And finally, my sort of secret project has been completed.
Included with this post is a yearly 10 minute video so be prepared to have a long download time. It begins with the new Prinsu Pro roof rack that Mark Howard helped me install on my 2019 Toyota 4 Runner, followed by hoisting the rooftop tent to the ceiling of my garage. After the tent was secured to the ceiling, I pulled my 4Runner into the garage and we lowered the tent onto the Prinsu rooftop rack.
One of my major concerns and source of a lot of anxiety was that the tent on the vehicle would not clear the garage opening. If that were to happen, I would have had to deflate the tires enough to lower the vehicle to create clearance. I do have an air compressor, so re-inflating would be possibe, although another, not so favorable part of the solution. Albeit a workaround solution, of course, that would be a real pain in the butt deflating to enter and exit each time, then re-inflating. Parking outside was not a consideration at all. Luckily, none of that was worth worrying about as the rack with the tent on it still leaves a 2 inch clearance into and out of the garage.
Whew! What a relief!
Next we secured the rooftop tent to the crossbars on the rooftop rack, two towards the front of the vehicle and two at the back of the vehicle. Attaching at the front crossbars was quite easy as I opened the sunroof and had direct contact with a crossbar and attaching brackets. The rear bracket attachments were a little more challenging, requiring some reaching and feeling by hand to attach the nuts to the bolts. As you will see, this is going to be a pretty fantastic way to camp.
The ratchet straps are great for securing the tent to the garage ceiling. Ratcheting up off of the vehicle is easier and quicker with only about 8-12 inches to the ceiling. Racheting down, however, does take a bit more time as one needs to release slowly across the three straps one at a time and back-and-forth until it is lowered onto the rack. I believe that I will now add a pulley hoist system for a much quicker (and safer) way to raise and lower the tent to the roof top rack. A huge shout out and thank you to John Braun, who has this system in his garage, for his help in setting up my ceiling ratchet hoist system and ratcheting the tent to the ceiling, down onto the rack and then attaching the tent to the 4Runner. Also I must thank Mark Howard for his help in this project and for Mark Nowery and Kent Schweiss for videotaping.
There were a few little mishaps as you will see in this video, one of which will remain undisclosed and not revealed unless hard pressed to tell that tale.
The blood, sweat, worry and some restless nights are now behind me, and I’m feeling quite confident that I am going to have some wonderful camping adventures.
In three weeks, I will begin a cross-country Drive to Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan’s upper peninsula and possibly on to Pennsylvania and other parts unknown. Kayaking is planned on Lake Superior, first from Wisconsin’s northern shore out to and around The Apostle Islands and then driving up to Copper Harbor in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, ferrying to Isle Royale in the western area of Lake Superior for 4 more days of kayaking. Both of the kayak trips are with companies that supply the equipment.
I will be posting occasionally during my long summer getaway. Stay tuned (and subscribe to my blog/website to quickly receive the latest installments).
The adventures continue!
Waves In The Desert 
Seems to happen often with all your fretting and worrying things turn out OK. I am really happy to see that you have the clearance you need with deflating/re-inflating your tires. Looking forward to your visit soon here in OHIO.
BIG SIS
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Without deflating/re-inflating
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You will enjoy it. Have a great trip. Bev
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5/21 Well another successful project completed ! Thank you for letting me be a part of the process. I am sure will will enjoy the RTT..as it will make your trip an enjoyable adventure.
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😂 ng forward to your travelogue entries. Always a treat.
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Thank you Jason!
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What a lot of planning and success. Now, how do you crawl up there for your sleeping???? Lotsa luck and fun on your cross country trek…..
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Donnie, You mentioned this ‘camper’ in our last Zoom meeting, and your tentative travel plans. Now…reading thru your destinations, one of interest, is your plans to upper Mich. Don’t know if you may remember, but…not far/just before Copper Harbor, is village of Hancock, and…village of Houghton, in Houghton county, Mich. the 1860 Mich census has our GG Grnprnts Laib, being counted in Hancock, with the 1870 census showing them now across the ?river? in village Houghton. Our G Grnma, Barbara Louise Laib (and younger sister-G Aunt Paulina) were born up there. Our cousin, Mike Pratt (descends from Christian/Anna Marie Laib’s son (our G Uncle) Fred Laib/Leib-as he chose to change the surname spelling-researched ‘some’ data about this area, including how Christain/Marie Laib first arrived by boat across the ‘Lakes’ in late 1859, before the shipping channels became frozen; how this area in those days, was like in a mining town-not many ‘conveniences’, and no railroads to get to this area in those early years. (Attachment-PDF-starting about page 33….) (pg 37 describes our G Aunt Paulina’s birth yr of 1866/and a 1866 tax document, which alludes that Christian/Mary Laib had already moved from village Hancock, to somewhere around the ?southern? edge of village Houghton, unincorporated as ‘Hurontown’, and may have also been known as simply ‘Huron’, as recorded in the tax document. On this same page, Mike adds that in 1869, almost the entire town of Hancock was destroyed by a fire-so GOOD thing the Laib’s had previously moved) Mike surmises that by mid-1870, when they moved to Elliston Oh, they again traveled back to Ohio, via ship/lakes. And…of course, the reason they went to Elliston, was likely because, Christian’s older brother Johann Leonard (alias Fred Laib/Leib) had moved from Cleveland area, to Elmore Oh. Well…just a ‘note’ about your ‘close travel plans, being close to where our ancestors lived during a time in their lives. See you at the next Zoom, or are you going to have the opportunity to attend? Charlie
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Phew! That was quite the “project”. I could feel my level of anxiety, and blood pressure, going up as I was reading your description of the process!
I took a while to come back to this post because I was re-painting and re-hanging my bi-fold doors. And I thought I had it bad (ha!)
I hope you had a great trip with your mobile, penthouse tent:) Wishing you a good summer of travels and fun.
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