Best Roof Top Tent for Bronco?

I've had experience with only the iKamper and the ROAM tents. I feel like both have been a two person job to close. For me, if I would be adding one to my Bronco, I would want a single-person operation.
What do you value in a tent? Is it space, weight, operation? I like watching @B MIller's videos; he does a ton of rtt camping.

I don’t know how crafty you are but this guy has a few options. And you can modify it to meet your needs.
I was going to go this route but I decided to build a teardrop instead.

Laura

I've had experience with only the iKamper and the ROAM tents. I feel like both have been a two person job to close. For me, if I would be adding one to my Bronco, I would want a single-person operation.
What do you value in a tent? Is it space, weight, operation? I like watching @B MIller's videos; he does a ton of rtt camping.

Thank you for the mention Laura. I certainly do my share of RTT camping! The iKamper Solo BDV is the best RTT I've ever owned. That video mentions all the reasons!

B MIller

Thank you for the mention Laura. I certainly do my share of RTT camping! The iKamper Solo BDV is the best RTT I've ever owned. That video mentions all the reasons!

Thanks! Just looked it up - one person tent. I think maybe a 2 person is better but I know that you might sacrifice ease of opening and closing. If I’m alone, you wanted to be a one person job for sure of course. It would be fantastic if there was one that was a three person so that i could put myself in my two kids if we ever wanted to use it, but that might be a lot! Any experiences with those?

The two person version of mine is the same, but wider. You should have no issues operating the tent alone. There's about a 20 pound difference between the two versions. So you would be looking at around 155 pounds vs. 135.

Thank you! Looking into iKamper more, there are bigger versions. I am concerned about the weight on the rack though - i guess that is why they hang over the edge? EX:

https://gobiracks.com/product/ikamper-xcover-2-roof-top-tent/

https://ikamper.com/collections/skycamp-3-0-and-accessories (Skycamp 3.0 looks huge for a rooftop)

https://ikamper.com/products/x-cover-2-0 (great deal, on sale!)

Any experience with these?

If you are going to add a rooftop tent, defiantly invest in a better roof rack than factory. Any ikamper tent will be great, just pick the one that suites your needs best.

B MIller

If you are going to add a rooftop tent, defiantly invest in a better roof rack than factory. Any ikamper tent will be great, just pick the one that suites your needs best.

I didn’t know there was a difference between the nice roofrack we got with the bronco from factory and others. Which in your experience is best?

DennisGaudenzi

I didn’t know there was a difference between the nice roofrack we got with the bronco from factory and others. Which in your experience is best?

Trailrax makes a pretty amazing rack. and for Budget minded folks I have seen the Hooke road rack and have heard good things about it. My Bronco came with the Factory rack, it now lives in my garage somewhere.

DennisGaudenzi

I didn’t know there was a difference between the nice roofrack we got with the bronco from factory and others. Which in your experience is best?

There's pros and cons to all. I use the ZROADZ rack. The only con is I can only remove my front two roof panels. I believe a lot of folks are going with TrailRax because you can remove the front and middle panels. But I'd compare the two and see what suites your needs best.

I just installed the Trailrax rack and added the Inspired Overland XL RTT. Weight was my main concern, and I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on an RTT that I won’t be spending that many nights in. RTT is below 90lbs - quality is good. The issue with the rainfly documented in many videos is unfortunately true. It’s a PITA to set up and the supports don’t stretch the fabric enough. But it’s not bad enough to make me regret the purchase. And I love that I can open and close it in less than a minute by myself.

Get the TrailRax roof rack with the Pax Rax option that transfers the weight off the removable roof panels and down onto the main body of the vehicle. It's much stronger and able to take more weight! Someone else mentioned the Hooke Road roof rack, which is much cheaper, but it lacks those extensions to the body. I'm also pretty sure that Hooke Road is the rack that the folks in the Blanco Bronco videos got, and it was badly rusted within a year. (You can look them up on YouTube.) TrailRax is aluminum, so won't rust.

mewickham

Get the TrailRax roof rack with the Pax Rax option that transfers the weight off the removable roof panels and down onto the main body of the vehicle. It's much stronger and able to take more weight! Someone else mentioned the Hooke Road roof rack, which is much cheaper, but it lacks those extensions to the body. I'm also pretty sure that Hooke Road is the rack that the folks in the Blanco Bronco videos got, and it was badly rusted within a year. (You can look them up on YouTube.) TrailRax is aluminum, so won't rust.

I will see my buddy Next weekend that has the Hooke Road rack and see how it is holding up, he has had it just about a year now, and lives in the RGV and takes it to the beach often, so fairly harsh environment.

Really depends on how you will use your tent, size needed, what features you have to have, weather and such. If you'll only camp in warmer climates you can get a very lite RTT for $1,000. Lot's of options in that price range, some offer insulation kits but not many. I bought and Ironman 4X4 Swift 1400, it's heavier though at 163 pounds and only enough room to but a foam pad for a better bed, will close with the pad inside but you can't leave sleeping bags and such and close. It's been a solid tent and they always have great sales and pretty quick shipping. Also consider on how you will remove your tent when you are not going to use for a while. They are very cumbersome and not easy to remove with one person, sometime not easy with two people either.

No help here but I’ve been looking at the Napier tent that’s on the ford accessories site, https://accessories.ford.com/napier-sportz-suv-tent-1
Might have to wait till we retire for that. lol

BadBronco

No help here but I’ve been looking at the Napier tent that’s on the ford accessories site, https://accessories.ford.com/napier-sportz-suv-tent-1
Might have to wait till we retire for that. lol

I'd check to see if it has a floor. If not, it's a problem. Other than that, It should work fine!

B MIller

I'd check to see if it has a floor. If not, it's a problem. Other than that, It should work fine!

This tent is actually pretty cool! Probably a lot easier and roomier than rooftop. What is the big pro to a rooftop va this one? https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/napier-sportz-model-84000-suv-tent-with-screen-porch there is a great video

DennisGaudenzi

This tent is actually pretty cool! Probably a lot easier and roomier than rooftop. What is the big pro to a rooftop va this one? https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/napier-sportz-model-84000-suv-tent-with-screen-porch there is a great video

Well there are going to be pros and cons to either tent. The pros of an RTT is that you are off of the ground less likely to get flooded out, it takes a smaller footprint, and you already have a place to store it. Depending on the RTT they can be super easy to set up. The pros to the tent you posted is it can be a stand alone tent and you can leave it at camp and you don’t have to pack the extra weight when riding trails.