Hi all,
What are people using as an RTT with the Defender? I have the Expedition Rack and ladder - looking for something to incorporate into that setup that is relatively low profile.

Aside from being absurdly expensive (seeing $5,000+ online?), I've read the OEM one can cause a more noticeable body roll on highways due to its weight.

I've used a grounded tent for 15+ years and am looking to make the jump.

 

First off, the ladder on the vehicle is relatively useless with a RTT, they tend to have their own. The fiberglass enclosed ones, which tend to be lower profile are also surprisingly heavy. It really is the weight that causes the body to roll more rather than profile. I also found the more weight you have in the loadspace and or the hitch cause more roll. I did have the Autohome Maggiolina, which turned out to be far heavier than I expected. I sold that off rather quickly, besides my wife hated it, made her feel claustrophobic. I did look about a lot, even went to the overland expo, a huge 10 mile drive for me. I ended up with the Yakima Skyrise, which was the lightest 2 person one I could find, 95lbs. Also relatively cheap at REI, on sale with a coupon. Had it for a few years now and I kind of really like it. It has held up in really high winds in the high desert and nothing blows off. I have used a bunch of different ones in South Africa over the last 10 year, where many are made, the Yakima, for me, is the quicker to set up and a whole lit lighter than many others. All the ones made with canvas weigh a ton. While one would think there would be additional durability to canvas, in practice no so much so (tends not to smoosh down as easy when you fold it). All the ones on the vehicles supplied to me for field work had wear holes in them after a season from pack and deploy wear.

There are so many to choose from. Rent one (if possible) first to see if you and your partner like it. Also consider, the heavier they are the harder they are to mount on your vehicle in the first place. I use a hoist in my hanger. Without that I would have to befriend some basketball worthy giants to help mount it.

 

We mounted a smittybuilt RTT directly onto the factory roof rack, took it from Michigan to Moab and back during the summer with no issues. I was surprised how sturdy the OEM roof rack is. It has die cast brackets, total of six, well bolted to the roof rails.
Does make it a little bit top heavy but the Defender is so well placed on the ground that did not prevent us from having fun at Fin's and thing's in Moab.

 

We have the iKamper 2.0. Have had it mounted on the rack for the the past 1.5 years and other than watching where I park sometimes I forget it’s even up there. It’s like a Harry Potter tent, folds out to the equivalent space of a king size bed. It takes longer for me to explain to people how it sets up than to just pop it open. I’ll never sleep on the ground with the animals again!

I over-research everything and decided I wanted the hard shell design. Some good sales on iKamper now if you’re interested, I believe the 2.0 is 25% off.

 

Appreciate the suggestions! Are you leaving them on year-round?

thinking through some more, I now realize many of them would block the sunroof. I suppose I need to find one of the rear folding units.

 

I’m thinking of getting the Roofnest Falcon Pro. It looks like it would work well with the OEM ladder. My MY23 110 P400 is due for delivery Dec 23rd - Merry Christmas to me. I’m waiting till it arrives and i get some miles before i decide.

 

I have heard poor things of Roofnest's customer support - enough to the point where I don't think I'd consider one of their products. In my research for one which would allow for some form of sunroof accessibility/light, I've only found the iKamper Mini which also doesn't allow use of the OEM ladder. I think it's possible the Badass Tents Packout MOLLE may work at 78in long, but need to get a measuring tape when I get my vehicle back from service.

 

I've got a roofnest sparrow. Handling, gas mileage, and wind noise are only minimally affected. Quality is decent but not great. Haven't needed customer service or warranty at all so I can't speak to that. It works great with the factory rack and ladder. Ladder doesn't line up perfectly with opening, but pretty close and using it is no problem at all. I love how quickly it sets up, tear down is quick also but my girlfriend isn't able to do it on her own. Love that you can keep bedding, pillows, clothes, etc in it while closed. Never had any issues with water getting in, deployed or while driving. Airflow is pretty decent in hot summer weather.

If I were to get another roof tent I would either go for one of the clamshell ones or a side opening one like freespirit recreation. Those should line up perfectly with the ladder.

I wouldn't go for one that folds open and hangs out in open space, maybe using it's own ladder for extra support or something. Because sometimes I camp in areas that require me to have a smaller footprint, or the ground is just too uneven.

​​​​​​I plan on leaving mine on all winter, and just clearing snow off off it when needed. Last winter it was off so the snowboard rack could go up, but that is getting mounted elsewhere this year.

 

what about this one? Anyone got this? Seems good - slimline and lightweight?

https://newdefendermods.com/en-nz/pr...c-rooftop-tent

 

GFC is offering the superlite again. New orders will open up in batches over the next few weeks. 80lbs, easily installed and removed by two people, low profile, high quality materials. I loved ours, but we’re getting a bigger trailer so just sold it, but it’s light enough that you won’t even know it’s up there. Also very reasonably priced. The superlite was the only RTT I ever considered after looking at the ridiculous prices and crazy weights of most tents on the market. I’d just stick with a ground tent before ever putting one of those 12 inch thick 200 lb monsters on the roof. Just makes no sense, especially if maintaining a low center of gravity is a concern for off roading and you don’t have use of a crane or ten drunk friends for installation. Plus, the superlite looks really good on the Defender.