Roof Top Tent

(2020 4runner) I am looking at purchasing a used roof top tent, but the seller is saying that the stock side rails may not be adequate for the weight of the tent. I have looked around and find that the side rails are rated for carrying a max weight of 165#. The tent weight is 175# on its own. But looking thru some other conversations about roof support I have come across some that say you can put up to 300# on the roof without an issue. Can anyone help me confirm the max weight the stock side rails are good for? I know i may need to get other cross bars than what i currently have on it.Thanks

 

You are going to get differing opinions but in my actual experience - yes, the side rails are fine. I ran a Roam which weighed around 100 lb on them with "upgraded" crossbars (Inno square bars and towers) and it was rock solid.





I didn't much like a RTT (my musings on it can be found via search of you really care LOL) so it was short lived, but problem free on those rails.

The guy I sold it to mounted it to the OEM curved crossbars on his truck at time of sale and it didn't appear to disintegrate as he drove away...

 

MeefZah, Thanks for your comment. Yea, i am sure i will get comments on peoples preferences that have nothing to do with my actual question. If i purchase the RTT it will be the 2nd i've owned and a different style all together.

 

Get some LFD cross bars or something similar to what @MeefZah had.

The OEM cross bars aren't great but the side rails are solid.

 

I mounted my first RTT, Tepui Ayer, which weighed at most…100lbs…onto LFD crossbars. I ran this config for a couple of years and hit a ton of trails with it. No issues

 

It’s more that the dynamic rating of the factory bars isn’t much. I have a 230lb tent and got a Sherpa rack, thing is super solid. My factory rails would move with two kayaks on them so it’s all about where you drive, how fast you take turns, and if you need to suddenly stop will the roof rails hold the weight.

 

The weight rating would be secondary concern of mine. Getting into the RTT after a few cocktails and the ensuing 3 a.m. pee is enough to realize an RTT isn't for me.

 

This

 

That’s real easy to say until you have a tent flying off your rig or hanging off of it. The dynamic weight rating is the most important rating you have when it comes to a RTT. Would you use a 5k lb winch to recover a 10k lb rig? No, for obvious reasons.

 

No I wouldn’t. But I think you misinterpreted my response. I’m never using a rtt because I’m not crawling up and down, especially in the middle of the night to pee. Which is frequent as I get older.

Edit to say, for me it’s not being drunk. Just not my gig.

 

No I didn’t. Why comment on a thread asking about a RTT and worried about weight ratings. I wanted to be clear, dynamic weight ratings are the most important and your message give the opposite message and having hidden meanings leads to people getting in bad situations.

 

Yes “secondary concerns” have hidden meanings.

 

Your factory roof rails would move, or your crossbars would move? Because I have never experienced the roof rails moving. OP asking about the rails, not crossbars.

 

The opinion of the RTT boyz back in the day was you should keep a dedicated large mouth Nalgene bottle up there to pee in; keep you from falling off the ladder with ripped up feet at 0'dark thirty.

My thought was that any activity that required me to bottle my own urine probably stopped being fun about the same time I deployed my dick to do so.

 

it was the bars and rails, slight side to side movement. Probably because of the soft washers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My kayaks are heavy and long though. I thought about just getting stronger bars but decided to get a Sherpa Crestone instead.