The Smittybilt tent on the left was my first tent I picked up for $500. I sold it to my buddy and bought another friend's 23 Zero tent after he finished his trailer build. I used to wheel our old 2013 JKU and used a ground tent. I even tried to sleep in the back of the JKU, but it wasn't a comfortable fit. Once I decided to sell the JKU and use the money to service the TJ, I stumbled into the Smittybilt. I really enjoyed it. The 23 Zero is a higher quality product, but If I still had the Smittybilt I would be perfectly happy. I was Jeepless for one of our monthly trips and I rode passenger with my buddy and slept in my ground tent. Great weekend and had no problems. There are pros and cons to each setup. Yes, it would be nice to not have to close up the tent every morning, but it doesn't honestly take but a few minutes. My buddy built his trailer and moved the tent off his Jeep onto the trailer. So far his TJ has had no problems towing that setup at highway speeds and all over some very rough terrain. His worry is leaving it at a dispersed campsite in the middle of the woods and it not be there when we return.
I ran a soft top for the first year and a half. I have not noticed a difference in tent noise between the two tops.
I am using a light duty rack and have finally come up with an easy way to strengthen the crossbars. The rack itself does a great job with the tent up there.
Calculate your weight and then take a hard look at your suspension setup. Don't forget braking power either.
I just installed Fox remote reservoir adjustable shocks and I think they have taken care of al the extra weight on these trips.
I have been off camber quite a good bit. If you keep your rig low, you shouldn't have any problems as long as you keep your wits about you.
Sorry for the long response, but I've been living with this setup for three years now and have learned a lot.
I ran a soft top for the first year and a half. I have not noticed a difference in tent noise between the two tops.
I am using a light duty rack and have finally come up with an easy way to strengthen the crossbars. The rack itself does a great job with the tent up there.
Calculate your weight and then take a hard look at your suspension setup. Don't forget braking power either.
I just installed Fox remote reservoir adjustable shocks and I think they have taken care of al the extra weight on these trips.
I have been off camber quite a good bit. If you keep your rig low, you shouldn't have any problems as long as you keep your wits about you.
Sorry for the long response, but I've been living with this setup for three years now and have learned a lot.
I have an RTT mounted to a trailer I built. We have a tear drop trailer too but this how I camp most often when I'm on my own. I enjoy it but at my age (71) it's days are numbered. It will be replaced with another tear drop trailer that I'm building.
We also went the RTT on a trailer route. Ours is a Go Fast Campers tent on a Dinoot trailer we built. Been satisfied with everything but the price. Pretty sure the trailer + tent is worth more than the jeep now.
I definitely see there are pros and cons to car mounted vs trailer mounted. I almost always have a copilot on my long trips and the extra storage space of the trailer gets used. Also having the roof rack for extra storage has been useful a few times in the past.
And as a plus, you can string your buddy's hammock between the jeep and trailer if there aren't any trees handy.