Roof Top Tents

[flyingwil]

I am looking into roof top tents, as opposed to a expedition trailer. However, I am having a hard time finding information on tents obtainable in US. Most sites I have found are not located in the US and do not export. There are numberous manufactures, but limited resellers in the US. I thought I might start this thread to help us explore options of roof top tents.

I have found a few (Hopefully you have more), but would like pro's and con's on each one.

• Lofty Shelters
• Eezi-Awn
• Hannibal
• Oasis

From what I could find these are the only options here in the US.

I will be putting this tent on my Double Cab Tacoma, but I think it would benifitial to all members to keep this thread non vehicle specific.

What are your inputs / comments / experiences?

Thanks,
Wil

 

[bluerunner]

Wil-

I have the Tent-cot that I am planning on using over the top of my runner and personally which ever one you choose I would go over the bed like Scott has done.

The set up is minimal and it seemed to fit my price range alot better than the others.

:beer:

 

[pangaea]

Wil,

Hopefully some other roof top tent owners will chime in here, but I'll try to give my honest opinon, not as a vendor, but as a consumer. Prior to selling roof tents, I had used a few different brands, and in all I'd say that I've used about a dozen different brands of tents out there over the years. I'll give you my take on the different ones, both pros and cons:

Lofty Shelters
Pros: I like the idea of a plastic derived travel case. If made right, its more weather proof and durable than the PVC covers on most other tents out there. Materials and craftsmanship seems relatively decent.

Cons: Because the entire tent raises up vertically, rather than opening like a book (like most other tents) it takes up a larger footprint on the rack. This is problematic only if you need to store other gear on the rack.

Personaly, l'm not a fan of the design of their Maggiolinas. It feels a bit small and closed in when open. I have one friend who equated it to sleeping in a coffin.

Hannibal Tents
Pros: Good design (same basic design as the Eezi-awn). Cool diamond plate ladders. Full u-zip windows seal up tent well. Comes with maintenance kit. U-zip on travel cover is great for keeping out weather, but a pain to zip sometimes.

Cons: u-zip windows can cause the zippers to snag or teeth to separate. Quality control issues with materials and craftsmanship (As a vendor, I saw a few of them with thin spots in canvas where rain would seep in, and some minor stitching issues)

Oasis
Pros: Interesting design. Nylon "hammock" flooring removes marine ply and mattress from equation, greatly decreasing the weight of the tent.

Cons: Ladder design is a bit kludgy, it kind of seems like a normal step ladder added to the package. Nylon material is not as nice as that found in most African tents. A bit over priced in my opinion.

Bottom Line: a decent tent for the occassional camper, but probably not a good option for serious expedition work.

Technitop
Pros: Clamshell design uses injection molded plastic. All the advantages of the Maggiolina, without the disadvantages. Great design, and good materials. Telescoping sides provide build in shelter when opening the doors

Cons: I feel like the hardware used inside of the tent is a bit lightweight for expedition duty. The telescoping poles could probably have been engineered for more HD use. But, Graham subjected a pair of them to HD overland use across Africa, so my concerns may be unfounded.

Bottom line: I mention this tent, because while it isn't officially available in the US yet, it should be starting next year. Overall, this would be my second choice for a roof top tent.

Howling Moon
Pros: tried and true classic roof top tent design. Decent materials. Aluminum flooring makes for a lighter weight tent.

Cons: Aluminum flooring means it sleeps colder than wood which has a better insulation properties. I've used these in Africa and had problems with the zippers tearing loose from the tent. Granted, these are rental tents in Africa, which is probably extreme use and abuse

Bottom Line: Decent tent. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. No official importer that I know of, but I see them pop up here in the states from time to time.

Eezi-Awn
Pros: Great craftsmanship and materials. Good reputation among overlanders in South Africa. Travel cover is easy to take on and put off. Ladder design allows it to telescope in and out, making for easy storage. Extra vents at top of tent for added ventilation. Good mounting system to rack, so no drilling into tent is required. Straight zipped doors make the zippers more reliable.

Cons: If not put on properly, the travel cover will expose part of the canvas of the tent, allowing it to wick in a storm. One model, the AluTop, while a cool design is pretty heavy (about 130 lbs) and a bit expensive. Straight zipped doors require a bit more care to make sure they're sealed properly (see note above for trade off).

Bottom Line: My first choice of a roof top tent. We actually started importing them for sale because I honestly thought it was the best of the bunch.

-------

I hope that helps you out. As I mentioned above, I do sell these things for a living which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. I get to see far more tents come and go then most people, so I get to see problems that may pop up over the long term production of these products.

On the other hand, I'm a bit of a cynic, and I always tend to take the POV of a salesman with a bit of a grain of salt.

:arabia:

 

[pangaea]

A couple of things to consider about your specific needs: What is your budget? How are you going to use the tent? Where are you going to use the tent? How often are you going to use the tent?

Once you get past the sting of the price tag, you'll likely be happy with any of them. For the most part, they're all good tents. Some of them are just more gooder.

 

[60seriesguy]

Another thing to add. Because of the sheer initial expense, it's important to focus on longevity (for amortization). These aren't like your usual tents, if properly installed, taken care of and maintained, you can expect to get decades out of them, barring any catastrophic damage.

I bought a Mares rooftop tent from Venezuela five years ago, initially expecting to install it on my roof rack. One trip and that idea was off, I thought the tent was heavy, threw off my COG, and access felt awkward to me. So I installed it on my trailer and have never regretted it. The Mares is basically a derivation of the old Brown & Church and Tent-Top (German-made) tents of the 70s and 80s, adapted for the Venezuelan market. The materials are good but the fit and finish is not the best, they definitely sacrificed on weight to make it long-lasting and comfortable. It's got the best mosquito netting of any rooftop tent I've seen, but there's some features that I feel needed minor improvement (Most of which I've already made). The price was unbeatable, it was 1/3 of what the above tents go for, but getting them out of Venezuela is practically impossible (I've tried a couple of times to organize group buys, but the logistics are hard to handle for someone in my line of work).

 

[mountainpete]

Cons: Ladder design is a bit kludgy, it kind of seems like a normal step ladder added to the package.

Nathan - I had to look it up:

Kludgy
n. Slang
1. A system, especially a computer system, that is constituted of poorly matched elements or of elements originally intended for other applications.
2. A clumsy or inelegant solution to a problem.

I like that word! Must use in the future...

:arabia:

Pete

 

[gjackson]

Mainly to elaborate on what Nathan said:

Technitop makes a very good tent. I too thought that the hardware was a bit lightweight when I first got it, but after 9 months of continuous use, I had no problems with any of the hardware in the technitop. The only problem I have had was a hole got worn in the cover. This is the cover that goes over the tent when folded. The hole does allow water to get in, and I have to patch it asap. Only other comments are use related: zippers are usually the first things to go on a tent, so taking care of them is a must. I've seen zippers go on Howling Moon, Technitop and Ezi-Awn tents, and is usually because of lack of lubrication (bees wax works very well). Also, the Technitop could use to have a bit more volume when folded. This is a drawback of the clamshell design. We can't store a double sleeping bag, a blanket and 4 full sized pillows in the tent when folded. Usually 2 of the pillows have to come out. The Ezi Awn non-clamshell design allows for more bedding storage. Also, the older Technitop tents have very small windows, but this has been corrected on the new ones.

We travelled with some people in Africa who had been using 2 Ezi Awns for 18 months. Only problem they had was a zipper giving up and the velcro at the bottom of the flyscreen door giving up as well. They loved the tents and had no complaints.

I agree with Nathan on Howling Moon tents. They are fine, don't love 'em, don't hate 'em. Well, I actually do hate them when I'm trying to get the cover zipped on. That is a very difficult task, and the zippers are under a lot of stress as they go around 90 degree corners. Very important to keep those lubed well, because they are exposed to the elements all the time, and get very dry and stiff and full of dirt.

On the plus side, there is nothing quite like sitting in your roof top tent and watching hyenas troll through camp by moonlight. Great stuff!

cheers

 

[pangaea]

Graham brings up another reason for why I don't care for the Maggiolinas: As mentioned above, on most vehicles, installing that particular tent takes up the entire roof.

If you have a full length roof rack, and a folding tent design like most of the models out there, the remainder of the rack can function as sort of a front porch. Nice if you camp next to a watering hole or similar situation. Just roll out of bed and do some game viewing in your PJs. :lurk:

 

[flyingwil]

:luxhello: Great Feed Back :exclaim: Any links to the Howling Moon rack? I found one on Google, but it was a dead link. I am in awe of Scott's set up, and dont want to exactly copy it, but I might have to copy the Eezi-Awn option. Seems like they are the best solution for me. However, I want to explore all options before I pick one.

Thanks,
Wil

 

[pangaea]

Wil,

Their website is:

http://www.howlingmoon.co.za/

 

[flyingwil]

Eezi-Awn
Pros: Great craftsmanship and materials. Good reputation among overlanders in South Africa. Travel cover is easy to take on and put off. Ladder design allows it to telescope in and out, making for easy storage. Extra vents at top of tent for added ventilation. Good mounting system to rack, so no drilling into tent is required. Straight zipped doors make the zippers more reliable.

Cons: If not put on properly, the travel cover will expose part of the canvas of the tent, allowing it to wick in a storm. One model, the AluTop, while a cool design is pretty heavy (about 130 lbs) and a bit expensive. Straight zipped doors require a bit more care to make sure they're sealed properly (see note above for trade off).

Bottom Line: My first choice of a roof top tent. We actually started importing them for sale because I honestly thought it was the best of the bunch.

Nathan-

On the Eezi-Awn, I read on a few AU boards that they have an opening near the bottom of the door that could allow bugs in, and the common fix is Velcro. Is this true? I am excited to be able to check some out at the gathering next week. Hopefully Scott and Pasquale will have theirs along and hopefully they'll let me scope them out as long as remember to wipe up the drool when I am done.

Thanks,
Wil

P.S. How much is shipping on one of these (for example the 1200)? I live in 85212 if that helps.

 

[+ d]

:Wow1: that's bigger than my house!

 

[pangaea]

On the Eezi-Awn, I read on a few AU boards that they have an opening near the bottom of the door that could allow bugs in, and the common fix is Velcro. Is this true? I am excited to be able to check some out at the gathering next week. Hopefully Scott and Pasquale will have theirs along and hopefully they'll let me scope them out as long as remember to wipe up the drool when I am done.

P.S. How much is shipping on one of these (for example the 1200)? I live in 85212 if that helps.

That's true, the doors have straight zippers. But the Eezi-Awns that we've brought into the US all have the velcro installed at the factory at the bottom of the inside door.

As I was saying in my pros and cons above, the straight zipper design isn't as good at sealing the tent (you have to make sure that you press the velcro in place. But it makes the zippers last longer and hold up better.

 

[pangaea]

Almost forgot, shipping to Mesa would run about $120 on a 1200 or 1400 tent.

 

[Scott Brady]

Having used my Eezi-Awn 1200 for three nights this weekend, I could not be happier. It stayed mounted solid, was easy to deploy, and took little effort to pack up. I slept great!

The key for me was the compact size when folded. It allows the tent to be mounted in addition to a Deflecta-Shield tool box. That is a major advantage when using the double cab trucks.