Product Details
The Tuff Stuff Alpha is a hybrid side-opening rooftop tent that can be set up in under 2 minutes. With a sloped aerodynamic shell, the Alpha ensures minimal wind resistance when driving. Its high profile allows bedding to be kept inside while closed. Overland with a tent that’s quick and easy to camp comfortably.
Includes:
- Mounting hardware & brackets for installation (fits up to 3.25" cross bars)
- Mattress
- Shoe bag, 1 qty
- Storage bag, 1 qty
- Window rods, 6 qty
- Window awnings (removable)
- Rainfly
- Moon roof
- Telescoping ladder with angled steps (will not bite into your arches!)
- LED Lights for interior & exterior (requires power from a USB power pack, not included)
- Patch kit & glue to perform repairs
- Not included, but available, is the Alpha™ Annex Room
Specifications:
- Sleeping Capacity: 3-4 People
- Open dimensions L/W/H: 75x87x52 inches
- Closed dimensions L/W/H: 75x55x15 inches
- Mattress L/W/H: 87x71x 2.75
- Weight: 176 Lbs
- Weight Capacity: 1100 Lbs
- Tent Material: 280 G Poly/Cotton Rip-Stop
- Rainfly Material: 210D Polyester/Oxford PU coated 5000mm
- Floor: Heavy-duty aluminum honeycomb
- Shell: ABS with FRP reinforcement
- Zippers: YKK with custom para-cord pulls (reduces annoying dinging in wind)
- LED Light: Amber & White light (inside and outside)
- Windows: 3 window openings w/ mesh screens & window rods
- Skylight with mesh and solid panel (rainfly must be pulled back to view the sky)
- Window Awnings: 2 side window openings have removable (zip-off) rain awnings (included)
- Installation brackets fit crossbars up to 3.25" wide
- Mounting rails: 32.5" apart
- Steel cable locks w/ 2 pairs of keys
- Ladder: Telescoping 7.5' tall (included)
- Mounting hardware: Stainless steel (Included)
Comes in 2 colors: Black, and Gray (White is no longer available.)
NOTE: The ALPHA tent is designed to open to the passenger side ONLY
ROOF TOP TENTS COMPARISON CHART
Instructions:
Mounting Tent
- Mounting your tent requires a minimum of 2 people for lifting.
- Your tent will ONLY OPEN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. Position the tent on top of the vehicle's roof rack, bed rack, or trailer and center to your liking.
- Using the supplied hardware and mounting plates, slide the hardware into the channel so there are 2 bolts per corner (one in front and one behind the vehicle's crossbars).
- Run the bolts through the mounting brackets holes, thread nuts onto each bolt.
- Confirm you are happy with the position of the tent, vehicle balance, and appearance then tighten all nuts to the brackets until the tent cannot move.
- Undo the buckles on the side of the tent, push up on the handle to actuate the hydraulic rams to open the tent hard shell, Pull out on the telescoping ladder until it is fully extended- pull down on ladder until the folding side of the tent has opened and extended fully.
- Reposition the ladder to your desired height/angle.
- Install the supplied tension rods on the overhang of the tent & windows, open the door, and enjoy!
Using the Ladder
Go to frame 1:25 to see a great explanation of how to use the telescoping ladder.
Click here for Alpha Manual
Required Maintenance
The Clear coat on our Alpha shells is a clear layer of paint sprayed on the ABS shell to protect it from UV rays, rocks, and dirt kicked up from the road. The clear coat will wear off with time and can also be chipped off by salt, road debris, and nature. You can protect your clear coat by regular washing and waxing.
Tips to protect your clear coat
Keep out of the sun as much as possible
Over time, the powerful UV rays in direct sunlight can wear down the clear coat.
Hot sunlight can also open small “pores” in your clear coat, allowing more dirt and debris to get in. So, to protect the clear coat and lengthen its lifespan, park in a garage or in the shade whenever possible.
Clear off bird and bug droppings immediately
Bird droppings are highly acidic. If they’re left on the clear coat, they can erode and destroy the layer of clear coat. If you spot any bird or bug droppings, rinse them off immediately with water from a hose.
Protect your clear coat from salty air
Salt will corrode the clear coat. So, if you live in a salty coastal climate, keep in mind that you will need to wash off/rinse your shell the same as you would a surfboard. Salty air and spray are some of the biggest nemeses of clear coating.
Avoid getting tree sap on your vehicle
For most, the risk of getting tree sap on your car is much lower than the risk of encountering bird droppings or salty air. However, tree sap is a double threat: the sap can soak into your clear coat and damage it directly, or it can attract dust and dirt and force these materials into your clear coat.
Hand wash and apply wax regularly
Washing will remove dust and dirt that stick to the clear coat over the course of driving. Dirt will quickly wear down your clear coat, so removing the dirt frequently will protect the clear coat and lengthen its lifespan.
Many automotive companies sell special clear-coat protection products that seal and protect your clear coat. To apply the product, simply rub it into the clear coat with a microfiber cloth. Follow the directions printed on the bottle and apply the clear-coat protection roughly as often as you wash your vehicle. You can purchase clear-coat protection products at any large automotive-supply store or online.
Cracked Shell (Life Happens)
Repair
- Clean area with soap, water, and plastic cleaner.
- Grind damaged area, then repair with a PlastiFix® Rigid Plastic Repair Kit or similar product.
- Prime.
- Paint.
PlastiFix® is an optimal repair method. Weld repairs may be backed with epoxy for extra strength.
Clean Surface
In order to maximize the strength of any repair, thoroughly clean contaminants from the surface in the damaged area.
- Clean both sides with soap and water. Dry with a clean cloth or compressed air.
- Spray Plastic Cleaner onto the surface and wipe off while wet with a clean, lint-free cloth. Wipe in one direction to avoid spreading contaminants back over the clean area.
Align Damage and Deformation
If the plastic is distorted, heat with a heat gun and reshape the distorted area. When heating plastic, it is important that the plastic be heated all the way through. Hold the heat gun on the area until the opposite side of the plastic is uncomfortable to the touch. Once heated, force the plastic back into position with a small roller or other appropriate tool, then cool the area with a damp cloth. Stretched areas can be shrunk with the shell cold. Keep working until smooth, then sand overall with 80 grit to help identify remaining low spots. Push out remaining low spots and repeat the process.
If the damaged area is cut or torn to the edge, align the cosmetic surface with Aluminum Body Tape and begin the repair process on the back. By aligning the outer surface, you minimize the amount of filler required to restore the proper profile to the part.
PlastiFix Rigid Plastic Repair Kit
Crack Repair
Reinforcing
Product Details
The Tuff Stuff Alpha is a hybrid side-opening rooftop tent that can be set up in under 2 minutes. With a sloped aerodynamic shell, the Alpha ensures minimal wind resistance when driving. Its high profile allows bedding to be kept inside while closed. Overland with a tent that’s quick and easy to camp comfortably.
Includes:
- Mounting hardware & brackets for installation (fits up to 3.25" cross bars)
- Mattress
- Shoe bag, 1 qty
- Storage bag, 1 qty
- Window rods, 6 qty
- Window awnings (removable)
- Rainfly
- Moon roof
- Telescoping ladder with angled steps (will not bite into your arches!)
- LED Lights for interior & exterior (requires power from a USB power pack, not included)
- Patch kit & glue to perform repairs
- Not included, but available, is the Alpha™ Annex Room
Specifications:
- Sleeping Capacity: 3-4 People
- Open dimensions L/W/H: 75x87x52 inches
- Closed dimensions L/W/H: 75x55x15 inches
- Mattress L/W/H: 87x71x 2.75
- Weight: 176 Lbs
- Weight Capacity: 1100 Lbs
- Tent Material: 280 G Poly/Cotton Rip-Stop
- Rainfly Material: 210D Polyester/Oxford PU coated 5000mm
- Floor: Heavy-duty aluminum honeycomb
- Shell: ABS with FRP reinforcement
- Zippers: YKK with custom para-cord pulls (reduces annoying dinging in wind)
- LED Light: Amber & White light (inside and outside)
- Windows: 3 window openings w/ mesh screens & window rods
- Skylight with mesh and solid panel (rainfly must be pulled back to view the sky)
- Window Awnings: 2 side window openings have removable (zip-off) rain awnings (included)
- Installation brackets fit crossbars up to 3.25" wide
- Mounting rails: 32.5" apart
- Steel cable locks w/ 2 pairs of keys
- Ladder: Telescoping 7.5' tall (included)
- Mounting hardware: Stainless steel (Included)
Comes in 2 colors: Black, and Gray (White is no longer available.)
NOTE: The ALPHA tent is designed to open to the passenger side ONLY
ROOF TOP TENTS COMPARISON CHART
Instructions:
Mounting Tent
- Mounting your tent requires a minimum of 2 people for lifting.
- Your tent will ONLY OPEN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. Position the tent on top of the vehicle's roof rack, bed rack, or trailer and center to your liking.
- Using the supplied hardware and mounting plates, slide the hardware into the channel so there are 2 bolts per corner (one in front and one behind the vehicle's crossbars).
- Run the bolts through the mounting brackets holes, thread nuts onto each bolt.
- Confirm you are happy with the position of the tent, vehicle balance, and appearance then tighten all nuts to the brackets until the tent cannot move.
- Undo the buckles on the side of the tent, push up on the handle to actuate the hydraulic rams to open the tent hard shell, Pull out on the telescoping ladder until it is fully extended- pull down on ladder until the folding side of the tent has opened and extended fully.
- Reposition the ladder to your desired height/angle.
- Install the supplied tension rods on the overhang of the tent & windows, open the door, and enjoy!
Using the Ladder
Go to frame 1:25 to see a great explanation of how to use the telescoping ladder.
Click here for Alpha Manual
Required Maintenance
The Clear coat on our Alpha shells is a clear layer of paint sprayed on the ABS shell to protect it from UV rays, rocks, and dirt kicked up from the road. The clear coat will wear off with time and can also be chipped off by salt, road debris, and nature. You can protect your clear coat by regular washing and waxing.
Tips to protect your clear coat
Keep out of the sun as much as possible
Over time, the powerful UV rays in direct sunlight can wear down the clear coat.
Hot sunlight can also open small “pores” in your clear coat, allowing more dirt and debris to get in. So, to protect the clear coat and lengthen its lifespan, park in a garage or in the shade whenever possible.
Clear off bird and bug droppings immediately
Bird droppings are highly acidic. If they’re left on the clear coat, they can erode and destroy the layer of clear coat. If you spot any bird or bug droppings, rinse them off immediately with water from a hose.
Protect your clear coat from salty air
Salt will corrode the clear coat. So, if you live in a salty coastal climate, keep in mind that you will need to wash off/rinse your shell the same as you would a surfboard. Salty air and spray are some of the biggest nemeses of clear coating.
Avoid getting tree sap on your vehicle
For most, the risk of getting tree sap on your car is much lower than the risk of encountering bird droppings or salty air. However, tree sap is a double threat: the sap can soak into your clear coat and damage it directly, or it can attract dust and dirt and force these materials into your clear coat.
Hand wash and apply wax regularly
Washing will remove dust and dirt that stick to the clear coat over the course of driving. Dirt will quickly wear down your clear coat, so removing the dirt frequently will protect the clear coat and lengthen its lifespan.
Many automotive companies sell special clear-coat protection products that seal and protect your clear coat. To apply the product, simply rub it into the clear coat with a microfiber cloth. Follow the directions printed on the bottle and apply the clear-coat protection roughly as often as you wash your vehicle. You can purchase clear-coat protection products at any large automotive-supply store or online.
Cracked Shell (Life Happens)
Repair
- Clean area with soap, water, and plastic cleaner.
- Grind damaged area, then repair with a PlastiFix® Rigid Plastic Repair Kit or similar product.
- Prime.
- Paint.
PlastiFix® is an optimal repair method. Weld repairs may be backed with epoxy for extra strength.
Clean Surface
In order to maximize the strength of any repair, thoroughly clean contaminants from the surface in the damaged area.
- Clean both sides with soap and water. Dry with a clean cloth or compressed air.
- Spray Plastic Cleaner onto the surface and wipe off while wet with a clean, lint-free cloth. Wipe in one direction to avoid spreading contaminants back over the clean area.
Align Damage and Deformation
If the plastic is distorted, heat with a heat gun and reshape the distorted area. When heating plastic, it is important that the plastic be heated all the way through. Hold the heat gun on the area until the opposite side of the plastic is uncomfortable to the touch. Once heated, force the plastic back into position with a small roller or other appropriate tool, then cool the area with a damp cloth. Stretched areas can be shrunk with the shell cold. Keep working until smooth, then sand overall with 80 grit to help identify remaining low spots. Push out remaining low spots and repeat the process.
If the damaged area is cut or torn to the edge, align the cosmetic surface with Aluminum Body Tape and begin the repair process on the back. By aligning the outer surface, you minimize the amount of filler required to restore the proper profile to the part.
PlastiFix Rigid Plastic Repair Kit
Crack Repair
Reinforcing
Adventure Sherpa Support
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This tent is great. There is a little bit of a learning curve with the ladder adjustment, but once you are used to it, no big deal. The included mattress is very large and for my needs (firm), very comfortable. Seems to be made of good quality materials and is pretty straightforward. Set up time is a little longer than I expected, but that is probably because I have mine mounted a little higher to accommodate not hitting my antennae. You definitely will want to leave the windows unzipped to vent the air when tearing down. I'm sure that setup will get quicker the more I use it.
The tent is fantastic. Very user friendly, a breeze to set up and well thought out. Have weathered two storms and a bear and held up perfect (the bear didn’t actually try to come in, but liked not sleeping on the ground while he was around). Installation was easy on a Thule xsporter pro rack. Paired with a 270 tarp, it’s the best setup I’ve used. Very highly recommended!
Thank you for the picture and your review! This looks great!
I'll try to do a thorough review of this, we purchased this from rooftopoverland about 6 months ago, I've had it on my truck for thousands of miles now and have tested it fairly thoroughly.
Pros:
It's huge, we literally just repurposed king bed sheets and they work perfect.
It's not light but for the size of sleeping area and profile on your vehicle, I don't think there is anything comparable at all.
It has a good profile when driving, I actually get better gas mileage despite the weight with my rack at the lowest position and it on there. I was not going to keep it on my truck, but I
pick up 2mpg with it on there, so I guess I'll be that dork who drives around with it all the time.
Tons of features and pockets, you can't look any direction without finding somewhere to store something.
Built in LED lights are great, but on full power they actually draw quite a bit if you are using batteries, but they are awesome and dimmable. I use my 40V ryobi lawnmower battery and an inverter with it for the lights and charging phones and whatever else.
Materials feel very durable, I don't have enough extended use to say how much though, but very high quality materials were used in this.
You can open vents everywhere, sidewalls, roof, literally everywhere with good mesh netting so even tiny bugs can't get in. I did not see if it's noseeum or black fly proof, will be tested this year though, but it looks like it should be good if you live in a more Northern area with those nightmare critters.
Cons:
The metal rod flap holders work but they can be a bit scary and hard to fit, and depending on your setup, some may not work. I can't use the ones on the cab side of my truck because of the roof rack on it, not really a fault of the tent, but they seem excessively engineered having to fit into the metal base.
Mattress is very firm, this is probably my only true complaint. We typically sleep on a firm mattress and we camp a lot, it's great not to bottom out, but the mattress is seriously firm. I'm like 200lbs and athletic so pretty dense, I don't put a dent into this, I can't even use my normal bed pillow comfortably because it's basically flat compared to a normal bed. I do understand the tradeoff here and compromise for thickness, but it's just excessively firm, we're trying to figure out a 1 - 2in foam topper for it, unsure if that can work and be folded up though.
I don't really care for the ladder. It does work, but every time it feels difficult to get into the correct position. The fold upward style isn't intuitive, I've had issues both deploying it securely and folding it back up, last time, I almost couldn't get it completely compacted.
I wish there were other supports, the ladder scares me that it's the only support for the front of the tent, it has worked so far but I just don't have confidence in it.
Stuffy when everything is zipped up. Because it's not a tent with a fly, when all the panels are zipped up, you feel like you're in a plastic bag after a bit. With any panel unzipped with just the mesh this is fine, but for cold weather this could be really uncomfortable trying to breath while you sleep. We felt like we were suffocating during a cold weather camp recently.
Deploying is super easy, folding it back up is not always easy. The sides specifically even with the retaining strap tend to not want to fold in, and they have to be to close this up. I don't think there's a resolution for this, just pointing it out.
Anyway, it is an absolutely awesome tent, it's not cheap obviously but I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it if you want a huge truck top tent with basically a king sized bed but don't want a soft one.
Also, I did contact the manufacturer and you cannot put additional racks on this like some of the aluminum ones out there, just in case anyone was wondering.
But it sets up very fast, I can literally get it stable in about 25 seconds after unstrapping it, not counting the rods that hold up the front and side flaps. It's almost hilarious how fast it is, we're lounging drinking beer and most people don't even have their tents out of the bag yet.
There was one review about it leaking, I believe this may be a result of where it is positioned. On my truck at least it's somewhat low on the bed, it absolutely does not leak. I can see it being possible if it is in an area water is coming off a truck roof and wicking through the shell gap. I definitely do not have this problem though, it's totally impervious in my usage, but I think if you do have this issue, it may be due to positioning, the shell is a single piece of plastic, so it will likely be a unique scenario where this happens.
Thank you so much for your detailed review and thank you for the pictures of the tent on your truck! The tent looks really good on your truck! We are glad you are enjoying your gear! We thank you for your business.
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