Smittybilt Overland Gen 2 XL Rooftop Tent

After getting the truck, the next step was the rack and rooftop tent. After a lot of research, we chose the Smittybilt Overland GEN2 XL Tent and annex. We felt that it provided the most space and durability for the price. We added the annex thinking that it would be a good place for us to put sleep pads down for the kids.

Smittybilt Overland GEN2 XL Tent

The rooftop tent has really changed our way of camping in that we can stop almost anywhere and spend the night. It takes Smalls about 5 min to set up and less than 10 to take down. He did replace the D ring Velcro straps with buckles and that makes it much easier. It also allows us to leave the down mattress topper and quilts in the tent to save us storage. The blowup camping pillows have been great as well. They are so quick and easy to inflate and deflate.

https://thehappystrappy.com

Gold Armour Inflatable Camping Pillows

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We have not used the annex yet. Storage in the truck is at a premium and the annex is bulky. Also, our trips up to this point have been wet and we don’t want mud tracked inside.

The XL mattress is bigger than a king so we have been unable to find a sheet large enough.

If we had to do it again, I don’t think we really need the xl because we don’t let the kids sleep in there.

Also, if we waited and saved a bit, the hard top tents are so much easier and more compact.

In the winter months, we have been using the Mr. Buddy heater to stay warm. Let me say, up to 3 minutes with the heater on will keep you warm for hours. Any longer than that and it is hard to breathe.

In the summer months, we have been using a little clip battery powered fan. It has been perfect. We bought the Arctic Air Pure Chill which is an electric space cooler. We have not used it yet. We really haven’t been camping anywhere this summer that has been hot enough to require it. Typically, the lows have been in the 60’s at night. I think if we were staying on the beach or somewhere in direct sun–it would be a different story.

The LED strip light that is in the tent is quite intense so we intend to replace it with something that will not attract bugs. I must say though, when all the windows are closed, it is virtually black out quality.

The tent is showing some wear and tear around the edges where it attaches to the base. I’m not sure how long the tent will last in the long run, but we are enjoying it.