[Closed] Roof tent - anybody use one?

We used one for a week in Iceland on top Mitsubishi l2000. The one we had was basically a massive bed. It was comfy, and stood up to the wind quite well.

Problem we found is that there was no porch to put your wet jacket or shoes - only option was do you want wet gear in your bed or in the car then go outside in your Jim jams to get into your bed?

Also, think about where you are going to spend the evening,although if your caddy has somewhere to chill out of an evening it my be less of an issue. For us, drinking mugs of wine whilst sat in the driver & passengers seat (on a campsite) was a bit crap and felt prone to getting arrested for drink driving.

The wet coat point is a good one. I had been playing with the idea as a way to extend our vivaro van from ghetto 2 berth to 4

I’m sure I saw one on top a mini this week. Not sure what else it could have been.
How heavy are they? Easy to get on and off the roof? Could be quite a bit of weight up high..

Yep, have a swivel seat in the caddy and rear seats for chilling already, adding a big roll away sun awning to the side. It seems a pretty nice way to just rock up and sleep. Esp. in Scotland

Wasn't interested when they were £2-3k they were ridiculous but they seem quite a bit cheaper now

My brother in Oz has a beauty. Incredibly spacious and mounted on a little Suzuki ute.

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How cheap is cheap nowadays?

How cheap is cheap nowadays?

Depends where you go shopping, there are some copies (or real ones going out the back door) on aliexpress. So from £850 upwards. Like most stuff there's probably crap versions and good ones though. I had a look at them a couple of years ago but my cars roof load is annoyingly low.

A bit less stealth than some campers but equally means a much smaller van.

I think a Caranex / Kampa / awning style thing would be better...?

Genuine question, what's the point of them?.

The only thing I can come up with is that you can camp where there's nowhere to pitch a tent.

Is that it?.

Fairly exposed to wind too I'd imagine.

Great for keeping lions and snakes out

Not so good in West coast wind

Genuine question, what’s the point of them?.

The only thing I can come up with is that you can camp where there’s nowhere to pitch a tent.

Pretty much, so car camping anywhere that isn't a campsite.

Also good if you want a campervan without having to have a second vehicle.

Or for 4x4's where towing a campervan offroad isn't really an option.

Or for trips where a caravan might be a good option, except your already towing a boat.

They also have a permanent mattress up there, so are supremely comfortable compared to any camping bed.

And most of the 'soft' ones fold out with an awning which gives propper 8ft+ headroom for getting changed!

I had a Howling Moon 1.4m tourer RTT, extension room and side awning on my 110 Defender.

Pro's are fairly quick to open, stable in wind, comfy mattress, saves space inside the vehicle.

Cons are, expensive, theft vulnerable, still involves a bit of faffage setting up, heavy, have to pack away to drive off.

Ultimately a lwb van and a large standard ground based tent served us better, allowed us to take more 'stuff' for increased comfort and could set up camp then drive off and explore if required.

Also good if you want a campervan without having to have a second vehicle.

Or for 4×4’s where towing a campervan offroad isn’t really an option.

Or for trips where a caravan might be a good option, except your already towing a boat.

Aye, as I thought, all of those covered by a tent. 😂

Aye, as I thought, all of those covered by a tent. 😂

Well, yea as long as you quote selectively. 😉

You could say the same about a T5. It's just an alternative to a R&R bed, but leaves the back of the van free for the other stuff (or more beds, or doesn't have to be a van at all).

I looked at them very briefly recently for our Caddy and I can't see the point. They came out of Africa/Australia where you didn't want to be camping on the ground because of animals. In the UK I can't see any benefit - you can buy a really good tent and camping mattresses for less money. There are few places you can camp with the roof tent that you can't in a normal tent but there are campsites where you can't use one.

IMO the nicest campsites are the ones where they don't let you park your car next to your tent (so you don't sit looking at a load of cars parked in a field and spend the night listening to slamming car doors.

They also have a permanent mattress up there, so are supremely comfortable compared to any camping bed.

Look at an Exped Megamat or similar - better than most people's spare bed mattresses.

"You could say the same about a T5. It’s just an alternative to a R&R bed, but leaves the back of the van free for the other stuff (or more beds, or doesn’t have to be a van at all)."

Not really. A roof tent is no different to an actual tent.....just higher up.

Hard walls and roof + heating and all other mod cons isn't really the same as a tent 6 ft in the air.

*There are better examples than a T5 as they are pretty poor examples of a van for camping in.

So, the pros are 'away from snakes' and 'the bed is really comfy'...

Take my money! 💸💳😂

*There are better examples than a T5 as they are pretty poor examples of a van for camping in.

Not really...depends what you want. Everything is a compromise. A t5 is a bit smaller than other vans so better for general driving and parking. Slightly smaller for camping in but big enough so what more do you need. Also because they are popular and there is a bit of a scene around them the there are allorts of off the shelf stuff and equipment for them. If mine wasn’t a daily drive then i’d have a bigger van like a Ducato or even a full on motorhome as any builder type van is a big compromise, but as it’s my daily drive it just about strikes the beat balance.

The roof tents seem to me to be quite good if you’ve got a small car, but into a leisure activity that takes you away at the weekends like biking for example. Better than tenting on the ground especially in inclement weather.

So, the pros are ‘away from snakes’ and ‘the bed is really comfy’…

Take my money! 💸💳😂

I've always assume that they popped up on gas struts virtually instantly, and as the matress etc was in situ, it was much quicker and less hassle than a tent. Obviously they are a niche solution or we would see loads more around. I suspect that the weather (wet jacket issue, and where you drink wine in the rain) has more to do with why they work better in Africa and Oz than the UK, than the lack of snakes. Also of course, the issue that you need a fairly robust vehicle to take the tent + two people on the roof.

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Hook rod line sinker and copy of angling times for the wpbbli one

I gather they can be a bit tricksy if you’ve had a few ciders.