Explorer/Overland Roof Tents.

The living in and on your landy thing is not really that good, the guys who work for the magazine are just showing off all the freebies they've been given by sponsers, so of course they all think theirs is the best.

Here are some pics of my Disco and my funky but cheap roof tent.
At £35 I'm sure its the cheapest on the market and at 2seconds errect time its certainly the quickest!


As you can see its a Quechua, available fron Decathlon sports stores in France and England, possibly other countries to.



....It's almost colour coded too!




As you can see, all the gear is carried inside and not on the roof.
The reasons for this are:
Rack is always 100% clear making for fast bed setups for late at night stops.
All weight is low down whilst driving.
All gear is dry and secure.
Less drag on a vehicle already carrying a roof rack.

It works for us and the sleeping arrangement works out brilliantly as we do like to drive and stop where we like as campsites are not always where we want to be.

Although the back looks crammed full of kit, it is actually methodically positioned.
Heavy bulky items on lower level and lighter items on top.
Also, the kit can be reached easily from the rear and the front by simply tilting the seats forward (the beauty of a 3door)!

I want it all!!!!!!!! But following shake down trip, have had a bit of a change of heart about original plan to buy canvas Howling Moon 2.4m x 2.4m roof tent: There will be 4 of us travelling long-haul but weight (98kg without rrack and bodies). But, we don't plan to spend ALL our time in tent and want to bring bikes (x4) on one 110 CSW and now don't want to have to compromise against weight/space of this huge/heavy tent. We enjoyed the roominess of the ground tent on shake down trip - much better for children when pitching for a reasonable length of time. Realise this will not always be possible and may safe quick pitch without the hassle. Now deciding to retain ground tent but get a cheaper roof tent (1.4 size'ish) - this way we have some flex to use either (plus room for any friends/family/visitors along our route) - plus lighter weight, cheaper and mayb more readily available on the market 2nd hand. Thinking about buying Tugamufu's option of cheap roof tent (Prime Tech) for circa £240 plus P&P from eBay and be done with it, looks tempting, else 2nd hand something as it comes up on eBay. Not going to worry about the brand/manufacture/make so much now - more interested in set-up speed and weight plus, we are planning to follow the sun therefore rainproofing would come from Ground Tent or a guesthouse if any real issues. Now think would be madness to spend circa £2K+ with new roof rack to accommodate - outrageous amount of money which we have now easily already spent on off-roading course, security grilles, window tint, high back trakker seats, fridge etc. etc. This way we have compromise, something inexpensive and lightweight which we can use in combination with ground tent. (However - did see a LR in town recently with Howling Moon roof tent - it did look mean and hot !!!!)

Where did you get the windows tinted?

just seen these people in LRO. Camperite Leisure
their auto tent seems ok, lots of room at a good price

I cheated with the window tint as just for the rear cargo area of the CSW which is covered again with exterior grilles. Although we'd have loved to have got it done professionally - cargo area somehow didn't warrant the expense and we've had to start watching the pennies ----ssssssooooooooooooo expensive all this Land Rover equipment and fitting out - the vehicle is fast becoming more expensive than the intended trip itself. So, we spent £40 on two rolls of self adhesive security film from Halfords and wasted another £20 on the wrong colour which we'd already opened and cut to size (though we could use elsewhere e.g. UV protection for children in 2nd row as the tint is lighter - not so heavy). Also spent I think £15 on a kit which included a spray bottle and sharp knife and a squeegee thingy. We're really pleased with the overall result though with the exterior grilles using nylock nuts. We should have spent £55 but spent £75. Reckon it costs about £200+????? to have windows tinted professionally so may well be comparable at end of the day. Photo to follow shortly.

After much ado, we decided to explore the South African expedition 4x4 off-road caravan trailers. The 3 main contenders being:
Brakhah Ingonyama, Conqueror Commander and Jurgens Xplorer.
We are dead against trailers and caravans and the like and want to be compact while travelling but due to the duration with children, the roof tent idea becoming less and less a viable option. These SA models seem to tick alot of boxes for us and look as if they're made for LR.
Upshot is that we became proud new owners of a second hand Jurgens Xplorer today. Sleeping arrangements, water, shower, kitchen, storage, table/desk, awning etc. all sorted and we no longer need to worry about vehicle weight load. Added advantage for children is that we can now use reclining high back seats properly for them on those long journeys as we no longer need to load the back of vehicle. We have room for bikes also now. Will post photos and details shortly and let you know how we get on with it.

Window tinting is not rocket science, its more a question of prep and attention to detail.
Buy the film you want, and do it yourself. All you need is
1. spray bottle
2. clean water
3. meths to clean window glass
4. pair of scissors
5. scalpel (craft type)
6. small credit card type squeegee
7. some paper to make templates
a. cut paper to sixe of glass you want to cover, allow extra length to go under rubbers on wind down windows, and allow for top of glass to go into window channel without film on
b make sure glass is squeaky clean
c add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to spray bottle of clean water
d. cut film to size of templates (make sure you have film correct way round (handed)
e spray glass
f peel film and spray
g slide film onto glass
h and start from centre and squeeze out all water
i leave to dry , do not operate windows untill cloudiness is gone
j job done have a cuppa and think about money saved.

Dont tint driver and pass front windows, or windscreen(although you can do sunstrip at top if out of eye level (behind visor area)
You can tint over Heated windows but take extra care when cleaning HTSH

looking forward to hearing how it goes with the camper, i hope they catch on over here, they are all the rage with our antipodean cousins.

i am having dilema with fitting my bikes on my expedition trailer. i took them for my recent 2500mile trip to the med and used them most days but they were a pain to load and unload from the trailer and limited access to the stuff in the trailer. I also used tail-gators to attach the kids bikes to adult bikes. This gave us fantastic cylcing range and prevented the kids from burning out too early. I didn't include it on my tips list. They cost about 35 quid from auction site and are money well spent.

I am aslo in process of getting an Oztent (Rv2 or 3) if you see any going anywhere let me know, i will pay for new but will wait and see if i can get second hand first. Might be worth looking at for your new camper, at least then you can take it in the landy when you leave the camper. Have you done any research into them???

Have just done a bit of an update on our website regarding the Jurgens Xplorer. We are very grateful for the lead you gave us. Have a look and let me know what you think. Will add more later once we get to grips with and experience this beast a bit better - doesn't arrive till Thursday so we don't have it yet. Definately needs some attention. Like the idea about the tail gaters for the bikes -thanks for thatp!! Haven't done much research but know what the Oz tents look like - like you - the cost is always a consideration. Not cheap these things but will keep a look out .

Just seen the update, i think it looks the dogs cahooners already. I really like the idea of a pull out kitchen, that will awesome in good weather for a quick brew up on route.
On the Oztent ausie website they have a pic of what looks like an explorer with the RV 4. It looks very good. If i manage to get one in the near future i will do a review with regards to actual speed of set up and ability to carry in defender. But i do think that it will difficult to swap queen size bed for a therma-rest on the floor.

I am unsure of the standard of your 300tdi, i have upgraded my TD5 with an ECU plug in, K&N filter and EGR removal/by-pass, this has given about 10% better fuel economy and has made it much, much better for towing. Especially on long trips. I have owned a 300tdi before and found it to be a strong engine but they are always set up for wors case (low ration, sand etc) for towing on resonable surfaces it may be worth having some engine enhancements. There are loads of threads on here.

Congrats again on the camper, i am almost green with envy!!!!

Would be good to see how you get on with the Oz Tent - we're thinking we might need something in addition for any 'guests' who might come and stay with us along the way (or maybe they stay in the Queen size and we get exiled to something like the Oz tent). Will revise schedule of works to look at tow capability on LR (and also tow pack strength) - thanks for comments.
Conscious that no real info available in the UK re: off road caravans (or have not found) so have added more info on these (everything we know or have gathered in any case) if anyone interested - hope it might come in useful to someone out there at some stage.

What braking system on the jurgens?
Re table free standing or slot in hinge at one end with one leg ?
The standard land rover tow hitch is plenty strong enough, but what coupling do you have on the jurgens, as its usual to have a more articulated coupling than the standard 50mm tow ball eg as on pics of reads 90 trailer?
What a find, never suggested that route to you as you never see these vans outside OZ, ZA, or USA .

T2Man - Thought you'd be pleased and I know from your advice in the past (and others - Reads, Griffdowg, Anthony) you've been trying to steer us towards something outside of just the vehicle (despite our constant refusals and thoughts otherwise). We have Anthony on this thread to thank for spotting this find - we'll be forever grateful to him as these are simply not available in the UK - there is definately an angel sitting on our shoulder it seems to have provided us with this solution.
Xplorer hasn't arrived with us yet - I offered to tow but the chap wants to wait for cheque to clear and also to have time to take his own stuff out. Due for delivery to us on Thursday as a result. We are like big kids about it - even our own children are looking at us like they are the adults in all this! They can't understand what all the excitement is about. Wheels 245 x 15. Axles - Rubax – no shocks. Brakes – run-in brake system and hand brake and each wheel adjusted separately. But will firm up better once we have had a good look at. No table as these only became available in later models but we can do something - not a problem. Will have a look at coupling also once arrives and will have a look at Reads for comparison as we haven't a clue. Use of standard LR tow is noted.

Cassie said:

Would be good to see how you get on with the Oz Tent - we're thinking we might need something in addition for any 'guests' who might come and stay with us along the way (or maybe they stay in the Queen size and we get exiled to something like the Oz tent). Will revise schedule of works to look at tow capability on LR (and also tow pack strength) - thanks for comments.
Conscious that no real info available in the UK re: off road caravans (or have not found) so have added more info on these (everything we know or have gathered in any case) if anyone interested - hope it might come in useful to someone out there at some stage.

Click to expand...

Got an RV1 and delux side panels. I will give it a go this weekend and submit a review. It will be a good review as i paid full wack so will actually be an Oztent appreciation report .

How much did you spend? We have the Jurgens Xplorer now but haven't done anything with it as yet (all this rain!). Needs a new roof - still waterproof but canvas badly stained and damaged. A company in Netherlands pointed us to Trek Overland as Howling Moon apparently manuafacture the rip stop canvas on the roof. We are waiting to hear. Look forward to your report. Will test the Jurgens sometime soon and provide a report also.

I got the rv1 and sides for £550. which is a lot for a tent but more of an investment as they do last a lifetime if looked after well.

They are bigger than i expected when packed down but they do seem to be very high quality, as long as they go up as fast as they advertise then it will solve my problems for overnight stops.

Just out of interest, they had a load of different Oztent furniture at BOAB when i visited. A new take on the folding chairs that i seem to break on an almost monthly basis. I intend getting some at the LRO show so ill let you know how it goes with them.

I have a fabric repair specialist department within the organization i work for. I have seen them re-manufacture kit before (tilts, tents etc.) with good results especially if they have the original pattern to copy. It would obviously be better to have the same as the original but if it is a non-starter let me know i may be able to help you out!!

Might need to take you up on that offer with your compnay but will wait a few more days to see if Trek Overland come through for us- haven't heard anything from them as yet. Thanks.

no worries, just mail me and i will come up with a plan. You will probably have to pay for materials and may take a month or two to for the job in but the offer stands??

Trek Overland came through for us. 8 week delivery. Costs £165 + VAT - for the replacement canvas - very cheap considering. Ordering from SA (Howling Moon) to UK. Just need to work out how to replace now. Trek say they can do as a best endeavour.