Thread: Rooftop tent on hardlid?

Has anyone put one of the rooftop tents on a ute hardlid?
Makes a lot of sense to me rather than the roof but would be interested in opinions,benefits negatives etc.
Cheers.

Depends on type, too heavy to lift to get stuff out of the tray and hit the rear window

wouldn't it stop you from lifting the lid/hitting the back of the cab when it was closed up?

I would say you wouldn't be able to lift the hard lid if you did so, plus the struts on them wouldn't handle it staying open even if you did.

The Utemaster/MAC ones could probably hold the weight though, but no good if you can't access the tray underneath.

I have seen a couple of ones where the roof top tent or a equipment tray is secured to a steel frame that sits a foot or so above the tray, so you could technically still access tray under with a custom load lid of some sort?

Another option could be to install heavy duty racks to a heavy duty lid and secure the tent to that with quick release brackets to take tent on and off? still will be a pain accessing tray underneath though.

Only way I would put one on the hardlid is if it didnt lock the tailgate when closed, and you could open the tailgate with out lifting it, If you had that and a roller tray in the deck it could work
Ie 300kg of concrete on the hardlid the other day and no tray access.PIA

rooftop tents are allgood in theory..pain in the arse in practise..... long way to climb up n down when knackered or half pissed...rock around in the wind..... climb down at 3 AM for a leak be a mission too. a small tent on ground beside wagon and a fly stretched out over top much more user friendly...make it a big fly and life gets really cozy.

that there is your answer mind you its always fun to listen Heard words that your mum would never use

I'll second MDs comments.
The rooftop tents look neat and nifty but the novelty of climbing up and down will wear thin quick. Can't drive anywhere once you set up, and need to pack down before moving the wagon. A fly and a swag is the go for vehicle based camping/sleeping.in my books.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

rooftop tents are allgood in theory..pain in the arse in practise..... long way to climb up n down when knackered or half pissed...rock around in the wind..... climb down at 3 AM for a leak be a mission too. a small tent on ground beside wagon and a fly stretched out over top much more user friendly...make it a big fly and life gets really cozy.

Correct..I don’t even sleep in the Ute anymore,small tent with large tarp is the way to go,especially good if you can light a fire under the tarp as well comfort wise,dog gets the Ute to himself and I get a better sleep without him scratching and farting all night.( dog that is)