/3.0 to the Adirondacks Capture3.PNG
 
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seanocono

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Thank you! The full-size Skycamp fits much better than I anticipated on the roof. It looks great. Congrats on the new R1S and sweet camping setup.
 

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Are there any other viable tent options that don't cost the same as a family vacation? the iKamper is nice, but over 4K? Yikes.
 

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Any information on wind noise, vibrations, drag efficiency comparison with tent on and off? Sorry I know that’s a lot to know on your first trip…but whatever you noticed. 😅
 

909phillyman

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Are there any other viable tent options that don't cost the same as a family vacation? the iKamper is nice, but over 4K? Yikes.
I have the Overland Vehicle Systems Bushveld RTT. It cost me $2800 in November of 2022, but it appears that its normal price is now $2600. I picked it because I wanted a reasonably priced, well-constructed and well-equipped, feature packed hardshell RTT that could hold 3-4 people. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out: https://overlandvehiclesystems.com/18089901-bushveld-hard-shell-roof-top-tent/

The OVS Bushveld RTT is a comparable tent to the iKamper Skycamp series RTTs.

Good luck!
 

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Any information on wind noise, vibrations, drag efficiency comparison with tent on and off? Sorry I know that’s a lot to know on your first trip…but whatever you noticed. 😅
The wind noise was mostly fine except one section on the freeway where it was loud. We think it might've been due to cross winds, since it didn't happen again all trip. If it becomes a recurring thing, I'm looking at the Frontrunner wind faring, which another poster has installed and looks to be thoughtfully built.

To be honest, I'm not good about keeping track of efficiency since it's mainly my wife's car. Before this trip, the guess-o-meter was usually spot on. On this trip, the guess-o-meter was a bit off since efficiency was around 2 miles/kWh.

No vibrations, either. The Rivian crossbars are really solid. Our other car has a Prinsu style rack and the iKamper would sometimes squeak or there would be vibrations. That's because the tent laid across several crossbars, and the crossbars that weren't attached to the tent's mounting bracket would rub against the bottom of the tent at times.
 
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What is the weight of your RTT and how many humans did it take to hoist and mount it?
The RTT is 155 lbs from the factory, but there are a couple solar panels installed, so I'm guessing it's closer to 175 lbs now.

It took two small humans to install using a drywall lift from Harbor Freight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKC...QIBBAF&sqi=2&usg=AOvVaw27KYxB32aZJ30dHuZAWj1j

I've installed it solo before using the lift but that's too sketch to do with a car that has a glass roof. We have to do it in our driveway, which is very slopy and things will start sliding fast. I'm sure most others could install solo if on flat ground.
 

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The RTT is 155 lbs from the factory, but there are a couple solar panels installed, so I'm guessing it's closer to 175 lbs now.

It took two small humans to install using a drywall lift from Harbor Freight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKCxcLnjqaI&ved=2ahUKEwi08q6x7qD_AhVzElkFHVfbDEsQwqsBegQIBBAF&sqi=2&usg=AOvVaw27KYxB32aZJ30dHuZAWj1j

I've installed it solo before using the lift but that's too sketch to do with a car that has a glass roof. We have to do it in our driveway, which is very slopy and things will start sliding fast. I'm sure most others could install solo if on flat ground.
Nice! Assuming that gives you some flex for not having to roll with it all summer. Only put it on when you plan to use it.
 
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Nice! Assuming that gives you some flex for not having to roll with it all summer. Only put it on when you plan to use it.
Yep! We store the RTT on the lift since our garage is not tall enough to fit a vehicle with a RTT on.
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