Gear and Service Review: iKamper Skycamp 2.0 Rooftop Tent and Rooftop Adventure Company

Have you been curious about what it is like to camp in a rooftop tent? I have been interested in this style of camping for a few years now as I notice more and more rooftop tents on the highways and at our local campgrounds. The investment in a rooftop tent is not insignificant though so I have held off on committing to purchasing one. Through a bit of serendipity I met Summer Brown while traveling on Cape Cod this past July and when I asked her about the rooftop tent on her vehicle I learned she is the owner of a new company in southern New Hampshire that rents rooftop tents, Rooftop Adventure Company.

At the end of September I drove down to her location in Merrimack, NH and was fitted with the iKamper 2.0 Rooftop Tent and headed back north for a four day three night camping trip. In this post I’d like to share our experience in relation to the service provided by Rooftop Adventure Company and our thoughts on the iKamper Skycamper 2.0 Rooftop Tent.

Reservation Process

iKamper Skycamp 2.0 Rooftop Tent Review — .0

In order to reserve a tent you will first want to browse the available models. Rooftop Adventure Company currently has 5 different models:

Guana Equipment Kamuk, $75/day. This is a great choice for 1-2 people who also want to carry a kayak, bike, small roof box, etc as this tent only takes up about half of your roof rack!

Smittybilt Overlander, $75/day. A roomy 2 person option with an included LED light strip.

Thule Autana 3 + Annex, $85/day. Enough room for 4 people when using the attached annex!

iKamper Mini, $95/day. The perfect choice for 2 people who are constantly changing location as this one is a breeze to set up and breakdown to head to the next spot!

iKamper Skycamp 2.0, $105/day. The biggest tent in the fleet and the one we used! I’ll go into more details on this model below.

In addition to renting these rooftop tents Rooftop Adventure Company also rents an “Adventure Trailer”. If you have a towing package on your vehicle THIS is the way to go! The trailer is an additional $30/day and can be paired with either the Smittybilt Overlander, the Thule Autana 3, or the iKamper Mini. There are two great advantages to using the trailer. First, you have a ton of cargo space for transporting bikes, paddle sport equipment, camping gear, etc. Second you can set up the tent and camp and still drive your vehicle to town or the trailhead. This option really made me wish we had a vehicle with a towing package!

Once you have decided on the model and have some dates in mind you just fill out a short contact form and Summer is quick to get back to you to lock in the reservation. We did have some back and forth correspondence trying to determine which of my vehicles had a more suitable roof rack for the different models of tents available. Right now the only requirements listed for each model are:

“Vehicle raised side rails and Thule or Yakima crossbars (rental crossbars available upon request)”

Adding the weight of each model to the website might help customers narrow down their selection, though it isn’t too hard to look up the weight of any of these online. I would suggest to potential customers to check your vehicle’s user manual for the roof weight limit in addition to the weight limit of your factory or after-market roof rock.

Pickup/Installation Process

Rooftop Adventure Company is located in Merrimack, NH, at Summer’s residence. To make installing this tent on the roof of your car Summer has an electric lift that does almost all the work. You simply back your vehicle up next to her garage and her lift does on the heavy lifting. After just a few minutes the tent is secured to your vehicle and it’s time for a quick clinic on how to set up and break down your tent. Once I felt comfortable with the operation (the iKamper Skycamp 2.0 is really super simple to set up and break down, literally both actions take less than 3 minutes) it was time to sign some paperwork. Typical liability waivers and what anyone would expect when renting equipment. A fully refundable deposit is made and you’re ready to head out on your trip!

Setting up the iKamper Skycamp 2.0

After arriving at our campsite, a great riverside site at Saco Family Camping, I got to work getting our campsite ready for the rest of the family (kids were still in school and wife was still at work). One consideration when roof top camping off of pavement is to try to park level. Once I had our vehicle on a flat spot with the front of the tent facing the campfire and river I opened it up was impressed with how fast the whole process went. I took the extra minute or two to extend the optional side awnings. With the tent fully deployed in less than 5 minutes I setup our new camp grill (not doing a full review on it right now but I will say we LOVED cooking on our new Royal Gourmet Griddle!) After that I had some free time so decided to go for a quick eBike ride on some adjoining trails!

Sleeping in the iKamper Skycamp 2.0

One of the first things that impressed me when I climbed up into the tent was how stable and sturdy the floor felt. Summer has added carpet to the floor of this model and that combined with the king sized mattress made for an excellent sleeping surface. We did not pack or use any of our other sleeping pads. The four of us had plenty of room and we found it best to sleep with our feet towards the door and our heads towards the cool quilted world map that is basically the inside of the hardshell cover. Despite nighttime temperatures forecasted in the lower 40s we opted to keep the two screened windows open to help with moisture control. Since we were car camping with brought a couple big puffy blankets in addition to my prized Western Mountaineering TerraLite Sleeping Bag. I bought this sleeping bag for a Cascades climbing trip I went on a few years ago and I love how it opens up into a huge blanket that almost the whole family can get under!

In the morning I checked in with everyone to see how well they slept and in was unanimous. Best night of sleep in a tent any of us had ever had! We had no noticeable moisture buildup despite there being four people in the tent on a cold clear night.

Packing Up The Tent/Returning the Tent

On the last day of our “stay-cation” style camping trip we emptied everything out of the tent and closed it up in less than 5 minutes. Since we were staying local we had a second car to use for our day adventures but I realized this tent was so quick and easy to set up and break down it wouldn’t have been much of a hassel to do so each day. The only downside would be removing and storing your blankets and pillows each day but that’s a very small drawback. The next day I drove back to Merrimack where Summer was ready to remove the tent, give it a quick look over to make sure there was no damage, and send me on my way.

Video

I captured a lot of this process with video and have shared it to my YouTube. If you’d like to see the details on setup and breakdown check it out here!

Summary

Renting a rooftop tent was an incredible experience for our family! The kids LOVED it. My wife has told me she might not sleep in a regular tent again (I think she’s being a bit dramatic). Rooftop Adventure Company is the first of its kind that I know of. Summer started the business in 2019 and I can’t wait to watch it grow! Her customer service is top-notch through out the process. She was available for any questions from the beginning to the end of our trip. She is located in an excellent spot to serve the greater New England area and points south. Owning a rooftop tent can be tricky for many of us. We don’t have a garage or place we would be able to store it when not using it. Given the quality of the tents and service she provides I feel her rental rates are very reasonable. We would definitely use this rental service again and if you’ve been thinking about trying a rooftop tent you don’t need to look much further than the Rooftop Adventure Company. I’ll finish this review with the journal entry my wife wrote the day I returned the tent.

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Deal Alert: VSSL First Aid Sale (ends 3/28)

March 25, 2022 David Lottmann adventure travel, Deals on gear!, family camping, Gear Reviews, hiking, Wilderness Medicine, Wilderness Navigation, Wilderness Survival Survival Skills, wilderness first aid, Wilderness Medicine, Wilderness Survival

In preparation for the Spring hiking, camping, road-tripping season VSSL is offering 20% off it’s two available First Aid models, the regular and the mini! The sale ends on Monday, March 28th so if you need a solid first aid kit for your pack, car, or kayak you should take a look here! I originally reviewed in detail the VSSL Survival Model all the way back in 2015! If you’re interested in that review you can check it out here!

See you in the Mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Gear Review: SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer) Survival Gear and BIVVY SACK GIVEAWAY!

September 13, 2021October 1, 2021 David Lottmann adventure travel, backpacking, family camping, Gear Reviews, hiking, hiking, Land Navigation, Misc Reviews, Mountaineering, Wilderness Medicine, Wilderness Navigation, Wilderness Survival, winter hiking emergency prepardness, survival gear, Survive Outdoors Longer

September is National Prepardness Month so it was well-timed that I received a handful of SOL products from Adventure Ready Brands. The company was founded in 1973 in Littleton, NH and manufactures the world-famous insect bite treatment, After Bite^®, a full line of well-known insect repellents such as Ben’s^® and Natrapel^®, first-aid such as Adventure Medical Kits^® and Easy Care First Aid^™ kits, survival products with Survive Outdoors Longer^®, and burn remedy products such as AfterBurn^®.

In the following video I show the features of the products I received and share some opinions on them. Adventure Ready Brands does not sell direct to customer so I tracked down some outdoor retailers that have these items in stock and provide direct links to the products at these retailers below. These are affiliate links, so if you do end up buying something after using the link I will see a small commission at no additional cost to you. Hey, thank you! Thank really helps keep this blog going!

SOL Rescue Floating Signal Mirror from Backcountry.com

SOL Rescue Floating Signal Mirror (Two Pack) from Amazon.com

SOL Fire Lite Fuel-Free Lighter from Backcountry.com

SOL Fire Lite Fuel-Free Lighter from REI.com

SOL Fire Lite Fuel-Free Lighter from Amazon.com

SOL Stoke Pivot Knife & Saw from Backcountry.com

SOL Stoke Pivot Knife & Saw from REI.com

SOL Stoke Pivot Knife & Saw from Amazon.com

SOL Stoke Camp Hatchet from Backcountry.com

SOL Stoke Camp Hatchet from REI.com

SOL Stoke Camp Hatchet from Amazon.com

SOL Emergency Bivvy with Rescue Whistle & Tinder Cord from Amazon.com

To enter the giveaway for a brand new SOL Emergency Bivy Sack just click the Rafflecopter link below for all the ways you can earn entries! Contest at 11:59pm EST on September 30th, 2021! Good luck!

SOL Emergency Bivvy GIVEAWAY!!!

CONTEST OVER! Congrats to Angel L.!

See you in the mountains!

Northeast Alpine Start

Media samples were provided for purpose of review. Affiliate links above support the content created at Northeast Alpine Start.

Tech Tip: Optimizing your First Aid Kit

October 29, 2019 David Lottmann adventure travel, backpacking, Climbing Education, family camping, Gear Reviews, hiking, Misc Reviews, Mountaineering, Professional Development, Self-Rescue, Tech Tips, Wilderness Medicine backpacking, first aid, hiking skills, mountaineering, rock climbing, wilderness first aid, Wilderness Medicine, wilderness skills

We all carry a first aid kit with us on our adventures right? For today’s Tech Tip I want to share what first aid kit I use and how I customize it with a few extra items. While you can go to a pharmacy and piece together your own kit I prefer to start with the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7 Medical Kit as it’s a solid foundation to build upon. Here’s the details on the kit:

Designed for life in the bottom of the pack, zippered rip-stop silicon nylon outer bag has 2 inner DryFlex™ watertight pouches to ensure contents are kept clean and dry
Wound care items: 3 butterfly closure strips, 2 triple antibiotic ointments, 3 antiseptic wipes and 1 pair of nitrile gloves
Bandages: 8 sterile dressings, 2 non-adherent sterile dressings, 2 conforming gauze bandages, 5 adhesive bandages and 3 knuckle bandages
10 yards adhesive tape, 1 elastic bandage, 11 pre-cut and shaped moleskin pieces and 3 alcohol swabs
Medications: 6 ibuprofen, 2 aspirin, 2 antihistamine and 2 AfterBite® sting-relief wipes
Other equipment: splinter picker forceps, 3 safety pins and a 26 x 2 in. roll of duct tape

Adventure Medical Kits Wilderness First Aid — Manufacturer Image

Technical specs

Best Use	Hiking, Backpacking
Material(s)	Silicone nylon pouch
Dimensions	8.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches
Weight	8 ounces

This is a great start for only 8 ounces! AMK markets this as ideal for 1-2 people for 1-4 day trips. While I do find the suggestion a bit arbitrary I feel this is a great size for a group leader or guide to start from. There is a .5 version that weighs less than 4 ounces that would be good for trail running, casual hiking, or just to keep in the glove box. A very minimalist .3 version is better than carrying nothing.

Now let’s get into what I add to this kit to make it a bit more capable of handling any situation. The first thing I add is a Petzl Zipka Headlamp. This 2.5 ounce headlamp has great light output and the retractable cord keeps it from getting tangled with other things in the kit. I consider this a bit of a “back-up” headlamp. If I know I’ll be out after dark I bring my Petzl Actik Core Headlamp and have the Zipka available to loan to someone who forgets their headlamp.

I then add a simple small knife that can be used for cutting bandages, duct tape, and clothing to make slings & swathes if need be. Occasionally it might even have to cut some summer sausage and hard cheese.

Then I add a fire starter, usually just a small Bic lighter but you can go for a fancy windproof one if you want!

Next I drop in a little bottle of Potable Aqua Iodine Tablets. I use these to treat water in an emergency.

Then I have a small travel size Advil bottle that I carry extra Antihistamines (Benadryl) and pain/fever reducers (Advil). I prefer to use this bottle and refill it from home when needed and save the prepackaged medications for when I forget to refill this container. Don’t forget to check the expiration dates on the prepackaged medications!

I also squeeze in a small notebook with a pencil. This is important for writing SOAP notes or sending detailed information with someone. On longer trips I carry a Rite in the Rain Notebook separate from my first aid kit.

With still room to spare I now add my two EpiPens. While I haven’t been tested for a bee allergy I feel it is a good idea for me to carry Epi after getting swarmed and stung by over a dozen yellow jackets last year. There’s also the fact that some one in my care may have a unexpected severe reaction when we are over an hour away from definitive care and having Epi in the party could be a life-saver. I also add a super light disposable CPR Face Shield.

Finally I add about 3 extra pairs of Nitrile gloves in addition to the one pair that comes with the kit. It has been my experience on multiple rescues that one pair of gloves is never enough in the mountains as they will definitely tear while dealing with a patient, and bystanders who might be able to help often don’t have their own gloves.

These additions bring my first aid kit up to one pound 5 ounces. Considering that if I grab my first aid kit I have 5 of the “Ten Essentials” I’m more than ok with that weight! I also carry either my SOL Escape Bivy (summer) or my more durable Ortovox Single Bivy (winter or while on rescues).

Adventure Medical Kits First Aid Kits — Bigger more rugged bivy in the winter or when out on rescues… smaller lighter bivy for summer/day use…

I’ve also taken to sliding a Saywer SAM Splint down into the back panel of my pack. While I can improvise splints from my wilderness medicine training a real SAM splint is really nice to have for quick ankle/wrist fractures or as an effective neck collar.

I feel the above set-up is quite adequate for the amount of time I spend in the mountains both guiding and recreating. For expedition leaders or large outing club type groups I’d suggest looking at the Adventure Medical Kit Ultralight/Watertight PRO Medical Kit. It’s quite all inclusive with a SAM Splint, EMT Shears, precision forceps, and more.

Summary

Undoubtedly carrying a first aid kit in the mountains is a very good idea. Accidents will happen. The longer your recreate in the mountains the more likely you, someone in your party, or someone you come across, will need a touch of first aid. Hopefully it’s something minor like a blister or small scrape. Unfortunately we can’t remove all risk from our outdoor hobbies and will are going to break some bones, or worse. There’s two things YOU can do to make these situations better.

#1 Carry the right gear

#2 Get some training

Wilderness First Aid courses are offered all over the country! Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) teaches Wildness First Aid (16 hours), Wilderness First Responder (72+ hours), and Wilderness EMT (170+ hours). If you have zero medical training, and wish to play in the mountains for decades to come, do yourself a huge solid and sign up for one of these courses! You’ll be more prepared to handle what comes your way!

I hope you found this helpful. If you did please let me know in the comments below. If you carry something different or I missed a key item please let me know! Just so you are aware the links above (except for SOLO) are affiliate links. That means if you click on them, and make a purchase, a small commission is earned. That really helps keep this blog going, so if you do make a purchase thanks! If not maybe just share this article with someone you think could benefit from it!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Tentrr Review- The “AirBnB of Camping”- and chance to win $100 Tentrr Gift Card!

August 20, 2019August 21, 2019 David Lottmann adventure travel, family camping, Gear Reviews, Travel Guide, Trip Reports car camping, family camping, glamping, tentrr

My family and I just returned from a 4 day camping trip to beautiful Camden, ME. We camped there last year and decided to repeat the trip this season, albeit in a slightly different style. A few months ago I heard about this somewhat new company “Tentrr“. If you have ever used AirBnB then the concept really isn’t that new. Tentrr partners with local land owners and some state parks to offer a convenient way for people to get out and enjoy nature in a semi-“glamping” style.

This really is a clever idea and the growth of the company shows it is catching on! Launched in 2016 two years ago the company only had a couple dozen sites all located in New York (the company was born in NYC). In less then three years there are now 735 Tentrr sites located in 38 states! Over 15,000 campers have used the service.

How it Works

Campers can search by zip code or town on either the Tentrr website or app and see what sites are in the area they wish to visit. Most of the sites sit on private land and are maintained by the land owners called “CampKeepers”. Like AirBnB hosts you’re likely to find a spectrum of personalities but most of the sites I browsed on the website sat on working family farms near rivers, beaches, or on hills with nice mountain vistas.

Basically there are four different types of Tentrr sites.

Backcountry– These are rustic campsites ranging from $25-$100 a night, but most are in the $40 range. This is a great option if you own your own tent and camping gear.

Signature– These are the backbone of the Tentrr concept and come quite equipped for a comfortable camping experience and range from $65-$200 a night with most sites listing in the $80-$120 range.

State Park– These are pretty much the same as a Signature Tentrr site except that it sits within a state park instead of on private land. This is the style we went with to take advantage of the state park facilities and playground for our kiddos. These currently are only located in Maine and cost $100 a night.

Curated– Tentrr also has a list of partner sites ranging from $45-$300. Many are luxury style yurts and larger tent style accommodations.

The easiest way to search the entire database of sites is from here.

We used the online booking service to locate one of two State Park sites in Camden Maine and it was easy to select the dates we wished to stay and check out. Confirmation emails include links with directions to the site along with helpful lists on what to bring camping with you if you are a bit new to the sport. A few days before our trip reminder emails are sent with the same info.

So what is included in a Tentrr Signature/State Park site? Let’s start with the obvious, the classic made-in-the-USA Colorado Wall Tent. This iconic tent is made in Denver, CO and the deluxe model used retails for $1,699! Some important features:

It has a 10 x 12 floor plan with a minimum 6 foot height reaching an apex of about 8 feet.
Screened windows on three sides and a large screened front door allow for plenty of ventilation.
In cooler temps they can be closed up to trap heat or keep out sideways rain.
A small wood stove made us want to come back for some cooler Fall camping trips.
Two queen sized inflatable mattresses set on a bunk bed offered plenty of room for our family of four. A foot pump stored under the beds quickly brought the mattresses up to our preferred firmness.
Two wooden storage crates worked well for us as nightstands, along with the stove providing a small table.

Outside there is a size-able raised porch with two comfy Adirondack style chairs. Down a few steps off the deck brings us to the table/kitchen set up with a pantry and raised cooking area. A 37 gallon steel trash can is provided with a full box of trash bags in the pantry and a pair of grilling tongs. A well made fire pit nearby had a brand new cooking grate over it.

So how did the family like this experience? What were the ups & downs? We were happy to not have to pack the tent this trip and have this deluxe one ready to go which meant we could kick back and relax quite quickly after arriving. A quick sweep with the provided broom and we were ready to move it!

The mattresses needed a quick top-off with the provided foot pump but are the higher end inflatable style that get and stay firm. We did not need to add any more air over the three nights we camped. One note on the mattresses though… they are extremely “squeaky”. The rubber rubs loudly when anyone moves on the bed. We tried to mitigate it by getting some blanket material in-between the bed and frame with limited success. We still slept really well once everyone stopped adjusting!

Another note to be aware of is the fact this is not a fully sealed tent. We had a pretty healthy colony of daddy long legs squatting on the property and had to constantly remind the kids that they are not spiders (though we did have to evict a few of those from time to time).

While not 100% bug proof we did find the tent to be quite weather tight as we experienced heavy rains twice during our stay, luckily both in the middle of the night. Everything stayed completely dry and we were happy we weren’t in our large family tent that would likely have seen a breakdown in it’s liquid defense program.

We definitely enjoyed the cooking and dining area set up having two dinners and breakfasts at camp during our stay. I used some p-cord to tie off “the pantry” but it would be nice if it could have an animal resistant latch added to it. Despite having a late night raccoon visit nothing got into our pantry or trash can.

Summary

All in all this was an awesome experience! I’ve seen comments online trying to compare the value to a local AirBnB and that’s not a really a fair comparison. This is a service for people who want to be a bit closer to nature than staying in someone’s well kept in-law apartment. This is an option for folks who want to go camping occasionally but don’t want to invest or store camping gear. This was a great option for us even though we own tons of expensive camping gear because we could just show up and skip set-up and go right into chill mode. We are already thinking of finding a new Tentrr spot to explore later this Fall so we can make use of the internal wood stove and enjoy some classic New England foliage!

Finally I’ve reached out to a few friends who own land where a Tentrr site might be a good fit. If you own land with potential camping sites consider becoming a Tentrr Campkeeper and make $$$ sharing your land!

$100 Tentrr Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Here’s your chance to win a $100 Gift Certificate to Tentrr! You could use it for a couple nights at a beautiful rustic campsite or a free night at one of the fully equipped Signature or State Park sites located in 38 states! Just click on the Rafflecopter link below to see how to get entries in the giveaway which ends at 9 PM EST on 9/9/2019!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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