[RoughDay]

A feature that many haven't really pointed out, taken pictures of, or have really noticed are the small hooks on the roof of the Toyota TJ Cruiser. (one on each corner)

This will make strapping down sporting equipment/gear, or even hauling any sort of additional cargo on the extremely flat roof a lot easier. You know you have proper anchors in place.

Of course there is more than enough room inside, with additional storage compartments, but sometimes, you just need to strap something to the roof right?

Also apparently there are also power outlets at the base of those roof anchors which I haven't been able to see in any photos unfortunately.

Would you rather this or would you rather racks though?

 

[ToyoForLife]

I assume Toyota will release some roof racks that are compatible with the hooks so you can have the best of both worlds. When you say that there's exterior power outlet, I think Toyota had this kind of rooftop camping in mind, the roof is certainly flat enough for this kind of add on.

 

[RoughDay]

Always wanted to get in one of those things haha. But it would definitely aid greatly in that scenario for sure. Even camping in a tent on the ground, running an extension cord to the roof of the 4X and having a power bar would be greatly effective as well. Just not too sure how the battery will last.

 

[NY-TJ]

From what I can see so far Toyota is pushing lifestyle big around the TJ so odds are we will see a lot of camping related stuff come out specifically for this model.

Just take a look at all the removable interior stuff: light, water bottle, stereo, the list goes on.

If you love camping, the TJ is for you.

 

[RoughDay]

There's definitely no two way about that, that's for sure.

I typically don't get out there that often but this definitely looks like something that will give me that push and motivation to get out there and explore as I'm sure it'll have that affect on a lot of other people.

 

[ToyoForLife]

Having a collapsible roof tent like those would be ideal for campers, setting up a tent can be such a pain sometimes and the ground gets pretty cold at night. Those hooks would be the perfect anchoring points to keep the tent open.

If the TJ Cruiser's performance matches its exterior, then there are going to be a lot of like minded people who would be interested in one. Being decked out in rooftop camping gear is great and all, but it won't be very fun if it has trouble hauling everything off road.

 

[NY-TJ]

The concept had a sleeping bag that fits between the seats and doubles as an armrest. So as we get closer to seeing the production model you might see marketing material show camping with just the TJ... no external accessories.

 

[RoughDay]

We also have to consider how big this roof is going to be and if we can even fit more than one person comfortably on the roof. The concept looked very small and I'm not too sure if two people would be able to bunk on top of there in a roof mounted tent.

 

[ToyoForLife]

We see a really small kayak strapped to the roof using the hooks only, something most people generally won't do because it can shift forward or backward on hard acceleration/deceleration. But if they're doing it, then that means the roof uses some heavy duty scratch proof paint.

 

[RoughDay]

Could be a hard plastic cover that's on the "sheet metal" of the roof which would make it extremely durable. That being said, when it does get scratched hard enough, it won't be something we could just buff out or sand and repaint unfortunately. But, the pros outweigh the cons of this one I think.

 

[NY-TJ]

Who said you have to be limited by the real estate of the roof? Keeping yourself limited like that is almost never a good idea although its great if you want to be minimalist, but this is already a smaller vehicle.

Take this setup for example:

 

[RoughDay]

Oh sweet! As you can probably tell, I definitely haven't ever camped on a roof but a setup like that looks amazing. Tons of room and it even has a window with little roof thing over it which is pretty cool!!

Gotta check up on prices on those though as they look real pricey.

 

[ToyoForLife]

That is a very nice idea actually, a bit more effort to set up and the TJ Cruiser's trunks should be long enough to stow that ladder. Pretty much what I would like to do to the TJ's roof.

Not something I would do, but maybe someone will install solar panels on the roof, I've seen it happen with Wranglers.

 

[RoughDay]

Yeah, that's a bit too much work for me. But I can imagine how that would help out a good bit. During the day, it'll bank some good power and then in the night after you set up your tent, you have power to use instead of relying on the battery of the vehicle itself.

 

[ToyoForLife]

If the TJ Cruiser comes with roof hooks, then possible OEM accessories could be a large roof cargo net or those tie down bungee cords.

 

[HeliDriver]

Who said you have to be limited by the real estate of the roof? Keeping yourself limited like that is almost never a good idea although its great if you want to be minimalist, but this is already a smaller vehicle.

Take this setup for example:

Now that's the shiznitt right there!!! Now park a TJ under it and lets do some overlanding!!

 

[ToyoForLife]

That is the dream isn't it? A cross country overlanding trip with a TJ, take a sabbatical and drive across roads less traveled by. I think the world could use a car like the TJ to motivate some drivers to go on adventures, and the roof luggage/tent possibilities are endless! Provided that the roof can support the weight of course. Anyone have any guesses about that?

 

[NY-TJ]

Probably the best route to go in hauling a tent like that since cabin cargo space might get sacrificed is by having a hitch mounted box. On most vehicles you can load up a few hundred pounds at the very least, which green-lights this idea I have here.

 

[ToyoForLife]

Hauling a cargo box is a great option, but the roof area where the rack is mounted to will need to support the weight of a tent along with yourself and anything else you need to put in said tent.

 

[RoughDay]

Once it can hold a total of 250-350ish, we should be alright, but another thing is ensuring good weight distribution. I highly doubt we'll have any issue keeping that kind of weight on top of the roof though. This isn't a Honda Civic after all lol