Vision | Hard Shell Dachzelt

Picked up my Vision (size L) tent from the warehouse the other day. Super helpful team there. Once I uncrated it (nicely packaged) and inspected the tent, the team forklifted the tent onto my low rise BillieBar rack on my Chevy Colorado TrailBoss. Once loaded, it took me about 30 min to reposition the tent to where I wanted it and lock everything into place.
Given my truck bed is about 5'1" and I had the tent on low rise bars (I wanted to keep it low profile) I knew the tent would run the entire length of the bed. I did not want to run it off the back so I knew the rain fly over the truck cab wouldn't be possible to use (the rods are blocked by my truck cab roof). This is not a huge issue for me. Just wanted to call that out should that be critical for you and if you are rocking a low profile bar set up on a short bed. I still have full access to the window/netting so I'm good :-)

I also wanted to call out two cool things that I do not see listed on the Vision product page of the website. The tent now comes with a diesel heater/ac port. Also TopOak now includes a USB/12volt outlet hub that is prewired and is accessible via the bottom of the tent (see photos below). Very cool!

Overall I'm super excited about the tent, the price and I am ready to hit the trails!

We have spent a couple nights in the tent now and I can confidently say this is an excellent tent. We have had 2 large adults and 2 kids sleep in the tent comfortably. I really wanted an aluminum shell because I didn’t think an abs shell would hold up very well here in Arizona. The heater port has been very nice to have, we used it for its intended purpose one night and ran a power cord through it another. We are very happy with the tent!

The only complaints I have is the weight and if you are a side sleeper the mattress might be a little thin.

Well, I love it because I bought this tent and not one that was $3k more.

I picked it up from the warehouse on Wednesday and I already using it Friday night. The first night was 29 degrees and there was a little draft coming from the door but not bad. I used a portable battery and an indoor space heater and the draft helped keep the air fresh. The second night was in a different location and I thought the 20+ mph sustained winds and the 40+ gusts were going to blow the tent off the truck or at least rip the rainfly off the rods but it survived. This is one well built and rough RTT. I have seen videos of a similar and much more expensive get beat up in poor weather.

One bit of advance once you buy it. Before you take it out, practice opening it and setting it up. I had a hard time with the ladder because I was trying to extent it from the top rows and leave the bottom ones closed. That does not work. You extend the bottom ones and bunch the closed ones on top. It makes sense but not in a pitch dark, remote desert area when all you want to do is sleep.

My only complaint (which is why the rainfly didn't fly in the winds I experienced) is the rods.for the rainfly are thick and take some muscle to bend in place. It is not so bad that you need huge muscles to do it but a trial run before you need to do it is a good idea. I LOVE MY RTT!

One note about the warehouse. If you live relatively close, save the shipping and pick it up. I went alone and they helped unbox it (nice packed in a wooden crate which they disposed of and not me in my trashcan), load it on to my rack, and even helped me get the hardware out of the tent to show me how to attach it. They don't install it for you but we're very helpful.

Tent was well packed. The warehouse is huge, they brought it out on a forklift. Unpacked it, they helped put it on my bedrack with the forklift as well. I opened it and really was impressed. I love the quality. I’m happy.! I’m 5’11 and i fit nicely. I have a cali king bed at home and it’s the same size. So for my family of three its more than enough. We can still squeeze another human or dog 👌🏻👌🏻

As long time off-roaders we throughly research our options for RTT, including first hand inspection of competitor’s products, and the clear winner was the Topoak Vision.
Pros:
- Compact size of stowed tent allowed it to be mounted low (just above the truck bed/below top of cab).
- Excellent materials used, all aluminum cover, heavy “rip-stop” nylon tent fabric (much better than what iK…… uses for a RTT that is nearly 3x of the Vision cost) and perfect size for a tall couple.
- Easy setup and takedown
- Reasonable cost ( 1/3 the cost of the iK…. mini but better made IMO).
Cons
- None worth mentioning. The mattress could be better but EVERYONE appears to add a topper to the stock mattress regardless of RTT brand.
- A ladder bag would be nice but an old pillow case would likely be better than anything.
I delayed writing this review until field, testing the unit in very severe desert conditions (including light rains, high winds and very, very cold nights). The Vision RTT work perfectly with no complaints being found.

Would I buy this RTT again? Absolutely
Would I recommend this RTT to others? Absolutely