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What kind of vehicles do you guys all drive when your going hiking? Im thinking about investing in a 4wd high clearance Jeep or something of the sort so I could get to some places where I definitely couldnt get to with what Im driving now (73 mustang):) I saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee today for $2600 and I was thinking about checking it out. What "hiking vehicle" is easiest to drive and which gets the best gas mileage (even though I know most wouldnt be too fuel efficient.)

chumley wrote:I'm pretty sure they're white fur.

Well if their not white fur they will soon be....

Anyone have experience with roof top tents on your hiking vehicles?
I am loving the look of the RoofNest ...

@friendofThundergod
I would 4runner up if my fire extinguisher ever stops working. I don't think it'd be Sun City West White but still, nice choice.
Must be why I haven't see you driving around as much.

@cactuscat
I checked into a rooftop tent for my Outback but apparently the stock roof rack isn't strong or wide enough for most tents. I also didn't want the tent on top of my vehicle all the time, but taking it on/off wasn't going to be easy. My wife wasn't real keen on going up and down the ladder in the dark for middle of the night nature calls either. And $3K - $4K for good quality.
So we decided to stay ground-based.

I've always wondered what the cost-benefit analysis on those tents is. They seem very expensive, and I can't really figure out why the roof of your car is better than the ground.

@chumley
More room inside the vehicle since your bedding stays upstairs. Fast setup/teardown compared to a tent. A little easier to stealth camp, just need a parking spot instead of a parking + tent spot.

I didn't realize you could keep things like bedding inside the tent when you were driving. That's pretty cool. I guess some tents can be complicated to pitch, but I have one that I can put up by myself in under 3 minutes, so I don't usually think that's an area where I need to look to make improvements!

@cactuscat

@toddak
I ran into similar issue with Ikamper when they were offering it for pre run special (still spendy at 2 grand). My rack could handle the weight but the distance between cross members at their widest was not enough. They also didn’t have anything that would accommodate the wide diameter tubes of the old xterra and Nissan Frontier racks. We do a lot of dispersed camping with the kids and dogs and thought it would be easier than fitting 3 days worth of gear dogs and kids in the Nissan Frontier truck(which is almost impossible). We though about it for our new to us vehicle, but after building queen size sleeping platform in it there is room for young kids and dogs to sleep inside if necessary and when the kids get too big they can start setting up the tent. We looked at off road capable tear drops as well, but the cost was almost as much as the truck I bought and now I have an off-road/ snow capable vehicle when my wife takes the Frontier to get to work on powder days.

@chumley
Obviously cost/benefit is different for different folks, but I can think of times when they would come in handy...
- No level ground to be found
- Ground too hard for stakes (Stakes needed in windy conditions, and some tents require stakes to stay up.)
- Ground too rocky
- Too many pointy things
- Ants
- Setting up a tent in the middle of the night while it's raining
- etc...
For any and all those reasons, not long ago I gave some thought of two off-ground options, ultimately choosing neither.
1. The trailer was out because I hate pulling a trailer (At my age it's too easy to I forget it's there) as well as general off-road IN-capability and extra wear-and-tear on tow vehicle. (Also Steph & Blake's experience solidified the thought)
2. The rooftop was out because the area is already taken by a 150 Watt solar panel.

Which leaves us stuck on the ground for the duration.

Thanks for the input, guys!
Roofnests run about $2500-$3000 - yes pricey, but less than a tear drop trailer and nothing to tow.
I will be starting from scratch with the roof rack - my CRV just has the fixed anchor points, so I am buying a Yakima rack system from Experticity for 40% off. It will definitely hold the tent.
I like the idea of being up off the ground, away from animal, and with a view ... also, no need for a tent site is nice. The Roofnests have hardshells, so good weather protection. They go up automatically on struts, and are extremely low profile when not in use, so I would probably leave it up there most of the time.

Plus just look how cute!

cactuscat wrote:Plus just look how cute!

yes until the high winds start to blow

The 3:AM potty time would suck...












for my wife.

@Grasshopper
It seems as though they do fine in pretty strong winds - the main issue being noise, which would also be the case in a ground tent.

cactuscat wrote:look how cute!

This is clearly the most important factor in any tent purchasing decision!

CannondaleKid wrote:@chumley
Obviously cost/benefit is different for different folks, but I can think of times when they would come in handy...
- No level ground to be found

How does having a car underneath you make the ground level?

chumley wrote:cactuscat wrote:look how cute! This is clearly the most important factor in any tent purchasing decision!

Kind-of like being somewhat clueless (I was once guilty) when starting to modify/add-ons to a stock vehicle for some serious off-roading.. $ modifications $ don't need to always be functional, just need to look

Upon further consideration, maybe I don't need the hardshell/automatic opening features ... a Tepui or Yakima RTT without those features for about $1000 or less seems more practical.

I sleep in the FJ and can sleep in the Jeep. Both vehicles have the rear seating removed and stored in the garage. Items that end up outside I usually put in dry bags in case of rain, under the vehicle. If I sleep outside it's a cowboy camp, want to see the stars. It is very nice inside when the wind and rain comes. I also carry a small folding step stool for the midnight calls of nature so I don't fall out the back of the vehicle.

@RedRoxx44
Funny you should mention that - I just removed the CRV's back seats today! It's cavernous in there now, ready to go as is with air mattress, but I am going to build a platform for storage underneath and nice foam mattress on top. It's perfect, and so simple and cheap. I am making screens and curtains for the windows as well.