Cold weather tips for roof top tent (RTT)?

4BY4ADV

4BY4ADV

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Took the RTT out for it's maiden voyage over the weekend. Apparently I must have read the wrong weather forecast, it was about 20 degrees colder than what I thought I saw online. Needless to say, my two blankets weren't enough to keep me warm in 37 degree temps.
Photo 11-28-20, 6-07-44 AM PST.jpg

I know I can go with a mummy bag or sub zero sleeping bag, but one of the pluses of the RTT was the ability to set up a "real" bed. My new sheets show up today, so now I need to determine what other bedding/comforter would be best. Should I just go with a queen size down comforter?

Otherwise, the tent was awesome and super comfortable and I love the skylights for watching the stars/moon.
Photo 11-27-20, 7-20-40 PM PST.jpg

DJI_0148.JPG
 
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An oversized sleeping bag will be much less hassle than sheets and a comforter. Just lay it flat when you strike your RTT.

Perhaps something like the Teton Sports queen size bag, $129 Amazon Prime or $103 from Amazon Warehouse.

8145o%2BWOuFL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F38YI2/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I am currently using a Teton Sports Celsius XL 36" wide bag that I purchased from Amazon Warehouse last year for only $41. I chose it for the extra width (most single bags are only 27" and this one lets me roll over without rolling the bag with me). While not an expensive top-of-the-line bag, it served me well on a month-long overlanding trip last winter and several 8-10 days trips since. Its a bit warm for mid-summer nights, but great in cool to cold weather.
 
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Haven’t tried cold. Needed fans for the 90 degree Moab nights.

I thought there was diesel heaters or something people run in their annex to warm things up.
 
Very cool setup. I agree, I think a sleeping bag will be much easier than a comforter. There’s just something about sleeping outdoors in a sleeping bag.
 
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I was thinking of looking into the heater... might be the smart thing to do.

The queen size bag might work. I'm just tired of using bags. Zippers and having them bunch up are just a PITA. Trying to "elevate" my camping experience in more ways than just the RTT. ;)
 
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APSMILE Luxurious All Seasons European Goose Down Comforter Full/Queen Size Duvet Insert - Ultra-Soft Egyptian Cotton, 47 Oz 750 Fill Power Fluffy Medium Warmth, Solid White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MKDFBTG/?tag=wranglerorg-20

with a cover you would be able to take it out and wash it to so you don’t have to worry about stains.
 
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At least with a sleeping bag or backpacking quilt you get temp ratings. There are levels. The degree the bag is rated for to keep u simply alive (the advertised temp. Which means cold as f×÷$!). And the next rating which is sleeping comfortably. Not all bags report the same stats tho. Id look for something from Kelty. They are budget. But get great reviews.

I wanted to be comfortably warm at 15F. So i bought a 0F bag. You may even have to go colder to achieve what you want.

Go here for better reviews of bags and down quilts:

www.outdoorgearlab.com

There is also the Buddy heater i think its called. I would google rtt heater. There are safe ones.
 
I don't have any experience with RTT's, but do have a lot of experience with cold weather camping....Every bit as important as your top cover whether it be a sleeping bag or down comforter is your insulation between you and the ground , or in your case, the roof of your vehicle and air gap between that and whatever your pad is in your RTT. What do you use as a pad in your tent? Any insulation your sleeping bag may offer on the bottom is nullified by your body weight compressing it. Most Winter backpacking ground pads have an "R" rating of 3.5-4 give or take and that's not extreme cold weather, most people would be comfortable on a pad with that rating down to about 20 deg F. After that, there are other options such as doubling up a foam pad (ie. yoga type pad) with their backpacking pad. One other thing to consider is moisture.....In cold weather, the last thing you want to do is introduce moisture into your sleeping system. One overlooked area is the perspiration in your clothing....your socks may not feel damp, but they do have moisture in them from wearing them all day.....If you don't change them before getting into your bag, you will wake up with freezing feet (or other cold areas)! Before I hit my bag in the dead of Winter, I strip out of my damp underclothes and into some dry....makes for a much more comfortable sleep. I do a lot of hammock camping and have a specially designed down "under quilt" that hangs outside of my hammock so it isn't compressed by my bodyweight and insulates me from the cold air below my hammock. I have utilized this set up with an appropriate sleeping bag in temp.s down to -20 deg F quite comfortably.

Mike
 
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Jatfomike said:
I don't have any experience with RTT's, but do have a lot of experience with cold weather camping....Every bit as important as your top cover whether it be a sleeping bag or down comforter is your insulation between you and the ground , or in your case, the roof of your vehicle and air gap between that and whatever your pad is in your RTT. What do you use as a pad in your tent? Any insulation your sleeping bag may offer on the bottom is nullified by your body weight compressing it. Most Winter backpacking ground pads have an "R" rating of 3.5-4 give or take and that's not extreme cold weather, most people would be comfortable on a pad with that rating down to about 20 deg F. After that, there are other options such as doubling up a foam pad (ie. yoga type pad) with their backpacking pad. One other thing to consider is moisture.....In cold weather, the last thing you want to do is introduce moisture into your sleeping system. One overlooked area is the perspiration in your clothing....your socks may not feel damp, but they do have moisture in them from wearing them all day.....If you don't change them before getting into your bag, you will wake up with freezing feet (or other cold areas)! Before I hit my bag in the dead of Winter, I strip out of my damp underclothes and into some dry....makes for a much more comfortable sleep. I do a lot of hammock camping and have a specially designed down "under quilt" that hangs outside of my hammock so it isn't compressed by my bodyweight and insulates me from the cold air below my hammock. I have utilized this set up with an appropriate sleeping bag in temp.s down to -20 deg F quite comfortably.

Mike
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Agreed. I've been camping on a glacier and learned all about the effects of the underside of sleeping "arrangements". A few years back I switched to a hammock/underquilt for that reason... and use my underquilt with my luxurylite cot as well.

Thankfully the bed in the RTT is thick enough that my back was more than warm. I just ordered a diesel heater off Amazon. After watching a bunch of videos, it looks like a pretty slick setup to heat up the whole tent rather than wake up warm with frost on the inside of the tent. hahaha.
 
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Retired dog musher here, so I spent a lot of nights in cold camps. Still love winter camping. Wiggy’s Bags are the only sleeping system I ever recommend to anyone. Lots of options for temperature ratings and styles. I’ve slept in a soaking wet Wiggy’s, I slept on straw atop the snow next to my teams sometimes; but I never, ever slept cold in a Wiggy’s. When I finally grow tired of sleeping on the ground and get motivated to build a trailer, whether it’s got a RTT or it’s a teardrop, it will be outfitted with a Wiggy’s.
 
Wiggys are a great mechanized bag. Like really great. They are synthetic and not down. So they are heavier and bulkier than down. Not recommended for backoacking. But in a jeep? Yes.

Iirc the prices are pretty good too.
 
When I towed around a tent trailer that when opened left the beds hanging out in the wind like a RTT, I found a layer of that silver foil lined bubble wrap (reflectix?) between the mattress and base of the bed made an incredible difference, it seemed a bit silly when first heard it but it worked incredibly well. It worked so well that I cut pieces that would fit between the outer screen windows and the zip up windows and again, incredibly helpful. All these pieces stored under the mattress when the tent was collapsed.

If I remember right, I bought the stuff in rolls at home depot. Cheap and effective.

If you are looking for other ideas, I recommend the tent trailer forums.
 
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