Roof top tents (RTT) seem to be increasingly popular amongst the camping community. However, as many of us have experienced, a roof mounted tent might not necessarily be all that feasible for your current vehicle. If mounting an RTT is not an option for you, all may not yet be lost. There’s another take on the RTT gaining some traction, a trailer hitch tent/camper.
The main advantages of a trailer hitch tent vs. roof top are:
- You don’t have to pack up your tent every time you want to go somewhere. The hitch mounted tent easily detaches, so you can leave it set up at camp.
- Your vehicle roof may not necessarily be designed to carry an RTT or convenient. However, many hitches should be able to handle the weight load of a tent. Standard is a 2 inch hitch receiver, that can handle 300 lbs or more. Hitch tents/campers have no wheels the only attachment is your hitch.
Nomad Hitch Camper
Nomad’s Hitch Camper is essentially a tall box: a self-contained camping unit that folds out to reveal a roof top tent, ladder and an annex. It fits into a 2 inch hitch receiver. It’s well thought out, including the ability to swing out so you can still access the rear of your vehicle with the unit packed up. Some of the main features include:
- Dry weight of approx. 300lbs.
- 10 gallon fresh water tank
- Water pump
- Instant hot water heater for the sink or shower
- Storage cabinets
- Fold Down table for cooking, etc
- Fully adjustable & removable jack legs for any vehicle height.
Hitch n’ Pitch (Concept)
Similar to the Nomad, the Hitch n’ Pitch relocates an RTT for transportation to your rear hitch. It’s essentially a fold up, sturdy platform that you mount a small or medium-sized RTT. Some of the more popular tents the Hitch n’ Pitch will accomodate, include:
- Tepui Ayer and Kukenam
- CVT Mt Bachelor and Mt Shasta
The Hitch n’ Pitch was conceived by Pat Brown, a NASA aerospace engineer. The product is still in pre-production phases, but we look forward to seeing the final product for sale soon.
Expandable Hitch Hotel
Simply put, Hitch Hotel is The World’s First Expandable, Wheel-less Trailer™. At 240 lbs dry weight, with 100+ lbs of cargo capacity (depending on your hitch class), the look of the hitch hotel reminds me of some sci-fi habitat pod you’d see left on another planet. It’s quite an ingenious design, and originally was featured as a Kickstarter project.
The hitch hotel features a welded aluminum frame, and a gel coated fiberglass shell. Other features include:
- Roof and Window Vents
- Locking Door
- USB port and a 12 volt light
- Taillights
- Platform that supports 1,000+ lbs
Being a relatively new niche, we look forward to seeing how this hitch camper, and hitch-mounted tents evolve in the near future.
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