Dear Roof Top Tent Lovers:
If you are interested in creating a roof top tent for yourself, at reasonable cost, read on. If not, please delete. I have taken some pictures of the tent and will try to get them to George for posting, if I can figure how to do it. Until then, here is a description of my roof-top tent and how I put it together.
First, I have a 1995 dark green TLC (Telcy) FJ80. When thinking of a carrier, I vacillated between the full size ARB carrier, and the three/quarter size. I chose the latter because I wanted use of my moon roof opening, and I thought it looked sharper than covering the full top of the rig with a lid. Also, and this is significant, I got a good deal on a new one without having to order it from Australia.
I. The Platform.
A. Plywood Sheets
OK, the carrier is about 51 inches wide and 63 inches long (including the tubing) with rounded corners. It is made with 3/4 inch square tubing with three support posts on the long sides and two front and back. It is 5 inches high. Very sturdy.
I went to the lumber yard and got two pieces of 5/8ths inch 4x8 foot marine plywood and had the salesman cut these pieces to a length of 63 inches. At home, I took one sheet and laid it across the carrier top, marking where the upright tubes would go. I wanted to be able to slide the sheet forward until the back dropped in and then slide the sheet back until it was sitting flush with the front and back edges of the carrier "floor." I had to shave the corners to make them fit as well. The notches in the front of the sheet had to be twice as deep as the rear notches to allow the sheet to go forward enough to allow the back end to drop down. After pushing the sheet backward so the back notches fit into the two back posts, I had some space between the front posts and the inside of the notches . . . which I plugged with the piece of wood to keep the sheet of plywood from moving back and forth. This way, the sheet set in there nice and tight, the notches keeping it from moving from side to side. (Remember, the carrier is slightly wider than the 48-inches of the sheet.)
Then I took the sheet out and laid the second one over it and traced out the notches so I could cut this sheet exactly as the first . . . which I did. Then I nested both sheets inside the carrier, slick as can be. Though I had the extra space in the front notches plugged, I needed to keep the sheets from bouncing up away from the plugs. So I drilled a couple small holes on the front edge of the sheet and put a tie wrap through them and around the lower front tube of the rack. I cinched it up, thus pulling the sheets downward and securing them. I also did the same to the back.
You've got the picture now of the car-top carrier with two sheets of plywood lying inside and on the floor of the rack, unable to jostle around.
Now, pull the sheets back and up and jockey them around until you have them sitting side-by-side, with the longer ends extending on each side of the rack. Looking down, you would see a platform 5x8 feet. with the two pieces coming together exactly at the center point of the rack. Now looking from ground level, you would see the sheets "hanging over" the front and back about 18 inches each. On the sides, you would see a hangover of a little less than 5 inches.
The sides are OK as is, but the front and back hangovers are too much. Something has to be done to provide extra support.
B. Rack Extenders.
I took two 1 1/4 inch angle irons and had them welded together at one end with a 1 1/4 inch piece of square tubing, giving me a square angle U-shaped piece that would sit on the back edges of the carrier. That is, if you held this U-shaped piece above your head, facing the rear of the vehicle, with the two prongs facing forward, and moved forward you would slide it into place with the angle iron pieces fitting the top and sides of the upper tubes of the rack. You could continue pushing forward until the square tubing touched the back edge of the upper horizontal rack piece.
Next, I had two holes drilled about 9 inches apart on each side, toward the front edges of the angle iron. I also drilled two holes (the same distance apart) back farther on the sides of the upper rack tubing. So, with the U-shaped piece pushed all the way in, you could put two bolts on each side to hold it in place for traveling. Or, you could pull the piece backward (extend it) and using the same holes on the angle iron, put the bolts through the second set of holes on the rack tubing and lock the extension into place. Instead of bolts and nuts, I use the bolts that are held in place by a piece that swings around and hooks onto the end, once the bolt is all the way through both the holes. Easier to take on and off.
Now, I did the same thing with the front of the rack and soon was able to extend the top of my rack out to 8 feet to provide support for the plywood sheets.
I drilled 5/16th holes through the plywood at each corner of each piece, holes that also went through the upper sides of the carrier and extensions. I use stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts.
Now, before leaving the plywood pieces, I need to tell you that I put a corner piece on the four corners of the platform. How can I describe these . . . Hmmmm . . . Let's say you have a 6-inch square piece of 1/8th inch metal. You cut it diagonally, giving you two pieces, triangles. Then you take the two shorter sides and bend them up at a 90 degree angle so you have a 1-inch lip on two sides. (These are quite common and can be easily found. I think they are used for bracing corners. ). I painted the four corner pieces with that gooey rubbery protective stuff to blunt the edges and to give them a black coating.
These were placed at each corner with the flat side down and the corner extending slightly outward from the corners of the plywood. This piece is there to provide a secure corner for the tent poles.
C. Center Support
But what about the center of the floor, how is it supported? I took a piece of 2x6 fir and had it ripped to just over 5 inches, the distance between the floor of the carrier and the top of the upper tubing. Then I slid this piece between the center of the two carrier uprights from the rear to the front. I couldn't roll the board onto its side because the front and rear carrier tubing created a block. So I marked the board and notched out the space and then was able to "roll" it into position. Now, I had a support piece running down the center of carrier, extending out to the ends of the two extension pieces. So, now the two plywood sheets had good support all the way around and down the center.
Since I wanted everything to fit inside the carrier, I cut the 8-foot center piece in half. But not before I got a two pieces of 2-inch by 24-inch flat metal and put one on each side of the board, drilling holes and inserting bolts so as to be able to lock the two ends together.
D. Painting
The plywood sheets and the center support piece need some paint. I used a good quality primer paint, followed with a tough marine paint, glossy black. Did a couple of coats.
E. Ladder. I looked for a tough ladder, but couldn't find anything . . . so I had one made. Again, it was important to me to have it fit inside the rack, like everything else. It is made of square tubing, with five rungs and two pieces of smaller tubing sliding inside each leg, with drilled holes for adjusting the height. The top of the latter has two hooks so it can grab hold of the lower horizontal tube of the rack. The ladder, as well as the rack extensions, were power coated.
E. Misc. It may seem like a lot of hassle to put the carrier together and tear it down, but it isn't all that bad. Actually, it is quite possible to leave the roof top platform in place as you drive the freeway or bang around in the hills. I have a bag of tools set aside for putting the top on. It contains all the pieces needed to make it happen. When I am en route, I have the platform collapsed and then when I get there, I take the time to put it together and then leave it on until heading home.
1. Bolt Covers. At the automotive store, I found some dandy black rubber bolt covers that I slide over all the bolt threads after the platform is in place.
2. Electrical Tape. When the platform is not installed, I cover the drilled holes with little pieces of black plastic electrical tape to keep the water out.
II. The Tent.
So now you have the platform ready for the tent. I worked on creating a tent to fit the space. Then I started to shop for something that was already on the market that might fit my space. I found several possibilities, but they all had front entrances (over the hood of the vehicle, or up over the back end. I wanted a side entrance. Then, one day while going through the tent selection at Recreational Equipment Co-op, I found the perfect tent. I was so excited! It has side entrances and fits my space perfectly!
The North Face "Nebula" (Style 86632) Color: Nile Green/Spearmint. Size: 96" x 57" x 44." Cost: $365 US. Some of the features include: Double doors provide easy access and excellent cross-ventilation; Rectangular floorplan and modified geodesic pole configuration create steep sidewalls and ample headroom for increased usable space; Variable closure vestibule with four-way opening system for storm watching; Mesh roof panel zippered cover for ventilation and stargazing; Flysheet features a ladderlock tension adjustment system; Expedition-strength aluminum poles with locking pole tips; Strong, long-lasting #8YKK zippers with water-resistant tape; etc, etc.
I put the tent together on the ground and then lift it up on the platform. The four corners fit into the metal brackets mentioned above. I anchor each corner with a strap that is attached to the tent, basically locking the tent into place.
The rain fly has a "porch" on both sides at the door openings, with two cords coming out each side to be anchored to a stake (if the tent were on the ground). Here's how I handle this. I got four aluminum extension rods (open to maximum of 7 feet). They have a screw knob to lock the extended tube in place. I place one rod under the carrier, parallel with one of the horizontal support tubes, so that the screw knob is basically flush with the outside edge of the carrier. Then I tie-wrap the rod onto the carrier tube so it is solid. Then I extend the inside rod out, away from the vehicle. I take one of the cords for the "porch" and hook it to a small "S" hook, with the other end of the connection hooked to the "pointed" end of the extension rod. I extend the rod out until the cord is tight. I do the same thing for the other three cords, making a total of 4 aluminum extension rods that are anchored under the carrier.
Now, picture the tent rising from the platform, each corner anchored in place, and the rain-fly "porches" extended on both sides, with the ladder leading up through the larger porch to the main tent door.
It looks awesome!
Inside the tent, I put two Ridgeway (Costco) sleeping pads which fit perfectly, side to side. They are, however, only six feet long.
I don't put a tarp between the tent floor and the platform. However, I do put a tarp (folded in half) inside the tent and under the pads. This is to provide extra protection should rain water somehow through driving wind, go under the tent. I first tried to put the tarp under the tent, but in windy conditions it is impossible to handle all of this yourself.!
III. Conclusion
I'm sure I've missed something here and there in my description. Please feel free to raise questions so I can further clarify the picture. And since this is my first whack at putting together a car-top tent, you will undoubtedly see many places where my plans can be improved. I'd be interested in your comments.
The guys up at the Toyota dealership liked my tent arrangement so much (as well as the other stuff), they put Telcy on display last weekend.
One of the things I like about this arrangement is the portability of the tent; you can us it on the ground if you like. For example, Sandy and I might come to a spot where we will pump up the sea kayak and take the tent with us to camp on a remote island or across the lake. Also, one of the commercial roof-top tents I saw consumed the whole top, not leaving any room for other gear. With my setup, you can pile a bunch of gear on top when the platform is nesting inside the carrier. Also, I can replace the tent without replacing the whole platform.
Tarps can be added off the back of the rig to provide further protection from the rain. I cut a tarp and added grommets so it would cover one side of the rig and extend out off the back about 20 feet. I'm thinking about getting a roll-up awning to hook on the side of the carrier.
Cost: Counting the tent, but not the rack, I think the whole thing cost me about $525.
. . . Roger Schoenhals (Roger@pgtoday.com)