I’ve managed a few excursions over the years on the back roads of Oregon before deciding to upgrade my off-the-beaten-path sleeping arrangements and researched RTTs or roof top tents. While a travel trailer would provide more living space during explorations of Oregon and beyond; I wanted to be able to tow one of my boats and still get a good night’s sleep. Sleeping off the ground was also a requirement I added to my list, as was ease of set up and take down. I wanted to be mobile, but comfortable.
The growing interest in this form of camping brings competition and with that too many options for the average brain to sift through. It is easy to be overwhelmed and confused by the claims of makers and resellers. At some point you have to just go with what feels right to you.
To start my search I listed the things I needed. A place to sleep in comfort, meaning dry, bug free and away from rattlesnakes. Then I looked at set up and take down time. Many of the fold out tents have a larger footprint for more family room, but do have extra steps that must be taken before climbing into bed. Rain covers, door and window flies sometimes need to have rods and supports installed before the tent is ready to occupy. This is not a big deal, but it was something to consider. The other thing I looked at was aerodynamics. Being an ex-amateur race car driver I know how the shape of the vehicle effects the way it drives. Starting with a 4Runner that is just slightly more aero than a brick, I didn’t want to reduce it’s slipperiness by adding an additional brick to the roof. Thus, the stage was set for a “hard-top” tent.
Now, it gets interesting. With the line between cheap off-shore junk and quality equipment separated by a few thousand dollars, it would be easy to say, “Oh, I’m sure they’re all made in the same factory.” Then buy the cheap one. Well, I’ve been in retail long enough to know you get what you pay for. When visiting a regional RTT dealer I overheard a conversation about the warranty issues on the models they carried and decided to steer clear of the imported “Custom Labeled” units produced in China. While providing a significant dollar savings, the features and quality issues make the money spent on a better tent seem very reasonable.
Two brands popped to the top of the list after research on customer satisfaction and build quality, Autohome (made in Italy) and James Baroud (made in Portugal). Both offered promises of comfort and durability, but in the end my decision was based on features that seemed innovative and added value. I went with the James Baroud tent.
Initially I placed an order for a Discovery Extreme in black based on my desire to minimize set up and take down time. Most of my travel is done solo and added space is not a requirement. I just wanted a dry, soft place to sleep. This model only required releasing two latches and deploying the ladder before calling it a night.
In hopes of testing out the tent before the snow blew into the Northwest I ordered the tent in September with the idea of a late fall fly fishing excursion to the east side of the state. I didn’t take into account that Portugal takes all of September off and that would delay delivery significantly. When finally I received a call from Adventure Ready saying my tent was in, Santa Claus was just packing up to head back home. The tent arrived in the New Year.
Even then, the arrival was somewhat in question as our area was hit with a little snow storm that paralyzed the city for a week, shutting down most of our local delivery services. Add to that the call from Tom at Adventure Ready informing me the tent I ordered was not in the shipment from the east coast distributor. He kindly offered an upgrade to an Explorer Evolution. While more tent than I originally wanted, the dimensions and weight are very nearly the same. In addition, both models feature a molded in cargo area for gear that you don’t want, or won’t fit inside the vehicle. This was a feature I wanted as I currently carry TREDS, water and gas on the roof rack.
Mounting the Explorer EVO is relatively simple, if you have four fairly tall, strong relatives. I don’t, so a call was put out to my customer base and a group of volunteers arrived for a “tent raising.” I had previously mounted the removable crossbars from my Gobi Rack to the track on the bottom of the tent. This minimized the encroachment on my friend’s free time and allowed me time to customize the mounts. The tent mounted up perfectly and with a little adjustment was square to the vehicle.
The mounting brackets for Baroud tents slide into a track on the bottom of the tent. These brackets can then be bolted to a variety of racks and crossbars. As mentioned, my 4runner has a Gobi Stealth rack with removable crossbars which I hoped would facilitate easy mounting and removal of the tent. These bars are round and the brackets for the tent were designed for flat or square crossbars. A quick trip to my local TAP Plastics with an idea and a $20 dollar bill improved the mounting stability and raised the tent 1/2 inch to allow for easier mounting and removal of my CVT awning to the Gobi Rack. It is my belief that without at least a 1/2 lift on the tent brackets the tent will bang on the Gobi Rack itself making for an unnerving racket while bouncing off-road. 3/4 of an inch might even be better. Much depends on the crossbars your rack has.
My first impressions of the tent are very favorable. No damage occurred during shipping as the tent was well packaged. In addition to foam padding and plastic wrap, it was shipped in a “dust cover” that can be used when storing the tent to keep it looking new while awaiting it’s next adventure. The tent seems to be very well made throughout and attention to detail is evident in the solar powered fan and removable/rechargeable LED light. While these items do not in themselves justify the additional costs over an off-shore manufactured tent, the materials and workmanship do. This seems on first impression to be a very well made and engineered tent. Time will tell if that holds true.
Deployment of the tent is a simple matter of releasing the four latches, allowing the struts to lift the tent. Once the ladder is removed from inside the tent, you can climb up and fully extend the struts with a simple push. Set up time is measured in seconds. This is a key feature in hard-top tents and should not be underestimated.
Ventilation isn’t a problem when the tent is deployed since most of the wall panels can be opened and are meshed to keep bugs at bay. When all the doors and windows are zipped closed the dark interior allows for sleeping well past sunrise and provides excellent privacy.
The Explorer EVO is slightly more complicated to pack away then the Discovery model because you are compressing two ends of the tent instead of just one. My first solo attempts to pack away the tent was not what I would call easy. With time and practice, in short order I have developed a system and it has gotten progressively easier. I would suggest checking out the various YouTube videos out there for tips on stowing the tent. Even then, expect to practice a few times before you master it. I’m sure you will come up with the system that works for you and your vehicle.
The only thing to do now is test this puppy out. Since we’re still dealing with winter here in the great Northwest, I plan on waiting a little before heading out for any overnight adventures. I intend to keep the tent mounted in the meantime so I can comment on the effects of having 175 pounds strapped to the roof for everyday driving. So far, there is only a slight hum at freeway speeds as the air finds new ways around the 4runner. I may make some adjustment in the fore and aft position to test the change in airflow over the tent. For now I’m designing a lift system in my boat barn to hoist the tent off the vehicle for storage when I don’t need it. That will be easier that finding four tall friends when I have a sudden urge to hit the trail.
UPDATE: We've survived winter here in the Great Northwest and I just returned from a hosted event on the Deschutes River. We invited friends and customers to join us for a weekend on the river to chase away the cabin fever blues and maybe catch a fish or two. I tested out the new tent and simply fell in love with it! Set up takes about 20 seconds and you're ready to nap. The mattress is very comfortable for both back and side sleepers. I tend to be both and was very well rested when I slid down the ladder in the morning. While designed for two campers, I love the spaciousness as a solo traveler. It will be cozy when my wife joins me, but it should be just fine.
According to the propaganda from the factory the tent has been tested in winds up to 70 mph. While I cannot attest to those wind speeds, the Deschutes canyon does get windy and hit gusts to 45 on my second night. The tent proved to be up for the challenge, so I rolled over and went back to sleep.
The solar powered ceiling fan kept condensation away in spite of temps in the 30s. I did not employ the insulation kit on this trip and didn't really need it. My sleeping bag and wool blanket kept me very comfortable throughout the chilly night. The two down pillows might have been over the top, but what the heck.
I've got about 5000 miles on the rig since adding the James Baroud Explorer EVO to the roof of the 4Runner so will speak here about the effects on highway driving. There is a little additional wind noise, but the 4Runner isn't a Royals Royce and the Gobi Rack alone adds significant wind noise. Now there is just a different tone at 70 mph. I just turn up the tunes and keep it pointed down the road. Wind buffeting is minimal compared to pre-tent driving. Mileage has dropped about 2 MPG average on a mix of hwy/city driving.
I was going to add comments on the changes in driving characteristics with the added weight on the roof, but overlanding vehicles are normally carrying plenty of extra weight and are not expected to handle like a sports car anyway. Yes, the tent changes the handling characteristics of the 4Runner somewhat, but so does all the other stuff I carry with me. My 4Runner came equipped with KDSS and paired with my Stage 2 Icon suspension I have a very capable vehicle that fits my driving style and needs. Now I also have a very comfortable place to sleep with views that are ever changing as I Navigate the Northwest.
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