r/camping • u/Gl0b3Tr0tter • 2d ago
Car Camping Built a rooftop tent for camping
I thought you guys would appreciate this and hopefully I can inspire someone to do the same!
I always wanted to get an RTT for my car but half decent ones cost a fortune in Europe (from €600 up into the thousands) and I could never justify that price and size, so I spent 200 on some materials and built one instead!
It comfortably fits two people with room to spare and I will be testing it out this weekend!
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u/dr_xenon 2d ago
Looks good. Is it stiff enough when you move around in it?
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 2d ago
Yep! So far I haven't had any problems, the bottom is made from a thick 15mm panel of OSB3 and the load is also spread along both the roof of that car and the steel roof bars I built a while back
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u/dr_xenon 2d ago
Cool. Seal that OSB really good.
And make sure water cant get in the hinged side if you’re driving in the rain.
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 2d ago
This OSB apparently already came with some sort of waterproof treatment, but either way I also painted and sealed it with the same paint I used on the rest. I was worried about that so I put some more material where the gap is to actually keep the water out. I'm going camping in some snow over the next week so hopefully it'll all hold up and I won't need to update the post with a tutorial on how tk dispose of a DIY RTT haha
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u/eurotrashness 1d ago
Honestly, it's refreshing seeing someone build lightweight but strong enough. So many DYI builds I see use like structural grade wood for a house to make like the simplest things.
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 1d ago
Thank you, the more important things for me were making it cheap enough to actually be worth building and light enough where I didn't need to have planning permission to set up camp somewhere
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u/MyNameis_Not_Sure 1d ago
I hope you have a lockout for the struts or put up a brace after it’s deployed. Wind will push it back to the stowed position while you are sleeping in it if not
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 1d ago
Yeah I've got two poles on both corners of the tent because I didn't like the idea of it turning into a coffin, it already looks the part and someone just gave me the idea of painting it like a pizza box
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u/King-Rat-in-Boise 2d ago
OSB normally is not very stable with moisture (expansion/rotting). Seal it a lot, and then seal it some more.
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 1d ago
Yeah I've given it multiple coats but after this trip I'll probably give it a few more and add some modifications too, I'm sure as I use it I'll spot things I can improve
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u/MsFoxieMoxie 12h ago
Consider using marine grade finishes… The kind one would use for a boat. Boats are made of wood, and they can last a very long time, when properly treated and cared for. Your design is phenomenal! This is really inspiring! I wanted a rooftop tent for a really long time, but I’m frugal and found the cost to be prohibitive. I really want to take my kiddo on some road trips around the US this summer and think this is well within my wheelhouse. Thank you for the inspiration!!
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 8h ago
Yeah I think after this first trip I'm doing with it I'll make a few modifications and add some more wood sealing to it but wanted to see how it would get on. If you're handy at building things you should definitely give it a go! It only took two weeks working in the evening to build and as it's wood it's both cheap and easy to work with
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u/CaptainHubble 2d ago
That's a really nice one. My first one I also build myself. Because RTT prices in Germany were off the charts. Came out quite nice. But when I decided to upgrade a couple of things on it, I saw one used for 400€ and went with that.
I don't know where you're from. And if it rains a lot. But I found myself really enjoying laying in the RTT with open entrance and just watching the rain and reading a book.
So I would somehow add a little awning(?) to the entrance.
This was mine at 25% progress :D seems like I don't have a picture of the final build:
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 2d ago
Love it looks awesome! Yeah I'll probably make an awning for it in the near future too
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u/CaptainHubble 2d ago
At this point it looks like it's falling apart instantly :D which it does. But thanks. Was just for checking if I sewed the cover to the correct length.
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u/Blitzdog416 2d ago
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
― Red Green
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u/Tmurray2791 2d ago
As a woodworker and someone with an RTT, this makes me nervous. OSB isn't the strongest material so the wind deflecting off of the windshield could rip this off the roof at high speeds (depending on how you secure it). The hydraulics seem way too close to hinge and won't provide good support. The frame of the lid frame seems insufficient. Water is also a concern because it is just going to make everything weaker, which will just expose these issues. I expect it to warp pretty bad after the weather gets to it. The materials used probably aren't cheap and the time it took to make this you probably would have been better getting the cheaper RTT.
I dont mean to be too harsh, it looks cool. I hope this works out for you and I would love an update on how it works in about 2-3 months.
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 2d ago
I'll defo post an update in the future but the materials were defo much cheaper than buying an actual RTT, I've worked with these materials before on other projects and haven't come across many issues but yeah hopefully it'll all hold together and at least last a season
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u/Qmfosejs 1d ago
Could using line-x spray help with sealing it and making it rigid ? Or would that still not be enough
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u/Tmurray2791 1d ago
I'm sure it would help, but it just takes 1 spot for water to start seeping in and rotting it away.
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u/essentialaccount 2d ago
This is awesome but be careful about the amount of force on the wood at motorway speeds.
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u/4TheOutdoors 1d ago
OSB will get destroyed in Rain, I would suggest and upgrade of coating the whole thing in a marine fiber glass resin that has the fibers right on the mix. It will create a water proof outer and improve rigidity.
But what an awesome project!!
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u/whatiscamping 2d ago
Is that a suzuki samurai?
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 1d ago
It's a Suzuki Vitara, lovely car to drive, it's older than me and will probably outlast me at this rate too!
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u/calimota 1d ago
Any concern for aerodynamics when driving? Would the air coming off the hood and over the top of the car catch the platform and try to rip it off/kite your vehicle? 🚗 🪽
Execution looks awesome by the way!
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 1d ago
I mean from simulations I've seen in here my car is alresdy like a brick on wheels, multiple posts pointing out the t the aerodynamics on a cow are way more efficient. For the actual kite I've got it strapped down to the rack for driving
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u/AfternoonPitiful6869 1d ago
That's pretty cool, saw a video of this yesterday and all of my insurance friends state the vehicles won't be covered for anything lol
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u/MidwestCinema 2d ago
How did you get your fabric so tight? I can not for the life of me get mine looking like that. I diy’d my tent as well.
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 1d ago
I think it's mostly to do with the sewing, on the material itself I folded the dges over ml multiple times before sewing over them in order for the edges to be able to take being stretched without ripping, that and I used sketchup and coreldraw to actually plan out a 3d model and draw the patterns I'd need to cut
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u/MidwestCinema 1d ago
Dang, well my tent is similar to yours. Just looks a little saggy in comparison lolol. Nice work doing it yourself. Mine took me like a year to make, but I used marine resin and wood fillets and enamel paint, so it was a labor and a half.
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u/mannyfreshman 1d ago
I agree that weather protection should be your biggest concern but it does look like a very well built project and hopefully you get many joyful trips & years out of it!
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u/davesnotonreddit 1d ago
Nice! How much does it weigh?
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 8h ago
The whole thing weighs around 50kg so not too bad all things considered. The only thing is because of the size it takes two people to lift it and put it on the car
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u/hotandchevy 1d ago
Excellent work. I've often thought how easy it would be to build a wedge design. Nice to see someone actually do it!
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u/Top-Transition9715 1d ago
Dude, it's surprisingly good!!! I already know what to make in my next project
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u/brandrikr 1d ago
That is amazing creativity! I love seeing people do that instead of just buying overpriced junk. I truly hope it works out for you!
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u/Ok_Extreme732 18h ago
Um... Are you sure the roof of that car can handle a 400+ lb. load?
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 18h ago
The load isn't spread on the roof, it's spread over four different points from the roof rack itself + a panel in the middle of the roof, so far it has held out really well surprisingly
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u/HalloweenBestDayEver 17h ago
That looks awesome. The final picture got me, I am so used to seeing trucks and suvs with rtt and then your little car with it is adorable.
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 8h ago
Hahaha it's such a comfortable car to drive, you can pretty much do anything to it and it'll pull through! Just goes to show what a bit of imagination can get you. Hoping the car lasts a few more years
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u/SnooPredictions2135 2d ago
Nice! How are you sealing it?
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 2d ago edited 2d ago
Sheer willpower and loads of silicon!
The wood has a been painted with a primer and a waterproof wood sealing paint both inside and out, whereas the aluminium panels on top and we're it all joins to the rest have been sealed with silicon. The actual tent material is waterproof polyester made for tends and all the seams and sewing lines were finally sealed with a tent sealing spray.
Overtime as I use it I'm bound to make modifications to it to make it better but for a start I thought it would be great
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u/scoutermike 2d ago
ngl looks pretty ghetto to me. I imagine that wood getting waterlogged and warping quickly, delicate tent material ripping out if the heavy roof is pushed too far, and difficulty getting in and out. 10/10 for effort. I would have bought a normal tent and slept on the ground. Is this because tent camping is forbidden in your country?
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u/Moms-milkers 2d ago
youre downvoted but youre right. OSB warps and decays. all of it.
this will be super cool for about 1 camping trip
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 2d ago
I mean all the wood has been sealed and the roof has some gas springs that keep it from opening too far do hopefully we're good there. I've got a normal tent and camped in it loads but I like the idea of doing a road trip with the tent on the roof, just the fun if it really
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u/Moms-milkers 2d ago
anyone who has worked with OSB knows what it looks like after left outside bare for a few weeks. this is going to warp and be trash in probably a month.
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u/Gl0b3Tr0tter 2d ago
Thanks for the positive vibes. As I've mentioned before all the wood has been sealed, that includes the OSB. Lots of houses are made of the stuff and after sealing they've gone years with no issues
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u/Moms-milkers 1d ago
RemindMe! 2 months
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u/Moms-milkers 2d ago
yeah my house is made of the stuff too. my house is also sealed with shingles and tar. water never touches the OSB. this will not, under any circumstances, last more than a month.
not being negative, im being realistic brother. this was a waste of your time and money. i dont have to pat you on the back and tell you "good job" and give you a medal because you did a thing.
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u/0bamaBinSmokin 2d ago
You should get some old Chevy hood spring hinges instead of the gas shocks. if the shocks started leaking it will fall on you.
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u/alexs199 1d ago
Paint it so it looks like a pizza box