We have come to love roof top tents for the added comfort, cleanliness, and convenience they provide on camping trips. Outdoorsy people tend to enjoy hobbies such as mountain biking, snowboarding, paddle boarding, and kayaking too.
Unfortunately, a roof top tent will eat up most of the real estate on the roof of your vehicle. You’re then left with a precarious situation on how to bring along all the gear you need.
Buying a roof top tent that comes with a load bar system is the best way to bring all the extra gear you need. The X Cover by iKamper, FSR Odyssey, Roofnest Falcon, and the Alu-Cab Gen 3 all have the option to buy a rack system as an upgrade.
We will go more in-depth on the different tent options that will allow you to bring all of your toys on your next camping trip! Price, size, and weight limits are all very important considerations to keep in mind.
Which roof top tents have load bars?
Before we get into which RTTs have load bars, it is important to know what they are if you are unfamiliar. It is essentially another set of crossbars that are mounted to your RTT, acting as another roof rack!
Just about all tents with a load bar will be hardshell with the exception of one due to its unique design. By no means is this a cheap solution, but it is absolutely a feasible one.
X Cover by iKamper
The X Cover is a very innovative tent complemented with a unique design. It is the only softshell style tent that has the load bar option. The crossbars have a load rating of 110 pounds. While that is a fair amount, you may need something that is stronger than that.
However, one thing that is really nice about the X cover is its sleeping capacity of 3-4 people. Since it is a fold-out design tent, it gives you much more sleeping capacity than most hardshell tents.
The crossbars do come with the tent upon purchase, but other mounting accessories for bikes or kayas needs to be bought separately. The important thing to know is that the crossbars are compatible with those additional accessories.
FSR Odyssey
The FSR Odyssey probably one of the best options for hauling gear. Its cargo rack system comes with 4 crossbars and holds up to 250 pounds! This is the perfect RTT rack to mount any piece of equipment you need to bring along.
It does come with a hefty price though. Their cargo rack system is sold separately from the tent and will cost you roughly $700. This is a huge price tag, but if you absolutely need the strength from a rack, it is a worthwhile pick.
The tent is also extremely slim at just 7 inches and the added rack is very sleek as well. I love the look of this tent and the sturdy low profile rack. Free -spirit Recreation is also a fantastic company with a solid line up of tents.
Alu-Cab Gen 3
The Gen 3 is an absolute tank! It weighs roughly 194 pounds and is constructed of aluminum and steel. The durability and features of this tent make it extremely popular and one of the higher-end models you can buy!
While all of those features are great, you’re looking for a tent that has a roof rack attachment. The Alu-Cab Gen 3 delivers on this feature as well the ability to add load bars.
The load bars are sold separately, but with a bit of research, I found they only cost $200-250 depending on the rack strength you need!
This tent sells itself in every way and it will likely last you a lifetime. The reasonably priced load bar system will get the job done for bringing along your kayak, bike, and other gear!
Roofnest Falcon
This company has risen in popularity over the years for its well-valued RTTs. The next tent I buy will likely be the roofnest and this model in particular.
The Falcon is made of an all-aluminum body that weighs just 140 pounds and sits at 7 inches thick when shut. This sleek tent has the upgradable option to buy crossbars separately.
For $250, you can buy a pair of crossbars that can hold up to 100 pounds in gear and accessories! I like this tent so much because I feel it provides the most bang for your buck!
So you don’t want to buy a new roof top tent that can have crossbars on them. What other options are you left with?
Consider adding a trailer
You can pick up an ordinary trailer to haul gear or opt for a fancy overlanding trailer. Either can make it possible to tow all of the gear you need for your future adventures!
What I mean by an ordinary trailer is a used one that you can pick up for a relatively low cost on Facebook marketplace or Craigslist. All of these options will make due!
This is a cheaper solution than a new RTT most likely and would also be a quick fix too!
Another option you can exercise is buying a beautiful overlanding trailer to mount your RTT on. This will clear up space on the roof of your vehicle so you can now mount other accessories in its place.
Overlanding trailers are great for much more than adding some real estate. You can easily take detach the trailer from your daily driver and not worry about removing a super heavy RTT which weighs anywhere from 100-200 pounds.
Storing a RTT is a pain in the butt. Oftentimes, people just leave the RTT on their vehicle year-round which adds wear and tear as well as additional fuel costs.
Wrapping up
If you’re simply looking for a “cheap” fix I would recommend buying a trailer. It will get the job done for towing all the gear you need and you can implement it into your setup almost immediately.
The only drawback to this solution is if you do serious off-roading. Many RTT campers do, and that is where an overlanding trailer will perform much better.
If the idea of towing a trailer sounds horrible to you, sell your current RTT and use that money into buying one with the load bar option. You can even buy a used RTT online which I would highly recommend.
For campers looking to use both their roof top tent, kayak, bikes, snowboards, or any other gear, these solutions are your best bet to solving your problem!