Roof top vs quick erect tent

[Violet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Violet]

Please help me....

Our next trip to the Kimberly’s is going to be trailer free. I was going to buy a roof top tent but now I’m looking at quick erect tent (e.g. Turbo Tent, 30 second tent etc). I’m looking for advice…

As far as I can see they both take about the same time to actually erect so now I’m looking at the other differences. As can probably be worked out from the pro/cons, it looks like I’ve decided on the tent. Please convince me otherwise….

QUICK ERECT TENT
Can leave the accommodation/wife behind if you want a quick drive
Easier to load onto the car at the start of the trip
Easier storage at home
Bigger
More room to stand up (dress) and for sleeping
Can take more comfortable sleeping gear (stretchers and other mattresses)
If transporting on a roof rack, there is more ability to arrange other things – specifically another spare wheel and gas bottle (and possibly stretchers)
After removal of tent, can drive away to collect firewood to put onto the roof
Easy to put a second tarp/solar blanket over the tent to keep the camp cool.
Easier to get into/out of in the middle of the night
Easier to use where you can’t take the car – like boating trips or with other cars
Much cheaper
Can use when you can’t be bothered putting the roof rack on
Better in a wind (car won’t rock) - can also use the car as a wind break


ROOF TOP TENT
Cooler in hot weather (more ventilation and higher off the ground)
Can camp closer to rivers with big ‘lizards’
Don’t have to get a relatively heavy tent off the roof
Easier to pack up in damp conditions (also will dry quicker)
All sleeping gear in one ‘package’
Less likely to get stolen from the top of the car than the tent
Has more shade underneath – although this can be countered with another awning
Easier to use on uneven ground or where there are a lot of ants or other ground dwelling critters

So I suppose it looks like I've made my mind up. For those that love their Roof Top Tent - please tell me I'm wrong.

If anyone has a particular brand of tent they can recommend – please do. PM me if you have any horror stories that you don’t want to make public.

[toddcpo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close toddcpo]

I would be interested in hearing points of view on this one too. I agree, to move around you have to pack up move and reset the rooftop, but you cant go past comfort, safety (from critters), being cooler (especially up north) and the ease of it all. Tents definitely have their place, generally to throw the kids into!! haha

[K & M McF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close K & M McF]

After using a quick erect tent and then purchasing a ShippShape, there is no comparison. The ShippShape can be open, totally up and ready to sleep in within about 2 minutes of stopping. My wife once put it away in under 2 minutes in a race against someone else. No need to pack or unpack mattress, sleeping bag, tent light or even bed clothes. It is all there ready to use. Would never go back.

If you have a carport or garage at home, it is easy to remove and replace the tent on the roof, I just use some pulleys to lift it on and off. Stored up under the roof.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

I have a tourer type tent-quick [4 pegs 1 pole] to put up and down. Mine is 2400x2400 but if I was buying now there are some at 2600x2600 which mean that a stretcher doesn't touch the sides. There are also some extended tourer tents around which are a bit heavier but have more space if 2 people are to coexist for weeks. Kangaroo Tent City have 2600x 2600 for $399 at the moment - good quality and weigh about 24 kg all up with poles and pegs [which will easily fit inside the car and so dont have to be lifted up.] Dont forget the extra fuel that a rack or roof top tent will cost you- at least 3l/100 km at highway speeds.Neil

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

This is the exact same decision that i am trying to make at them moment for a trip the cape next year. I like the idea of the roof tent as it means that you have a big comfy matress and all the bedding that is bulky is out of wagon.

The draw back for me is that i want to get a second spare for the trip and how to carry it?

Do you mount the tent so that it folds out the back and try and mount a second spare infront of the tent (dont know if its possible), or take the extra financial hit and get a dual wheel carrier for the back? THis would probably take the setup cost to the about the $4k mark which is getting uncomfortable in the wallet region.

[Guest Close Guest]

The draw back for me is that i want to get a second spare for the trip and how to carry it?

Do you mount the tent so that it folds out the back and try and mount a second spare infront of the tent (dont know if its possible), or take the extra financial hit and get a dual wheel carrier for the back? THis would probably take the setup cost to the about the $4k mark which is getting uncomfortable in the wallet region.

What roof rack have you got now and how heavy is it and the RTT? The spare (depending on what it is) can be about 30-35kg. You'd have to think about the roof load limits, whether both items can fit on the roof rack, and how you're going to get the spare up and down the roof.

A rear bar with dual carrier is good but I have seen on PP someone made up a bracket that is inserted into the tow hitch to carry a second spare.

The thing with RTT is that you have to drive it off with you when you want to explore the local area.

[Schniff Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schniff]

Faced with the same decision I went with an oztent for reasons you stated above. I do worry about security though.

[4wd Supplies Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4wd Supplies]

I wish i had a rooftop tent last weekend, found an amazing spot with awesome views out over the water however I couldn't pitch my tent because of the rocky terrain. Nothing sharp but just solid rock that a peg would have no chance of getting through.
However I think you have pointed out all the good points of the quick tents. tough decision but i have ordered my rooftop.

[Jon Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Jon]

I think both types of tent have their merits.
I don't like the extra weight and drag that anything on the roof creates, however the rooftop tents are very quick & convenient.
I have always had a small tent that can be erected qickly, never had any security problems or encounters with big lizards (you should not camp too close to the rivers up north).
I do like to keep things to a minimum when travelling. I don't bel;ieve we need to take a lot of 'un-necessary' items with us. If you need all those comforts, stay at home or stay in a motel.
Having more than 3 people in the car usually means a roof rack to store the gear.
The decision is all about personal preference, these are my comments only.

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

Yeah - i think that you are right, will probably end up going down the wheel carrier path. Waiting to see if i can get one at a half reasonable price

[robandjenine Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robandjenine]

we had the same dilema last year and ended up on going with the oz tent RV4 because of the need to pack it away everytime I wanted to go play. in the end it comes down to what is going to make life easier, if you just like to hang about camp and relax then rooftop is great if like me you get itchy feet an hour after you set uo then I'd go the quick erect way. I'm extremely happy with the oztent

[adamr7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close adamr7]

Love my Oztent. Quick, easy, waterproof. You can leave it set up while you go sightseeing and then return to camp and not have to set up again. It also connects directly to my Foxwing awning. Yep, they arent cheap, but well worth the money in my opinion.

[paulyc Member Find all posts View Profile Close paulyc]

I think both have their advantages and disadvantages. I think you also need to consider how long you plan on staying at each location. Having been on a trip recently with friends (we had a tourer tent and they had a roof top ), we had several 1 or 2 night stays due to limited time available and the distance we wanted to cover I found it was becoming a pain to unpack/repack the gear (tent, bedding, etc) associated with using a tent all the time. This was particularly painful where the only reason we were stopping was to sleep so we'd pull up to set up camp at sunset and then packing up camp the next morning at sunrise. On several occasions our friends had their rooftop tent set up well before we had set the tent up and we still had the bedding to sort out after that. Even on days where we'd do some driving around, they didn't find it a hassle to pack up the rooftop and it could be set up in minutes, if need be just before going to bed . I have said if we did another trip like that I would seriously consider a rooftop.

To throw an alternative out there you could always get a swag, has all the bedding in it like the rooftop and quick to set up but not attached to prado so no need to pack up if wanting to go exploring.

[Ron.H. Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ron.H.]

It does really come down to what suits you the most for what you will be doing and if you are agile and thin enough to run up and down that little ladder for the roof top as well, or if you get pissed every night you will find it hard to get to the top safely. I Know of someone that had a few drinks and came sliding down the ladder and they could hardly walk for a few days with badly bruised legs lucky that is all that happened to them. So I say some of your decision needs to be decided by your circumstances as well.

[Violet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Violet]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I certainly don't like the time putting a standard tent up but from what I see, the instant tents are amazingly quick. Expensive (for a good one but so is a rooftop tent), heavy (lighter than a roof top) but for the same comfort, as quick. Yes you can get more comfortable with stretchers, but if you want to have a small mattress and a sheet (fine in the north) then surely it wouldn’t be much different in setup time. If I was at a place longer I could look for more comfort. I can see a slight advantage with roof top tents if you just drive, stop, sleep and then start again, but I can easily afford 15 minutes to setup – and that seems longer than you really need.

Security does not really bother me. We used a camper trailer for another large trip – that would be just as secure as a tent. Yes things can happen – but it could no matter what you do – even in a lockup solid caravan.

Yes Ron.H. – all decided on your circumstances. But there have been some good suggestions. No one has really come up with something out of left field that has totally changed my opinion – YET!

Thanks Adamr7 for the vote for the Oztent. I was looking at Black Wolf. They look really strong come in several ‘weights' but the lack of a window at the back would seem to be a big black mark.

Anyone else with experience with other brands? There seems to be an explosion of Black Wolf copies out there that seem to have more features. Longevity is not a huge problem. I doubt if I would use it for 100 nights in the next 20 years. 30 nights on a trip this year and very occasionally thereafter.

Any more comments of brand 'reviews'?