I looked into bed and roof systems as it’s way lighter and cheaper. However, the majority of our camping is in subfreezing temps and we frequently get buried in snow (a good thing because that keeps you warm and protected from the wind). The in bed and on roof systems don’t offer enough advantages over our regular tents which are engineered for alpine expeditions where conditions can get severe.
The reason we like the TC route is that once you and/or your gear get wet, you’re hosed. The TC offers a way to sleep much more comfortably at the trailhead the night before and the night returning, and holing up if you get snowed in is more fun. Also, I paddle in the ocean year ’round, and the weather is really wet/stormy in the winter. This made a small hardshell equipped with a propane heater attractive.
I really would have loved to make a truck with more payload capacity work. But they’re just too big for some areas plus I live in a city where a full size is nearly impossible to park.
