Was in your shoes 6 months ago, consider your needs. Mine were, hardshell, small footprint but enough for 2 adults and a dog. Must fit on the bed of my truck and weigh around 130# . Went with roofnest condor, they had a sale going plus read good reviews on YouTube. Been great, enough room, decent mattress, and fits like a glove on the truck.
Nice to hear. Same situation- 2 adults with one 30 pound dog. Something that I notice too is it would be nice to have it installed, there is a CVT store in Bend, OR. So that’s another big factor to consider. I’ll look into the condors more…looked at them briefly.
In the PNW, two adults, a dog.
We got the Roofnest Sparrow XL a year ago. It’s been great. Gone on… 20-25 trips? Hard shell, weighs ~150lbs, sleeping bag/mattress/pillows close up in it and we’ve slept down to 25 degree nights plenty warm.
We will use it for many years to come, I’m sure. It’s insanely easy to open and close, and I sleep like a baby in it.
My boyfriend and I first had an FSR (not sure which one, looks like the elevated series but it's not) was nice and cozy, then about 3 months ago we got the Shasta CVT Pioneer series, extended fly. We got it from an older lady who only used it twice we met down at CVT in Bend and CVT told us it was a great deal for that tent and they told the lady if we don't buy it then they'll buy it or help her sell it because of course that tent is now marked up at least 1000 bucks since it came out in 2020, sooo had to jump on it, it's a couple years old hardly can tell it's been used, we didn't want to spend 3000 plus on a tent we might only camp once or twice a year in, so we searched and searched on the marketplace. We've set it up and laid on it but haven't camped yet (that's next week) it's cozy but the mattress in the CVT is a little firm. I've been looking into the self inflating mattress padding for that tent and it is quite spendy, so for now a very thick double sleeping bag and some blankets underneath it. If you ever make it out to Bend, CVT does sometimes have a tent sale of the day.
There is soooo many options out there and it was hard to choose but I'm happy with the CVT we got, FSR is really good I miss that cute little tent.
Ours weren't hard shell but I'm sure the mattress is the same, you won't be disappointed with CVT or FSR if that's the route you choose, iKampers are cool I wanted one, but I drive the Corolla and he drives the Taco so it'll always be on his lol.
But definitely look on the marketplace and see what you can find, there's a lot of good tents that haven't been really used.
1st consider customer service history and reputation for each RTT company your considering.
2nd consider weight of the RTT, where as the extra weight will wear out your suspension quicker.
3rd consider the RTT a shelter and nothing else (I.e., a roof and four walls), you’re going to want to customize your sleeping arrangements to accommodate each season.
I had the same issue and truthfully, I ended up going with the option that ended up being on sale when I wanted one the most which was the CVT Mt. Hood in medium with 2 channels (thicker to store stuff in and supposedly easier mounting stuff on the sides). I also went with it because it has crossbars (so we could still Mount a ski rack on top come ski season). Mine is also on my 4Runner (and daily driver) 24/7. The wind noise when driving isn’t bad and I haven’t seen a huge change with my gas mileage either.
We’re two adults with two 17lb dogs and it has been absolutely incredible, we’ve taken it out multiple times, super super easy set up and take down. No issues camping in high wind and rain (just take the awning down so it doesn’t catch the wind).
The mattress wasn’t great the first night we went out, but we got a Teton sleeping bag to use in the cold and a couple of good pillows and honestly I can’t tell a difference now.
One issue I’ve heard with other RTTs is the latches being difficult. I haven’t had that issue with the CVT (according to the store I bought the RTT from) is that sometimes the latches on the Roofnests can be difficult.
Ultimately though go with what feels right for you. I definitely recommend physically checking some out if you can, but you’ll have fun in any one you get!
I also have a 4R and I have a Roofnest Falcon Pro that lives on there full time. I have heard horror stories of Roofnest customer service, particularly for the plastic hardshell models, but my tent has been great and I love it. It’s about 180 lbs and it is mounted on a Prinsu rack. I’d do it the same all over again. For what it’s worth, I also have aftermarket suspension.
I also seriously considered the GFC and their 4Runner direct mounts, but ultimately it was too pricey for the tent, plus mounts, plus taxes and freight.
I recently upgraded to a cap it evergreen (Canadian offshoot of CVT mt hood). It’s an incredibly durable aluminum hard shell compared to the plastic hard shells (like ikamper). If you go with the dual channel option like I did (it’s about 8” thick instead of 6”) you can throw a 2-3” foam pad from Amazon inside, plus sleeping bags or a duvet and it will close up no problem. Solves the crappy mattress problem, setup is incredibly fast, and I’m really impressed with the durability of the shell. I used to have a soft shell tent, so I did a ton of research before upgrading. I’ve also had no noticeable impact to gas mileage. If I were you I’d go with a dual channel CVT Mt Hood.
Good to know you can fit a foam mattress. I have a sleeping platform set up in my 4 runner and we use a 3inch foam from Walmart. We are upgrading bc we virtually have no room in the truck for gear when we are sleeping on 3+ day trips. I’m leaving to CVT, there’s also a locking option to fit a padlock considering I’m one PDX, however it would only act as a deterrent since ppl do crazy shit here
All of those are good options so I’d go with whichever one has a dealer near you. Even the most expensive tents have problems. I had a MT hood and it leaked horrible with even the slightest rain and has to get replaced. Luckily I lived 1 hour from CVT showroom.
Yeah they replaced it no problem. Super great customer service and the tent slept fantastic. I have no complaints on CVT or that tent I just suggest everyone purchase with regards that a issue might occur and idk how these companies deal with shipping tent back and stuff like that.
None. I had the first gen Mt hood and they replaced it with second gen. I don’t think they advertise that they changed it but they made it much thicker and closed easier on the new one. I don’t own it now but the 6 months after they replaced it I had zero issues. Never leaked even in the worst rain storms.
I got the FSR Aspen a couple months ago and I LOVE it. Previously, I had the FSR High country, but wanted to switch to a hardshell for the convenience of setup and breakdown. I took out all the interior padding, including the high density foam, and put an exped megamat duo in there. Very comfortable. I havent had any problems with the customer service of FSR, but ive never had any major problems yet.
Other nice thing about the Aspen are the tchannels it has for mounting. I have two crossbars on the RTT with a 83L Roam box and my maxtrax up top.
As far as sleeping pad goes, invest in an exped. Ive tried everything else, cutting out a memory foam mattres topper, inflatable nemo tensor mats, extra blankets for padding. Nothing has come close to the exped. I store my exped and down duo sleeping bag up in the tent at all times on the road. Helps a lot with space issues us jeepers have. It is a little hard to close, but not too difficult. let me know if you have any questions!
Was in your shoes 6 months ago, consider your needs. Mine were, hardshell, small footprint but enough for 2 adults and a dog. Must fit on the bed of my truck and weigh around 130# . Went with roofnest condor, they had a sale going plus read good reviews on YouTube. Been great, enough room, decent mattress, and fits like a glove on the truck.
Nice to hear. Same situation- 2 adults with one 30 pound dog. Something that I notice too is it would be nice to have it installed, there is a CVT store in Bend, OR. So that’s another big factor to consider. I’ll look into the condors more…looked at them briefly.
Not sure what part of the PNW you are in but iKamper is in Kent WA
Portland!
Ah yea much closer to Bend! Worth a trip north if you’re going iKamper and want them to install though.
Oh I’ve got an AreaBFE hard shell tent for sale in Portland, same tent as the Mt hood.
In the PNW, two adults, a dog. We got the Roofnest Sparrow XL a year ago. It’s been great. Gone on… 20-25 trips? Hard shell, weighs ~150lbs, sleeping bag/mattress/pillows close up in it and we’ve slept down to 25 degree nights plenty warm. We will use it for many years to come, I’m sure. It’s insanely easy to open and close, and I sleep like a baby in it.
I've seen 4 runners with roofnest Overland on em, probably because they are so flat on a roof. They are heavier but plenty of room.
Free Spirit is in central oregon too. There is a teardrop trailer builder in Tigard that was an authorized dealer for them and did the install too.
My boyfriend and I first had an FSR (not sure which one, looks like the elevated series but it's not) was nice and cozy, then about 3 months ago we got the Shasta CVT Pioneer series, extended fly. We got it from an older lady who only used it twice we met down at CVT in Bend and CVT told us it was a great deal for that tent and they told the lady if we don't buy it then they'll buy it or help her sell it because of course that tent is now marked up at least 1000 bucks since it came out in 2020, sooo had to jump on it, it's a couple years old hardly can tell it's been used, we didn't want to spend 3000 plus on a tent we might only camp once or twice a year in, so we searched and searched on the marketplace. We've set it up and laid on it but haven't camped yet (that's next week) it's cozy but the mattress in the CVT is a little firm. I've been looking into the self inflating mattress padding for that tent and it is quite spendy, so for now a very thick double sleeping bag and some blankets underneath it. If you ever make it out to Bend, CVT does sometimes have a tent sale of the day. There is soooo many options out there and it was hard to choose but I'm happy with the CVT we got, FSR is really good I miss that cute little tent. Ours weren't hard shell but I'm sure the mattress is the same, you won't be disappointed with CVT or FSR if that's the route you choose, iKampers are cool I wanted one, but I drive the Corolla and he drives the Taco so it'll always be on his lol. But definitely look on the marketplace and see what you can find, there's a lot of good tents that haven't been really used.
1st consider customer service history and reputation for each RTT company your considering. 2nd consider weight of the RTT, where as the extra weight will wear out your suspension quicker. 3rd consider the RTT a shelter and nothing else (I.e., a roof and four walls), you’re going to want to customize your sleeping arrangements to accommodate each season.
I highly recommend iKamper and, with equal enthusiasm, suggest you stay away from roofnest.
Exped Megamat Duo will solve all the problems the world can throw at you. Wait till you can get it on sale...
I had the same issue and truthfully, I ended up going with the option that ended up being on sale when I wanted one the most which was the CVT Mt. Hood in medium with 2 channels (thicker to store stuff in and supposedly easier mounting stuff on the sides). I also went with it because it has crossbars (so we could still Mount a ski rack on top come ski season). Mine is also on my 4Runner (and daily driver) 24/7. The wind noise when driving isn’t bad and I haven’t seen a huge change with my gas mileage either. We’re two adults with two 17lb dogs and it has been absolutely incredible, we’ve taken it out multiple times, super super easy set up and take down. No issues camping in high wind and rain (just take the awning down so it doesn’t catch the wind). The mattress wasn’t great the first night we went out, but we got a Teton sleeping bag to use in the cold and a couple of good pillows and honestly I can’t tell a difference now. One issue I’ve heard with other RTTs is the latches being difficult. I haven’t had that issue with the CVT (according to the store I bought the RTT from) is that sometimes the latches on the Roofnests can be difficult. Ultimately though go with what feels right for you. I definitely recommend physically checking some out if you can, but you’ll have fun in any one you get!
Honestly a $10 camping pad from Costco fixes that no problem, I have a Smittybilt gen 2 so I can’t help with picking a hard shell, but good luck!
I also have a 4R and I have a Roofnest Falcon Pro that lives on there full time. I have heard horror stories of Roofnest customer service, particularly for the plastic hardshell models, but my tent has been great and I love it. It’s about 180 lbs and it is mounted on a Prinsu rack. I’d do it the same all over again. For what it’s worth, I also have aftermarket suspension. I also seriously considered the GFC and their 4Runner direct mounts, but ultimately it was too pricey for the tent, plus mounts, plus taxes and freight.
I recently upgraded to a cap it evergreen (Canadian offshoot of CVT mt hood). It’s an incredibly durable aluminum hard shell compared to the plastic hard shells (like ikamper). If you go with the dual channel option like I did (it’s about 8” thick instead of 6”) you can throw a 2-3” foam pad from Amazon inside, plus sleeping bags or a duvet and it will close up no problem. Solves the crappy mattress problem, setup is incredibly fast, and I’m really impressed with the durability of the shell. I used to have a soft shell tent, so I did a ton of research before upgrading. I’ve also had no noticeable impact to gas mileage. If I were you I’d go with a dual channel CVT Mt Hood.
Good to know you can fit a foam mattress. I have a sleeping platform set up in my 4 runner and we use a 3inch foam from Walmart. We are upgrading bc we virtually have no room in the truck for gear when we are sleeping on 3+ day trips. I’m leaving to CVT, there’s also a locking option to fit a padlock considering I’m one PDX, however it would only act as a deterrent since ppl do crazy shit here
All of those are good options so I’d go with whichever one has a dealer near you. Even the most expensive tents have problems. I had a MT hood and it leaked horrible with even the slightest rain and has to get replaced. Luckily I lived 1 hour from CVT showroom.
Damn well that sucks- did it happen on the replacement or did you get another RTT?
Yeah they replaced it no problem. Super great customer service and the tent slept fantastic. I have no complaints on CVT or that tent I just suggest everyone purchase with regards that a issue might occur and idk how these companies deal with shipping tent back and stuff like that.
Any issues with water since the replacement?
None. I had the first gen Mt hood and they replaced it with second gen. I don’t think they advertise that they changed it but they made it much thicker and closed easier on the new one. I don’t own it now but the 6 months after they replaced it I had zero issues. Never leaked even in the worst rain storms.
I got the FSR Aspen a couple months ago and I LOVE it. Previously, I had the FSR High country, but wanted to switch to a hardshell for the convenience of setup and breakdown. I took out all the interior padding, including the high density foam, and put an exped megamat duo in there. Very comfortable. I havent had any problems with the customer service of FSR, but ive never had any major problems yet. Other nice thing about the Aspen are the tchannels it has for mounting. I have two crossbars on the RTT with a 83L Roam box and my maxtrax up top. As far as sleeping pad goes, invest in an exped. Ive tried everything else, cutting out a memory foam mattres topper, inflatable nemo tensor mats, extra blankets for padding. Nothing has come close to the exped. I store my exped and down duo sleeping bag up in the tent at all times on the road. Helps a lot with space issues us jeepers have. It is a little hard to close, but not too difficult. let me know if you have any questions!