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Roof tents


draper40

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Pretty much all will fit on a 90 one way or another. As for a recommendation, it depends on what you want to use it for. I discovered last weekend that my Rocky Mountain tent is not a whole lot of use in wet and windy weather as the rain gets inside and makes everything wet - and me peeved! I wondered about replacing it with a Maggiolina roof-box style one but I am sure that they too have limitations.

Chris

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Just purchased a MyWay roof tent after seeing a couple of them. One that friends had used when crossing the USA and another that had been used in UK (wet) and European (dry) weather. www.mywayrooftents.co.uk The other thing is that it only weighs 35kgs which is nearly half any of the others. Both friends couldnt recommend them enough so went for it. It arrives later this month.

Hope this helps. TJ

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I have a Hannibal Zulu clam shell style roof tent.

Hard to fault in my opinion.

30 seconds to erect 60 to pack away.

Bedding and quite a lot of clothing can be packed away inside.

Interior cladding prevents condensation..

Fixed interior light.

You can park front (hinge end) into the wind/weather.

Streamlined when folded reducing wind resistance and hopefully improving fuel consumption.

Can be mounted on a pair of roof bars, so no need for an expensive and or heavy roof rack.

Easy to get dressed in raised end.

Three access points - rear and both sides.

Much easier to dry if packed away wet than a folding tent, just undo two clips and erect until dry.

Lockable and if you had to make a quick getaway, I would risk it for a mile or so with the lid up unlike a folded tent.

I have yet to encounter any specific negative issues, other than I can't get the kids to sleep in the OZTent on the ground to where I am relegated!

At least they are safe up there unless they start sleep walking.

They can be acquired second hand either on the forums or Ebay. Expect to pay around £600 for a good one.

John

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I have just been and measure my roof rack. It is annoyingly 190x140 meaning that the clamshell style will not fit!

It is also about 20 cm high and so it can't just go over the end!! I could always take off one end

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I have just been and measure my roof rack. It is annoyingly 190x140 meaning that the clamshell style will not fit!

It is also about 20 cm high and so it can't just go over the end!! I could always take off one end

Why not dispense with the roof rack, it's dead space with a clamshell on top.

John

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How much do roof bars cost?

I have 4 spoptlights and 2 working lights mounted on it!

Another idea might be to get the hannibal canvas tent and hine the back of the rack so when it comes to folding it out, justr flip down the back and the tent comes over the back.

Pete

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I've had a Howlingwolf roof tent for about six years and has been faultless i looked at the others at the time and this was the best IMO

have slept in it at least 150 nights at shows, challenges,laning and holidays, it even stood up to the hurricane at billing and the snow in Wales last weekend

it is bolted to my trailer and spends its life outside and still dry, i think i paid £600

weighs 70kg

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Just purchased a MyWay roof tent after seeing a couple of them. One that friends had used when crossing the USA and another that had been used in UK (wet) and European (dry) weather. www.mywayrooftents.co.uk The other thing is that it only weighs 35kgs which is nearly half any of the others. Both friends couldnt recommend them enough so went for it. It arrives later this month.

Hope this helps. TJ

Was that us? :)

Yep, we have a myway and I think they're worth considering - about 1/3 lighter and than most other popular fold away makes, and much better regarding condensation - in fact howling moon have now implemented a similar system after the main sellers for them asked us why we didn't buy one of theirs at a show a couple of years ago! :lol: They also have the advantage of not being as tall when folded up.

We've had ours up in gale force winds on several occasions, even in a huge storm near Chicago which cleared the entire campsite appart from us. It was weird waking up to see trees down and remains of tents around the place when ours looked like nothing had happened :) It's also been in such serious rain the ground was turned into a river and rain drops were bouncing about 1m off the ground, no problems in our tent. It has the advantage of having the mattress *not* touching the sides - this is important as it means you don't end up with wet bedding as described above. We did go for the canvas version though, but only because I'm a girl and thought it looked better with the Camel ;):rolleyes::lol:

We've had ours for over 2 years, spent 5 months living in it as well as the usual weekends away/land rover shows and wouldn't be without it now. It's been in everything from the heat of Death Valley (sleeping with 4 windows open is a good thing!), the snow and ice in Alaska and sleeping rough on the off-road tracks in Moab (ok, so that's not and extreme, but it's so cool I had to put it in there ;) ).

About 2 minutes to put up, 1.28sec to put away. I know because I timed it!

Trick with Rooftents is to go to the shows and look at and try *all* of them, it's alot of money to spend and you have to be completely happy with whatever you end up with. I did so much research I bored people to death so feel free to PM me if you like. People will be happy to help you out, if you do speak to Paul on the Myway stand say hi from Dan and Jen ;)

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I discovered last weekend that my Rocky Mountain tent is not a whole lot of use in wet and windy weather as the rain gets inside and makes everything wet - and me peeved!

Chris

OPh, that don't sound good.. we've got a rocky mountain tent, but it hasn't been used in heavy rain yet.. :unsure::huh:

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Pete,

Roof tents are something I have thought about for London to Cape Town......and dismissed rather rapidly.

The guys are saying that £600 nowadays for a second hand tent.....£1200 new!!!??? Why do you HAVE to have a roof tent?

I am going with a ground tent, a North Face Mountain 24......weighs 2.2 kg, and if its good enough to go up Mount Everest, its good enough for me. You can get one, or something comparable for about £400 tops. 70 kg is a lot of weight to be carrying, and will have an effect on consumption. The argument of erecting it in 30 seconds holds no water with me, as with practice a mountaineering tent can be put up in under a minute.

The only decent argument I can gather for a roof tent is the ability to get away in a hurry, which admittedly, is a very good argument...but how often do you expect to be in a place where safety is THAT much of an issue.

My 2 pence worth is go for big name ground tent (Terra Nova/North Face/Mountain Hardwear/Hilleberg), and spend the money saved on something else.

Martin

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The ability to camp anywhere is also an issue, on our trip we ended up in car parks and on rocky tracks as two examples and roof tents are useful when avoiding alligators! :lol: The other benifit is keeping all the bedding in there, ok, so it may take the same amount of time to set the smaller tent up, but keeping the bedding and basics in there saves more time and saves it all getting wet on those rainy days. Having used both on long trips I still wouldn't be without my rooftent.

Tents are a personal preference thing, a bit like Land Rovers. If we were all the same life would be boring :)

(and they're good for people watching when they don't think you're there, you hear the funniest things when you're up in the tent :lol: )

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The ability to camp anywhere is also an issue, on our trip we ended up in car parks and on rocky tracks as two examples and roof tents are useful when avoiding alligators! :lol: The other benifit is keeping all the bedding in there, ok, so it may take the same amount of time to set the smaller tent up, but keeping the bedding and basics in there saves more time and saves it all getting wet on those rainy days. Having used both on long trips I still wouldn't be without my rooftent.

Tents are a personal preference thing, a bit like Land Rovers. If we were all the same life would be boring :)

(and they're good for people watching when they don't think you're there, you hear the funniest things when you're up in the tent :lol: )

I have a roof tent and i though long and hard about buying. They are very expensive, very heavy and i needed a new roof rack to mount. I spent well in excess of £2000 for whole lot including awning and jumbo kit etc. This is serious amount of wedge considering i slept fine in a 2 man millets job for £30! It all comes down to your budget and whether you want creepy crawlies, or worse! bothering you. Personally, having travelled in Africa, personal protection must come at the top of the list. There are def pros and cons of both, toilet in night for women, camping on stoney ground, etc but at the end of the day they look great are good for storing/putting up quickly. Recommend Hannibal.

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Hi

i have an old Gimle rooftent, it's a rooftent that was made in Denmark some 20 years ago. it's a fine first timer tent, they are cheap, easy to use, and wheighs a ton :(

post-8755-1209074934_thumb.jpg

we bougth it to see if we liked this way of camping, and after 3 weeks and 3000km in norhtern sweden last summer, we loved it. :D

originally they were made for normal cars, and you went up from the front of your car, therefore the ladder is only half what's needed on a land rover. i'm working on a ladder

and rear tent, so that it can be used over the back of the land rover.

My advise, rent one for at holiday to see if you like it, then go get one because you will love it ;)

Anders

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm not convinced about rooftents, and I'm currently trying to decide which type of tent to get. I've camped a lot in the past, on motorbikes and in cars, had caravans and a motorhome. I've got a 90 and if I was going on a trip of a week or more, the back would be pretty full of gear, clothes, outdoor equipment and clothing, cooking equipment, food, tools and spares. I just did a week in a youth hostel on my own and the back was full then. Imagine it packed up for two.

Sure, a rooftent is okay for sleeping in, but what about 'living in', 'cooking in' and so on. I'm sure there wouldn't be enough room in the back of the 90 to sit and cook surrounded by everything. If you have a rooftent, putting an extra ground tent on the back or the side of the roofrack to give more room and to cover the ladder seems to defeat the purpose, as one may as well have a good size ground tent in the first place, and save a heck of a lot of money. Does anyone else think rooftents are overpriced? You can get ground tents which erect quickly, made by Khyam and Oztent, for instance.

I'm inclined towards a strong weatherproof ground tent, something like a Tatonka (Tamarack website), but I respect the views of those going to Africa (where rooftents were invented, I believe) where there are nasties creeping or slithering about, or places where a quick getaway may be needed, or for those who just want a quick overnight stop and to press on again the next morning.. I just don't think they're my choice for Europe. It's all down to what you're going to do, I suppose.

Another point that my wife and I find with our motorhome, is that when you go out for the day, you have to pack everything up and leave your site empty, which you may find occupied on your return. If you have a ground tent and are staying on a site for a few days, your site is occupied and you can leave your beds and cooking gear out ready for your return. I'm meaning on conventional, good European campsites where it's extremely unlikely anything will be nicked! There are also some good inflatable beds available for those of us who are getting creaky and I do like to stand up once in a while, can't do that with a rooftent and having to sit in the motor all the time would be a drag. I wouldn't have a good nights kip on 3 or 4 inches of foam with canvas flapping next to my ear! Fifty years ago, my parents had a large French frame tent, I had a small tent of my own and we were members of the Camping Club, going camping most weekends and for holidays. Very few folk had caravans or motorhomes then. We could have the tents up, beds out and dinner on in 20 minutes..

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The cooking problem is easily solved with an awning, at least that's what we used. You'll find most roof tents have a section on the bottom as well to make for a convient room for cooking/dressing etc. should you need one. Tbh though, in 5 months of travelling we never used it and only used the awning a handful of times. Being out under the sun or stars is much nicer B)

It doesn't sound like a roof tent is for you then. Although it should be said - we have air beds in ours, the matteress suplied was more than adequate, but I need a very comfy bed and they do work out well. Lovely :)

Just beware of the size of oztents, they don't pack down small and if you fill the back of a 90 usually you'll struggle with getting that in there. I know of people with 90's that have had to have friends carry them as they are too large. Not overly practical :ph34r: ...although I also know people that love theirs.

The setting up camp for a couple of days is the only drawback. Although it doesn't matter to us as we don't tend to do it (easily bored!). When we have done though a small 3 man tent that packs away to nothing is stored in the rope boxes in the Camel and used if we know we're going to be hanging around... again, in 5 months we only used it once.

Horses for courses...

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