I enjoy Overlanding with my wife and our two boys, 17 and 10 years old. We are frequent and avid campers. We camp all year round in rain, shine, or sleet .
We needed a tent that holds 600 pounds and has room for four. The tent has to be easily cleaned, quick to set up and put down. In the end, we chose the centori hard shell 4 person rooftop tent. Our tent has held up to hard use, camped under freezing rain, covered with thick snow, howling wind. Not once has the tent leaked, let mosquitoes in, or swayed by the wind and after 2 years, it remains as rock sturdy and noise-free as the day it arrived.
When we are choosing RTTs, we found the Centori’ 4 person hard shell is 7 inches longer inside than most other large hard top tents on the market, and even with the extra size, the tent is still lighter than most of its class. Being hardshell, it really takes away and eases the setup, pack up time, and the highway buffeting / wind noise.
We spent many starry nights in this tent, and also many rainy nights. Whether in the high-speed rest stations or in the national parks, every night in this tent is unforgettable.
This rain pole really work when you sleeping in a heavy rain weather, 2 secend, done!
The only complaint I have for our RTT is that it is a real hassle to go out and do your business on a cold winter night. On that note, for hot summer nights, we stick a window fan next to the mosquito netting for ventilation. Although a portable AC could be a welcoming change.
if we are diligent and bring a portable AC, it will be much better, but we have been dragging on this project, Here is some other FJ user AC project
This Texas_TV's Centori Roof Top Tent A/C project is very practical and highly recommended.
As for our roof rack, the OEM Toyota fj cruiser roof rack holds fantastic for $180. The tent fits the roof rack perfectly without any modification to mounts and after 2 years of hard use, there is no sign of wear, compare to our other experience with 1.5k roof rack, we still felt this FJ cruiser's roof rack is the best for Rooftop Tent.
Our FJ cruiser has been a reliable and capable workhorse that have no trouble hauling us up any terrain it encounters. Although, for family use, its lacking space for 4 adults. A 4 runner or a lexus gx would be a better option. The FJ has also been an old and discontinued vehicle, so if you want the newest systems, you have to look aftermarket. Although many common components like roof rack is easily found and could have for cheap.
By George