SmittyBilt OVERLAND TENT FOLDED - SB2783

I’ll start from the beginning. I’ve never slept in a RTT, or even been in one. I was sent a YouTube about RTT’s and saw nothing but freedom to camp where ever my 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee can park. I’m a single guy so I was looking for a RTT that will sleep two, and a 40lbs pup. After watching/reading many RTT reviews I pulled the trigger on the Smittybilt Overlander. The RTT arrived on time as promised by Amazon. RTT was well crated and free of any damage. I’m an impatient guy so I had to install it immediately. I have read reviews that say the initial install was very difficult, I’m not sure what they are talking about. Crate had all pieces packaged well with instructions. (Instructions could be slightly better worded but there’s NO reason to be critical about them, if you can read English you can figure it out.) I chose to side mount my RTT as I want my tailgate to fully open. Installing the aluminum tracks was was very easy! Prior to a RTT consideration I purchased sturdy cross mounts for the Jeep in anticipation I would put something on the roof. My cross mounts are wider (3.5”) and I had concern the clamps would not fit, they clamped fine. As I am an impatient guy I loaded the RTT on the roof by myself. I’m 6’3” and have a lot of experience lifting heavy construction material. I was able to heave the 116lbs RTT on to the rack with no problem. However, if I had help I would have used it. I do not recommend doing this on your own. Once on the roof I measured and positioned the RTT for center and balance. It took me about 2 hours to uncrate and securely mount the RTT on my roof, that’s all. Because I’m an impatient guy I needed to try it out on the first night. I didn’t care if the low for the evening was going to be 32°F. I unfolded the RTT in my driveway (pics provided) and set it up. It was so easy, I still can’t believe how easy it is! The rain fly and awning rods are easy to install (I’m going to buy extra rods because I have a feeling I will lose one or two, it’s the kinda thing I do). The ladder is sturdy. I weigh 235lbs and I trust it completely. It took me about 15 minutes to have the RTT set up the first time for camping (I’m being generous). The first night was chilly, it frosted. I brought a small ceramic heater into the RTT but never used it. The RTT fabric is thick and seals up tight, I can tell it will be durable. I did not feel any drafts. The foam padding is a great insulator, the thickness and density is comfortable, much better than a sleeping pad on uneven ground. The LED strip is plenty of light for whatever you may want to do. I also hooked up my phone to charge it and listen to some tunes at the same time. Even tho it was a chilly night I slept great! Packing it up was just as easy as unpacking. I honestly can’t believe how easy it is. Weather was coming early in the morning and I did not want to pack it up soaking wet. With my headlamp on I folded the RTT and had it covered in about 10 minutes (again, this was my first time and I was alone). The cover is durable and seals up great. I haven’t been on the road with it. But experiencing the durability and craftsmanship of the RTT I have no reason to think there’ll be any issues with the cover. Naturally, like all camping gear, this will require maintenance and care. I have no worries this RTT will last me many, many seasons. All in all I give this RTT 5 stars right out of the gate. The RTT was delivered on time, install was simple and setup was easy. The construction is sturdy and durable and I cannot find any flaws in the craftsmanship. I’m actually surprised this RTT costs what it does. It’s a steal of a deal. My only regret is I did not purchase this RTT years ago. Adventure waits, and this RTT will make it so much easier to experience life outdoors. I cannot wait for warmer months! P.S. - This an honest review. I have never had any contact with anyone in regard to my review. Because this is such a positive review (I’m actually impressed) I feel it necessary to disclose my honesty. Please feel reach out with questions.

I don’t like to recommend anything until I’ve tested it, but after the thunderstorm we went through Saturday night I feel like I can weigh in a little early on this one. In short, if you are considering a roof top tent (RTT) then the Smittybuilt RTT is a fantastic tent at a reasonable price. Just after dark Saturday night a big ole red cell formed on the radar and just sat right on top of us and dumped nearly 2” of rain in the next 2 hours along with some significant winds. Since it was so early in the evening and we weren’t ready to go to bed yet, we just moved our chairs into the bottom “annex” room, ate our supper and had a few beers while watching the lightning flash outside. Later on when it slacked up a little, we crawled on up in the tent and called it a night. Not a drop of water in the tent and even with the strong winds everything stood strong. It’s hard to find a tent that is truly waterproof, but this one did very well and we slept like babies, high and dry. The only 2 areas I’ve seen that need to be improved after spending almost a solid week sleeping in this tent are: 1 - Needs a little thicker memory foam mattress. It has a 3” mattress, but I can still feel the hard floor of the tent slightly when I’m on my side. I’m going to add another 1.5” memory foam pad underneath it or maybe even a thin air mattress. I think that either will solve the problem and won’t effect the setup and storage in anyway. 2 - The ground stakes for the annex are junk. I’ll go buy some heavier duty stakes to replace them. In summary: Well made, easy to set up, lots of features and user friendly.

Purchased 2018 Smittybilt, I award you 5-stars for this. Wow, truly shocked by the build quality of the Overlander I took out of the box. This is very heavy duty and durable, near equal in construction design and materials that I might expect to see in a pop-up tent trailer without the trailer part. Lots of room inside. My 6’ 2” friend was shocked that he could fit with inches to spare. First use it dumped rain from 10pm till 8am, hard, fast rain; plus a good bit of wind out near La Push, WA. Handled it with no issue. I have it mounted on my Subaru Outback with Yakima Crossbars and I have no doubt in its stability up on my roof; either when driving at 60mph or sleeping/hanging out with my girlfriend, now wife, inside. This thing gives great room to the occupants, I’m just under 6 feet and can sit fully up with a straight back and my head clear of the tent ceiling. Worth 5-stars? Yes from me. Material of tent fabric is about tent trailer next level, good. Not able to mount without help, but that is easily solved. It is 116lbs. (Not a complaint or a recommendation to use lesser quality to save weight.). Good as is. I have not noticed much loss in fuel econ to the point of near moot in distance per tank, which I am pleasantly suprised by. This was worth the $$ as compared to others like CVT, Yakima, etc. Nicely done Smittybilt! :) Update: 2023 I have now had this tent since 2018, and as of 2023, it has done 80,000+ miles in sun, rain, snow and sand. It has never failed, it has weathered it all. Truth be told, I am always sad to pull it down after the season has ended. But when it sits in the garage, I sit on Google Earth looking for the next place to go with it. I have never doubted it, and it has definitely paid back its value in great overlanding adventures.

We have used ours 3 times and absolutely love it!!! 2019 Subaru Crosstrek using a heavy duty aluminum aftermarket crossbar (locking type) We tried the OEM style aero crossbars which caused 2 issues: 1. Low clearance for installation which made for some frustrating installation moments) 2. Too much flex (when climbing in and out or moving around inside the RTT) Once installed we placed a 1 “ memory foam topper on the included mattress (otherwise you’ll be a little sore on the hips, elbows, etc). We leave our sleeping bags / blankets inside when we stow it. Takes 2 people to place on the roof manually, I’m building a crank lift for easier install. But, with my wife’s help for balance, it’s very easy. I could probably do it myself (it’s only 124lbs), but it’s Large & a little awkward, don’t want to damage the new Subie! Once installed it’s very easy to put the cover on / off. Deploying the tent and rain fly poles literally takes 2 minutes! Closing and stowing takes less than 5 min. Very comfy and warm. We’ve camped in overnight temps of 30 and 40 degrees, with our Heater-Buddy propane heater. Which was on for about 5 min (with proper ventilation and safety space) I’m 6’4” and about 230 and I fit fine. Wife is much smaller. Very comfy. The LED light (included) is amazing! I’ve called Smittybilt 2 times for questions about the roof rails. Looong wait time. Also, they were not able to answer the crucial roof rail questions. All cars are rated for a max dynamic roof weight of 150lbs (stability and safe turning). Sturdy roof rails are key! Preferably, I’d like to add a 3rd roof rail for weight distribution over the long term. The ladder is a shining spot. It’s nice and wide and safe for those late night restroom trips. The taller clearance roof rail you use, the easier it is to install. I actually leave the rails attached to the RTT when I remove it. It will cause some wind resistance and gas mileage decrease. All said, this is one of the coolest investments in our happiness that we’ve ever made! The tent is very thick, sturdy & well made. The zippers are tough & don’t snag. The rain fly poles are very easy. (If you’re under 6’, you might want to take a small step stool - like my short wife 🤣) to assist with deploying / stowing the RTT. We’ve learned a lot in a short time, thanks to the RTT community. Hope this helps! We can be contacted for further questions on Instagram at Overlander_minney_treehouse. -Joe

Just came back from my first overnight trip. I'm 5' 10", but need a three step ladder to get cover off tent & fitted back on. My 2003 Land Rover Dicovery roof sits fairly high up. Added a 2" thick memory foam to the 2" pad that came with tent, made for a very comfortable sleep. Even with bungee cords in place three sides don't pull inward enough & the loose tent folds are difficult to shove into folded tent so the cover goes back on easily. Need to take care when putting cover back on as sharp corners of tent floor frame can poke a hole in cover. Velcro holds cover tightly with no ballooning at highway speeds of 70 mph. Ladder can be challenging when folding tent as it has a tendency to slide & lock as you use it to leverage the tent over. However, the ladder is sticking over side of vehicle & you have to get locking pins released so ladder slides into final closed length to fit cover back on. Realize there is a learning curve & it will hopefully get easier & faster to unfold & refold over time. Holes for canopy support rods could have been drilled better to remove rough holes. I reamed out ladder holes a slight amount larger to allow locking pins to align easier & slide in without having to jiggle ladder up & down and side to side. For the price of $718.00 that I paid for it I am happy with the quality. Used 2 bike cables over tent on each side of ladder & one cable over top of cover to help slow down thieves.

Where to start. I love this tent. It is built with quality material and parts, saves on weight compared to similar RTTs, and manages not to skimp on strength. Windows, screens, canvas, zippers, rain fly, poles, platform, hardware, mattress, mattress cover, and PVC cover have all held up in practically new condition in over the thousands of miles and literal weeks I have spent sleeping in this thing. (road trip form FL to AK, hunting trip in the arctic circle, dispersed camping on forest service roads, car camping at KOAs along the way.) I have this tent mounted on KB voodoo bed bars on a Toyota Tacoma, and had to drill additional holes in the ladder since it was lower to the ground over the truck bed. Positives: Roomy, sturdy, fairly easy use, comfy, light (relatively) Negatives: Ladder (tight tolerances make it hard to slide if dirty, had to drill additional holes), heavy canvas doesn't breath, in cold weather you will get massive amounts of condensation inside if a window or two isn't zipped partially open. D loop straps (take too long to deal with, velcro wears out) My suggestion: Buy this tent if you're in the market for a RTT. Then, buy a length of webbing straps and plastic buckles for $10 and replace the D loops and stock straps with wider webbing and plastic backpacking style buckles. You will thank me for that one, and it is a super cheap and easy mod (only need scissors and a phillips screwdriver.) In cold temperatures where you need to pack up the tent and keep driving in the AM, always leave 2 windows cracked for venting out moisture. Otherwise you'll need to towel dry the inside of the waxed canvas to get it dry enough to comfortably put away for the next night (and avoid mold if it is going into longterm storage). Despite my need for suggestions, and 3 negatives, I still give this tent a 5 star review because I love it and it is holding up great.

I bought the Smittybilt Overlander tent to get a start in to overland camping. As a veteran, with multiple forward deployments, I'm a tad familiar with camping and wanted to try some vehicle based camping. I've seen a lot of the world, and figured maybe it's time to see some more of the country I actually live in. The ordering process is simple... well, it's Amazon, so how hard can it be. I ordered the tent while I was on lunch break on a Monday, and it showed up at my house before lunch on Tuesday. I've had groceries take longer to arrive. Amazingly quick delivery. Both the seller and freight company contacted me to keep me informed of the process, and I could not be more happy with the service. The tent itself is sturdy, roomy and made very well with very durable material. I love, LOVE, this thing and I'm looking forward to some longer term camps. If you're on the fence about getting one of these, jump off and do it. You won't be disappointed. I'm not. Just a few teeny tiny issues, not even big enough to warrant a reduction in stars.... When I opened the tent, there were a few small white mold spots on the mattress. The packaging wasn't terribly well sealed. It would take no more than a quick wrap of the tent before it goes into a box and that wouldn't be an issue. It was probably stored in a place with a little humidity. It's no biggie for me. I washed it and it's good to go. It's not black mold, so I'm not going to be patient zero for some new megavirus or anything. straps. Could do with a couple of straps to hold the cover on. I'm not as trusting in the velcro as Smittybilt is. Aside from those minor things, completely perfect item. Note: Use 2 people to install this thing. It's doable solo, I did it, but I wouldn't recommend it. I'm going to need a weekend to recover from installing it.

So back story to this purchase, I work in the off road industry and smittybilt gets an undeserved rough reputation within certain groups. Luckily, I love TrailRecon and actually made my decision largely due to him, so if you're looking for an in depth review, he hits every point good and bad. Anyways, I love this tent. There is more than enough room for me and my girlfriend, Super easy setup and teardown, and the quality feels amazing regardless of some people's opinion. Now, is it the "nicest" or "best" roof top tent out there? No, but, for my needs and wants, it is perfect for me. Price is amazing for what you get over other soft shell tents. I've used this 3 times in the month i have owned it and all I want to do is go out again and again. Here's just a short and quick list of pros and cons for those who are interested: Pros: Price is amazing for what you are getting. The quality is way above average; especially against soft shells that cost thousands more Quick and easy set up and teardown Velcro cover; many soft shell RTT have a zipper and they always get dirty and clogged Lots of space Very light weight Easy mounting Great ventilation Really good in rain, absolutely no leaks. Waiting to see when snow comes. Cons: That ladder... Probably going to change it for a telescoping ladder because wow, it's bad The mattress; while it's not horrible, if you are side sleeper, you are going to want to add a foam layer (i did and it is perfect now) or just replace it with a different mattress. The rain fly poles are very durable, but can sometimes be a pain to put in place. Only struggled once and in defense for the tent, I was setting it up during a rain storm so it was a bit more of a struggle Like I said, I absolutely love this tent and have already convinced one of my good friends to buy one. Don't just focus on some people's gripe with smittybilt, this is a really nice tent. Check out TrailRecon's video on it, he does a great job going through the tent and his likes and dislikes. I would definitely buy this tent again if I went back in time.