I had the vortex, it’s good for other items but my tent put lots of strain and I was constantly worried about my gutter mounts. Rhino rack site says 80lbs limit. My personal opinion - it’s 80lbs static, 50lbs dynamic before lots of flexing and squeeking occurs.
It’s possible, my tent is a Tepui 4 person (225lbs) and it strained the gutter mounts to a point were I was constantly checking / concerned. For a 2 person tent - maybe its ok since its almost 100lbs lighter.
Good to know. The Thule 300 is rated 165 lbs dynamic load, and I may do the Smittybilt Roof Top Tent Net weight @ 117 lbs. My 2 kids weight about 140 lbs in total, or better if it can hold 1 adult with 1 kid @ 300 lbs. Will see how the goes.
Yes, @BrianB do tell! I dove in for this setup last week, and am drooling over your picture while I wait for mine to arrive. Questions:
With the rack on it is difficult to bolt on the tent because there is limited space between the rack and the Jeep to secure the tent. I was able to remove the Freedom Panels to secure the bolts to the front part of the rack no problem but the back was difficult. The tent rail sits right on the gap between the slats so you don't need to do any modification to the rack.
So you had the same problem I did trying to attach the tent to the rack. I wonder if there was someway to add around 3/4" to the space between the rack and the roof. Hmmm. I plan on taking my tent off during the winter, so I want to come up with a solution by then.With the rack on it is difficult to bolt on the tent because there is limited space between the rack and the Jeep to secure the tent. I was able to remove the Freedom Panels to secure the bolts to the front part of the rack no problem but the back was difficult. The tent rail sits right on the gap between the slats so you don't need to do any modification to the rack.
1. I built the rack and had someone do the mounts. I couldn't get up the courage to drill into my roof. When you buy the rack from Maximus, it comes with instructions from Rhino and Maximus. Big tip - Use the Rhino instruction on how to build the rack but use the Maximus instructions for the support bars under the slats and make sure it matches their configuration. (This is important so that the brackets line up with the rack.)
2. I got the long rack and the tent goes past the rack by 9.5 inches. This doesn't matter much because the tent is still supported by the rack. I installed a wind deflector to cut down on the wind noise a little.
I also installed a Rhino Batwing Awning on the driver side. Also a little tight but doable.
I just came back from a 2 week trip with my two boys (7 & 10) and my wife. I was able to store 3 of the sleeping bags in the tent when closed and just stuffed the 4th in the Jeep. It only took a minute to setup the tent for the evening and about 5 to close it up in the morning. The awning is also quick and very useful at campsites with no shade. (I haven't tested it in the rain yet.) I have used a regular tent in the past on 2 week camping trips and this configuration saves me so much time and stress. I love it.
The rack is about 40lbs, tent 165ish with sleeping bags, and 60 for the awning. You do feel the weight with everyone in the Jeep and our camping supplies. I may have to do something about back sagging down on the next trip.
So, I pull my trigger on the Smittybilt RTT, I'll have it installed on the 18th. I have been trying to figure how I can get it RTT On & Off the rack. What I've plan are
