Homemade Roof Top Tent?

I'll cut right to the chase: I want one of these

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Series-III-Simpson-Rooftop-Tent-ARB3101-P3658.aspx

But I only have a few hundred bucks to spend. Used RTTs are $500-600. Does anybody know how I could make my own?

bent conduit for the frame?

Hmm, according to the internet this is impossible. So, instead I've ordered some magnetic screens for my rear windows, and I'll be making a sleeping platform in the rear.

Do you have a roof rack?

Plywood base and modified tent for the top?

Modified tent poles and waterproof canvas tent?

Remove the wheels from a popup trailer and put it on the roof?

I don't like spiders either.

There was a company on expo designing a DIY rtt to be sold as a kit minus the marine plywood, but I haven't seen where they got to or if they ever sold any. Compactcampingconcepts I think they were called. Anyways, they wanted to use the best materials in the tent, so the cost was only a couple hundred under an entry level rtt. Then you had to build it. If you can find someone selling an oasis 2 they usually go for around 4-500. New is 650-700 iirc. They're a suspension type design rather than the board and mattress, so it's lighter and slimmer when folded. Keep an eye on cl and the for sale section of expo and one will pop up eventually if you're patient.

At a crude level, a sheet of plywood and a cheap litle tent sitting on it.

At a fancier level, two sheets of plywood, a hinge, and a larger tent sitting on top of it.

Add 2x4 support legs that fit into a hole when you kick them under it.

Screw the tent to the plywood for a permanent mount.

Really, it's a question of how handy and how redneckish you are as to how cheaply you can do this.

why cant you just put the tent on the ground next to the truck/van/car? then you wouldn't have to be bothered to climb up into it, and fall off the roof in the morning. Thats my suggestion lol

another suggestion, for sleeping in the car comfort, i highly reccomend getting some 5% static cling window tint from walmart. cut it to fit your windows. takes a few minutes to apply each time you need it, a little water and a squeege (credit card) helps it stick better, then just peel it off before you hit the road. if your car is sitting outside in the day in the sun, it does a great job of keeping the interior cool, especially if you like to sleep in.

Parts of my reasoning for wanting hard sides in some of my more recent posts "Best Handling Truck with 7" Bed" and Lowered Ranger with Slide Camper and Astro or Full-Size Van is because I never understood the needs to sleep on ones roof, unless you were sleeping somewhere that the ground was rocky and uneven. Otherwise, you can sleep just as comfortably with an air mattress.

Now if your looking to sleep ANYWHERE, this would include areas where don't want people or things grabbing at you, or even really knowing your sleeping, you'll want something with hard sides.

foxtrapper wrote: At a crude level, a sheet of plywood and a cheap litle tent sitting on it. At a fancier level, two sheets of plywood, a hinge, and a larger tent sitting on top of it. Add 2x4 support legs that fit into a hole when you kick them under it. Screw the tent to the plywood for a permanent mount. Really, it's a question of how handy and how redneckish you are as to how cheaply you can do this.

This.

Find a reasonably sized rectangle-footprint tent. Build a platform from pressure-treated plywood (or if you want to be fancy - standard ply and paint it) that fits under it. Add holes so the tent stays lock into the platform. Figure out the square footage of the Trooper roof. Cut the platform to fit and add hinges as required (might need two sets to fold into a Z pattern. Mount to the Trooper's roof rack and add supports and ladder as described above. I'd guess you're looking at $100 or so in materials. Plus it has the added benefit of not being tied to some special tent that would cost $$$ to replace.

failboat wrote: why cant you just put the tent on the ground next to the truck/van/car? then you wouldn't have to be bothered to climb up into it, and fall off the roof in the morning. Thats my suggestion lol

I'm guessing he wants to be off the ground because he lives in Florida - a state somewhat known for some interesting night-time ground critters.

Yeah, I agree with Tommy. I want to be high enough off the ground that the critters have to work hard to get a piece of me.

I would unbolt the rear seat to get it out completely. Then build up a platform so an air mattress or foam could be added to ride on top of the wheel humps. This would get you the widest width as well as leave ample storage underneath. Headroom is not an issue in these "Popemobiles" so it is not like the platform would raise the bed too high.
I would then use the roof to store anything else needed.

A re-useable roll of soft screening and some autox magnets will go a long way to making the place comfortable.
On the side, start netting from the top and hold in place with magnets. Unroll past windows and apply bottom magnets to keep from blowing up. From the interior, you can roll up or down the windows as need which will not affect the exterior mounted screens.

With the rear doors open you could make your own version of this.

All this screening will neatly roll back up to take up very little space stored under your sleeping platform.

I keep getting the itch to get one of these box Troopers and stuff a later OHC 'Zuzu V6 etc in the thing.

1990 Trooper curb weight 3705 lbs. 2.8 V6 120hp 150 foot pounds torque.

1995 Trooper curb weight 4275 lbs 6VD1 3.2 V6 175 hp can't find torque rating. DOHC version 190 HP.

So, knock ~600 pounds off and bump up the HP... maybe one of these days...

here's the DIY RTT kit. they're the same cost as some of the entry level, but use the same quality materials as the 1400+ dollar ARB and Maggiolina tents. http://top-tent.com/tent-units/m-o-a-b-tent-unit

A RTT is going to be a bitch if you have to make water at 3:00 in the morning. Are you going to get a chamber pot?

How did i not know these existed? I MUST HAVE ONE.

Strizzo wrote: here's the DIY RTT kit. they're the same cost as some of the entry level, but use the same quality materials as the 1400+ dollar ARB and Maggiolina tents. http://top-tent.com/tent-units/m-o-a-b-tent-unit

Seems that a kit like that could be put on a trailer easily pulled by a Miata.