Suddenly, fate pushed me towards something I wasn't planning for before - camping, with a deadline for preparation (fairly long, but immovable). I've never done any car based camping before (though I did spend some quality time in long term tent based camps), so I don't even know where to start. Let me think aloud for a bit...

Trailer: simply not ready to get it and get comfortable with the setup in time.
Ground based tent: just don't like the idea, spent too much time in them, and it seems a bit silly to go this way when you have a vehicle.
Rooftop tent: sounds intriguing, but will it host more than 2 people for the night? (looks like yes, researching)
Combo: does it make more sense to have two sleeping in the car and the rest in the tent, or are there tents that are not too cumbersome but are good for four on the roof?

Constraint: Expedition Roof Rack is already installed.

Any words of wisdom about where to go from here?

 

Roof top tents seem pretty silly to me, unless there is dangerous wildlife around.

I’d get a small trailer or trailer hitch cargo carrier for gear. Get a nice ground tent for 4-6 people, can even get cots to go in it. I can’t imagine 2 people in a roof top tent, let alone 4.

A nice tarp, a couple tarp/awning poles, and you can have a nice shade off the side of your roof rack.

Last thing- tailgate table. Very handy.

 

Rooftop tents are great for more than just getting away from "Dangerous Animals". Non-dangerous animals such as ants or other ground based insects have a real hard time getting into your RTT. They are also usually easier to setup and take down, can be transported with your sleeping bag/linens in place, and in the case of hardshell RTT's provide a more rigid windbreak than ground based tents and you have a nice, level, cushion-y mattress to sleep on. Mine has a diesel heater hookup, interior LED's and a ceiling fan even.

That being said, there are some great ground tents out there - Gazelle's are the most popular. They have "hubs" where all you do is essentially pull a cord and the whole thing pops up magically. If the weather is favorable, there's no need for tent stakes or other securing. If you don't like sleeping on the hard rocky ground, get a deployable cot that fits inside the tent.

For 4 people - if they're all adults - I'd recommend two separate shelters. Fitting 4 people, even in my Condor Overland 2 XL is pushing it unless y'all are very very friendly. Also, sad to say that the 110 just doesn't have the capacity to carry 4 people and all of their gear and supplies for more than a weekend. You'll need to either get a trailer or a hitch basket or roof rack storage.

I think that given your situation, I'd look at two ground tents + cots and then start strapping cargo to the roof, leaving food and weather-sensitive belongings for the rear cargo area. Tell your party to pack light! The P400 110 has a capacity of 1763lbs which is really healthy but just be sure to not exceed that.

 

https://abc7.com/arizona-bear-attack...tion/13391011/ Despite remarks that this was highly unusual, it's still a factor to consider. This particular animal is a can of worms; according to someone I know that lives in a bear country up north the usual 9mm won't do it much harm and you need a 10mm to deal with it - something not an average person would even have enough strength and practice to deal with. Not that a rooftop tent will be a problem for them, either. I'm hoping that a reasonably large camp will deter animals like this, but, as Tad mentioned, there's also desert dwellers - scorpions and snakes, to name a couple. Sheesh, I saw a family of three raccoons (last year) and three grey foxes (a few weeks ago) in my backyard - which is pretty deep in the city.

That would be sending good money after bad right now. Two challenges at once - choosing a good trailer, and learning to tow a trailer. Not to mention that the terrain here is unforgiving towards them. I was leaning towards getting a decent trailer later down the road (TOPO2 being one of the options I'm considering), but right now it's not something I'm willing to pursue. Just not ready yet.

Researching this, too.

On the short list. Had it in the Jeep, was indeed very handy. Still have it (was able to salvage some upgrades thinking at the moment that I might just buy another JKU), but it's not compatible.

 

Keep it simple.

A tent or two is perfect. Or swags. They’re great.

We rent trailers for a few trips every summer. My other half favors that option. It’s great fun and very luxurious.

I’ve camped a good bit including months living out of a tent all across Australia. Snakes spiders and alll manner of great critters. A non-issue. Zip your tent up. You’re good to go.

Bears etc. It’s rare that they will approach a well tended to camp. A non-issue. Bear spray if you feel the need. Better than a firearm. It’s like a handgrenade. Don’t need to aim. Can set it off even if you’re in the fetal position. No need for a multi thousand dollar tent on your roof to solve that non-problem.

We have no grizzlies here so I don’t bother with anything like that. I’d probably carry spray if we had grizzlies. A firearm in the backcountry is no bad thing anyway. Useful. But bear defense would not be a primary concern in choosing what to carry.

RTT are of no interest to me. Won’t practically sleep more than 2. Expensive, top heavy, sits up there like a hat for the 99.9% of the time you’re not using it. An absolute no for me. I think for solo or couples tent for folks who are hopping from place to place each night they perhaps have merit. I still wouldn’t get one. A regular tent/swag is much better.

The key to fun camping for me is simplicity and the following trifecta.

Don’t scrimp on a very comfy sleep setup. Have great food and drink.
Have plenty of fireside craic.

Defender is a good rig for car camping trips. I have a hitch carrier for wood, coolers etc and a roof box for all the bulky light stuff like pillows, beds clothes etc.

Once you tick the important trifecta the rest is just fluff.

 

TIL: swag

Which trailers? Or, rather, which class?

Side note, this clashes with my usual trail selection - not that I've considered camping on those trails (and just discovered that you can if you want), but even getting through some of them in a Recon was somewhat of a challenge, I can only whistle thinking of how I'd get through there with a trailer. I guess I'll have to traverse them again with that thought in mind and see whether it can possibly be done. Some R&D ahead

Counterpoint, I see that you have a rooftop cargo carrier in that picture? With my garage, *anything* on the roof rack is not going to clear, so it makes no difference. Totally agree, it's something that needs to be attached for a trip and then taken off - a chore either way.

Practical question - do you think there would be enough space in a 110 to carry supplies and either one 4 people or two 2 people ground tents for a weekend run, assuming the loadspace partition net is installed and it's packed to the brim?

TIL: craic
This is the main reason I decided to jump head first into this chance despite not considering it before. With Internet all around, too few humans are left to talk to.

...some of which already come with a sufficiently advanced rooftop tent... Hmm.
Side note, makes me regret the fact that due to shortages the lunchbox I ordered was replaced with that p.o.s. deployable ladder (got a decent full size already anyway).

One thing that keeps bothering me is that in a solo run, you must carry everything with you, like a submarine - can't rely on passers by for help. In a group, recovery and cooking gear can be distributed with no loss of function.

 

Yeah. That's true. You have to be more self reliant when solo.

The roof-box weighs next to nothing. I lift it on and off as needed. Stores on a rack in my garage up high. I don't leave it on when it's not needed.
RTT are heavy. Not a one man job to lift it off the car, over your head and slide it up onto its shelf. Apples and oranges.

Trailers. I get ones that have bunks for the kids and a nice big comfy bed for us. I tend to get less than 5000lbs dry weight and after we load it up I estimate we're around 6000-6500lbs or so. Meets all our needs for a multi-day trip with no hookups. We fill it up with water and fully stock the fridge, bikes, boards, a ton of wood, etc. Still well within towing specs and meets all our needs. I have a generator for power. These are not taken on to trails. All black-top.

Two examples of trailer we've rented. Outdoorsy.com is what we use.

I don't want to buy a trailer. Renting meets all our needs. Usually about $500- $600 for a 3 night rental.






Another feature of a RTT that would dive me nuts would be having to break camp every time I want to drive somewhere.

My view on RTT is that they are all downside and solve problems I don't have.

With trailers you have all the creature comforts and can bring loads of stuff.

Tent/swag is simple, cheap, tried and true, comfy, portable and best option for rougher travels.

Others will have polar opposite views.

 

I've done many of camping trips in my Defender as well as past rigs. I really did consider a RTT and no doubt they are comfortable and you are on top of the world . But having two small/medium dogs and my GF's bladder the size of a peanut, that was out of the cards for us. And like Gavin said breaking down everything when we want to explore was another turn off.

I spent many nights sleeping in the back of the Defender has been nothing short of great. When I solo camp this is my preferred method.

Tent/Swag - We have spent $$$ spiffing up our tent. A cot does wonders on the back at our age as well and allows us to hike and not packing up the next day and driving to a motel. I've bought many of sleeping pads, comforters, etc from companies like Kymit
All that said with the money we spent was still not even close to RTT. Plus I still retain storage on top of my rig.

Have fun!

 

What's the brand of that 270° awning? I've been scoping one out. Thanks.

 

@tbrown It's the Rhino Rack Batwing 270.