You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I always wonder how it’s killing the mpg and how long it would take to pay for a hotel for the night in savings if removed.
You need to get out more.
I kinda half like the idea of one but coupled with something like a Caddy where there is some space "downstairs" for stuff like a little fridge and all the stuff you normally take camping.
I had a ventura style one - similar to a tentbox.
I put it on the top of my transit custom.
Used it once -then sold it.
It was such a faff to get onto the roof rack - at about 60KG's its heavy to be lifting onto the top of a vehicle.
it was going to be removed / added as required and not just left on.
Using the ladder to get in / out was dangerous - esspecially as it was at full extension on my van.
I still love the ide - if i had a normal car - then yes as you could lift it on / off easier.
In answer to the question, can lions climb the ladders of a Land Rover? They don't need to. They just wait for it to break down, then they get you while you're underneath it!
I'm only joking.
Tentboxes based on the ones I have seen at Campsites, look crap.
These however look ace:
Got to admit the hitch tent ElShamino posted does look good - seems to solve the discussed issues of roof tents, you can use the vehicle while pitched up and all the while remaining out of the reach of 6, 8 and 0 legged fauna and without covering itself in mud.
Dread to think what it will cost. Plus £1k to get a hitch fitted.
There's a Chap round the corner from us I periodically see lashing one to the roof of his Defender, I think it's part of a rugged 'Overlanding' look he's achieved with a snorkel, water and fuel canisters, etc all strapped to the outside of a jacked up Landy rolling about on Extra knobbly AT tyres.
I assume He's striking out a bit further than Rural Berkshire, maybe he needs to be on the roof at night to escape feral ponies in the New Forrest? But a weekend away sleeping on the roof on his car, must cost an absolute fortune just in fuel, having made an already inefficient vehicle even less efficient.
The thing I've got an irrational love of though are those stupid little mini-teardrop trailer/caravan things. They seem to be popular in the states, again with "overlander" types, who seem to like towing about a dinky plywood box to sleep in behind their apocalypse proofed 4x4 monster truck, but also with YT hipsters who aren't quite wealthy enough to live the full on #vanlife...
"Dread to think what it will cost"
We stock Thule roof tents and they are very well made with excellent customer service - as far as the Outset goes, the rep said it was very much going to be 'premium pricing' so thats 3k at least, prob nearer 4.
as far as the Outset goes, the rep said it was very much going to be ‘premium pricing’ so thats 3k at least, prob nearer 4.
The frame I'd expect to be their usual high quality. Would they sell the tent bit/"canvas" separately as a repair item? Otherwise thats a lot of money to bin once the fabric gets old and tired and less than waterproof.
I like the idea of one coupled with a small van.
Bikes & cooking stuff etc in the van and a comfy'ish dry bed on top.
Our Howling Moon RTT was good - dry, airy and comfy.
Okay levels of faffage to deploy/stow.
I'm rebuilding our XC90 for a Scandic roadtrip next year and looking at options.
1. RTT - the market has opened up since we bought ours ~ 15year ago but I think there is a bit of rebranded crap now on the market.
2. Inflatable rear Dometic awning - bulky to store/transport, would need a roofrack.
3. Oztent RV series tent, quick to deploy but long when stowed so need a roofrack
4. Inflatable tent, as per awning above, bulky.
I think a RTT is still the potential favourite but I'm watching the Thule hitch tent with interest. Not interested in anything with poles - I want to break camp and go quickly.
The Outset is definitely going to be 2024's must steal accessory. Its very cool, but the defence mechanism for leaving it somewhere is a Thule barrel lock...
Its very cool, but the defence mechanism for leaving it somewhere is a Thule barrel lock…
Nah the lock is just decoration. The real security mechanism is a hernia
Love mine.. great for camping at events where you're stuck in a gravel car park with no grass to pitch a tent on. I've used mine at Ft. William, Glenshee and a few other times. Also taken it up into Torridon (well Shieldaig) when we could only get a gravel pitch.
It's about 60kg, which is below the weight limit on the Octavia. (Weight limit is dynamic, seems you can put a lot more on when static).
Now, I'd love a camper van of some description but can't stretch to that. It's not perfect but works bloody well. We got a Ventura one - seems about the cheapest you can get but works for us.
The good - it takes seconds to pitch, it's comfy, waterproof, spacious (fits two adults and the dog with plenty of space to keep bags etc). Doesn't need grass to pitch on.. and doesn't matter if there's an inch of running water on the ground. All valid considerations for your average SDA event.
The less good - sits a bit low on the Octavia - can walk into it. Bit more thought needed for night-time pees (see bottle instructions above). Cooking etc. gets done outside. I've got an annex for it but it's not that good on the car (would work well on something taller). Also it's a big beast to store in the garage and uses valuable bike space.
Bikes end up going on the tow-bar rack when it's in use. I think it's better mpg like that than 2-3 bikes on the roof. Certainly getting 47+ mpg on the Octavia fully loaded heading into the wilderness - which I can accept.
These look like a good idea, if you could get a modern car with the same huge boot lid.
There are a few on their stands round here. I used to pass one on my way out MTBing until a couple of years ago.
Inflatable tent, as per awning above, bulk
How many of you are travelling? Our large 5 man inflatable decathlon tent takes up about 1/6 the space of the boot of our zafira, and I've done bikepacking with it on the cargobike (probably overkill). Our 2 man inflatable (same size as a roof tent I'd say) is truly tiny
Seems like a worst of all worlds to me ( unless you need to get off the ground to avoid beasties)
All the disadvantages of a tent and a camper van in one go with none of the advantages of either. I've used small campervans, big motorhomes, tiny tents, big tents but never felt the need for a roof tent.
4 berth camper is about £100/day to hire, have actual beds, and go back to the owner when you're done. You'll not be catching me paying £3k for a roof tent.
Parents used to own a Rapido folding caravan. More of a "solid tent" than a caravan. Folded into a fairly small trailer. They used to stash it on its side in the garden. Around 20 mins to pitch. Waterproof if storm conditions were less than a hurricane. 4 beds, the big one converted into daytime dining table. Had a stove, coolbox + toilet. Seemed like a reasonable answer to most of the pitch problems described above the ballache of a VanLife answer or a full blown Camper slash RV. Obviously way too retro (or is it not retro enough?) to be remotely viable/desirable/available/repairable these days.
@mert I literally saw one of those on the way back from Blekinge in summer. Even after five year it amazes me how many old, strange/classic cars are still running and still in good shape, which I guess says a lot about besiktning.
Anyway, on roof tents... We have one. We do not use it (yet) because it came with my mother-in-law's Caddy and she did not want it. When/if I get around to buying a small van for trips out with the bikes I fully intend to use it so that I can leave the bikes and stuff in the car safe and sound and have a place to sleep that is less likely to have an issue with ants and/or water.
I intend to solve the problem of "old man bladder" with a clearly marked up Nalgene bottle. One of the ones with a wide opening.
How many of you are travelling? Our large 5 man inflatable decathlon tent takes up about 1/6 the space of the boot of our zafira, and I’ve done bikepacking with it on the cargobike (probably overkill). Our 2 man inflatable (same size as a roof tent I’d say) is truly tiny
2 of us and large dog. I need to have a good look at inflatable tents, probably at NEC camping show in Feb.
willardFull Member
One of the ones with a wide opening.
No need to brag 🙂
Just use a funnel with a tube out through the zip on the door, no chance of knocking a bottle of pee over or running out of space in the bottle....
Now to solve the No 2 problem - you could go full SAS and keep a roll of clingfilm in there and some ziplock bags - just don't put it next to the ziplock with your sarnies in.......
4 berth camper is about £100/day to hire, have actual beds, and go back to the owner when you’re done. You’ll not be catching me paying £3k for a roof tent.
Conversely a roof tent starts at £125 for 3 nights then up to £210 for a fortnight (incrementally cheaper the longer you rent it) and hand it back at the end.
https://rentals.decathlon.co.uk/l/decathlonbraehead/product/vnfXZ8wrV2XvX1msg0RC
For all I'd use it that actually sounds great value and massively more sensible.
Parents used to own a Rapido folding caravan. More of a “solid tent” than a caravan. Folded into a fairly small trailer. They used to stash it on its side in the garden. Around 20 mins to pitch. Waterproof if storm conditions were less than a hurricane. 4 beds, the big one converted into daytime dining table. Had a stove, coolbox + toilet. Seemed like a reasonable answer to most of the pitch problems described above the ballache of a VanLife answer or a full blown Camper slash RV. Obviously way too retro (or is it not retro enough?) to be remotely viable/desirable/available/repairable these days.
Actually no, they're horrifically, ass-bleedingly expensive, last I saw was £19k which would buyt you an actualy ready to inhabit shed to drag around. I suspect that's why they're not popular.
Where is this 4 berth camper for £100 per night - in school holidays obvs - of which you speak? Please can you point me to the website?
I helped my pal put one on top of his landrover a few years ago. It was non elementary. He has a fair bit of camping experience so I'm fairly sure if it was bobbins he would have got rid by now. I do think you'd get to the age where bladder issues /arthritis would go against them. It's the use of a landrover for regular transport that I don't understand rather than the use of the roof tent.
All this talk of weak bladders and arthritis probably explains why the idea of an adventure for a lot of you, is a bloody campervan 🤣
Where is this 4 berth camper for £100 per night – in school holidays obvs – of which you speak? Please can you point me to the website?
I'm paying that for a VW transporter pop top thing for the next few days on a deal at the end of the season. Is a SWB pop top *really* a 4 berth van?
A tentbox finally persuaded me to abandon Instagram.
The owner had come up with the cunning plan of attaching it to a trailer, then it was easy to get into, not on the roof, still off the ground, and meant your could drive away with it pitched.
So, a trailer tent then. I realised humanity was lost to an upcoming idiocracy and wept for the future.
Ha ha, this is a great thread..!!
I've got a RTT on a Defender and I think it's a flipping marvellous bit of kit but RTTs aren't for everyone.
It takes about 30 - 60 seconds to set up and then another 60 seconds to inflate the mattress with the tiny air pump. Taking it down takes around 5 - 7 minutes depending on faffage. Being on top of the car means I have more space in the car plus ants, scorpions and other creepy crawlies can't get in.
When it rains I'm not sat on top of wet ground and setting it up on wet ground poses no issues. I've been in some serious storms in mine and thankfully I've survived...!!! No leaks yet. It's allowed me to get to places that would be tricky for a van to access. There's no real penalty when driving apart from a 5 - 10% increase in fuel consumption. It's less obvious when stopping off the beaten track than a camper van.
I haven't met any lions or alligators to test the 'climbing up the ladder' theory yet although I've had wolves, bears & European jackals in the vicinity and didn't get eaten! I would post some photo's of the RTT in some pretty cool spots but it's a right pain in the butt to post photo's on STW.
Yorkshire, in August. It was raining heavily sideways. Gotta love the ambition… The photo doesn’t do justice to the angle it was parked at, the back wheels were a lot lower than the front.
plus ants, scorpions and other creepy crawlies can’t get in.
I don’t really see this as relevant. I’ve camped hundreds of times in Australia in a standard tent and never had this problem. The zip is a remarkable invention.
But this is what we all really need. I found it blocking my path on the way to work this morning. Jimny, tinny and mtb on the trailer.
Guess this is how they should be used (Morocco/Algeria border 2010). For what its worth mine is the blue one on the floor. Twice when taking it down in the morning I found a scorpion under the flysheet.
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Now if you really want to think outside the box.... (apologies but it is in German but you will quickly get the idea!)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-uLSWdyXc0Fac2iXbOg2d7_SLgypfD7a
TBH , my inner gear fetishist gets excited when it sees a unimog, oddly in a decathlon carpark. they are insane in the flesh and I’m seeing a few more lorry-life creations er plodding along.
Being in southern Spain near the coast you get to see a lot of van life.
I quite like the idea of micro teardrop adventure caravans for a quick weekend party getaway.
I just don't think when I get a few more years on me,I’d be wanting to be lifting a tent box onto the roof of anything, it’s hard enough hassle popping a bike up there.
I suppose the value is in how much use you get out of whatever you buy.
Evening all,
I have finally got the roof tent lifting system sorted using an SGS engine crane and lifting arm from Adventure Equipped. It works!! I can now easily and quickly fit and remove my tent :-).
Somewhat complex to get it sorted, need a low profile crane to fit under the car and slightly longer than standard slings to go round the tent.
I have a hard top roof tent and it is great for one or two night roadside stops in Scotland, very quick to useable in windy / wet conditions. I am looking forward to Spring though.....
roof tent lifting system sorted using an SGS engine crane and lifting arm
Que?
Pics before we can start laying into you, please... 😘
Interesting thread revival.
I was sat watching* at Braemar Campsite earlier this week a 'roof tenter'. Snow on the ground. 1*c. Raining. Wind.
Cooking on a Discovery tailgate, while his partner sat resolutely in the front seat engine on and a big puffy jacket.
Then the dance to get the tent popped up 'it was not a hard top, and seemed to extend sideways over the car with a ladder underneath. Then the dance to go up the ladder with pillows, sleeping bags, a light, a book.
She still sat in the passenger seat not looking happy.
The next morning as we sat having breakfast and planning the day we heard a shout - seems she missed the ladder and landed into the puddle below in her PJ's before heading off to the showers to change. 'Look of thunder' was the mood of the day it seems.
* Next pitch along, warm under a fixed roof, heater, cooker, slippers on...
Have to say a tentbox looks ideal for the trail races I do - overnight stay in a small village, not necessarily any campsite nearby, just pull up somewhere and 15 minutes later you're got somewhere to sleep. Walk to the start next morning, and have a shower in the local sports centre after. Food and toilets would be local restaurants / cafes.
I'd love to have a van to sleep in, but it just doesn't make economic sense.
Saw one of these on a Toyota Yaris the other day. It looked absolutely ridiculous.
That said, maybe on a Yaris it kinda makes sense as you ain't getting a big tent in the boot
Around my way we had a local loon who made one out of timber decking 😒. It was massive and seemed to be attached to roof bars and yes it did look deadly.
Sneaked a closer look one day and he just drilled right through the roof and bolted it to the car as well.
Shocking thing. And it was all on a Nissan Almera.
I nicked named it the Ark of the Convanant.
The Horror... The Horror !
The true Dirt Shed Show 🙂
Surly their purpose is to enable car drivers to avoid camping fees just like camper van users ?
The extra 20oddK for a T6 camper would pay for a lot of camping pitches!
The extra 20oddK for a T6 camper would pay for a lot of camping pitches!
Except the full purchase price of a van is false - it's the depreciation that you need to cost.
Having just been offered £5k more than mine cost a few months ago, I'm currently 'up' in my head...
I knew I would find a discussion on STW regarding these things, never let down by you lot. A bit disappointed by the dislike of the TentBox I have to admit, I have had my head turned by them recently after spending the last 2yrs either paying for an airB&B or driving 100's of miles in one day to ride somewhere decent.
Reasons I thought they would be good:
1. They come with a built in matress so no uncomfortable lumps and bumps to keep me awake
2. I am off the floor so not sat in an inch of water if it pisses down
3. I have a car with a massive boot which I often think would be perfect for sleeping in, but what do I do with the bike? Bike stays in boot, I go on roof
4. No, really, driving a T5 or converted transit is not "just like driving a car" But driving my car with a TentBox is just the same as driving a car
6 months since the last post, do we have any real life experiences to shatter my rose tinted view of TentBoxs?
Cheers
what do I do with the bike?
When i car camp (or use the transit which has a fold down bed a kitchen) bike goes across the front seats with the wheels off.
And yes, the transit isn't like driving a car. It's shit, slow and rattly.
I have never fancied one , but then again I've always thought tarps are only popular for people who don't go out of their gardens in bad weather and they seem strangely popular for people on gravel adventures
The one parked next to me the night before last was very noisy in the wind. Sounded like professional grade snoring - must have been great fun in there hearing that all night.
We had a PSA on here for cheap roof tents when Wiggle went tent pegs up.
I ended up with this instead.
For...
- £50k less than a T6, and it drives like a car not a transit van with shit handling.
- when not in use, it's (for me) in the garage - so I doubly don't need to drive a shit handling rough riding T6 around
- for the argument of 'the cost of a T6 is only depreciation- no - not unless you have a spare £50k lying around. Otherwise you have to finance it through... Finance - which costs (or for some, unavailable). + the risk that if it's nicked or burns down you also cop the £££ gap too.
- on my properly driving AWD I don't get stuck in fields, unlike T6s around every event and festival where there's wetness.
Now the reality of use.
- goes up pretty quick (a few mins once used to it) + can leave sleeping stuff in too. Lot less faff than a real tent.
- piss wet through tent stays OUT of the car when packing down
- Piss wet tent east to air amd dry on driveway when back home for me.
We got a zip-on awning with a ground sheet built in (used the folded-out half as the roof) so we can still store stuff like table and chairs out of sight, and doggie can sleep in the awning safely overnight.
Is it perfect ? No. It depends what you're doing. Unlike a normal tent you can't just drive away and leave stuff set up. And will take longer to pack up than in a T6.
"when the roof tents a rocking...."
1. They come with a built in matress so no uncomfortable lumps and bumps to keep me awake
2. I am off the floor so not sat in an inch of water if it pisses down
3. I have a car with a massive boot which I often think would be perfect for sleeping in, but what do I do with the bike? Bike stays in boot, I go on roof
4. No, really, driving a T5 or converted transit is not “just like driving a car” But driving my car with a TentBox is just the same as driving a car
£200 of decathlon inflatable tent + thick decathlon SIM achieves all that. Not much slower to put up either
Some people ought to maybe get some training in camping. .
Your not supposed to pitch up in the river ....or the flood plain.
Otherwise I cannot conceivably see how you wake up in inches of water. - unless of course you pitched the tent inside out and upside down.
£200 of decathlon inflatable tent + thick decathlon SIM achieves all that. Not much slower to put up either
Don't disagree much on that. It's a bit 'horses for courses'. Mine's just easier when it's pishing down or the grou d is rock hard and Stoney (i don't bother with guys on it).
But we have both.
Roof tent works for a night around the back of a pub better than a floor tent.
Halfway up an Alp or in the Andes, it's tricky driving the roof tent !
I do refer to ours as a 'poor man's camper van".. if I had a spare £50k to spaff out (and another grand or so yearly costs for insurance, service, habitability service, MOT) then there would be a camper van on my drive. Or actually a Merc Vito based van instead actually.
There is a place for all different tents, and a roof tent is great for upto a couple of people and a short term pitch.
Surface water. Just takes one bit of ground to be lower than the other and unless you are on a crown bowling green, that is more than possible.
Surface water. Just takes one bit of ground to be lower than the other and unless you are on a crown bowling green, that is more than possible.
Not without making some very bad choices or some seriously bad weather - that would likely see you abandoning your tentbox also.
I'd love a tentbox for the van TBH, The faff involved in fitting/removing/storing them puts me off though, need the roofrack for ladders most of the time.
I don't know that I'd stick a pop-top on an aging t5 though - some do - but it's 4k. Would prefer a roof-tent type thing that could be transferred / sold-on..
We tend to plan months in advance and rent a pod though
How are people getting them on and off the car?
Not without making some very bad choices or some seriously bad weather – that would likely see you abandoning your tentbox also.
You're acting like you've never camped at Inners. Remember the year we turned up and it had been waist deep only a few hours before? Was still soaking.
Remember Pitfichie? With the Fiesta that just slid down the hill in the rain?
Ae when it absolutely pished down and everyone got stuck till Laur towed them out with his 90?
Roof tent would have been amazing for those occasions, not gonna lie.
How are people getting them on and off the car?
If alone, the options I've seen are ceiling mounted hoists, an inclined frame with a winch, or an engine crane with an extension.
I look at these roof tents every few months. I now have a few threads off here and other sites bookmarked to quickly remind myself why not to get one.
We've had a Tentbox classic on our van for coming up to 4 years now, it stays permanently on the van and so far have had no issues with mold etc, currently in Spain on an 8 week tour through Spain and France.
I always picture someone pissed getting up in the middle of the night and forgetting they’re high up…WAhhhh
I've done that. Fort William YH. The bunk beds are 3 high and i just leaned over to put my hand on the bedside unit to swing out and... there was no unit. Result - landing face first onto the floor.
I personally think there roof tents are a fantastic idea, and they've been out for decades. I remember Volvo had an option on one of their cars back in the late 70's
It allows more things to be carried inside the car or somewhere safe to leave the expensive bike overnight.
And yes, the transit isn’t like driving a car. It’s shit, slow and rattly.
So much like driving my car.
Thanks all. Still can't decide, but will be looking at the blow up tent option mentioned by @robertajobb. Didn't know blow up tents were a thing, I am intrigued
I bought the previous version of this for about £550 delivered (this new version already isn't far off now with the 15% Bank Holiday discount code on their site also) and it's been great:
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/19611994/oex-vertex-lite-130-roof-tent-19611994
For my use case it's perfect:
1-2 people
1-2 nights with the bikes securely locked away in the van (VW Caddy so not really big enough to sleep in with a bike or two without too many compromises) along with my kit etc. down in the New Forest/Brecon Beacons etc. staying at very basic (just a field with a toilet block) type camp sites.
It won't be ideal for everyone but it means I'm doing more mini trips where I'll drive down the night before a big day out on the bike rather than trying to squeeze in a trip to the Forest of Dean including travel both ways in a day for example, for the sake of an extra ~£20 for a cheap campsite stay.
For the price I paid it's ideal for me and I've already more than got my moneys worth, if it was £2k+ I'd have probably talked myself out of it in favour of a decent regular tent but after a few decent weekends away for me it's already "free"/paid for itself compared to staying in a couple of cheap hotels/BnB's so I'm happy.
You’re acting like you’ve never camped at Inners. Remember the year we turned up and it had been waist deep only a few hours before? Was still soaking.
Remember Pitfichie? With the Fiesta that just slid down the hill in the rain?
My fiesta ? I remember turning up to pitfichie and going up the hill in reverse in my fiesta the first year it was reintroduced and taking one of the few dry pitches at the top of the hill and watching chaos ensue. I recall taking one look at the AE bog and deciding to move on to an actual campsite. A By product was my bike wasn't stripped for parts while I slept like many others.
I did have some friends pitched right next to me on a sodden campsite on Skye where our tent footprint was waterproof and theirs......well it wasn't.
Not sure a tent box would have helped as we were cycle touring.
Similarly a friend brought a light weight north American tent to sleepless in the saddle. It was an equally bad decision as the bathtub and fly just didn't have enough overlap for the driving rain and wetness ensued
@jfab this is interesting. Like you i am doing FoD every other week with a 5.30am start and a 7pm return home plus some BPW and Dyfi days which get expensive when you throw in the accommodation.
2 questions:
1. How easy to remove and refit if you don't fancy driving around with it on all week?
2. How easy to set up and take down?
Saw loads of these at the campsite on our holiday this summer. They kept having to take them down and pack up to go to the shops, and basically lose their pitch.
Mind you, it appears no-one knows how to put tents up properly - it was pretty windy and many tents were demolished after some absolutely atrocious pitching efforts.
My fiesta ? I remember turning up to pitfichie and going up the hill in reverse in my fiesta the first year it was reintroduced and taking one of the few dry pitches at the top of the hill and watching chaos ensue. I recall taking one look at the AE bog and deciding to move on to an actual campsite. A By product was my bike wasn’t stripped for parts while I slept like many others.
I did have some friends pitched right next to me on a sodden campsite on Skye where our tent footprint was waterproof and theirs……well it wasn’t.
Not sure a tent box would have helped as we were cycle touring.
Similarly a friend brought a light weight north American tent to sleepless in the saddle. It was an equally bad decision as the bathtub and fly just didn’t have enough overlap for the driving rain and wetness ensued
So in summary, for all except cycle touring the roof tent would have solved the problem just as effectively as luck / judgement / choice of ground based tent.
I always wonder how it’s killing the mpg and how long it would take to pay for a hotel for the night in savings if removed.
I used to put my bike on the roof of my Puma, it would knock 8-10mpg off the consumption. And it wasn’t that great to start with, about 33-35 mpg if I drove it how it was supposed to be driven. It wasn’t possible to put a carrier on the rear hatch, because the glass went all the way to the top, with no frame.
So in summary, for all except cycle touring the roof tent would have solved the problem just as effectively as luck / judgement / choice of ground based tent.
i never argued it was anything other than judgement. Poor judgement.
See also the folk using a roof box recently to do london to capetown ending up with a roof tent full of water and having a real hard time trying to get it to dry out.
Works both ways. you cant simply kit your way out of it .
Uber common here (Aus) as above. They have their uses.
Personally, not keen or interested. The thought of having to pack up everything, just to nip into town for a grocery run or to pick up another slab.
Yeah, nah.
I keep looking at diy teardrop caravans and thinking they look like a good idea.
But i could stick a tent box on top aswell i guess.
Uber common here (Aus) as above. They have their uses.
Yes because Aus is infested with evil snakes and crawlies that want to kill you.
For UK use they are just stupid.
I'd break my neck in one - guaranteed I'd need a piss in the night and forget I was 4ft off the ground! 🙂
Not much protection from drop bears though.
@johnjn2000 I have just left mine on the roof of my Caddy as it's parked off the road and only really used for bike trips but I'd say initial install/minor assembly of brackets etc. was probably an hour with a cup of tea and some biscuits and no real urgency.
1. Removal/Refit to the car if your roofbars are already on and you've done it before is probably 10 minutes and is a 2-person job to hoist it up just because of the awkwardness/size of it. Actual weight is sub-40kg so physically lifting/moving it alone isn't an issue it's just getting purchase on it to get it up and onto the bars safely.
2. Set up if you wanted to do it gameshow style I reckon you could easily go sub-60 seconds. Unclip the cover at two corners and pull that off, grab the end of the ladder off the top and you use that to swing it open and down as the ladder extends. Then one clip-on pole inside to push the porch section out and lock it into place.
Packdown is just as quick up until putting the cover back on, that probably takes me 5-10 minutes because it actually fits a bit too well from new so getting it fully down and cinched up tight at each corner takes a couple of circuits of the car just to get it nice and snug so it doesn't look naff. I think it might loosen up a little with more trips but if you needed to get going in a hurry/there were two of you doing it you could do a neat enough job in a couple of minutes in reality, it's just two clips at each corner that pull tight but I'm always a bit funny about trying to get it packed right down and tightened/square so it looks presentable and doesn't flap at all.
I think they should be viewed as a superior alternative to sleeping in your car, similar to an overnight stop in a camper van (but far cheaper). They aren't ideal for a 2 week family holiday.