Roof Top Tent... Am I crazy?

It’s too heavy. Just use it with your 4x4 and give your poor Prius a brake.

 

Anything is possible, but I agree with Skibob on this.

 

Prius Tents (neither are roof top)

Napier 86000 - Napier Sportz Dome to Go Tent - FREE SHIPPING!

Habitents Prius Tent For Hatchback Car Camping - Home

 

The inside is perfect for sleeping, but if it's full....
Heads toward the front, on your side curled, don't break the antenna, use a foam roller for 1/2 hour each morning.

 

I guess we are both crazy then because I plan on using a roof top tent on top of my Prius. I currently have it on my 4 runner but the fuel consumption is killing me. Most of my camping trips are just to drivable campsites and I just like the convenience of the tent. Plus it's really nice waking up at a higher elevation.




I've had experience with putting a heavy cargo box on my Prius fully loaded with about 120+ of dynamic load. Since the roof top tent only weights 95 lbs, I don't think it would be a problem while driving. Also for load, most cars are designed to have a roof not collapse under in case of roll over. The stress point loads is on the frame of the Prius and not directly on the roof.



I've done my research and although it's not recommended by manufacturers, many have used the clamp style roof racks for their roof top tent. I specifically have and like the thule brand cause its pretty bulky compared to others.

Check out this video of this company's roof top tent. The fiberglass tents weight close to 200 lbs and they advertises that it works perfectly fine.

Also check out this guys video comparing MPG impacts

Please let me know if you have any updates on this cause I would love to see what others are doing.

 

I wouldn't know why you shouldn't do the roof-top tent on the Prius. Weight shouldn't be a problem, assuming neither of you are sleeping up there while driving! Speed will make even more of a difference with your gas mileage with the roof rack. A number of years ago our family of four did a cross-country trip with our '04 with all the camping gear, including some on the roof (not a roof top tent) and we averaged 50 mpg, but we consciously decided to only drive 60 mph. Your experience may vary.

 

What’s the advantage of using a roof top tent vs a regular tent you set up in the ground?

 

Depends on what sort of critters you're sharing the ground with.

Some rooftop rigs are really fast and easy to set up, but that isn't universal. Most of them come with a large MPG & wind noise penalty on the highway, no matter what they're on top of. Not all stay dry when you drive through rain on your way to the campsite.

 

Overall.. the roof top tent is a definate luxury item that is not needed when camping. But.. most roof top tents have memory foam mattresses, can be set up with one person in a few minutes with minimal effort, and it's just amazing being at a higher elevation and seeing nature.

It makes things easy so you don't have to worry about finding a clean flat ground and is always ready to go when you need it.

 

OMG YES! exactly what I was looking for. I'm glad others have reported great success using the clamp on system. I am also using the same Thule set up as you but on my 3rd gen instead. It's a great roof rack and plenty strong.

Seriously at 38mpg, this is a no brainer for "Glamping"

Thank you for sharing and I'll share my experiences as well.

 

Doesn't this rooftop tent kill your prius gas mileage? Perhaps not as much as your SUV?

 

Herb, he is probably getting "slightly" better mileage than the 6.8 MPG I'm getting with my Prius camping setup.

 

Seems like he used 2.5 gallons more gas on the trip if his mileage stats are correct for the 1000 miles. I wouldn’t call that a deal breaker. Unfortunately my fat behind would bend the roof if I did that.

 

Bob, you'd be surprised how much structure those Thule or Yakima rails add. That setup looks nice though, about half the weight looks too be supported by the ladder.

SM-N950U1 ?

 

Yup... definitely not as much as an SUV. He stated an mpg hit and averaging 38 mpg which is way better than what most SUV's are getting.

Yes the ladder does help hold some of the weight but I wouldn't account it for half the load. It really depends on where your body to resting in the tent. I would say its more of a 25/75 weight distribution.

 

Update: So I just test fitted my Yakima Skyrise on the prius getting ready for the weekend trip. I am gonna drive it around to commute to work for a while to see if there are any issues before the long drive. The load bars seem extra sturdy and had no issues inside. The load bars are extra sturdy and doesn't look like it will budge. Thule rated the brackets to hold up to 110 lbs but the new EVO brackets are rated up to 165 lbs. I think I should be fairly safe with this setup.
Check it out!

 

Hi!

Do you know if your Thule Aeroblade bars (ARB53) fits a 2012 Prius as well? I was looking at those tents too, are they quick to open and close? Do you still recommend it?

Barbara

 

Apologies for the necropost, and I know neither of these users have been online in a year, but I'm hoping maybe they'll see this and give us an update on how these turned out since I'm planning on doing something similar.

@hailmbrian @jjdd