When they opened pre-orders for RTT’s again I put an order in for one for my 4Runner and have started thinking about what to do when it shows up. While I like getting up with the sun when camping, my wife enjoys being able to sleep in a little. I was thinking of getting the white roof panel wrapped in a dark forest green to help cut down on the light diffusion. Has anyone done this before and if so how much of a difference did it make?
I haven’t done it but was at a high end tint shop last week and asked for a quote to do roof. Came back with a price of $450. Curious if you got any price quotes.
I haven’t yet since my tent won’t be here for another 3-4 months. I was expecting it to be somewhere around $300-500 depending on what wrap I choose. Part of me wanted to to do something a little custom, but dunno how much that would add to the cost
Just a suggestion…why not get some blackout fabric and glue (or other adhesive) it to the top panel on the inside?
Would be removable and what, 50 bucks at most?
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I was also wanting to go for a bit of the aesthetic as well–I’m not a huge fan of white on cars so I figured it would be dual purpose in providing some blockage of light, but also change the aesthetics of the tent for my preference. I was really wanting to see about doing a custom dark green topo wrap with the contour lines in a matching GFC orange
Just my two cents but an all black top is going to bake in the summer sun. It’ll take a while to cool down inside unless there is a breeze.
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I did mine with matte black vinyl and loved it. It cost about $100 for some 3m vinyl wrap on amazon. Easy to do too with the flat surface of the roof, make sure to get the bubbles out once applied and take an exacto knife to the excess so it is sized right on the roof.
Only caveat is that the black gets really hot in the summer, especially when the tent is closed up.
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Does it make a big difference with the amount of light it lets it? I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to camping in the heat. Being in Texas summer usually means 90s or low triple digits so I typically don’t camp between June-August.
It does make a big difference with light.
Conclusion to this excercise:
Followed through with what I had envisioned–opted for a topographical map of Lake Tahoe in OD green with the contour lines in GFC orange. I spent my childhood visiting family in Tahoe every summer and they’re some of my best memories as well as what I consider the spark of my love of the outdoors.
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Nice that looks awesome!
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I ordered a RTT for my Granite Gray Jeep JKU, and waiting for install. I like the gray because it is a good color for covert stealth camping. It really blends into the dessert sage or shadows of big timber. The white RTT roof will really be visible.
So, I searched for a gray colored vinyl. I selected Multicam Black in 300% pattern size. I think it will compliment the Jeep’s color and be effective came when the tent is set up.
Cost was $450 delivered.
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I wrapped the top and front hinge with Multicam Black. This is an easy wrap, other than you have to work off a short ladder. A friend helped me. I think the vinyl on the front really looks nice.
Plus…my RTT had a slight whistle, from somewhere on the front of the tent. It was a soft sound, like blowing across a bottle. It happened at speeds below 30 mph. The whistle went away with the front wrap.
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You had the same idea as me as far as wrapping the roof in MCB. I have a few questions: did you notice a difference inside the tent now that the roof is no longer translucent as far as light emission and/or heat?
Do you have the dimensions of the roof so I can order vinyl for my install? Already plan to wrap my hood and roof of the tacoma, then finally the GFC. Thanks in advance!
I picked up my GFC RTT mid-December and it has been wintery here over since so I have not spent a night in the tent. The vinyl significantly blocks light coming through the top. I tend to not spend much time inside just hanging out, so less light is actually fine with me. I am curious how hot it may get in the summer sun vs the original white color.
The dimensions of the RTT are 93" x 53". I don’t recall the exact measurements but the vinyl was about 5" wider and longer. I had a friend help me. Using stepladders, we laid the sheet of vinyl up on the top of the RTT and carefully positioned it. Then we rolled back the protective paper on the back about 5" and anchored it in place. Working together, we then peeled back about 6" at a time and gently worked our way to the front. By the time you wrap other parts of your rig you will understand the nature of the vinyl and how to work with it. Once the vinyl was laid down I trimmed the edge. Neat. Easy.
I had an extra strip of vinyl so I also wrapped the front edge of the RTT (see the last picture). I think this looks very cool. The added benefit of wrapping the front edge is that it eliminated a slow speed whistle.
The MCB is a very subtle pattern, almost like ghost flames. I think it looks great with my gray JEEP. …good luck. …Have fun with your project.
Could you pull out a measuring tape for the honey comb roof for me if possible? Going to be ordering vinyl ahead of my install date
IIRC the measurements of the exposed composite panel is exactly 50”x90” but I can measure mine in a bit. Keep in mind you’ll want a bit excess anyway to ensure a good coverage without unnecessary stretch
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50 3/8” x 90” is what I got on mine
Definitely don’t make the same mistake I did—they actually came to my house for measurements because my mount kit was delayed and I thought I had the top facing out but it was the bottom—bottom composite will measure just slightly smaller (around 48x88) which is why you see a gap in my photo. With their overrun it was still just barely too small
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Where did you get the vinyl wrap done and how did you get the topo onto there? I’ve been thinking of this exact same idea, mainly because I have the green doors on mine, so I was also thinking green/orange combo, as you did - so seeing your posted almost made me spit out my coffee :). I have my own topo area that I would like to put on mine, which is why I’m wondering what it took to get those topo lines printed onto the vinyl?
Thanks!
It was done by a local shop here in DFW (if you’re in the area I can send you a PM)–I had to find one that had the ability to print their own vinyl. I had found a very basic topo outline of the area I wanted and sent it over to them with the color scheme I was thinking. They created a vector file of the design for me then scaled it up to the appropriate size and once I approved the proof they printed it off. From there it’s as basic as applying any sheet of vinyl, which they did as well since I’ve never applied a vinyl wrap before.