Roof tent - why?
Discussion
I don't get it, what's the attraction of roof tents, other than "woo, I'm up high!", which tbh the inner child in me totally gets! 
I can maybe see the point for actual overlanders heading into the wilds of Africa and wanting to be elevated from scorpions and wildebeest, but given that the most ferocious animals we're likely to encounter in the UK are nosy foxes or randy badgers, I really struggle to see why anyone overlanding (aka camping) here would bother?
Compared to a ground tent you spend 5x as much money for something 10x heavier with the aero of a brick which hurts economy and performance. Once you've pitched you're stuck there, unable to use the car unless you pack the tent away again, plus you're more exposed to the wind and you need to navigate a ladder to go for a wee.
They seem like a worse option in almost every way than a standard tent. Am I missing something? Is it just a 'scene' thing like snorkels? Educate me wise PH people!
I can maybe see the point for actual overlanders heading into the wilds of Africa and wanting to be elevated from scorpions and wildebeest, but given that the most ferocious animals we're likely to encounter in the UK are nosy foxes or randy badgers, I really struggle to see why anyone overlanding (aka camping) here would bother?
Compared to a ground tent you spend 5x as much money for something 10x heavier with the aero of a brick which hurts economy and performance. Once you've pitched you're stuck there, unable to use the car unless you pack the tent away again, plus you're more exposed to the wind and you need to navigate a ladder to go for a wee.
They seem like a worse option in almost every way than a standard tent. Am I missing something? Is it just a 'scene' thing like snorkels? Educate me wise PH people!
Bill said:
I don't disagree, but they're flat and comfy, and can be levelled. And much cheaper than a campervan.
Pretty much this, doesn't matter if the pitch is rocky/flooded/muddy etc.The bed doesn't deflate and is a lot more comfortable than camping ones.
Plus my wife will sleep in a roof tent, if I mentioned camping in a tent I'd get stabbed
Plus on something like a defender the aerodynamics don't really matter and it's cool that you can just use it whenever you need it.
That being said I'd probably not get another, or at least not a canvas one. They are horrendous in windy weather, if it was windy I just couldn't sleep and on one occasion I drove us home at 3am.
I'd give the hard shell ones a try though, but they are expensive.
I'm not a fan of the roof tent. I tried a roof tent but I much prefer a ground tent.
The reasons against are:
FWIW - A good quality ground tent doesn't take much longer to pitch. I use a Terranova Quasar, which takes minutes to pitch, I've even used it on the roof of my Defender & in a mine.
But be careful questioning lifestyle choices though... At one of the Landy shows, it didn't go down well when I suggested the Camel lot might want to consider renaming themselves to the Roof Tent Owners Club.
M
The reasons against are:
- Exposure - You're limited to where ever you can get the car. If it's windy... Tough. At least with a a ground tent, you can use the vehicle as a shield or pich away from the vehicle.
- Weight - Tent + Roof rack + 2x persons is heavy... Your roof probably isn't rated for that amount of weight.
- Terrain - If you're overlanding, corrugations and a heavy roof tent can cause structural problems for your vehicle body.
FWIW - A good quality ground tent doesn't take much longer to pitch. I use a Terranova Quasar, which takes minutes to pitch, I've even used it on the roof of my Defender & in a mine.
But be careful questioning lifestyle choices though... At one of the Landy shows, it didn't go down well when I suggested the Camel lot might want to consider renaming themselves to the Roof Tent Owners Club.
M
camel_landy said:
I'm not a fan of the roof tent. I tried a roof tent but I much prefer a ground tent.
The reasons against are:
FWIW - A good quality ground tent doesn't take much longer to pitch. I use a Terranova Quasar, which takes minutes to pitch, I've even used it on the roof of my Defender & in a mine.
But be careful questioning lifestyle choices though... At one of the Landy shows, it didn't go down well when I suggested the Camel lot might want to consider renaming themselves to the Roof Tent Owners Club.
M
Any roof will be more than capable of taking a tent and a few people. The reasons against are:
- Exposure - You're limited to where ever you can get the car. If it's windy... Tough. At least with a a ground tent, you can use the vehicle as a shield or pich away from the vehicle.
- Weight - Tent + Roof rack + 2x persons is heavy... Your roof probably isn't rated for that amount of weight.
- Terrain - If you're overlanding, corrugations and a heavy roof tent can cause structural problems for your vehicle body.
FWIW - A good quality ground tent doesn't take much longer to pitch. I use a Terranova Quasar, which takes minutes to pitch, I've even used it on the roof of my Defender & in a mine.
But be careful questioning lifestyle choices though... At one of the Landy shows, it didn't go down well when I suggested the Camel lot might want to consider renaming themselves to the Roof Tent Owners Club.
M
The rating they give is so that numpties don't put 300kg up there then take 90 rights at 50mph.
Static load they'll take tons.
ChocolateFrog said:
Any roof will be more than capable of taking a tent and a few people.
The rating they give is so that numpties don't put 300kg up there then take 90 rights at 50mph.
Static load they'll take tons.
You sure about that??The rating they give is so that numpties don't put 300kg up there then take 90 rights at 50mph.
Static load they'll take tons.
The (original) Defender is only rated for 150kg (and depending on the year, it was as low as 75kg)... Not just for being top heavy but for the lack of strength in the roof. The seam on the front corners are weak points and will split.
FWIW - The Camels used to carry huge weights but the loads were transferred into roll cage and rear tub, by extra bracing (which simply transferred the damage elsewhere).
M
camel_landy said:
You sure about that??
The (original) Defender is only rated for 150kg (and depending on the year, it was as low as 75kg)... Not just for being top heavy but for the lack of strength in the roof. The seam on the front corners are weak points and will split.
FWIW - The Camels used to carry huge weights but the loads were transferred into roll cage and rear tub, by extra bracing (which simply transferred the damage elsewhere).
M
I remember Clarkson testing a Yeti on Top Gear and landing an R22 on the roof. That would be around 500kg.The (original) Defender is only rated for 150kg (and depending on the year, it was as low as 75kg)... Not just for being top heavy but for the lack of strength in the roof. The seam on the front corners are weak points and will split.
FWIW - The Camels used to carry huge weights but the loads were transferred into roll cage and rear tub, by extra bracing (which simply transferred the damage elsewhere).
M
camel_landy said:
You sure about that??
The (original) Defender is only rated for 150kg (and depending on the year, it was as low as 75kg)... Not just for being top heavy but for the lack of strength in the roof. The seam on the front corners are weak points and will split.
That's a dynamic load, when you're hitting a bump at 50 (say) that 75kg produces a much larger force through the roof.The (original) Defender is only rated for 150kg (and depending on the year, it was as low as 75kg)... Not just for being top heavy but for the lack of strength in the roof. The seam on the front corners are weak points and will split.
Bill said:
camel_landy said:
You sure about that??
The (original) Defender is only rated for 150kg (and depending on the year, it was as low as 75kg)... Not just for being top heavy but for the lack of strength in the roof. The seam on the front corners are weak points and will split.
That's a dynamic load, when you're hitting a bump at 50 (say) that 75kg produces a much larger force through the roof.The (original) Defender is only rated for 150kg (and depending on the year, it was as low as 75kg)... Not just for being top heavy but for the lack of strength in the roof. The seam on the front corners are weak points and will split.
M
camel_landy said:
Yeah, so where are you going to store that tent when on the move??
M
I am hoping you get out of the tent when on the move and the tent itself doesn't weigh more than 75kg? M
I also don't really get them though. Especially when I saw the cost! A fair bit of scene tax as far as I can tell.......
ETA: Perhaps this as an alternative?
https://vanworx.co.uk/maxtraxx/
GG (OP)
I think the huge advantage of a roof tent is the physical separation from the ground the Land Rover gives.
So you can camp wherever you can get the Land Rover stable and safe.
Therefore snow, rock, rough ground, concrete, flood prone areas, sand, beaches etc.
I think the huge advantage of a roof tent is the physical separation from the ground the Land Rover gives.
So you can camp wherever you can get the Land Rover stable and safe.
Therefore snow, rock, rough ground, concrete, flood prone areas, sand, beaches etc.
Edited by AndrewCrown on Wednesday 3rd November 20:44
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