Rooftop tents / Cape York

[Monique-Wilson]

Hi everyone,

Two things. Firstly, do you own/know anyone that owns a rooftop tent? What do you think? Please share the positives and the negatives, any stories and photos. We wish to buy one for the Cape in 2014, due to good quality Campers being pretty pricey for a Uni Student and a Tradie who just moved states.  Any tips with custom made rooftops- regarding quality, pricing and usability (and obviously who you got it off). 

We would 100% prefer to get an Australian Made tent, with Dynaproofed canvas. Considering the Cape is no easy ride, I don't want to waste money replacing a cheapo when we could spend that bit extra and get good quality that will last. I also would prefer to see the product in person before buying it, which is why we are a bit reserved about spending thousands over eBay.

Secondly, does anyone have any tips about the Cape? I went as a child, but obviously don't remember too much about the 4WD and camping side..and now that half the tracks are shut I would love to hear about any stories, photos, do's and do not's, and general advice. What car modifications did you get, and what did you tour with/where'd you go?

Thanks so much,

Monique & Jarryd.

[HEM19X]

Hi guys,

The best advise would be to buy the best quality Roof Top [or anything for that matter] that you can afford. Most I have seen opt to have the steps at the rear when that have a rear opening 4By [Cruiser etc] as it then provides some shelter when cooking but you will need to work out what is best for you.

My advise for the cape is to "take your time".. Have a read of threads here from swaggers who have done the trip & work out what you want to do/see etc. If you have a limited time, get there as quickly as possible so that you can spend more time up there. From Canberra for example, travel inland rather than the coast road as you can get further each day with less towns/cities.

As for mods, a snorkel is vital with all the water crossings, after that, good AT tyres plus a moderate suspension lift should see you through. Even if you are travelling alone, you will meet up with others doing the same thing so a recovery kit [snatch sprap, shackles etc] is also a must but there is no real need for a winch [IMHO].

Finally, the last thing you want to do is break your 4BY, the cost to have it shipped back to Cairns or have repairs done is very high, so if you don't think you can make a crossing, stop have a cuppa, wait for others to come through, see what they do and then make your own decision.

Have an epic trip, I look forward to seeing your report etc.

Regards 

[fuji]

I had acheapie from Tigerz11 last year. The quality was pretty good and we had no leaks. It rained once on a 6 week 18000 km trip around Oz. we went from Melb to Broome across the GRR to Kununnura to Cairns and Melbourne. Alot of condensation inside but we did't always open the windows. We also had an awning which made it easier. I wanted to buy the best (Hannibal) IMO but I am glad we didnt. It is a real pain if you are on the move a fair bit. Putting it up and down, climbing in and out. Can't go anywhere cause you have to pack up the tent etc. if I was to go the Cape, I would but a quality Swag and an awning. Unless you are prepared to stay at spots for several days at a time. IMO Have fun!

[dazzler]

Cant comment on a roof top tent however the oztent is highly recommended as an alternative.   

[McGirr]

Hi Guys

The link below should help answer some questions.

http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?board=44.0

Regarding roof top tents. I would consider a cheap 2 person tent. The advantage is that you can explore the area without the hassles of packing up camp and also the fun of climbing up and down especially if you have had a few drinks. Small tents are very cheap these days and take up very little room when packing.

Mark 

[GeeTee]

As far as I know - and I'm happy to be corrected - the only Australian made roof-top/fold-over tent is the Dingo Doza (dozer?) made by a nice old feller for the last 40 years in Vic. Top quality canvas, easy to use. Just about everything else is Chinese made, with one or two from South Africa.

Roof toppers are ideal for travellers; all you need to do is find level ground for the vehicle - no need to find a clean grassy campsite for set-up which takes only a few minutes. And you are above the critters and crocs!

You can camp/stay on a bitumen roadside/truck rest area if required; soemething few people think of but IMO an important consideration for 'transit' between where you live and where you're going

At highway speeds, it will cost you around 2L/100km in extra fuel due to extra aero drag

[Alan Loy]

Gee Tee's point about the extra fuel is worth considering.  If you can keep everything off the roof the that would save about $300 on a trip to the Cape.  The trade off is that you would have to pitch a tent.  If you don't mind a pole in the middle, a pyramid tent is a tried an true design that is available from a number of manufacturers in Australia .  I have had excellent service from Freedom tents over 30 years http://www.freedomcamping.com.au/mc.html

The new Jet tents from Oztent are worth considering http://www.downundercamping.com.au/product.php?productid=19155&cat=1222&page=1.  Not cheap but they fold up small and are quick to erect

One of the members here swears by a swag on a stretcher (I can't find the link).  sounds like a great alternative if you're single.  The Kamprite double tent cot is worth a look for a couple.  I have the stretcher that it is based on and it is very comfortable.

Of course none of this is about roof top tents.

[andylandy]

G'day Monique-Wilson,

The Mrs and I have done 2 laps of this great country 1st lap was 9 months and second 10 months, both using an Eezi-Awn rooftop tent  very good quality (South African made.) but would we do it again with one YES! (if we hadn't now had kids! ) so I'll list the pros and cons for you as we found them.

Pros

Quick set up and pack up time - we'd stop, i'd set up the tent and Mrs would put a brew on, set up finished before the coffee made! as we moved most days ease of set up and pack up was very important.
your accomodation is always with you so if you have a change of plans no heading back to a site to collect stuff
Your off the ground so no snakes and spiders in the tent, and if it floods anywhere you have no problems -  we had a few possums trying to get in!and we woke up one morning to 2 foot of water on ther ground but hadn't worried us!
our roof tent opened over the rear of the landrover and had a kitchen in the back of the car so that provided some shelter for cooking


Cons

If you want to pop out for a beer or go out for the day and return to the same spot you still have to pack everything away
limited shelter in bad weather - we had a 4m by 3m awning made to give us some shelter, but when raining it would have been nice to have walls as when rain goes horizontal or even at at 45 degree angle you tend to get wet
Fuel consumption goes up by a small amount
Vehicle centre of gravity raised, but we never had an issue with this, as long as the driver is aware - we did the cape and gunshot creek with no problems

We have loads of pics of the set up we used, and would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. If you head up Sydney way at all get in touch and feel free to drop in. Would we use ours again YES, but we have kids now...... So PM us if theirs anything you want answered and we'll try our best to help, or if you want any pics.

Cheers

Andy

[miller]

Hey guys, my Dad and I did a trip to The Cape this year in our Patrols.

I had Ironman RTT opening to the side and my old man had a ARB opening to the rear. Now neither tent is aussie made but I can tell you that IMO the Ironman tents design is better than the ARB. The large awning on the IM was very handy on wet mornings as I could sit on the edge and put my boots on in the dry before getting down. The ARB's awning is no where near as big. My Dad commented a few times how that can make it a little tricky to get in and out sometimes. (he does have a dicky hip though )

We also found that with the tent opening to the rear it ment the cover was hanging down over the back. The more red dust that was collected on the cover the harder it was to try to keep relatively clean while we rolled it out of the way or took it off all together so we could get to the beers!.

I found side opening to be best in our case on the trip.

Good luck with the seach

[GrahamFamily]

We have travelled with an ARB RTT but the original model which was much better. This is the model Ironman copied with their design. The awning over the opening is perfect. Agree with side opening too.

Have just ordered a CT so going to sell the Rooftop Tent and possibly the easy lift bracket that makes it easy and a one person job to take on and off.

Col

[Wato]

Monique
On our first trip to the Cape in 2008 our son and nephew were going to swag it, however mums being mums, they decided that the boys would be eaten by crocodiles. My wife got onto ebay and bid on a cheaper rooftop tent. Three days later she told me what she had done and the fact that she had won it. It arrived 5 days later and for $725 the boys were "safe". I was very sceptical but the dye was cast. The boys, at that stage 19 and 20 lived out of that rooftop for five weeks enduring rain and wind (Cooktown) without an issue. Four years on and the tent has been used probably 30 times between them and the only issue has been the cover, which now up for replacement.
It is a matter of horses for courses, and I am surprised at how well it has lasted but there you go.
I am sure you will make the decision that best suits you.

Craig

[mrdenn1s]

I've always wondered about weight with rooftop tents?

Weight of tent, plus 2 x adults......plus weight of roof rack....surely over 100kg???

[dirtpilot]

I have owned 2 Howling Moon tents. One was the basic model with no awning over the ladder and the basic change room tent that zips to it. I now have the better version with the proper zip on tent. I have used them mounted on the 4x4 and now it is mounted on a home made off road camper trailer.

I think they are a great idea. Mounted on the trailer is the best way.

[fuji]

I've always wondered about weight with rooftop tents?

Weight of tent, plus 2 x adults......plus weight of roof rack....surely over 100kg???

On our Prado we had a 60kg rtt, two gas bottles, a roof rack, a 20 kg+ steel frame supporting a large aluminium, wind deflector, a spare tyre and wheel and three camping chairs. That was when we were driving. Night time there was an additional two and half persons. That was a lot of weight. Not recommended by Toyota of course. We drove nearly 20k as earlier stated. Have a look at the lightweight roof racks or use three roof bars which is better than the heavy steel rack. I have a windcheeta or similar.

Wayne

[ozbogwam]

I've always wondered about weight with rooftop tents?

Weight of tent, plus 2 x adults......plus weight of roof rack....surely over 100kg???

Static weight is fine it's when you have that sort of combined weight on the roof while driving that damage occurs

[Matto]

Miller makes a good point.

I've always wanted a RTT. But I was speaking with a mate who'd got back from the cape recently - he had his hilux with a RTT on the tray. He can't wait to sell it. He reckons it was a real pain every night getting the cover off - you'd get showered in red dust. They couldn't come up with anything practical to stop it - no matter what they tried they kept ending up with all the dust that was on the cover, over everything. He wants to upgrade to one of the fibreglass hard-shell RTTs (if he ever wins lotto), or will just use his swag in future.

So that sorta put the damper on my enthusiasm. I know how dusty the CT travel cover gets in use, and that one's relatively easy to deal with because it's so low.

Good luck!
Matto

[mapnut]

Wife & I used a RTT on the OTT two years ago, and what a PITA it was.

It was an older-style ARB unit and it had a few issues.  The biggest was that the zip on the cover let go half way through the trip.  I believe the new design has addressed this issue though.  To ARBs credit it was fixed FOC.

The biggest pain was that after a day of driving dusty tracks, and then having it set up overnight, a little dew would turn the cover into a muddy mess.  So inevitably when packing up the next morning you would get covered in this paste...  NOT a great way to start the morning, 4 weeks running...

My brother was on the same trip and had a hardfloor and was set up each night before we were, and packed up each morning before us too...  And he has two kids!

Just my 2c.