Thanks a bunch for taking your time to share your experiences and making a well produced video. It's community members like you that are the glue binding our tribe in unity. Im thinking about one of these for the 2nd gen Xterra i just got. I've never owned one before, but I've had a number of tents that taught me some lessons in the past few decades... a couple mistakes I learned from is: 1) Brand new out of the box your investment in time is paid for in spades if you get some of the best quality seam sealer and go over every seam a couple times carefully. 2) Along with extra sealer, buy and keep handy some seam tape for repairs on the road. 3) Specific to this rig... where she was showing where she discovered the loose mounting bolts, a good rule of thumb this old #Vagabond learned the hard way. if the manufacturer uses two, you most likely need four. So get a few more t nuts and put a couple drops of BLUE Locktite ( not the red stuff or you'll never be able to undo them), then install them at the opposing stress points. 3) Hardware is cheap considering the damages a failure can cost you, I'm pretty anal (analyzing 😎)when it comes to nuts and bolts and so on; so I go over my vehicle, Harley, boat, firearms etc etc and upgrade every fastener with a potential for catastrophic failure. (A couple bucks for a bolt may prevent you from that sinking feeling you get watching your beautiful tent skidding along the pavement in your rear view mirrors, #jussayin... I've learned the hard and expensive way. So. I hope I've added a modicum to your experience with what looks like a well engineered design. Thanks, and happy & safe trails to you!!!
Glad I found this product.... but ecstatic I found your videos! I wish there was a sequence of reviews just like yours for every product in the world, it would take the guessing out of every purchase. Thank you for all of the details, the initial, 1 year, and 2 year followups. I can't say enough how much these videos are appreciated and have secured my decision. Take care!
I just want to thank you for your kindness and the time you put into reviewing the Smitty built rooftop tent. I’m considering buying one it is used and it has been used twice but I feel pretty confident after watching your video and a bunch of other ones. Thanks again, God bless you
Thanks, Scott! Will make note of the Aqua Seal for the tent seams for the future. We used another Gear Aid product called, waterproof Seam Grip for outdoor products. Loctite - Gotta love Loctite.
Love watching all your videos. Chris you do a fantastic job explaining the equipment you both use - thank you. Ellen and I are still waiting for our first trip in October to the Shenandoah valley and Uwharrie State Park in NC to use our Smittybilt trailer and XL tent. Because of your videos on the Morris trailer upgrade we used Herculiner on our entire trailer and it looks to be bullet proof. I already upgraded our tent bolts to stainless steel with larger fender type washers with lock nuts and thread lock just to be safe. We use the moisture bags from your link and the canvas cloths. Washed them 4-5 times already. We also added a 2.5 inch memory foam mattress pad over the one that came with the tent. Can't wait to post some video and pictures of our trip. Again thank you for being inspiring to us beginners. :) Keep the adventures coming, almost all your locations are on our wish list.
Thank you so much, Ward. I hope you and Ellen have an amazing first trip! Wow! It sounds like you are all decked out and ready to go. I bet your trailer looks so cool covered in the Herculiner. (Love the, "looks to be bullet proof.") Awesome upgrades you made on the mounting bolts, nuts and washers. Bill was shocked that the lock nuts had worked loose. He says if they loosen again, he will be using thread lock on them too. Hoping for many wonderful trips for you two.
Oh, we also agree with your two year review and the cost comparison of the Smittybilt tent vs the others. That's one of the reasons we went with the Smittybilt was your one year review. :)
That was another great review! Thank you for taking the time to keep posting these reviews. You are really helping a lot of people make well informed decisions on how to spend their money. You’ve sealed the deal for me and I’m gonna buy the SmittyBilt XL very soon.
Good heads up on those bolts... never thought about those.. had some others come loose the second time I used it. Put loctite on them. Just got back a couple hours ago from camping. 4th time using the tent and I love it!!
Great review and advice! I am considering getting a RTT for my Jeep and Smittybilt was one of my choices. Another solution for insulation underneath the foam mattress are a couple , possibly three, closed cell pads; and although the KLYMIT Static V is a brilliant solution I added an egg crate foam on top of my KampRite tent cot pad that really softened my bedding. I also have a Static V air mattress I love for backpacking. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Alexander! You nailed it on the insulation/cushiness options. Good luck in your search for the best RTT for you. There are so quite a few choices out there now; many more than when we first looked. Happy trails...
@@wobblyotteroutdoors They are.. lot of people making reviews video with information already available with products.. Most people like to know either is this product is compatible with your needs, and how the product performs in real life situations!! Again.. thanks..a lot for doing this for others..
You're welcome. It was quite the spooky surprise to discover only 2 bolts were preventing our RTT from falling off. And they have lock nuts. Go figure. ??
Excellent video they are to pay you to do reviews content editing we're really really good I've been in the market for a roof-top tent still unsure what I want but I am leaning towards what you have
I own one of these tents but still haven't had a chance to use it. Thank you so much for the informative review with the tips. You've saved me and I'm sure others some headaches. ;-)
Could you talk about the structure supporting your RTT? Strength? and wiggle? thoughts? do you feel you need to add more support and make it more ridged.
Certainly. We have never felt like more support was needed for the RTT on the Morris Mule. The rack is made of square tubular steel. The rack uprights slide into sleeves of steel that further support and lessen wiggle. When in camp we drop the rear stabilizers of the trailer and the RTT is rock solid on top, because the trailer is stable. It simply does not wiggle. Hope this helps.
Awesome video! Thanks to you im seriously considering buying this model. Only question I have is, in terms of space inside is it big enough for two adults and two dogs? 😅 my pups go everywhere with us
Thank you Woodsman Wolfe. Regarding space enough for two adults and two dogs, it depends on the size of the dogs and how much everybody likes each other. It will be cozy. The mattress/floor size in the regular/standard Smittybilt RTT is 55" x 92". A full size bed is 54" x 75". So the four of you can try it out... Have everyone climb onto a full size mattress, or mark a 55" x 92" space with a sheet folded to those dimensions (or anything to indicate the edges) on the floor and see if you all fit inside comfortably. Happy adventuring!
@@wobblyotteroutdoors I've been on the fence about one of these. I'm pretty well sold now. I think we will get our use outta the investment. Hoping to take a month long trip across the west.
I hope you have an amazing trip! We are very happy with the little roof top tent. We have tried to take care of it so it will last. It has served us well. Having that little higher vantage point is even better when you're in scenic places.
You're welcome, Anthony. One time, a very strong dust devil came through camp and folded up our tent. From that we tried out different ways to tie down the tent. The method at the very end of the video at this link, is what we decided on for our particular setup: Roof Top Tent Tie Down Methods: ua-cam.com/video/CI_b_1yKx6E/v-deo.html
Nice informative vid. Thanks. I've just purchased the XL and have yet to receive it and install it. Have you experienced moisture under the mattress pad and if so, what has been your solution. Thanks again.
Thank you, Tracy. No we haven't experienced moisture under the mattress. We always leave at least one window open a little bit. We also always use a dehumidifier pack inside when we close it up. When it was getting rained on so much during the trip to South Dakota, we put two dehumidifier packs inside when it was folded up.
Have you ever camp in the cold and used a heater like the mr buddy heater? How do you think the tent will hold up to the heater inside if it runs all night
We haven't used a portable propane heater (or any heater) in the roof top tent. There isn't room for one when both Bill and I are in it. If we ever use a Mr. Heater while camping otherwise, for safety reasons we've decided we wouldn't run it while sleeping. Instead only using it when getting into bed or in the morning when getting up. We've slept in the RTT down to 30 degrees F and been comfortable. We have some -15 degree F bags if needed for really cold weather.
Hi, I was curious if you could tell me how far it is between the two mounting tracks on the bottom side of of the tent? I want to double check that they’ll fit my crossbars. Thanks!
We haven't had an issue with fraying. The velcro (and bull clips) are on the very ends of the straps holding them dw. The straps aren't flapping in the wind, so they don't fray.
Just subscribed to your channel so haven't seen all your vids, have you treated your RTT with anything to protect against rain? Also loved the two is better than one, with the clips ❤️ made me laugh
Smittybilt at close to half the price of the others Im not sure if the others are worth the money? In the Jeep world RTT's are becoming more and more popular and as with most Jeep products most people seem to stay with the "cool" hi-viz products that tend to be status items, ( which if you have the money to spend thats fine), most times I ( like others also) research my purchase extensively first and buy the one that makes sense for me.
Well said. For our first RTT and because we were buying it sight-unseen, we couldn't justify spending twice as much one that seemed so similar. We haven't been disappointed at all. Mostly, I'm glad it worked out that we like using a RTT. When we wear this one out, we will probably get a larger one. Probably.
Never thought about checking those nuts. Now I’m paranoid! I’ve been driving around with a death trap on top of my Jeep!!😳 Just kidding. Yes I’m gonna check those for real.
Hello Connie, and thank you for subscribing. Bears are a valid concern when camping where they live. Best advice we can give is to do research on the area that you will be camping before you go. Keep a clean camp. Don't leave out food or ice chests. Don't have food in the tent and don't eat in the tent. Most campgrounds in bear country have bear proof trash bins. We put our trash in them at the end of each day so there is no trash in our camp over night (and also throw it away before we leave camp to exploring during the day). Have bear spray with you at all times. The National Park Service has a lot of good information on what to do and what not to do. We are not experts on bears. That said, we do all we can to be aware and safe.
Thanks a bunch for taking your time to share your experiences and making a well produced video. It's community members like you that are the glue binding our tribe in unity. Im thinking about one of these for the 2nd gen Xterra i just got. I've never owned one before, but I've had a number of tents that taught me some lessons in the past few decades... a couple mistakes I learned from is:
1) Brand new out of the box your investment in time is paid for in spades if you get some of the best quality seam sealer and go over every seam a couple times carefully.
2) Along with extra sealer, buy and keep handy some seam tape for repairs on the road.
3) Specific to this rig... where she was showing where she discovered the loose mounting bolts, a good rule of thumb this old #Vagabond learned the hard way. if the manufacturer uses two, you most likely need four. So get a few more t nuts and put a couple drops of BLUE Locktite ( not the red stuff or you'll never be able to undo them), then install them at the opposing stress points.
3) Hardware is cheap considering the damages a failure can cost you, I'm pretty anal (analyzing 😎)when it comes to nuts and bolts and so on; so I go over my vehicle, Harley, boat, firearms etc etc and upgrade every fastener with a potential for catastrophic failure. (A couple bucks for a bolt may prevent you from that sinking feeling you get watching your beautiful tent skidding along the pavement in your rear view mirrors, #jussayin... I've learned the hard and expensive way.
So. I hope I've added a modicum to your experience with what looks like a well engineered design. Thanks, and happy & safe trails to you!!!
You're quite welcome, @JudgeGarry. Thank you for watching and for all of the wonderful advice you have shared.
Glad I found this product.... but ecstatic I found your videos!
I wish there was a sequence of reviews just like yours for every product in the world, it would take the guessing out of every purchase. Thank you for all of the details, the initial, 1 year, and 2 year followups. I can't say enough how much these videos are appreciated and have secured my decision.
Take care!
Thank you so much, Cristian. Sure do appreciate that.
The advice to check the nuts is very helpful!
So glad. 😊
I just want to thank you for your kindness and the time you put into reviewing the Smitty built rooftop tent. I’m considering buying one it is used and it has been used twice but I feel pretty confident after watching your video and a bunch of other ones. Thanks again, God bless you
You're welcome, Steve. Happy to help. I hope you have many wonderful adventures.
Great informative upload, thanks!
Thank you and you're welcome. Happy to help.
Aqua seal for breathable waders on your seam tape.
Loctite for your bolts that secure the tent to rails.
Thanks, Scott! Will make note of the Aqua Seal for the tent seams for the future. We used another Gear Aid product called, waterproof Seam Grip for outdoor products. Loctite - Gotta love Loctite.
aqua seal works wonders for lots of things
Thank you, @Justin Stewart.
Love watching all your videos. Chris you do a fantastic job explaining the equipment you both use - thank you. Ellen and I are still waiting for our first trip in October to the Shenandoah valley and Uwharrie State Park in NC to use our Smittybilt trailer and XL tent. Because of your videos on the Morris trailer upgrade we used Herculiner on our entire trailer and it looks to be bullet proof. I already upgraded our tent bolts to stainless steel with larger fender type washers with lock nuts and thread lock just to be safe. We use the moisture bags from your link and the canvas cloths. Washed them 4-5 times already. We also added a 2.5 inch memory foam mattress pad over the one that came with the tent. Can't wait to post some video and pictures of our trip. Again thank you for being inspiring to us beginners. :) Keep the adventures coming, almost all your locations are on our wish list.
Thank you so much, Ward. I hope you and Ellen have an amazing first trip! Wow! It sounds like you are all decked out and ready to go. I bet your trailer looks so cool covered in the Herculiner. (Love the, "looks to be bullet proof.") Awesome upgrades you made on the mounting bolts, nuts and washers. Bill was shocked that the lock nuts had worked loose. He says if they loosen again, he will be using thread lock on them too. Hoping for many wonderful trips for you two.
This is a fantastic Review! Thank you! I am buying a Smittybilt XL now…
Awesome! Glad we could help. Hope you have lots of wonderful adventures.
Great review, thank you. We're buying this tent based on this video and many others on this Smittybuilt. Thank you very much. Well done.
Thank you and you're welcome. I hope you have lots of great adventures!
Oh, we also agree with your two year review and the cost comparison of the Smittybilt tent vs the others. That's one of the reasons we went with the Smittybilt was your one year review. :)
Thank you. I'm interested to see how you like the XL RTT. When ours wears out, we are thinking we may get a larger one.
That was another great review! Thank you for taking the time to keep posting these reviews. You are really helping a lot of people make well informed decisions on how to spend their money. You’ve sealed the deal for me and I’m gonna buy the SmittyBilt XL very soon.
Thank you, Spencer... and you're welcome. We wish you safe travels and happy trails.
Good heads up on those bolts... never thought about those.. had some others come loose the second time I used it. Put loctite on them. Just got back a couple hours ago from camping. 4th time using the tent and I love it!!
Yep. It was a bit of a spooky find. Good to hear you're enjoying your tent!
Locktite might be a good idea
Great and honest review! looking into maybe buying one and this helped a lot.
Thank you, Random Things. Happy to help. Tent treehouses are pretty awesome. 😁
Great review and advice! I am considering getting a RTT for my Jeep and Smittybilt was one of my choices. Another solution for insulation underneath the foam mattress are a couple , possibly three, closed cell pads; and although the KLYMIT Static V is a brilliant solution I added an egg crate foam on top of my KampRite tent cot pad that really softened my bedding. I also have a Static V air mattress I love for backpacking. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Alexander! You nailed it on the insulation/cushiness options. Good luck in your search for the best RTT for you. There are so quite a few choices out there now; many more than when we first looked. Happy trails...
Thank you for the info me and my wife were thinking about purchasing one
Glad I could help.
Nice work on the video. Very helpful. Thank you very much!
Thank you, Ty, and you're welcome. Happy to help.
Very good and in depth review. Looking at this hard.
Thank you, Rodney. Cheers to your decision, what ever it may be.
Awesome video! Great tips
Thanks so much! Glad you liked it.
Great video I love all your ideas too. I see a fun filled life ahead!!
Thank you and cheers to what's ahead.
What a great review... the best one in UA-cam.. Thanks a lot for doing it.
Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. You're welcome. We enjoy making the videos and hope they are helpful.
@@wobblyotteroutdoors They are.. lot of people making reviews video with information already available with products.. Most people like to know either is this product is compatible with your needs, and how the product performs in real life situations!!
Again.. thanks..a lot for doing this for others..
Thanks for the info regarding the floor bolts, i will go check mine!
You're welcome. It was quite the spooky surprise to discover only 2 bolts were preventing our RTT from falling off. And they have lock nuts. Go figure. ??
Great tip.
Thank you, Karen.
Love your video , thank you so much for doing this follow up reviews !!
Thank you, Jesus! ...and you're welcome. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Excellent video they are to pay you to do reviews content editing we're really really good I've been in the market for a roof-top tent still unsure what I want but I am leaning towards what you have
Thank you kindly, Robert. Best wishes on your RTT hunt. The little Smittybilt is working out to be a good, first RTT for us, especially for the price.
I use seam seal on my Jeep soft top stitching and it seems to do the job.
Thank you, Robert. This is good to know! We are hoping the weather will cooperate with us soon so we can apply the seam seal.
Good stuff... We just got ours 2 days ago, havnt used it yet but have set it up.. Checking all bolts is a must, good advice... Thanks for the videos
Sa-weet! Too cool that you have a shiny, new RTT. Thanks for the kind words.
I own one of these tents but still haven't had a chance to use it. Thank you so much for the informative review with the tips. You've saved me and I'm sure others some headaches. ;-)
Excellent! So happy to help. That's exactly our goal. Thank you for the note. Now, get out there and use that tent. 😉
Could you talk about the structure supporting your RTT? Strength? and wiggle? thoughts? do you feel you need to add more support and make it more ridged.
Certainly. We have never felt like more support was needed for the RTT on the Morris Mule. The rack is made of square tubular steel. The rack uprights slide into sleeves of steel that further support and lessen wiggle. When in camp we drop the rear stabilizers of the trailer and the RTT is rock solid on top, because the trailer is stable. It simply does not wiggle. Hope this helps.
Awesome video! Thanks to you im seriously considering buying this model. Only question I have is, in terms of space inside is it big enough for two adults and two dogs? 😅 my pups go everywhere with us
Thank you Woodsman Wolfe. Regarding space enough for two adults and two dogs, it depends on the size of the dogs and how much everybody likes each other. It will be cozy. The mattress/floor size in the regular/standard Smittybilt RTT is 55" x 92". A full size bed is 54" x 75". So the four of you can try it out... Have everyone climb onto a full size mattress, or mark a 55" x 92" space with a sheet folded to those dimensions (or anything to indicate the edges) on the floor and see if you all fit inside comfortably. Happy adventuring!
@@wobblyotteroutdoors thank you very much!
Thanks for the great review!
You're welcome.
Wow, great advice. I'm a new subscriber. Really enjoying your channel. Thank you.
Welcome, Anthony. Thank you for subscribing and the kind words.
@@wobblyotteroutdoors I've been on the fence about one of these. I'm pretty well sold now. I think we will get our use outta the investment. Hoping to take a month long trip across the west.
I hope you have an amazing trip! We are very happy with the little roof top tent. We have tried to take care of it so it will last. It has served us well. Having that little higher vantage point is even better when you're in scenic places.
@@wobblyotteroutdoors thank you for the rain footage!! That was a huge concern of mine, not anymore.
You're welcome, Anthony. One time, a very strong dust devil came through camp and folded up our tent. From that we tried out different ways to tie down the tent. The method at the very end of the video at this link, is what we decided on for our particular setup: Roof Top Tent Tie Down Methods: ua-cam.com/video/CI_b_1yKx6E/v-deo.html
Nice informative vid. Thanks. I've just purchased the XL and have yet to receive it and install it. Have you experienced moisture under the mattress pad and if so, what has been your solution. Thanks again.
Thank you, Tracy. No we haven't experienced moisture under the mattress. We always leave at least one window open a little bit. We also always use a dehumidifier pack inside when we close it up. When it was getting rained on so much during the trip to South Dakota, we put two dehumidifier packs inside when it was folded up.
Have you ever camp in the cold and used a heater like the mr buddy heater? How do you think the tent will hold up to the heater inside if it runs all night
We haven't used a portable propane heater (or any heater) in the roof top tent. There isn't room for one when both Bill and I are in it. If we ever use a Mr. Heater while camping otherwise, for safety reasons we've decided we wouldn't run it while sleeping. Instead only using it when getting into bed or in the morning when getting up. We've slept in the RTT down to 30 degrees F and been comfortable. We have some -15 degree F bags if needed for really cold weather.
Great tips. how did you mount the recovery boards and tools on the trailer? I have some I need to mount.
Thank you, Gared. We made this video about mounting the recovery boards: ua-cam.com/video/YN0p6uhhZBY/v-deo.html
Hi, I was curious if you could tell me how far it is between the two mounting tracks on the bottom side of of the tent? I want to double check that they’ll fit my crossbars. Thanks!
The two rails under the tent are each 56 inches long. The distance between the centers of the rails is 32.25 inches.
What do you do to keep the tent cover straps from fraying from highway speeds?
We haven't had an issue with fraying. The velcro (and bull clips) are on the very ends of the straps holding them dw. The straps aren't flapping in the wind, so they don't fray.
Just subscribed to your channel so haven't seen all your vids, have you treated your RTT with anything to protect against rain? Also loved the two is better than one, with the clips ❤️ made me laugh
Yes, last summer we lightly treated the tent with Scotch Guard. Thank you for subscribing and taking the time to chat.
@@wobblyotteroutdoors ok that makes sense, thanks for the great advice 👍
Have you had to retreat it with the ScotchGuard?
We spray the RTT with ScotchGuard once a year. Trying to help it last as long as possible.
Thanks!
Hey Gang, would large fender washers and Loctite be the Best fix?
Yes. That will work well.
Smittybilt at close to half the price of the others Im not sure if the others are worth the money? In the Jeep world RTT's are becoming more and more popular and as with most Jeep products most people seem to stay with the "cool" hi-viz products that tend to be status items, ( which if you have the money to spend thats fine), most times I ( like others also) research my purchase extensively first and buy the one that makes sense for me.
Well said. For our first RTT and because we were buying it sight-unseen, we couldn't justify spending twice as much one that seemed so similar. We haven't been disappointed at all. Mostly, I'm glad it worked out that we like using a RTT. When we wear this one out, we will probably get a larger one. Probably.
Most based off their design anyway!!
Binder clips also good for holding up a small curtain rod.
Never thought about checking those nuts. Now I’m paranoid! I’ve been driving around with a death trap on top of my Jeep!!😳
Just kidding. Yes I’m gonna check those for real.
Ha ha ha. I know, right?!
I have been checking my nuts every morning for 60 years 😏
🤣👏
What about bears out west? My only concern
Hello Connie, and thank you for subscribing. Bears are a valid concern when camping where they live. Best advice we can give is to do research on the area that you will be camping before you go. Keep a clean camp. Don't leave out food or ice chests. Don't have food in the tent and don't eat in the tent. Most campgrounds in bear country have bear proof trash bins. We put our trash in them at the end of each day so there is no trash in our camp over night (and also throw it away before we leave camp to exploring during the day). Have bear spray with you at all times. The National Park Service has a lot of good information on what to do and what not to do. We are not experts on bears. That said, we do all we can to be aware and safe.
God help lol R pod 171 or SCOUT RTT trailer? Back and forth between the two. LOLHEHE
Decisions. Decisions. 🤣🤣😉
@@wobblyotteroutdoors thanks got my 17 year old Grandson looking at them ,he's going to try and help with the DECISION LOLHEHE
Perfect!
Very through.
Thhanks, David.