OverlandResource.com

General

This rooftop tent is well built. It is waterproof, breathes well, and is comfortable. It comes with an optional awning that attaches to the side of the tent frame as well as an optional change room that extends around the ladder to the ground. We use the awning, but didn’t buy the change room. We are really happy with this tent but there are some issues you should know about before you buy.

Materials

The canvas is made from a tough synthetic rip-stop style, and very heavy duty. Synthetic makes it mold resistant, and won’t rot. I don’t know how it holds up to sun exposure over the long term but so far it has shown no signs of wear even after 5 months of daily exposure to tropical sun.

Poles are made of a flexible fibreglass material. End hooks are moulded heavy duty plastic. But that didn’t stop us from breaking both the plastic tip on one pole and completely snapping another. However, when it happened we were weathering a gale force Caribbean storm, camped out on a breakwater in the middle of a bay…not sure what would have survived that!

One of the best features is the hard plastic case that it comes in. It’s more like a samsonite style suitcase. It is very durable, and easy to mount to cross bars for support. It is 2 layers deep with an air gap between to add an extra bit of insulation under the mattress. This is good for both cooling in the heat and insulation in the cold.

When you set the tent up it has internal telescoping poles identical to those in a tent trailer. These are tightened with friction clamps. The clamps hold even when under a large wind load. Remember, one of the big drawbacks to any rooftop tent is the wind is much stronger when you’re 7 ft above the ground.

Set-up and Take-Down

The tent takes about 4 minutes to set-up from start to ready-to-sleep in. It takes the same to put it away. We store our bedding and pillows inside so they are ready to go at the end of a long driving day. It also keeps bulky equipment from taking valuable space inside the vehicle. That said, we have the ability to climb up and stand anywhere on our truck, not something you want to do with a typical vehicle. To close it with all of the bedding I have to sit on it to force the air out. I also have to fold in the tent sides, which is easy if you’re on top of the truck, and I imagine quite difficult if you’re on the ground.

The ladder is a 3-piece system, non-telescoping. This is a little stupid compared with other models I’ve seen. The top piece is hinged to the bottom of the tent, and the other 2 pieces are stored inside it when it’s packed up. A better system would be a single piece that telescopes the whole way.

Space

The tent is quite roomy inside. There is plenty of room for both Raenelle and I to sleep. We’ve even taken a Border Collie in with us during a really bad night when we didn’t want to leave her outside. But in general, there’s lots of space for 2 adults and your overnight bags or change of clothing. The tent is built with the ends angled away from the tent so that the profile is pentagonal. This equates to more room inside the tent – a very nice feature I have not seen in any other tent. Drawback? When pointed towards the wind it is less aerodynamic.

Weight

Well, it weighs about 50 kgs (100 lbs) plus whatever gear you have. It takes two strong people to mount onto the truck (Raenelle struggles with her end when we lift it). The truck gets a little more tippy with the weight on top, but that’s something you have to live with if you have an SUV and a tent on top. I’m pretty sure the other manufacturers aren’t going to be much lighter, and if they are I would question how well the units are built.

Other Features

• The tent comes with an integrated rain-fly. It has poles that are pushed up vertically from inside the tent to keep the fly off of the ceiling canvas. This is a really great no-hassle system.
• A very heavy duty PVC cover comes with the tent to keep rain and dust out when it’s closed up and travelling. This is a must! We lost ours during a trip (long story) and the tent was wet inside after driving through the rain.

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