SmittyBilt OVERLAND TENT FOLDED - SB2783

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.

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.

Absolutely love this tent so far! This is really easy and fast (5 min) to setup. Absolutely efficient and the way it opens up makes it already stretch and gives lots of space. I have used it under medium rain and sun in temperature range between 2C to 20C so far. when colder, the tent doesn't sweat too much inside. Offers the possibility to remove the extra layer from the top and multiple openings/windows. Very well ventilated. Pros: Fast and easy setup, spacious, offers a shoe bag that comes with it to keep dirty shoes outside. Very good material that will last (there is more rugged on the market but you have to double the price you pay). You can leave your bedding inside as long as it is a slightly thin sleeping bag on blanket, lots of space for 2 and long enough (I am 6 feet tall and there is at least an extra foot of space when I sleep) Easy to follow instructions (saw other saying the opposite but it was easy and clear to me). Weight does not affect the driving of your vehicle (tried on Ram 1500 and a Rav 4 so far) never noticed a difference on the driving. Cons: the mattress inside is very stiff and thin (by all means I am not complaining about it and I understand you can't have a 5 star mattress here) I found that putting just a 1inch foam mattress on top provided me with a great and comfortable sleep. It is around 140lbs so needs at least 2 people to install and remove if you don't want to keep it permanently on your vehicle (is this really a problem honestly). It is not mentioned in the instruction to put lock tite on the screws that holds the ladder, It came undone after a day of use so I fixed the problem by putting lock tite. (Ho well, as a mechanic I should have known better). Ultimately, I recommend this tent to everyone. I did compare to many others on the market and this one comes to me as the best bang for your $. Others have some advantages (lighter, thinner, more space etc...), other are way behind (poor material, no shoe bag, harder mattress, very expensive, etc...) I am more than satisfied and many other campers wished they would have saved the $ I did by buying the Smittybilt!

Love this tent. Quality is amazing. Super easy to set up. The cover is really durable. This tent makes you feel like you are in a treehouse.

I did a lot of searching before purchasing this roof top tent. We ordered the 56 as it's barely over 100lbs. We have slept in it about 40 times and set it up and packed it up about 30. nothing is falling apart, it survived a couple storms, one day of solid rain and fairly windy. We did add another inch foam mattress after about 20 nights. You can leave most of you blankets inside when folding it up as long as they are tidy and not all bunched up. I prefer the Velcro top over a zipper on top as it's easy to deal with and never had any issues with it. It seems to be very well thought out and we are Incredibly happy with this tent. I feel it is the best bang for the buck out there. If your looking at getting into a rooftop tent this is a fantastic option.

There was some stitching issues on the velcro skirting that holds the thick rubber cover but I made them aware of the problem. They gave a significant refund that will help with the repair. The tent itself is perfect there are no issues with the tent itself. Just the cover. They were very helpful and I would use this merchant again.

Tent arrived about a week later than expected. Install was straight forward (Rubicon with a Gobi rack). Used it 5 times now, and the only issue to report, besides the late arrival, is that the cable for the lights doesn't work. The lights work when plugged into a power bank and I checked the port in the vehicle with other devices, so I am left with the conclusion the cable to run from the lights to inside the vehicle is defective. Otherwise it is perfect for a couple to sleep and the foam padding is decent.