Antidote Rooftop Tent
Paulie’s Plans
I had big plans. My big plan was to take the trailer I bought from my neighbor and turn it into an overland trailer. The trailer says “Custom,” so you have to buy it. The plan was not a bad idea, but I just realized that I don’t have the time to execute the plan. In fact, I had paint picked out to match the trailer to my 4Runner. At least, it would have been close. I was searching for some alloy or aluminum wheels… oh, this trailer was going to look good…. BUT….
But there is a problem: my head’s ideals and reality have not intersected. In fact, when I get out and enjoy the woods, the thought of taking a trailer with me is just one more stressor. I discovered that I do not like the trailer for camping, but for hauling crap to the dump.
So, what does this trailer have to do with a tent? There is always a story, isn’t there? Well, when I was in the process of installing the ARB bumper with a couple of buddies. My one friend turns to me and says, “How about….” Whenever I hear those words, I know there is going to be something good, and I am spending money. Sure enough, he told me about his rooftop tent. I did not agree to buy it right there, but I was drooling already. I had a trailer, it has the “awesome Custom” painted on the side…. I mean, what could go wrong?
He tells me it has a fiberglass shell, he is 6 feet tall, and he can just about stand up in the tent, and it is fiberglass. Did I mention the fiberglass shell? You know, like a Corvette. I figured anything made out of Corvette material is bound to be fast. Before I knew it, I was at his house, and it was loaded on my trailer. This is like doing an LS swap without working through the hassle of the wiring harnesses. Yeah, this is going to be great. I could tell my 4Runner was louder already. Or maybe it was because I had the windows open. Yeah, I was the kid who just put the baseball cards in the bicycle spokes.
Why do I love this tent?
I love the fiberglass shell. The tent has a rack system. You can put kayaks and bikes on the top of the tent, so you can haul one trailer out into the woods and play. But I lost motivation. Now, just because I lost motivation to build the trailer does not mean this is a bad idea. It just means I have a tendency to get ahead of myself a bit and bite off more than I can chew.
I love that you can stand up in the tent. When it unfolds, it is like a triangle. I guess when you wake up in the morning, you always see the point, and you don’t get well-rounded. On the bright side, the tent makes you a good detective because you always get the right angle. You get the point. It is nice to stand up in the tent and get dressed.
I also like that you can buy different mattresses. This is a great angle to keep in mind. If one mattress does not work, well, there might be another one around the corner. The best part is that you can make a 180-degree turn in your mattress swapping.
I like the universal mount. That is an awesome feature that you can mount this tent on any bars and any rack system.
The ladder is pretty fancy. I would say that the ladder is all right with me. It’s not square, but I definitely see the point of it.
There is an actual human who answers the phone at Antidote. My buddy was a square and lost the mounting hardware. I called Antidote, and they hooked me up right away. I did not know which hardware I needed for the tent.
The logo! I mean, do I need to say more?
The logo has held up well over the years. Here is the logo on the tent, but they put the logo behind the shock that holds the tent open.
What I don’t like
The downside of rooftop tents is that they are heavy. I suppose this one is not terrible, weighing about 150 pounds. However, that's 150 pounds on top of your rig.
The other downside is it goes on the roof of the rig. This means you are probably not getting your rig into the garage. This is why I wanted to install it on a trailer. It is pretty unlikely that you will be reenacting a “Weekend at Bernie’s” experience or Aunt Edna on “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” Maybe this is Antidote making people respect human beings. So, I might have to move this up to a feature of the tent.
Another downside of this particular tent is the back story. My friend installed the tent, used it most of the summer, and then never really put it away for winter. This is normally just fine, but it wasn’t. You see, he did not have it closed well, and the tent got a little moldy. He threw away the mattress. I put some mold cleaner on it, and the tent is better. It sat all winter on the top of the trailer, and as far as I can tell, it did not leak or get more mold, so I think the seals are fine. The key: make sure ALL the tent is tucked on the inside of the shell. I know I let it sit all winter in the elements to see if it leaked, and there was no water in the spring. The mold did not take off, and so I think it just wasn’t closed properly. This is not really the tent’s fault, and it is a reminder to make sure the tent is closed well before winter storage in the elements.
Paulie Pick or Not?
I bought the tent, so that tells you something. I loved how the tent opened and that I could pretty much stand in the tent. I think that the company is underrated and deserves a look. Their customer service rocks unless you email them. I mean, they had the mounting hardware shipped in a day, and I got it in a couple of days after the phone call. They did not gouge me with shipping…. don’t even get me started on Yakima.
My experience with Yakima… “Oh, you want 2 bolts shipped to your house? Okay, that will be… let’s see… “….hear calculator…. “your firstborn child and second mortgage on your home….” This is if you can talk to a real human. You almost need a GPS to navigate their phone system. So, when I called Antidote, it was very nice to call a number, have someone answer the phone without entering enough key strokes to type GPS coordinates for a moon landing.
If it is Paulie’s Pick, then why am I getting rid of it? I realize that I don’t want to haul a trailer with me when I get out in the woods. Also, I just don’t want to go in the direction of a rooftop tent. A normal tent does just great, or I do the hobo sleeping plan…. I mean, overlanding, sleeping in the back of your rig. You get the point.
If you want a rooftop tent, give Antidote a look! It is not cheap, but it will last a long time. You can also buy aftermarket mattresses without going back to the company for their proprietary brand. I LOVE that! So, if a mattress gets old, or a kid spontaneously ejects some fluid after eating bad hot dogs…. well…. You can just pitch the mattress and buy a new one. I am not advocating that you leave it in the woods. Bears don’t need pet beds, and you are just leaving a very messy site. Smokey the Bear is judging you. Do you want to be judged by Smokey the Bear? I don’t want to be judged by him.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a rooftop tent that is compact, sturdy, and does exactly what it promises, check out the Antidote Outdoors option. (I get no commission on this post AT ALL!) It might just be the antidote to your problem. Have you used a rooftop tent? What has been your experience? Leave your constructive comments below.
Thank you for reading! If you like it please buy me a coffee! Until we meet again, may the Lord’s blessing and peace be upon you.