Either way, they look pretty slick and make your car look like a little camper van. Hard shell tents tend to be made out of materials such as fiberglass, plastic or aluminum, and pop up into a camping tent in a similar way to a European style pop-top camper van roof does – either like an opening clamshell, or the entire top of the tent raises up to provide a rectangular sleeping space on top of your car. These tents are built to be highly durable and waterproof to withstand a whole range of elements, not to mention living on the roof of your car for months at a time. When packed away, these soft overland style tents fold down into a square or rectangular box that stays attached to your car or truck’s roof rack. ![]() Soft rooftop tents tend to offer larger footprints than hard shell options, because of how they fold out to the side of your vehicle, so you have more options especially when it comes to tents that will accommodate three or even four people (or at least two people and two kids). When the tent is up, it often extends out to the side of your car, and you get in and out of the tent using a ladder. The classic overland rooftop camping tent looks from a distance like a regular canvas/ripstop camping tent that you’ve installed on your car or truck roof. So if you are going to be keeping the tent on your vehicle’s rooftop for the whole summer, or longer, and driving long distances in it (like commuting at speed) then you’ll definitely be spending more on gas due to the adverse impact on your car’s aerodynamics. Having a big tent on your car or truck roof will affect your gas mileage. If you’re camping as a couple, also consider double sleeping bags, so if you’re camping as a couple you can share a sleeping bag rather than being tucked up in individual mummy-style bags at night.Īlso, if you’re thinking about what to bring on a road trip, check out our adventure road trip essentials checklist, which includes a full packing list for what to take with you (the link opens in a new tab). While you’re in the process of creating a comfortable camping experience for yourself, it may also be worth checking out our list of the best camping and backpacking sleeping bags and pads. This makes car camping and camping on road trips quick and simple when you get to your camping spot Quick and simple setup – especially with the hard shell tents that can be assembled in literally one minute.Ventilation – being higher up from the ground means you should have better airflow around a car tent than one on the ground, which is helpful when keeping it cool and reducing condensation overnight.Comfort – most rooftop tents come with a foam mattress built in to the tent – so no need to go without or spend time inflating one.Why would you spend between $1000 and $5000+ on a rooftop camping tent when you could spend $200-$300 on a good quality regular camping tent?Īs well as the idea of elevating your camping experience off the ground and away from bugs, some other reasons people choose roof top tents over regular tent camping include: ![]() There may not be as many highly poisonous beasts on the ground in the US and Europe as there are in Australia, but its still a nice thought to be sleeping above where they tend to hang out.Ī car roof rack tent is also appealing if you really want a camper van but can’t justify the time / expense / space etc etc needed to jump in and buy your own dedicated adventure vehicle – because you can convert most cars, SUVs and trucks into adventure wagons with the addition of one of these, and the tent can live on your car roof for the duration of your preferred camping season, ready to go hit your desired camping spots each weekend and vacation break you get.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |