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Hello All. Have been a member for a while, don't post often.
Had a question. I interested in getting a Smittybilt Overlander Tent for the Ex.
Only issue is weight carrying capacity of the factory roof rack. Seems that I read its 200 lbs.This thing weighs about 170. With myself and wife inside sleeping, seems it would be overloaded?? Am I reading too much into this? the picture hows it on a 97-01 Jeep Cherokee. I have a jeep like this, and would think the Ex's roof would be a lot beefier.
I doubt the roof will instantly collapse under the weight , but I'd be more concerned about how that tent does in 25mph wind. I've had good luck sleeping inside the Ex.
If you seal your cabin and inflate to 20psi that will help.
On a more serious note, you're not going to find an authoritative answer on maximum static weight. The 200lbs is dynamic weight. The rails can handle 200lbs driving down the road which actually presents a constantly changing load in different directions as you're driving around. For the same reason it's illegal to hold a baby in your lap driving down the road, because when you hit something that 20lb baby in your lap becomes a force much greater than 20lbs, so great you probably can't actually hold on, that 200lb load on your roof becomes a force much greater than 200lbs.
So, can the excursion hold more than 200lbs of static (read: your vehicle is parked) weight on the roof? Yes. How much more? I don't know. My conjecture is at least 2x that because seeing +1g of downforce driving through a dip or valley is not abnormal and that would turn your 200lbs in to 400lbs.
That photo looks pretty cool, but any kind of wind is going to cause trouble. It shows Utah plates, it stays pretty much windy out there all the time, and we ain't talkin' gentle Zephyrs. Your tent is gonna end up in the next county.
Standing still, the rack can hold more than you think. Most SUV racks state around the same weight as their max, which leads me to believe it is more of a safety thing rather than an actual number.
I traveled all over the country with roughy 700lbs on my roof with no isses. 9 Folding tables at 40lbs each, 20x20 tent poles at roughly 110lbs, a 10' light truss at 50lbs, plus the roof rack and lights which are 200lbs easy. Add another 170lbs if you want to include my weight while up there loading it.
Yes, my rack is after market, but it connects to the factory rails. It does also mount at the front doors which helps distribute on the load more. But, I would think that as long as you guys weren't doing jumping jacks up there, you would be fine.
Thanks all. Those were the the real world experiences I was curious about. My wife and I have slept in our ex many times, but I was looking for a little more room to stretch out while we fish and camp on the beach. Not really worried about wind and movement of the truck. Seeing them mounted on Jeeps, I figured the Ex could handle it ok.
Nobody worries about the wind, till it gets windy. They are about $800 bones. Can it be setup on the ground standalone if desired? Just seems to me for the money a higher quality tent can be had. They seem to be kind of a gimmick though for some getting well off the ground is a big plus. Here's a real world review:
"I spent a week camping about 40 miles past San Felipe, it was great for the first couple of days. Then the wind started. I could not see more than a hundred yards because of the dust, much less stand up straight without leaning into the wind. The gusts could knock you over. The local news indicated wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour.
I did not use the rain fly. The tent showed no indications of stress mounted to the roof of my 60. This is not to say it was not a wild ride! Because of the roar of the wind, the flapping of the tent and shaking of the vehicle… a good night’s sleep was not had. After three days of heavy heavy wind, I made by way back to San Felipe and rented a room just to get some sleep."
I have been using a roof tent for about six years. I did not like sleeping in the truck on hot nights. In strong winds it can get noisy but it is still better than any ground tent I have used. I have a custom roof rack with 8 attachment points and have experienced no issues with the roof damage or sagging. I only mount the tent when I need it for a trip. When mounted you can feel the weight of the tent when cornering and bouncing around on trails. It also has a very noticeable fuel economy penalty.
Nobody worries about the wind, till it gets windy. They are about $800 bones. Can it be setup on the ground standalone if desired? Just seems to me for the money a higher quality tent can be had. They seem to be kind of a gimmick though for some getting well off the ground is a big plus. Here's a real world review:
"I spent a week camping about 40 miles past San Felipe, it was great for the first couple of days. Then the wind started. I could not see more than a hundred yards because of the dust, much less stand up straight without leaning into the wind. The gusts could knock you over. The local news indicated wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour.
I did not use the rain fly. The tent showed no indications of stress mounted to the roof of my 60. This is not to say it was not a wild ride! Because of the roar of the wind, the flapping of the tent and shaking of the vehicle… a good night’s sleep was not had. After three days of heavy heavy wind, I made by way back to San Felipe and rented a room just to get some sleep."
That's some serious wind. A roof top tent in that wind is at least bolted to the truck. A ground tent is held down with friction from the stakes in the ground.
I'm a ground tenter myself, but in that wind I'd rather be in something better secured than what a ground tent offers.
I'm a ground tenter myself, but in that wind I'd rather be in something better secured than what a ground tent offers.
Agree, the Excursion is a comfy place to sleep in the wind. No one seriously uses the flimsy stakes that come with a tent!
Nothing like 12'' spikes to hold a tent down in a gale. You can always add extra guylines and double up on your anchor points so the force of the winds is distributed to a wider range of opposing angles.
I have done this with pretty good success over the years with a 3 person, low profile tent. Also you may have the ability to pitch in more secluded areas with terrain features such as trees, rocks, etc. This will cut down on the wind dramatically.
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