RTT on Discovery 2

coop74

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2015
287
7
Alcoa TN
I was wondering how many members have mounted a RTT on their D2's and how that has worked out for them. Again i am much more of an adventure camper then wheeling off roader.

1. Is the handling significantly impared?
2. Which direction did you face the opening of the tent?
3. Did anyone go with a RTT that has an annex and chosen to use it with the Disco?

Thanks in advance for replies and pictures if you got them...
 

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
RTT on a D2 assumes they're reliable enough to take risks venturing into the unknown. LOL. As far as driving dynamics, imagine strapping a couch to the roof of a tall coil sprung vehicle.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
imagine strapping a couch to the roof of a tall coil sprung vehicle.


A 100-pound couch.


Last summer I drove a 6-day, 600-mile off-road trip with a friend who brought a stock D2 that had a RTT. The tent opened over the rear of the vehicle and they had an annex. I believe the manufacturer was Cascadia Vehicle Tents. I climbed up in there to check it out and was impressed by the comfort and spaciousness. It was luxurious and my friends were happy with it. I camped in a tent on the ground. The D2 sagged a bit in stock form with the tent, but they also had a lot of other gear in the back. And they struggled on the long climbs over mountain passes.



The RTT has its place and shines in certain situations. There's subjectivity, but for me a RTT only makes sense if you're taking a really long trip and moving every day. To me the setup has more drawbacks than advantages:

  • weight/effect on handling & fuel economy
  • price
  • it's stuck to your roof, so if you want to go anywhere you have to pack the tent up
  • pain in the ass to move/store when you take it off
When I drive across Africa I will use one. Not for anything less. And I will make sure the suspension is appropriately matched.
 

pdogg

Well-known member
Jul 18, 2005
1,216
29
Phoenix, AZ
I had a huge hard on for a RTT for a long time, until I went on a few overland trips with a group, where there were a couple of them.. as mentioned above, they are huge pain in the ass, and not worth it for reasons already stated unless you really need to be off the ground (aka african safari).. I nice ground tent will prove to be more useful, IMHO..
 

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,643
244
I see you are in Tn. Does your "Adventure Camping" take you anywhere in the woods that has trees?
Not only will you have to contend with trees over growing any trails you have to drive to get to the "Adventure" spots, you will have to find an "Adventure" spot that doesn't have any trees over it.
To me RTT's maybe have a vague amount of sense out west or in Africa or places without dense foliage, but on the east coast much less so.
 
You all may agree, no element (motor home, RTT, floor tent, hotel) is the right one for everything. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages according to what we want to do. I usually travel with RTT on my D2, making long trips, and according to what is available where I stop, I use to deploy RTT, build floor tent or stay in a cabin or hotel.

Regarding to Robert's questions:
1. D2-RTT, I consider that it is especially apt for it. With D1 it is prudent to install Air Lift in rear coils to give it more firmness. It tilts more when turning with RTT, too.
D2 instead does not need anything. Its SLS always leaves the same height, no matter how many elephants have climbed to it, and ACE makes us forget that we have a load on the roof.
2. My tent is self-made, for 4 people, and it unfolds to the right side. We had chosen that side because in case of having to sleep on the street or in a parking lot (which is generally allowed in my country) the vehicle will be well parked.
3. As an accessory I have a flat canopy for the case of needing shade. In case the place invites us to stay longer, we immediately set up a floor tent. It is a package almost the same as the one that involves the RTT annex, and ends up giving advantages ("occupies" a place without forcing us to leave D2 in a campsite, it is more spacious and comfortable).

I shared images of my last trip here, https://discoweb.org/showthread.php?t=96653 where my RTT is seen on D2


Regards
 

AbnMike

Well-known member
Apr 6, 2016
1,218
117
Western Slope, CO
I had a RTT on my D1 and then I got rid of it.

Reasons I'd go back to a RTT on a Discovery and put up with getting 7 mpg and only being able to go 55 mph:

1:You regularly camp in an area that has snakes that crawl into your sleeping bag to get warm. Meaning Australia. If not Australia then you probably don't need one to prevent snakes.

2: You never ever have to pee at night. Getting up to pee at night sucks.

3: You stay in one place camping for more than 3 days. If you drive, camp, drive, camp, drive then it's probably not worth it.

4: It doesn't rain where you are. Seriously if it rains then guess what you do when you get home? You park your Discovery and you set up the tent until it airs out or it will rot. Ever smelled a mildew tent? So if your Discovery is your daily driver, and yo went camping over the weekend and you need to drive through the week, you just ruined your RTT.

5: You enjoy putting on clothes laying down in bed. This doesn't matter if you camp remotely where there is no one around, but if you camp around people who may not appreciate seeing your ass and balls then you need to shimmy into your clothes while pretty much laying down. Try it in your bed tomorrow. It isn't pleasant.

6: You (or your partner) sleeps very still. If they do not sleep very still you're likely to wake up everytime they roll over, since they are 6' above the ground on top of springs.

7: It's not windy where you camp. It's amazing how much more wind there is 6' off the ground than on the ground.

8: You don't drink beer. See #2.

9: You want to ignore the advice of people who have had them and sold them because they look really cool sitting on top of your truck in the parking lot at work.

I ditched the RTT, got a big canvas ground tent that I can stand up inside, enjoy inside when it is pouring rain, move around inside, etc. And, most importantly, didnt keep my truck stationary if I wanted to explore or just go get more beer. Plus I could just stand out the door and pee standing up without crawling down a ladder.
 
This is an example when a RTT is useful:
Maipo vulcano protected reserve
100_7396.JPG

Three hours of gravel road to ascend to 3300mts. We notified the gendarmerie detachment manager of our presence
100_7375.JPG

Repair is given by Maipo's silage. From there I took a photo of Gendarmerie's detachment (closer are the closed W/C for Natural Reserve visitors)
100_7376.JPG

When we got up with sun, D2's thermometer indicated an external temperature of -3 ? C, and our sleeping bags and roof tent were at the limit of their performance.
100_7386.JPG

When we walked around the area we found that it was worth staying
100_7392.JPG

100_7413.JPG

Walking we found remains like this one. Here, the guanaco predator is a natural one (Puma)
100_7411.JPG

Refuge "the cylinder" next to park rangers cabin. Maipo volcano (5323meters) is in active state ...
100_7425.JPG


RTT is made of alluminum, only 32 kg and it has no matress so its less high than current tents.

Regards
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
Great pictures GG

RTTs just seem like too much weight and bulk up high on the roof and a big pain to set up/tear down. You also can't go for a drive once you've setup camp as others have noted. The only RTT application I've seen that seems to make sense is the tents set up on a cage in the back of a pickup truck where the collapsed tent sits below the elevation of the top of the truck but you can still pack your gear under the RTT. But then you're driving a pickup truck - I'll take my D2 with secure cargo space instead of an open bed any day. A buddy of mine just put a roll-out canopy on his new Tacoma and it has sides that attach and it's actually a nice, huge, screened or sealed tent space. When it's collapsed it's just a long narrow canopy tube on the side of his roof rack. I think I have a pic...
 

logan_gibson

Well-known member
Dec 20, 2016
258
47
Alabama
I have mine mounted on a D1, It doesnt seem to impair the handling much at all.
I have the tent open to the passenger side, so If we pull off the roadway I dont have to change the direction of the car, etc.
I went with one that has No annex, I don't see much use in it for my situation.
My friend bought one with, I think he has used it 1 time, during our 12 day trip it didnt get a single day of use.

We did 12 days, traveling west. Grand canyon for 4 of those days, never staying in one spot for more than a day. Had no issues with comfort, packing the tent, and my wife and I are not ones who have to pee during the middle of the night after drinking, and the one time I did need to pee, it was pretty easy to climb down a ladder.....
I'm 6'6 and I fit in it just fine, Its a little annoying to try and change pants, but shirts/etc is fine.
Its really nice to be able to leave all of my bedding in the tent, and not have to pack/unpack it every day.
Its faced 20-30mph winds in the Mojave, no issue with it.
It does suck when it rains, as you need to dry the tent off before you pack it up. We have a few dirty towels we keep in the rig in case this happens. The rainfly drys quickly though, the tent takes about an hour to dry.
I have the smittybilt non XL tent, Its been on 40-50 trips and held up amazingly.

Timp Point.
https://imgur.com/a/2yCJCWw
2yCJCWw

View attachment 57856
 

coop74

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2015
287
7
Alcoa TN
Why would you want a tent on your roof? Do you also own a Skottle?

No skottle, but i must confess i have like 8 different stoves... a weakness of mine. From a single beer can based alcohol simmer stove to a huge vintage Coleman multi fuel two burner that i inherited from my Father in Law and refurbished...

I am open to be gifted a Skottle however if the Skottle people are listening.
 

coop74

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2015
287
7
Alcoa TN
I see you are in Tn. Does your "Adventure Camping" take you anywhere in the woods that has trees?
Not only will you have to contend with trees over growing any trails you have to drive to get to the "Adventure" spots, you will have to find an "Adventure" spot that doesn't have any trees over it.
To me RTT's maybe have a vague amount of sense out west or in Africa or places without dense foliage, but on the east coast much less so.

I do camp locally in the South East and every other year i normally do a big trip which normally is West to Colorado or that area. I have also traveled to the Canadian Maritines and that likely will be the next trip.

With all that said however my current studying/investigation is about a year off trip and travel to Europe and maybe the near east. My wife and i are just starting serious discussion as we approach retirement.

I have a couple of configurations i am considering. One of which is restoration to near new mechanically of my D2 for the trip.
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
I’m checking out Timp Point next week. That looks incredible.
 

billgreen

Member
Sep 8, 2008
15
0
I was wondering how many members have mounted a RTT on their D2's and how that has worked out for them. Again i am much more of an adventure camper then wheeling off roader.

1. Is the handling significantly impared?
2. Which direction did you face the opening of the tent?
3. Did anyone go with a RTT that has an annex and chosen to use it with the Disco?

Thanks in advance for replies and pictures if you got them...

1. Yes, it unbalances the truck front/rear. If you have a stock suspension, keeping the front wheels on the ground when the going gets rough is hard. It makes the truck a little tippier too, but fore/aft is most noticeable.

2. If it's small enough to open to the rear (e.g. Eezi Awn 1200) do that. Otherwise think it through and pick. It doesn't really matter. I've usually had them opening to the left, but not sure why. Maybe did the first that way and never changed.

3. Annexes are really nice if you are staying in one spot for a few days. If you break camp every day (i.e. you use a RTT for speed as much as comfort) you'll use it once or twice and then leave it at home. What it effctively does it blur the lines between a live-in and live-around vehicle. In most cases with a D2, you will need to order one with extra long walls or a longer floor sweep as the bottom of the tent is a long way off the ground. They also take up a lot of storage room (about the size of a sleeping bag storage sack, but not compressible), though you could probably find a way to store it on the roof rack. Tents with covered ladders have a lot of extra canvas to blow around, more poles to deal with, and that extra canvas takes up room under the cover so you may not be able to keep as much in the tent. They are really nice if you camp in rain/sleet/snow. I have never seen a method of supporting the overhang that didn't suck or was easily damaged. All that said, I think the pros outweigh the cons. On a 1400 or larger tent, I'd lean toward it. On a small tent, probably not.

Something to consider is whether you really need a RTT. I keep thinking that an awning with a wall set (you could do one on each side) might be a better way to go, but I've never tried it. If you don't really wheel your truck, get the RTT. If you frequently find yourself with only three wheels on the ground, a RTT will exacerbate the situation. I don't think you will roll a D2 just because you have a RTT, but it significantly reduces your safety margins. While I have never seen a D2 roll because of a RTT, I've seen two very close calls. Both of those were drivers who were unaccustomed to the new roll centers of the vehicles, and both were in relatively benign situations that suddenly got out of hand. Both vehicles were lifted two inches, one OME and the other Ironman.

Everything is a compromise. I had a small Autohome Columbus for a while and there were things I liked and disliked about it, but the speed of setup/packup was outstanding, but it takes up the whole roof. See if you can find somewhere that rents roof tents. A week with one will tell you more than an internet forum.
 

honda50r

Well-known member
Jul 10, 2011
1,208
0
East Tennessee
1:You regularly camp in an area that has snakes that crawl into your sleeping bag to get warm. Meaning Australia. If not Australia then you probably don't need one to prevent snakes.
Or you just want to be comfortable and spread out instead of a shitty narrow sleeping pad

2: You never ever have to pee at night. Getting up to pee at night sucks.
No this is easy, don't even descend the ladder
3: You stay in one place camping for more than 3 days. If you drive, camp, drive, camp, drive then it's probably not worth it.
I agree with this statement. But you could say the same for all tents in that situation

4: It doesn't rain where you are. Seriously if it rains then guess what you do when you get home? You park your Discovery and you set up the tent until it airs out or it will rot. Ever smelled a mildew tent? So if your Discovery is your daily driver, and yo went camping over the weekend and you need to drive through the week, you just ruined your RTT.
If you can't find 10 mins to setup your tent in the yard you need a personal assistant
5: You enjoy putting on clothes laying down in bed. This doesn't matter if you camp remotely where there is no one around, but if you camp around people who may not appreciate seeing your ass and balls then you need to shimmy into your clothes while pretty much laying down. Try it in your bed tomorrow. It isn't pleasant.
Agreed. This part sucks

6: You (or your partner) sleeps very still. If they do not sleep very still you're likely to wake up everytime they roll over, since they are 6' above the ground on top of springs.
Haven't used an RTT on a Disco before. Can't comment on this. My Tacoma is very firm
7: It's not windy where you camp. It's amazing how much more wind there is 6' off the ground than on the ground.
Not really. Wind is wind whether in a ground tent or an RTT

8: You don't drink beer. See #2.

9: You want to ignore the advice of people who have had them and sold them because they look really cool sitting on top of your truck in the parking lot at work.
"Expo" fad is out of hand. I completely concur.

I ditched the RTT, got a big canvas ground tent that I can stand up inside, enjoy inside when it is pouring rain, move around inside, etc. And, most importantly, didnt keep my truck stationary if I wanted to explore or just go get more beer. Plus I could just stand out the door and pee standing up without crawling down a ladder.


My rebuttal posted in red
 

AbnMike

Well-known member
Apr 6, 2016
1,218
117
Western Slope, CO
My rebuttal posted in red

1: There are plenty of queen sized, much more comfortable than a 1=2" thick sleeping pad that makes sleeping in a large ground tent much more comfortable than sleeping in a RTT. Plus I can stand up when I'm not in bed.

2: Sure if I want to sleep next to a bottle of pee. Or throw it out and pick it up in the morning. Or if you regularly bring chicks along. Chicks can't pee in bottles that easily, nor do they wish to.

3: Enough said.

4: It's not the ten minutes to set it up. It's the hour or more to let it dry completely, while not driving your truck. If you have another car or vehicle, fine. But if your RTT is on your daily driver and it rains Saturday night while you camp and Sunday when you fold it up wet, and still raining Monday and you have to go to work, or even if it's finally sunny Monday and you still have to drive to work so you can't air it out until Monday night, oh wait, it's raining Monday night again. ...

5: we agree.

6: I felt the wind a lot more in the air on a RTT than on the ground. Plus the RTT is a big flat object sitting on four springs. on the ground a tent is flapping, but it's not rocking and rolling. My RTT was probably 15 feet off the ground? More? Sitting on 4 springs? It rocked and rolled all night long in wind.

My cot or blow up mattress isn't affected by the wind at all. Because it's stationary.



My experience? People who ask about RTTs want one and will get one anyway, despite contrary advice. I did it. I ignored advice. It was cool a couple times (esp in Montana where I would be stationary for a few days at a time), but in the end I sold it for more than I paid, and got a shit ton of camping gear with the sales and still pocketed cash. And I was a lot more comfortable.
 
RTT is not comparable to the comfort of a floor tent. If camping is for you a "sacrifice", do not "punish" even more by buying a RTT.
We don't change our clothes in a RTT: we use "camel" colored clothes that are just that color to hide dirtiness of the adventure we are living. Upon returning home we have 365 days to enjoy amenities and cleanliness.
I think that a RTT is the right thing for those who can take it as a good experience to go to a place where there are no neighbors, no beer, no toilets, no showers or any comfort. Its advantage lies in the speed of armed and the fact of being able to sleep there where is no floor allowed to build a tent (you can not build a tent in a salt lake, or a truck parking).

With regard to assembly speed, many cases of "Expo" RTT are noted that require undoing a top cover, or spring rods to stretch their eaves, all things that eliminate the simple "deploy and sleep". All that makes it look beautiful but ends up being the reason for not enjoying its advantage.

Regards
 

coop74

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2015
287
7
Alcoa TN
I will admit i have more then my fair share of camping gear... Yes i have 9 stoves, maybe 6 tents, and tons of cases to configure, stack, and store shit (dont get me started on flashlights btw).

Normally i pull a small camper which was my wife's original minimum acceptable sleeping set up. As we have gone more she is now working on accepting a tent and cots... In addition to the regular square awning i have the Batwing for the other side which when i carry my ground tent makes for many configurations.

This is what the Nissan Looks like on the beach... https://photos.app.goo.gl/n76yKVNFb5XTBQqS8


I love the Nissan but if i go to europe for an extended trip, one of the options is to kit out the Disco.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
I think that a RTT is the right thing for those who can take it as a good experience to go to a place where there are no neighbors, no beer,

Whoah, whoah, whoah - hang on a minute there. For some of us there is no joy quite like kicking back in the wilderness and drinking a cold beer with friends. If you're talking about a raging party I agree that is not what I seek out on my wilderness travels, but after a hot and dusty day on the trail nothing beats a relaxing beer with friends. Except possibly some Scotch around the fire.

But hey, if you'd rather stock your cooler/fridge with artisanal bespoke mineral water or Fanta or chocolate milk, do it. Whatever brings you happiness on your travels. Everyone has their own preferences.