So is the 2005 999T7-FPLT1 hatch tent actually made by nissan?? or did a tent building company partner up and help create it?? Is it a good quality tent?? how is the connection made to vehicle?? should i buy???

Welcome aboard.
I'm going to guess at this and say more than likely Nissan teamed up with a tent company but I could be wrong......

A Tent company makes them. I dont think it's really just for Nissan either. This is the exact same tent that I saw in the accessories for the Armada, Pathfinder, and Quest so I'd bet other auto makers are offering them too.

I looked at it then asked myself "Why?? What's different than an ordinary tent??" Just access to the car is all, so you're paying more (I think it's triple price if I remember) than a regular tent just so that I don't have to take a couple steps outside the tent to get into the car?? Just doesn't seem that much better or worth so much more than any other tent out there IMHO.

i never really saw the need to have the tent connected to the X... now i did see the one that they guy had on top of his X and that was sweet.....

Ahh... u mean this one?

http://www.xterrawolf.com/images/xterra/rooftent.jpg

yes sir that be the one... LOL

thats so cool

Thats one sweet tent! I'm sure its alotta expensive!

Certainly innovative but seems like more hassle than stand alone tent (both the hatch tent and that roof one). Ask me again after I'm trying to pack up a wet & muddy tent in a storm...maybe I'd warm up to the roof one!

Ahh... u mean this one?

http://www.xterrawolf.com/images/xterra/rooftent.jpg

I wonder where he got that or if he rigged it up somehow. Any link to that pic?

there are companies that make those, theres at least 2 actually

adventure trailers are cool too, but i already have a trailer to tow with a truck on it, lol

It's made by Eezi-Awn and is avail at Adventure Trailers.

Here:

http://www.xterraownersclub.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=004606

http://www.adventuretrailers.com/rooftent.html

i would itd be safe from bears using that roof tent, at least the animals gotta do some climbing before getting to feed :D id rather just lay the front seat back and fall asleep that way!

Roof tents are just so damn cool. Unfortunately, I don't do that much camping; so I could never justify the cost.

i would itd be safe from bears using that roof tent

I'm pretty sure if a bear has decided your it's next meal a roof top tent would be about as hard to tear apart as a microwave bag of popcorn is to us.
Plus if the bear is an adult he'll just stand up through the access hole in the floor and munch away while everyone is trapped inside.

If I was going to big time scorpion country I'd consider one of these but for most camping I'd prefer a stand alone tent.
Though after seeing these I am thinking of ways to rig up an improvised sleeping shelter up there now.

I have zero skills myself but check this out, some good ideas. I'm debating weather to push Bajarack for a RTT rack. It does take a lot of utility for carrying gear out of the deal but I've got a couple of ideas on mods to make it more useful when not carrying the tent around. The biggest benefit it getting it lower and out of the air flow for decent mpg. A lot of flat racks showed at the Overland Expo but without the light mounts and some gear it wasn't for me.

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/camping-equipment/84921-behold-ghetto-rtt.html

:icon_wink:

wow that getto RTT is cool...

Wow, Now that's real ingenuity right there. I think my Xterra might get a version of the ghetto rtt. I think my version will be a fold over with ground or xterra supports though.

For those who think that the Hatch tent is not useful...i disagree... for those who go camping in cold areas, for example the desert which we do in the middle east the temperature drops drastically at night reaching to 0 Celsius (32 F) so the Hatch Tent is the one to use because you can switch on the heater in the car and enjoy a cozy night.

Whats the maximum weight that you could put on top of your roof? I weigh close to 260 and I was thinking the other day that it would be nice to climb up on top of my x and take nap when I am drunk. Folding down the back seats doesn't give enough room because I end up sleeping in the fetal position because I am too tall to fit.

Whats the maximum weight that you could put on top of your roof? I weigh close to 260 and I was thinking the other day that it would be nice to climb up on top of my x and take nap when I am drunk. Folding down the back seats doesn't give enough room because I end up sleeping in the fetal position because I am too tall to fit.

I'm reasonably sure that the stock roof rack only is good for 150 lbs. I don't know if that limitation is due to the rack or the roof. I would guess it's just the rack...

Whats the maximum weight that you could put on top of your roof? I weigh close to 260 and I was thinking the other day that it would be nice to climb up on top of my x and take nap when I am drunk. Folding down the back seats doesn't give enough room because I end up sleeping in the fetal position because I am too tall to fit.
__________________
--Adam

The stock rack is only rated at 125 pounds.... If you evenly distributed your weight I suppose it would be ok... Idk if sleaping on your roof drunk is a good idea though.... that'd be a long fall:aufkopfhauen-big:

Idk if sleaping on your roof drunk is a good idea though.... that'd be a long fall:aufkopfhauen-big:

I guess it all depends how close to stock height he is... ;)

Well the horizontal cross bars seem to be weaker than the rack itself...

So even if I installed a loadwarrior would I still be limited to the 150lb limit?

Well the horizontal cross bars seem to be weaker than the rack itself...

So even if I installed a loadwarrior would I still be limited to the 150lb limit?

I honestly couldn't tell you. My guess is that the weight rating is given based on the weakest part in the link. If you were to replace that part, you would be able to put weight on up to the next weakest part, etc... As far as what the load warriors will hold, you might find documentation on their website?

I honestly couldn't tell you. My guess is that the weight rating is given based on the weakest part in the link. If you were to replace that part, you would be able to put weight on up to the next weakest part, etc... As far as what the load warriors will hold, you might find documentation on their website?

Well I am not really worried about loadwarriors limitation. It could be made out of reinforced titanium compounds built to withstand nuclear war.

I am worried about the bars that support it. The cross sections look weak the bars look sturdy but I am worried how they are mounted ion the roof. Could I grab onto one and pull myself up? Or would the lateral force be too much.

They need to publish these things :)

Well I am not really worried about loadwarriors limitation. It could be made out of reinforced titanium compounds built to withstand nuclear war.

I am worried about the bars that support it. The cross sections look weak the bars look sturdy but I am worried how they are mounted ion the roof. Could I grab onto one and pull myself up? Or would the lateral force be too much.

They need to publish these things :)

http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14106

Check that link out. They had a brief discussion about this that I thought explained it pretty well... The primary limitation seems to be the stock mounting hardware that is used to hold the rack in place. The Gobi replaces that, therefore holds up to 300 lbs. and effectively doubling the overall load capacity. It'd make sense that if you upgraded the mounts then you might be able to get more out of your rack.

guys i saw an article in a magazine comparing the roof strengths of 5 different suvs, and the xterra had the best rollover rating. i think they put something like 10,000lbs on the top, and it only caved in a few inches, whereas with the ford explorer it caved in enough to kill everyone inside.

I guess that's a little different than what you guys are talking about.

I think the key is to make sure the weight is distributed over as big of a surface area as possible. If you put all your weight on one spot you're gonna put a dent in the roofhttp://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o312/dpsnodgrass1215/0928091619a.jpg

I would actually love to have one of these. It's nice to be able to sleep inside the X, play music, or use the rear 12V or the cargo light inside the tent. It effectively doubles the size of the shelter you get and adds a ton of versatility.

I saw one in the Nissan accessory book that was about $200, I think. That's really not bad for a high quality tent. I know a Springbar of about the same size would run more than $100 more than that.

Another thing to note about the load limits is that most of the published limits are for driving around with that amount of load on the rack. If the X is parked and you spread the load across the rack evenly you should be able to put 500+ lbs up there as long as the people aren't jumping around. I'm curious myself to know a more exact number before you pop a window or crease the side, heh.

I see a lot of RTT (roof top tent) setups around my area and they look sweet but are well out of my price range however they easily put 2 or 3 people & their gear up there for sleeping.

RTTs are nice, but not really necessary. They are mostly used for expeditions so people can sleep out of the reach of some common predators like Hyenas or Dingos (For lions you're still pretty screwed). If you are camping in a place where cougars, coyotes, or some species of bear are common I can see why you might want one. Honestly, though, I've camped in those areas all my life in a regular tent and never had a problem.

A few weeks ago I was out when a group of Coyotes came really close to the camp around dawn, I just got up and and strapped my pistol to my hip and went outside to start up the fire. They were already gone by the time I got my boots on.

From talking to the folks that have those, being above some of the critters is part of the reason for the RTT but the speed & ease of set up plus the comfort of having a large mattress is what they really like vs setting up ground tents especially in bad weather. Nothing worse than trying to pack up a wet & muddy tent.

But even with all the pluses the cost and hit to the vehicles Center of Gravity are enough to keep me in my ground tent. Plus out in the woods I'm more worried about other humans than the curious wildlife.

I Live in a tent from May to October in WV guiding on the New and Gualey and I never have any animals give me any problem. I use SD clip flashlight with a thermarest in it and a tarp stretched to keep the sun off of it and provide an area for cooking. I usually just back the X up into the "porch" and keep my gear in/on it. I have thought about the attachment but unless you are in a spot where you keep your car parked for an extended amount of time it;s not really worth it to have to take the tent apart everytime you move the X. As for roof top, they are cool but I wouldn't trust my self to climb on top of my car in some of the conditions a river guide may find themselves in if you get my drift. The one thing that comes to mind with RTT is "Thankfully my neck broke my fall"-Joe Dirt