I must be missing something here. I understand roof top tents. I understand having a roof top cargo rack or basket. My question is what type of roof top rack do you have to have to attach a roof top tent? Anytime I see roof top tents, I can never see the roof racks that are used. Surely a cargo basket type of rack is not what is needed or used to support a roof top tent, right?
So if a flat roof rack is used to support a roof top tent, then when you are not using your tent you just have a flat rack on the roof? No way to carry anything up there without strapping it down? If that is true then really you need two types of roof racks to cover you in all situations? That doesn’t make sense. So are basket types all you need to support a roof top tent? Sorry I’m just really confused. Any info to help clear this up would be really appreciated.
thanks for you time in answering.

 

All you really need are some crossbars to support a rooftop tent. Plenty of folks only use the roof for their RTT. Other custom build or find a rack that will support a RTT plus have storage on either end of the tent. You don't HAVE to have different racks unless you want to run a RTT sometimes and a roof basket other times.