Thread: Roof top tent

i must say i am rather green with envy....... But otherwise AWESOME set up.

For those interested, see photo of Woody's setup, there's also a h/d PVC floor (supplied) which zips to the bottom of the annexe. Makes annexe a very cozy place in a chill wind

Originally Posted by Hoges

For those interested, see photo of Woody's setup, there's also a h/d PVC floor (supplied) which zips to the bottom of the annexe. Makes annexe a very cozy place in a chill wind

Yes that come with the deal from red earth campers i think it will stay in the shed as it wont suit the reason i bought the roof top.I will be setting up and pulling down every day as i need my vehicle to put the boat in the water.I am sure if some one was staying in one spot for a while it may come in handy.

Sweet deal

Are they big enough to sleep to short adults and 2 small kids (2 and 4)?

How long to setup/packup?

How thick is the matress?

Not really large enough to sleep the littlies as well...besides it's a fair hike above the ground. The open length is 2400 x1200 approx. At a stretch you could top/tail the kids in the front of the tent (i.e.sleep them " across" the tent to keep them from falling out the end, but you wouldn't have much space to stretch out...although you could sleep diagonally I suppose to get a bit more space...the Missus might complain however!

You could put the Missus and the kids up top and you sleep in the annexe on a stretcher... there's enough room for that

Once we got the hang of it and the zippers had loosened up, we were able to erect it in 5 minutes flat with the 2 of us...same for pulling down...that included replacing and zipping up the travelling cover. If we were to use the zip in floor...add a couple of minutes.

Without fitting the annexe, the tent can be useable in about 3 mins...esp when it's dark and cold and all motels are booked out and (don't ask..)

The mattress is 65-70mm thick. I'm 90kg ...found it quite comfortable.
We did put 4 of those camping mats under it..the foam ones which have holes in them like a matrix and interlock together along the edge like a jigsaw puzzle. We did this to allow some air circulation and avoid condensation...worked very well.

I'm seriously considering setting up a reflective tarp over the whole thing for cooler camping, mainly to reduce dew in the morning ...saves having to pack a wet tent...

Well, after reading all your reviews in as many threads as I could find on RTTs, I finally purchased one for my Series 88. The 88 isn't finished, but I have the tent - what does that say about my priorities?

After all the research, it became apparent that there were only three real options -

• buy Aus made
• buy Chinese made
• buy SA made

The Aus ones are way out of my budget, and I also wanted one with a covered ladder for bad weather.

So, I emailed several suppliers.

The "South African made" supplier didn't reply to my questions and their evilbay site looked dodgy, so it was China. As far as I could see, all the Chinese tents seem to be made by the one manufacturer and branded accordingly.

The supplier that gave the best price and service seemed to be IDIGO CAMPERS out of Melbourne. I bought the RRT and all the accessories (may still need the extensions) and they arrived last week. (after many hassels from the local (Hillston, NSW) carrier. I will give you details of that idiots capers by PM if you are interested)

So it was off for a trial run was I yesterday, on my day off. I had never been to Ivanhoe, so thought that would be a good place to find a coolibah tree beside the river and relax for a day or so whilst conducting the trial of the RTT.

Well, I couldn't be happier! With the tent that is - Ivanhoe was a sad dissapointment. I only erected the tent - not the annex or side walls or skirt under the tent. Those will have to wait for a longer stay in one spot.

Summary:

• The tent was warm during the night with the windows closed, and cool during the day with the window eyebrows open.
• It was stable and did not seem tomove at all when I climbed in or out. (I had expected it to at lease rock a bit.)
• flies, etc tried their darndest to get to me inside the RTT, but not one made it. same with moths and mozzies at night.
• As I am sure you have heard, there is a mouse plague down here and it is revving up again now that the warm weather is back. The tent is not mouse proof. I can only assume they climbed up the guy ropes on the part covering the ladder and through the hinge opening. The wind didnt come in, but the mice did. About three of the (which isn't too bad considering the numbers around). Next time I will take a trap.
• The RTT was easy to mount on my roof racks, but I did have to buy longer bolts to suit the Unistrut rails.
• CAUTION. As you will see from the photo, RTTs cause punctures.

Here is a photo of the RRT mounted on my Found On Rubish Dump hack. I ended up staying about 10 Kms out of town in a truck stop after driving around Ivanhoe looking for that Coolibah tree on the river. I'll try Willandra NP next time.

Originally Posted by praxis

Here is a photo of the RRT mounted on my Found On Rubish Dump hack. I ended up staying about 10 Kms out of town in a truck stop after driving around Ivanhoe looking for that Coolibah tree on the river. I'll try Willandra NP next time.

Willandra is definitely worth the stop over. My aunt and uncle live in Ivanhoe and that was the only reason we 'camped' there last time. I am assuming the caravan park is still not operational (it's easy to miss, it looked like an overgrown vacant block last time).

Tent looks good.