Roof Tents

Ive been using a £35 dome tent, huddled next to the landy for protection from the elements. Not been in any storms yet though, dont think it will be much fun!

I dont have the money for this now, but its £500 delivered. Has a two year warrenty, so surly if i brake it i can get another like i keep doing with my CB radio...s... Looks like it might do the job.

CAR TOP TENT, CAR ROOF TENT, BRAND NAME, 240x140x130 CM on eBay (end time 17-Dec-09 06:00:58 GMT)

Don't do it Woods! These are exactly the tents I was talking about earlier on this thread. They are very cheaply made. Everyone I know who has bought one of these has got rid of it soon after. Spend a bit more and have yourself something strong like yer Landy!

woods767 said:

I dont have the money for this now, but its £500 delivered. Has a two year warrenty, so surly if i brake it i can get another like i keep doing with my CB radio...s... Looks like it might do the job.

CAR TOP TENT, CAR ROOF TENT, BRAND NAME, 240x140x130 CM on eBay (end time 17-Dec-09 06:00:58 GMT)

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Hey Rich, I'm getting the same thing, but from here

Land Rover Roof Tent **car/van/4x4 roof top tent** on eBay (end time 01-Jan-10 12:05:19 GMT)

Usually I pay extra for quality, but 1000+ squids extra for an equivalent Hannibal, which granted has better material, but then also weighs more... not going to do it right now, maybe for a cold weather expedition in the future, when my landy has all the other more necessary crap, like fuel tanks and split charge

btw there are quite a few people who swear by the prime tech tents on the Hubb and other forums, and there are also people who moan about 1500 squid Howling Moon tents, so whatever you do you won't make everyone happy with your choice, but if we destroy our tents on a low banch or they get nicked, we'll be well pleased we never bought the expensive ones

you wont find anyone moaning about a Maggiolina

(unless there 7ft tall)

those things you linked to are ****e. fine in fine weather, but wind and rain I would rather be in a bivi bag.

G

Griffdowg said:

you wont find anyone moaning about a Maggiolina

(unless there 7ft tall)

those things you linked to are ****e. fine in fine weather, but wind and rain I would rather be in a bivi bag.

G

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What make tent did you have on your landy in Morocco ? I presume it leaked ?

Ive read up abit more about them, there are some people who have been very pleased with them. It seems theres alot of them about in the USA. I think they shold do the job, just be abit more carefull with them, its not like were gona be away that long and i can tuck away my 3KG dome tent into some corner off the landy as a back up.

Have you had one or seen one Griff? If there not even worth the £500 then i will forget it, but im not gona spend over a grand on a roof tent, i could get a new chassis for that.

I had a Safari-Equip one, which the prime tech is a replica of. In the wind the light flysheet flapped like a mother. This is the one i took to Morocco, I also used it extensively in Wales and various other camping trips throughout the year (new years eve, easter, June - August and October/November). Apart from the flapping in the wind it leaked in severe rain and every morning we got dripped on with condensation. It was fine in light/no wind conditions and when it was dry, but all the other times it was a PITA. When wet, folding it away made everything inside wet, you had to air it out etc etc. Matress soaked up water, sleeping bags got damp blah blah blah.

Dont think that Morocco will be windless and dry either! we had some heavy rain and some very very windy nights. We had a small 2 man coleman tent with us for this reason, which we used a few times.

I just think that £500 for something that is inadequate is a waste of time and money. Either pay the money on a new one, or source a good 2nd hand one. I got my Maggy for £600 2nd hand and its like new, plus I got an awning and change room with it. for £100 more than a prime tech surely thats worth it? Buy once, cry once

I dont know who is saying these tents are good, maybe fairweather campers? I dont want to speculate. I cant seem to attach a pic of my SE tent in the snow on Strata Florida, shame.

G

Yea good used would be prefrable at that sort of price, will keep my eye on ebay we've got some time. I did assume Morocco would be windy, and in the wind it would seem that the top of your landy is the last place that you would want your tent to be, so its gota be tough. I was wondering about closing them wet, but isnt that going to be the same no matter what its made from, its always gota soak though over the corse of the day surly? Still will look around, i know alot of people buy these things to make there vehicles look that part and never actualy use them, so theres bound to be a fiew mint ones around.

Heres a link to some people who seem to like them. Scrowl down to a guy called StumpXJ hes claiming 2000 miles with it. Mabye thats day to day driving, with no tent usage though.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16194

woods767 said:

Yea good used would be prefrable at that sort of price

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I've seen a good few on ebay, where in amoungst the pics there is a minging girl lying in the tent.... she usually has at least one wonky 'cum too bed' eye...... and you know someone has given her (at least) one in the tent..... on the mattress that is still there.....

So I'm buying new....

Hey Rich I've read loads of reports like the one you posted, maybe Griffs tent was just a lemon, or an old model, Griff did you buy it new ?

I am tempted by the Maggiolina, but like that guy in your link I don't want to give up my entire roof rack, and I also like the shelter the fold open tents provide over the back. Perhaps I could just make a homemade cigarette every night before I go too bed, then I could sleep no matter what the wind

Booger said:

I've seen a good few on ebay, where in amoungst the pics there is a minging girl lying in the tent.... she usually has at least one wonky 'cum too bed' eye...... and you know someone has given her (at least) one in the tent..... on the mattress that is still there.....

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Very true :doh:

Other thing i was considering was getting a ebay sankey trailer and modifying it abit, mounting the roof tent on top of that. But with the 110 roof rack i dont think i realy need a trailer, with the tent on, i still got loads of space for jerry cans and jacks and sand ladders and goats and things. Will proably remove the bench row then i will have even more space, and can get stuff from the passanger doors.

I have an old (but working well) camping gass stove, a twin hob thing, im gona mount it on the inside of the back door, so it can fold down, and im gona put a hydraulic spring on the door so it stays open, should be a nice cooking rig, and will be under the tent when open, if i mount it on the back anyway. Im thinking i might have it open over the bonnet so the ladder hooks onto the bull bars, and i can get my goats off the back easier as thats where the ladder is.

I feel i went slightly off topic there....:blah:

Been an interesting thread this ...

Anyway, I'm thinking of a roof tent 'on the cheap' for my Discovery ... What do people think of fitting a large roofrack to the Disco, sheet of ply as a solid base and using a 'normal' tent (that'd fit the roofrack, obviously) pitched on that? Don't want it for expeditions, just for a weekend or a week, maybe two, away laning in UK, possibly France. Might even manage a hinged affair that encloses the folded down tent as a 'proper' cover.

Has anyone done this?
Anyone see any problems with it?

I think practically, providing the floor area of the tent fits, then pitching should be easy, 'specially with something like my little pop-up tent, and the roofrack sides could be used to hitch the guylines to. Tent I use now for off-roading is similar to ..

Decathlon - camping-trek,outdoor products tents QUECHUA - 2 Seconds II (120), green QUECHUA - backpacking camping for 2 hikers looking for an instant pitch tent.

Mine's somewhat older and purple .. but it's brilliant in wind, puts the caravan awning to shame, is waterproof just a damn good all-round small tent.

Seems a lot of hassle for no real gain...why not just put your tent up on the ground and save having to lug around a huge roof rack which you'll probably take off as you keep getting it stuck when laning.

Sirus said:

Seems a lot of hassle for no real gain...why not just put your tent up on the ground and save having to lug around a huge roof rack which you'll probably take off as you keep getting it stuck when laning.

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I loved laning with my patriot rack, where other people got dents in their roof I got a scratch on the roof rack, best roof protection ever

Paul D said:

Been an interesting thread this ...

Anyway, I'm thinking of a roof tent 'on the cheap' for my Discovery ... What do people think of fitting a large roofrack to the Disco, sheet of ply as a solid base and using a 'normal' tent (that'd fit the roofrack, obviously) pitched on that? Don't want it for expeditions, just for a weekend or a week, maybe two, away laning in UK, possibly France. Might even manage a hinged affair that encloses the folded down tent as a 'proper' cover.

Has anyone done this?
Anyone see any problems with it?

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I did see another fred somewhere where someone had done just that, but I can't recall where I saw it. I'm pretty sure they were happy with the result though



Very ambitious homemade job, pics on page 7,8
Home made rooftop tent for XJ - Expedition Portal Forum


but here is the fred I was actually thinking about, it's on a Disco too

http://www.lro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14746

Sirus said:

Seems a lot of hassle for no real gain...why not just put your tent up on the ground and save having to lug around a huge roof rack which you'll probably take off as you keep getting it stuck when laning.

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It's for a couple of minor expeditions we're thinking of .. two maybe three weeks in the Disco, camping out, UK and France. Just thought it'd be interesting .. and different!

We've got a caravan and five different tents for different things, so this was something we were just musing about. We've camped/caravanned/bivouac'd all over at all times of the year and just though that when we camp wild it'd be nice to be guaranteed a flat surface to camp on .. we don't intend using it on camp sites .... We have larger tents for that, this would be for mostly overnight quick stopovers anywhere it takes our fancy, maybe even laybys, rather than relying on booking or finding sites ...

Measured a mates roofrack yesterday and it's massive, so plenty of room. Thinking of using half the rackspace for the tent, foldover top to it so it also covers the rear door area. Looks easy enough to do ... but going to check out how the rooftent manufacturers do it, hinging etc, when exhibition season comes around ...

Paul D said:

It's for a couple of minor expeditions we're thinking of .. two maybe three weeks in the Disco, camping out, UK and France. Just thought it'd be interesting .. and different!

We've got a caravan and five different tents for different things, so this was something we were just musing about. We've camped/caravanned/bivouac'd all over at all times of the year and just though that when we camp wild it'd be nice to be guaranteed a flat surface to camp on .. we don't intend using it on camp sites .... We have larger tents for that, this would be for mostly overnight quick stopovers anywhere it takes our fancy, maybe even laybys, rather than relying on booking or finding sites ...

Measured a mates roofrack yesterday and it's massive, so plenty of room. Thinking of using half the rackspace for the tent, foldover top to it so it also covers the rear door area. Looks easy enough to do ... but going to check out how the rooftent manufacturers do it, hinging etc, when exhibition season comes around ...

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When I did a drive from southern france to north, we just stopped anywhere when it got really dark,chucked the tent up and were gone early the next morning. Mind you there was only 2 of us. Funny as hell waking the next morning to see where you had stopped.

Booger said:

but here is the fred I was actually thinking about, it's on a Disco too

Land Rover Owner :: View topic - BUDGET ROOF TENT

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LOL, identical tent to ours! ... thanks ...





Looks feasible then ..