Craig Miller
Posts:11799
 | | 30 Sep 2009 11:37 PM |
| No rack, no lights, no tent is the best offroad... but I'd like to compare/contrast a Rooftop Tent setup to a Safety Devices Roofrack/Pelican setup. I'm a little low on hard data though. Rooftop Tents like Todd sells at racktents.com weigh 120 lbs. An Oasis weighs 40lbs. Anyone know how much a pair of Thule bars and high gutter mount feet weigh? The Rooftop tent holds 2 sleeping bags/pillows internally so no additional storage is necessary for those items. How much does a Safety Devices roofrack for a disco weigh? A couple of large pelican 1650s are required to hold the ground tent, bags, and mattresses (more if cots are used). Pelicans weigh 30lbs each... so an additional 60 lbs. Flooring and lights are optional... I'll figure that in later. Thinking out loud here, I guess I'm still looking for info on the SD rack weight and the Thule bars weight. Anyone know off the top of there head? | | |
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Dave Waters
Basic Member
Posts:464
| | 30 Sep 2009 11:55 PM |
| Thule load bars weigh (the 65" bars) - 10 lbs
Thule super high gutter mounts - 10 lbs
Thule high gutter mounts - 9 lbs
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Craig Miller
Posts:11799
| | 01 Oct 2009 01:09 AM |
| Thanks Dave. I'm assuming that was for 4, so that would be roughly 140 lbs total for a RTT or 60lbs for an Oasis.
Still curious about the SD rack weight. I'll dig around some more tomorrow.
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Isaac Fain
WARNING: Pot Stirrer
Advanced Member
Posts:511
| | 01 Oct 2009 08:08 AM |
| seems like this is highly dependent on the vehicle, craig - a TJ jeep with no top likely has has the same COG as a rover with an empty roofrack. I've never been able to find concise figures for COG, sadly. | | | |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11799
| | 01 Oct 2009 08:27 AM |
| Absolutely. I'm specifically looking at the comparison between 3, maybe 4, setups:
1. Discovery 2 w/ Safety Devices Roofrack, pelican cases for tent/bags/pillows, and optional info on lights/flooring.
2. Discovery 2 w/ Rooftop Tent like Todd sells on Thule bars on super high feet
3. Discovery 2 w/ Oasis Tent which todd also sells on Thule bars on super high feet
4. Optional: Oasis on SD roofrack w/ flooring and lights.
After collecting the weight I was going to put it in a matrix and also include more subjective info such as:
- Height above roofline: Affects sidehill angles as the higher the weight the worse the weight is.
- How tucked in the tent is: Affects sidehill angles and likelihood of getting caught up on trees.
- Aesthetics
- Breathability vs wind/water resistance
- Other.
I'm leaving the other makes/models of tents out of the discussion for now only because they are out of my budget. The whole thing is motivated by the fact that I like RTTs, but am considering the Oasis again since it is so much lighter, lower, and better tucked in. After last weeks trip, I thought some of the guys might like to see how the SD rack setup compares to a RTT.
Craig
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Larry Grubbs
Advanced Member
Posts:576
| | 01 Oct 2009 09:16 AM |
| I think the SD rack weighs in at ~85 lbs if I recall. | | | |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11799
| | 01 Oct 2009 09:39 AM |
| Yeah, I think so to Larry. I had 90lbs in some dusty corner of my mind. I'll go with that unless I can find something more concrete. | | | |
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Isaac Fain
WARNING: Pot Stirrer
Advanced Member
Posts:511
| | 01 Oct 2009 10:05 AM |
| ... i was just chuckling to myself thinking about a loaded pelican ... hahahaha
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Craig Miller
Posts:11799
| | 01 Oct 2009 10:17 AM |
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| Item |
Weight (lbs) |
| Safety Devices RoofRack |
85 |
| Pelican 1650 |
30 |
| Thule Load Bars (2x) |
10 |
| Thule Feet (4x) |
10 |
| Racktent.com Rooftop Tent |
120 |
| Oasis Rooftop Tent |
40 |
| Rhino Pro SD Roofrack flooring |
35 |
| Chicken Coop Roofrack Flooring |
~20 |
| 3/8" King Starlite XL Marine board flooring (Options: 1/4" - 3/8" - 1/2") |
35 - 53 - 70 |
| 4 Hella 4000s |
~10 |
| Ground Tent |
~10 |
| Therm-a-rest |
1 |
| Setup (not including sleeping bag and pillow) |
Weight |
| Safety Devices Roofrack w/ 2 Pelicans, ground tent |
155 |
| Safety Devices Roofrack w/ 2 Pelicans, ground tent, flooring, lights |
200 |
| RTT on Thule Bars |
140 |
| Oasis on Thule Bars |
60 |
Oasis on Safety Devices Roofrack
|
125 |
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Graeme Wilson
New Member
Posts:70
| | 01 Oct 2009 10:40 AM |
| What about just strapping down the pelican(s) internally - is space that big of an issue in a Disco ?
Keeps the weight lower in the chassis and being a pelican, it can be just pulled out and left beside the truck if access is needed no matter what the weather. As long as all your gear is packed in a sane pattern, it wouldn't be a big deal to yank a couple of cases.
Maybe because I'm still in backpacker mentality mode I'm still on a minimalist kick ;) | | | |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11799
| | 01 Oct 2009 11:01 AM |
| Absolutely Graeme. That's exactly what I do that on harder trail runs. If I have my wife, son, and dog along then space is at a premium. I typically travel with my son and dog. Longer trips require more room too. Add 1 H20 jerry can, fuel jerry can, fridge, dry goods, recovery gear, first aid equipment, spare parts, clothing, cooking gear, table, and toiletries and it is very very full.
The items I listed in the table are the lightweight items that most people carry on their roofrack.
I'm sharing the info just so people can see how the different combos stack up. Most people have RTTs because they are just so darn comfortable, but they also function as racks in that they carry the sleeping bags, sleeping pad, and tent that would otherwise have to be stored inside the vehicle.
Personally I love sleeping in my RTT. Love how it opens up and protects the back of my truck from rain (especially if I attach the changing room). I have a couple of problems though:
1. I can't take it on/off alone. I could with the Oasis.
2. It is kind of bulky. It sticks out pretty far compared to the Maggiolinas and the Oasis. The SD rack tucks in tight on the roof too.
3. It probably isn't dangerous, but I get nervous when I have the RTT up there. This is much better now that I have it sitting pretty close to the roof, and looking at the stats it certainly doesn't weigh much when compared to the typical SD rack setup with flooring and lights.
Just kicking things around, and thought people might be interested to see how they really stack up. | | | |
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Isaac Fain
WARNING: Pot Stirrer
Advanced Member
Posts:511
| | 01 Oct 2009 01:00 PM |
| I'm sold on the the Oasis tent to go up top on the Jeep - but what I'm not so hot about is the mesh bottom, or the price. Todd's tents sure look like they'd be cozy in cold weather. Maybe you have both? You're not likely to be down in the trees during winter-time jaunts, anyhow. Most of the harder trails are shut-down, so having the big RTT would still fit the bill, no?
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Craig Miller
Posts:11799
| | 01 Oct 2009 01:29 PM |
| Soren and I slept in one in winter. With a closed cell foam mattress under us, we were pretty warm. It would be pretty easy to put something solid under them too. You are right though, cold, sub-freezing air circulating under your bed is worse than sleeping on 32 degree snow. The bigger RTTs have a lot more space that you have to heat up. The Oasis or a small mountaineering tent have much less internal space to get warm. Price is an issue for me too... so really it is one or the other. The Maggiolinas sure are easy to setup/tear down.  | | | |
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Isaac Fain
WARNING: Pot Stirrer
Advanced Member
Posts:511
| | 01 Oct 2009 03:14 PM |
| Maggiolina ... yeah, I was *really* trying not to watch Joe and Daria set theirs up ... *g*
monkey see ... monkey want!
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Craig Miller
Posts:11799
| | 01 Oct 2009 03:37 PM |
| I'm thinking of switching to an Oasis. Before I pull the trigger... anyone see any reason to talk me out of it? | | | |
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Dan Cronin
Veteran Member
Posts:2844
| | 01 Oct 2009 03:45 PM |
| Is this decision based on last weeks wheeling experience? I mean, what kind of travel will you be doing the most of?
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Todd Eliason
Veteran Member
Posts:3515
| | 01 Oct 2009 05:03 PM |
| Finding an Oasis and parts in the future may be a challenge Craig... | | | |
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Dave Waters
Basic Member
Posts:464
| | 01 Oct 2009 05:08 PM |
| I would like an Oasis too, after seeing Dan almost tip over coming out of Lost Lake area, the Oasis looks more stable for running trails. After this past weekend, I'm getting rid of my Therma-rest, it's the ultralite. The RTT though may have to wait a little. | | | |
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Dan Cronin
Veteran Member
Posts:2844
| | 01 Oct 2009 05:18 PM |
| personally, I'm not sure I would take the 90 on another trip like that. I really want to preserve it as much as I can.
I am going to stick to more of the open country type travel and get the tent a little lower to the roofline.
I heart my Mombasa :-) | | | |
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Isaac Fain
WARNING: Pot Stirrer
Advanced Member
Posts:511
| | 01 Oct 2009 05:40 PM |
| Before everyone ditches their RTT's - I think you should realize that no single setup is going to work for all conditions. Let's face it - most of the more "interesting" wheeling trips to areas like Manastash are done as a guys trip out, or with a single child. How useful is the RTT when you're by yourself for a weekend trip? I don't know why you wouldn't just give up and pitch a regular tent for these kinds of trips. If the weight is an issue getting it up there and off, you guys should check out the winch setup they make for lifting fiberglass jeep tops. Something like this would make putting the RTT on and off a snap! http://www.quadratec.com/products/12020_01_07.htm | | | |
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