Camping

[jsnmrd]

I don't know if this has been brought up before but I would like to get some insight regarding camping gears. Specifically, a rooftop tent. Will it hold the tent along with a family of four, two adults and two kids. I know the rooftop itself has a certain weight limit but if the tent is fitted on the racks, does that give you more weight limit?

Also, has anyone tried an inflatable bed inside the Telluride when all the seats are down? A twin CouchBed perhaps?

Lastly, bike racks! Any preferred brand that attaches behind the car on the hitch preferably.

 

[Lucas & Craig]

I don't know if this has been brought up before but I would like to get some insight regarding camping gears. Specifically, a rooftop tent. Will it hold the tent along with a family of four, two adults and two kids. I know the rooftop itself has a certain weight limit but if the tent is fitted on the racks, does that give you more weight limit?

Also, has anyone tried an inflatable bed inside the Telluride when all the seats are down? A twin CouchBed perhaps?

Lastly, bike racks! Any preferred brand that attaches behind the car on the hitch preferably.

I have a rooftop tent however it's designed for 2 people and it's attached to a Tacoma. To me 4 people is pushing it. You can find some large tents however they might be too big on the Telluride. You'd be better off buying a 2 person tent with a room that attaches to it by zipper and sits on the ground. Lot more space this way and you don't have 4 people fighting. I have a hitch mounted Thule rack that I really like. Holds 2 bikes.

 

[jsnmrd]

I have a rooftop tent however it's designed for 2 people and it's attached to a Tacoma. To me 4 people is pushing it. You can find some large tents however they might be too big on the Telluride. You'd be better off buying a 2 person tent with a room that attaches to it by zipper and sits on the ground. Lot more space this way and you don't have 4 people fighting. I have a hitch mounted Thule rack that I really like. Holds 2 bikes.

How about the weight limit? I know you aren't actually lying down on the roof and in a sense the weight is on the frame themselves. Does that significantly increase the limit?

 

[Lucas & Craig]

How about the weight limit? I know you aren't actually lying down on the roof and in a sense the weight is on the frame themselves. Does that significantly increase the limit?

It's based on how it's spaced. I have a flat roof rack and then have bars spaced with tent on it.

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[jazzyone]

I don't know if this has been brought up before but I would like to get some insight regarding camping gears. Specifically, a rooftop tent. Will it hold the tent along with a family of four, two adults and two kids. I know the rooftop itself has a certain weight limit but if the tent is fitted on the racks, does that give you more weight limit?

Also, has anyone tried an inflatable bed inside the Telluride when all the seats are down? A twin CouchBed perhaps?

Lastly, bike racks! Any preferred brand that attaches behind the car on the hitch preferably.

According to the Telluride owners manual, the roof rack can support up to 220 lbs. A fit family of 4 and gear will easily exceed the max limit.

The better bet would be to place an air mattress in the back. It's pretty roomy, has little gap between seats, and seats fold relatively flat (if you have 2nd row bench seats). One negative is the wheel well hump in the back. It's less than 48", so you'll lose about 12" of width for a mattress.

 

[jsnmrd]

Thanks. I always wonder the limit on those roof top tents. Seems like a better idea than traditional ground tents. Do other suvs have higher weight limit? Like the 4runners, jeeps, etc?

That 220lbs takes into account the weight of the tent too right?

 

[jazzyone]

Thanks. I always wonder the limit on those roof top tents. Seems like a better idea than traditional ground tents. Do other suvs have higher weight limit? Like the 4runners, jeeps, etc?

That 220lbs takes into account the weight of the tent too right?

Yes that would include the tent's weight. The 220 lbs is probably not the static weight, maybe it's higher, but since the manual only specifies 220 lbs max that's what you would have to go with. Otherwise you'll be responsible for any damages. You may want to contact the roof top tent manufacturer to see what they recommend.


EDIT: See here about what "static" and "dynamic" loading is...http://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/blog/2019/01/13/how-to-fit-your-roof-top-tent

BTW, according to this, Roof top tent & roof loading: All you need to know | GentleTent , there aren't that many vehicles rated for 220 lbs (100 kg), at least in Germany. Good to know!

 

[ccorry21]

Yes that would include the tent's weight. The 220 lbs is probably not the static weight, maybe it's higher, but since the manual only specifies 220 lbs max that's what you would have to go with. Otherwise you'll be responsible for any damages. You may want to contact the roof top tent manufacturer to see what they recommend.


EDIT: See here about what "static" and "dynamic" loading is...http://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/blog/2019/01/13/how-to-fit-your-roof-top-tent

BTW, according to this, Roof top tent & roof loading: All you need to know | GentleTent , there aren't that many vehicles rated for 220 lbs (100 kg), at least in Germany. Good to know!

Well, somebody finally posted on this:
Telluride Tent

I imagine, once loaded with people, this far exceeds the 220 lb max distributed weight in the manual. Still interested to know what the static limit is though.

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[stanaka1]

I would say, do both. One parent and one kid in the rooftop and one parent and kid inside the car. Even with the largest 4-person rooftop tent, it'll be tight. With the 2nd row seats down, you'll have about 84 inches in length and about 43 inches between the wheel arches. If you sleep in the car, get something like this: Amazon.com: Shade Sox Universal Car Side Window Baby Sun Shade (2pc) | Protects Baby and Kids from the Sun| Fits All (99%) Cars Most SUV's | Travel ebook included!: Automotive.
It'll allow you to crack open the window for ventilation and keep the bugs out.

 

[critrider]

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[Alohatl]

The Roofnest Condor XL seems an option as 4-person rooftop. I am looking into it and making sure the roof can handle the weight. The Condor flips over to the side of the car, so some of the weight is offloaded to the ladder I think.

 

[pbriand]

My wife and I just returned from a camping trip with our 2021 Telluride. We used the Telluride as the sleeping compartment and an SUV-compatible tent as the living area.

For the inside of the Telluride, I created a raised platform using six heavy duty 5 inch and 4 inch bed risers to a height of 8 inches (four at each corner, two in the middle). That gave me enough clearance over the wheel wells for a half-inch piece of plywood cut to 48 inches wide by 55 inches long. That is wide and deep enough for a full size 3 inch memory foam mattress pad. We slept in a double sleeping bag. The tent from Cabela's (https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/napier-sportz-suv-tent-with-screen-porch-model-84000) attached to the tailgate-raised rear of the SUV. My wife likened it to docking onto the space station.

Overall this worked out quite well. The fact that it was a raised platform in the SUV gave us some storage space. I used seven-inch deep plastic bins with covers from Walmart to store gear and food, etc.

We learned a lot from this first trip. We'll get better at it with our next trip in September.

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