Installing Rooftop Tents

[jim00]

A quick update on how I installed my rooftop tent on the Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform. I wanted a no drill solution as I was in a hurry and really didn't want to drill new holes in the tent to relocate the brackets or have random holes in the rack.

I did end up using this method to roll the tent up to the rack and was able to do it by myself (though my wife was standing nearby watching that things were going right and was ready to help). I am not sure I would do it by myself until I had considerable practice with someone nearby in case of trouble. I didn't see anyway this would break the rear window BTW, there just isn't any way the two can contact each other.

https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-deluxe-cargo-carrier-66983.html (got it on sale and seemed like I would use it eventually - decent quality)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1-000-lbs-Capacity-Poly-Furniture-Dolly-DC73730/207155059

As for mounting, the primary problem with the Rhino-Rack is that the rack slats run parallel to the mounting bars on most rooftop tents and naturally the mounting points don't align.
I used a low profile superstrut and superstrut nuts (remove the blue plastic part) to mount it.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superst...Channel-Gold-Galvanized-ZB1400HS-10/100164315
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superst...zed-5-Pack-Strut-Fitting-ZCM100-3-8/100189687

The super strut has enough holes / slack that I was able to bolt the superstrut to the rooftop tent without drilling, "roll" the tent on top (per video above), and then bolt the superstrut to the slots in the rack rails. So no drilling at all. You do have to cut the superstrut to size since it only came in 10' lengths. You also need to replace some bolts with shorter versions and get a few extra washers. I actually like the little bit of extra height as it makes it easy to access underneath for tightening things up and for a bit of large/flat storage for a table/etc.

One challenge with the video is that his hitch point is higher than the stock one and his tent is a bit larger. For me, it was a just a little short of what I would like for the method to be reliably done alone. I plan to borrow one of these from a friend and give it a try, it should make it a more clean experience.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087G9WJSY

Out of all the options, this seemed the least expensive and easiest to manage for a no drill, do it alone method.
Thanks!

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[nU7OuxIx]

A quick update on how I installed my rooftop tent on the Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform. I wanted a no drill solution as I was in a hurry and really didn't want to drill new holes in the tent to relocate the brackets or have random holes in the rack.

I did end up using this method to roll the tent up to the rack and was able to do it by myself (though my wife was standing nearby watching that things were going right and was ready to help). I am not sure I would do it by myself until I had considerable practice with someone nearby in case of trouble. I didn't see anyway this would break the rear window BTW, there just isn't any way the two can contact each other.

https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-deluxe-cargo-carrier-66983.html (got it on sale and seemed like I would use it eventually - decent quality)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1-000-lbs-Capacity-Poly-Furniture-Dolly-DC73730/207155059

As for mounting, the primary problem with the Rhino-Rack is that the rack slats run parallel to the mounting bars on most rooftop tents and naturally the mounting points don't align.
I used a low profile superstrut and superstrut nuts (remove the blue plastic part) to mount it.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superst...Channel-Gold-Galvanized-ZB1400HS-10/100164315
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superst...zed-5-Pack-Strut-Fitting-ZCM100-3-8/100189687

The super strut has enough holes / slack that I was able to bolt the superstrut to the rooftop tent without drilling, "roll" the tent on top (per video above), and then bolt the superstrut to the slots in the rack rails. So no drilling at all. You do have to cut the superstrut to size since it only came in 10' lengths. You also need to replace some bolts with shorter versions and get a few extra washers. I actually like the little bit of extra height as it makes it easy to access underneath for tightening things up and for a bit of large/flat storage for a table/etc.

One challenge with the video is that his hitch point is higher than the stock one and his tent is a bit larger. For me, it was a just a little short of what I would like for the method to be reliably done alone. I plan to borrow one of these from a friend and give it a try, it should make it a more clean experience.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087G9WJSY

Out of all the options, this seemed the least expensive and easiest to manage for a no drill, do it alone method.
Thanks!

I tried doing something like that but I have the crossbars instead of the rhinorack. It didn't work out that great... I would say that because the rhinorack sits back a little further than a crossbar would, you can use that to leverage it up.

For me, the roof got in the way and I didn't want to slide the tent up against the roof. Maybe the rhinorack was the way to go.

 

[jim00]

I tried doing something like that but I have the crossbars instead of the rhinorack. It didn't work out that great... I would say that because the rhinorack sits back a little further than a crossbar would, you can use that to leverage it up.

For me, the roof got in the way and I didn't want to slide the tent up against the roof. Maybe the rhinorack was the way to go.

I almost feel the opposite, I bought the platform and really am only able to put a tent on it - seems like a waste. Granted, there is some space in front of it I can use but likely won't due to wanting to keep the weight low as possible.

That was also the challenge I mentioned above, the hitch being lower and tent smaller, the edge of the tent lands on the roof first, not the rack. I'll solve that someway though.

 

[Don_TLR]

I like this setup for a one person solution.

 

[FrostQ]

Camping season over where I am...so I mounted the RTT last week.
I used the ramp/hoist method and it worked like a charm.

Did it solo and first time doing it took about 15min. Definitely safer and easier than my previous method. Now I just gotta figure out how to do it in reverse and take it off with ease.

 

[itsooh]

About to getting RTT but I am not sure how to install it by myself.
I like the one, hitch hoist by Kansascoast and got quote from local shop. It costs 450.00 ><

So for the next option, I am thinking to get hitch game hoist from amazon, which will be about 120.00, and insert longer boom bar. Have anyone tried this?

My last option will be using ladder.

 

[dpike]

About to getting RTT but I am not sure how to install it by myself.

where in jersey are ya ?
i'd be willing to give you a hand.

 

[itsooh]

where in jersey are ya ?
i'd be willing to give you a hand.

North Jersey but looking for the solution that I can do by myself.
I do not want to carry RTT on top during weekdays.
Thank you for your generosity thou.

 

[dpike]

anything above of the driscol is "north jersey" to me so that's where i'm from too. feel free to PM me if you need anything.

on another note i've had my ikamper on top of our jl for over 2 years now with no issues. it's my wife's dd and she just scoots around local, no ill effects on anything except a few gallons of gas.

 

[Hercules]

Here’s the solution that I used. I can put it on and take it off without any help. The lift was pretty easy to make and I would share the details if you are interested.

Whats the weight of your yakima rack? I love this idea...I think I'm gonna try and replicate it. Just need to find a welding shop.

 

[Kansascoast]

Whats the weight of your yakima rack? I love this idea...I think I'm gonna try and replicate it. Just need to find a welding shop.

I think the weight is around 110#.

 

[kimmonia]

s

A quick update on how I installed my rooftop tent on the Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform. I wanted a no drill solution as I was in a hurry and really didn't want to drill new holes in the tent to relocate the brackets or have random holes in the rack.

I did end up using this method to roll the tent up to the rack and was able to do it by myself (though my wife was standing nearby watching that things were going right and was ready to help). I am not sure I would do it by myself until I had considerable practice with someone nearby in case of trouble. I didn't see anyway this would break the rear window BTW, there just isn't any way the two can contact each other.

https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-deluxe-cargo-carrier-66983.html (got it on sale and seemed like I would use it eventually - decent quality)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1-000-lbs-Capacity-Poly-Furniture-Dolly-DC73730/207155059

As for mounting, the primary problem with the Rhino-Rack is that the rack slats run parallel to the mounting bars on most rooftop tents and naturally the mounting points don't align.
I used a low profile superstrut and superstrut nuts (remove the blue plastic part) to mount it.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superst...Channel-Gold-Galvanized-ZB1400HS-10/100164315
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superst...zed-5-Pack-Strut-Fitting-ZCM100-3-8/100189687

The super strut has enough holes / slack that I was able to bolt the superstrut to the rooftop tent without drilling, "roll" the tent on top (per video above), and then bolt the superstrut to the slots in the rack rails. So no drilling at all. You do have to cut the superstrut to size since it only came in 10' lengths. You also need to replace some bolts with shorter versions and get a few extra washers. I actually like the little bit of extra height as it makes it easy to access underneath for tightening things up and for a bit of large/flat storage for a table/etc.

One challenge with the video is that his hitch point is higher than the stock one and his tent is a bit larger. For me, it was a just a little short of what I would like for the method to be reliably done alone. I plan to borrow one of these from a friend and give it a try, it should make it a more clean experience.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087G9WJSY

Out of all the options, this seemed the least expensive and easiest to manage for a no drill, do it alone method.
Thanks!

great work @jim00 - way to innovate, how are the superstruts holding up? Namely, I don't see any weight or strength ratings. galvinized should be safe from rust standpoint. I'm ponder this vs the new rhino rack rtt mount brackets. The height of the brackets are holding me back at this point.

 

[jim00]

s


great work @jim00 - way to innovate, how are the superstruts holding up? Namely, I don't see any weight or strength ratings. galvinized should be safe from rust standpoint. I'm ponder this vs the new rhino rack rtt mount brackets. The height of the brackets are holding me back at this point.

I have had no issues and no rust from it. I did end up painting it black just to blend in better with the roof rack. But until then, there was no rust.

 

[AnaBuffa]

I'm going to be purchasing a rooftop tent soon and the specs on it are about 140lbs. It's only me and my wife, and I was looking at getting some ideas of how I can get the tent up on the roof. I could probably do 70lbs by myself but I know my wife isn't strong enough for it.

My garage door is 7' high, and some google search shows the tent is 11" high, plus 4" for the rack, plus 74" for the jeep. I was thinking of a hoist system for inside the garage, but then I wouldn't be able to get it out, as I would be about 6" too high. Does anybody have any ideas, or is it easier than I think?

Exposed Racks Click-in Racks for tents are a great option as it makes it easier to load and unload. And the racks itself are low profile (about 2.5"). Also George at SMS is super helpful and can probably help you figure out the best rack/ tent option. 215-310-1917

 

[BobaFett]

Here’s the solution that I used. I can put it on and take it off without any help. The lift was pretty easy to make and I would share the details if you are interested.

I would love to see your build info/specs, if you’re able to share. (I sent a dm if that helps.) Thanks!

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