Roof top tent or double swag?

[jw2170]

One issue with the rooftop tent is if you need to take the young fella to the toilet in the middle of the night, if he is still sleepy you will have to carry him down those dodgy ladders!!!!

My main concern, also, was the safety aspect of child climbing up and down the ladder.

If it was me, I would go for the tent....

[Hoyks]

Trust me, kids are up and down the ladder better than I am.

[nab]

Trust me, kids are up and down the ladder better than I am.

Haha very true, was at the park today and it's amazing how fast kids can climb/jump/crawl over when you are chasing them!!!

[rossm]

Having  wasted a few hours on a quiet Easter Monday browsing the web and looking camping vids (while the people who go away for Easter battle the traffic)  the thought occurs to me that budget could be a factor.

RTTs don't come cheap. You could maybe pick up a second hand swag on ebay or gumtree and see how that goes. If it is not too your liking  not much lost.

With a RTT I might want to hire before I bought if that was possible.


   

[Pete79]

Can honestly say I’ve never been camping and thought “I wish I had a roof top tent right now”.

And the handful of times that I’ve been camping with friends that had roof top tents I wasn’t that impressed. On every one of those trips the guys with rooftop tents either stayed at camp and missed out on some cool day trips or chose to leave their vehicle parked and got a lift with someone else.

Our family of 4 still love traveling together and our Turbo Tent suits us perfectly.
If I had a son and he wanted to go camping with just me I think I would go with one of those instant 3 second tents and a couple of good quality self inflating mattresses.

Or 2 swags if the young fella wants his independence.

[Brodie Tas]

Thanks everyone for the replys after a long think i have decided the double swag $200 from 4wd supa center i cant go wrong and with a couple of awning walls we will be out of the elements

[nab]

Thanks everyone for the replys after a long think i have decided the double swag $200 from 4wd supa center i cant go wrong and with a couple of awning walls we will be out of the elements

I got the one with the thicker mattress, bloody great bit of gear. BUT they are massive when rolled up, 1500mm long and about 500mm round...

[Bird]

Rooftop tent

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/04/04/16/59/eight-week-old-baby-injured-tent-collapse-helensburgh

[Brodie Tas]

I got the one with the thicker mattress, bloody great bit of gear. BUT they are massive when rolled up, 1500mm long and about 500mm round...

Yeah thats the one i was looking at. Will have to go on the roof racks

[Hoyks]

Rooftop tent

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/04/04/16/59/eight-week-old-baby-injured-tent-collapse-helensburgh

Yeah, don't drop them on your kids.

Something in that for all of us.

[Brodie Tas]

Got a win today brand new kings double swag for $100 of gumtree cant go wrong   

[GBC]

You need one of everything and it still isn't enough. I decked out the ute with a RTT and slide out kitchen for our central Oz  touring trip with 2 small kids. It was brilliant, but we never really stayed in the same place much. For a week camping in the one spot it would drive me insane. I'm too old and grumpy to deal with a swag on the ground anymore - had too many nights in them when working remote. A single swag on a stretcher bed is doable. These new swags are more like tents so much better to deal with. Enjoy your double, the view is the same no matter what you're in, just so long as you are out there.

[Brodie Tas]

You need one of everything and it still isn't enough. I decked out the ute with a RTT and slide out kitchen for our central Oz  touring trip with 2 small kids. It was brilliant, but we never really stayed in the same place much. For a week camping in the one spot it would drive me insane. I'm too old and grumpy to deal with a swag on the ground anymore - had too many nights in them when working remote. A single swag on a stretcher bed is doable. These new swags are more like tents so much better to deal with. Enjoy your double, the view is the same no matter what you're in, just so long as you are out there.

Yeah i know what you mean by one of everyhing got my camp trailer great for setting up 2 nights or more or when my mum and little sister tags along, but to harr to set up by myself witha  3yo running around now that i have a swag over nighters are more posible and easier, might even end up with a rtt next year as were plaing our first mainland trip and a rtt will be cheaper  to take on the boat and easier  to change loctions every night

[trinityalyce]

I know it sounds like you have this sorted...

But for years we've had an Oztent RV-3 + simple style double swag we use as a bed roll. Quick and easy set up, bed is already made and just need to roll it up in the morning, or out inside the tent once you have that set up... Simple.

Just our 2c worth.

[hammy]

I know it sounds like you have this sorted...

But for years we've had an Oztent RV-3 + simple style double swag we use as a bed roll. Quick and easy set up, bed is already made and just need to roll it up in the morning, or out inside the tent once you have that set up... Simple.

Just our 2c worth.

Good setup. Best of both worlds I think. We tent and swag it but sometimes the multiple swag setup is as long as a quick Pitch tent setup if you start adding shade/cover, stretchers etc..


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[Flighty (WA)]

I purchased an alucab unit, although you pay dearly for them I have found the comfort and ease of "setup" and "pull down" maybe the quickest and easiest of all without doubt.
Takes longer to get the ladder out than it takes for it to unfold itself.
Agree on the up and down at night to the beer recycling facility, but having the bed linen, pillows and and even a plastic 4' folding table able to be left inside while travelling is a definite space saver.
Best part is sitting with a coldie and watching mates swear and curse while unfolding swags, putting up fold up beds together ready is a treat 
watching them get it all untangled and outta their cars is just as much fun 
 

[BrisVegasGolfer]

Thanks everyone for the replys after a long think i have decided the double swag $200 from 4wd supa center i cant go wrong and with a couple of awning walls we will be out of the elements

We did 6 weeks over Christmas including Tassie and Kosciusko NP using swags under an awning wall for our kids plus a tourer tent for us.  They do the job.  We copped a wild storm one night at Bay of Fires, so the kids retreated into our tent, but otherwise they much prefer their own little cocoons.  If staying put for longer, a gazebo works well instead of the vehicle awning, which frees up the vehicle for day trips etc.

[Brodie Tas]

We did 6 weeks over Christmas including Tassie and Kosciusko NP using swags under an awning wall for our kids plus a tourer tent for us.  They do the job.  We copped a wild storm one night at Bay of Fires, so the kids retreated into our tent, but otherwise they much prefer their own little cocoons.  If staying put for longer, a gazebo works well instead of the vehicle awning, which frees up the vehicle for day trips etc.

Hope you enjoyed your tassie trip i love our backyard

We went out on saturday night to test the swag out with the awning and 2 walls was very impressed with the swag also very happy with the awnings walls just kept the weather out also during the night we gpt 60km winds and rain i was very surprised in the morning the awning and walls where still there. The walls kept the swag bone dry from the rain so no need to dry it out. I was that happy how it all setup and packed down im going to change my camp trailer back to a standard 7x5 trailer with a 900mm cage and a awning on both sides and another set of awning walls. So sort trips just setup 1 side with swag and walls and longer trips both awnings and walls to have a cooking side and a sit around / swag area.
,

[BrisVegasGolfer]

Hope you enjoyed your tassie trip i love our backyard

We went out on saturday night to test the swag out with the awning and 2 walls was very impressed with the swag also very happy with the awnings walls just kept the weather out also during the night we gpt 60km winds and rain i was very surprised in the morning the awning and walls where still there. The walls kept the swag bone dry from the rain so no need to dry it out. I was that happy how it all setup and packed down im going to change my camp trailer back to a standard 7x5 trailer with a 900mm cage and a awning on both sides and another set of awning walls. So sort trips just setup 1 side with swag and walls and longer trips both awnings and walls to have a cooking side and a sit around / swag area.
,

Yes, we had a great time in Tassie.  Absolute beachfront camping at Swimcart was a highlight for sure.

I like your idea of a gear trailer and awnings instead of a soft-floor camper.  It's something I've been contemplating a lot lately as our camping gear outgrows our vehicle!

[Brodie Tas]

Yes, we had a great time in Tassie.  Absolute beachfront camping at Swimcart was a highlight for sure.

I like your idea of a gear trailer and awnings instead of a soft-floor camper.  It's something I've been contemplating a lot lately as our camping gear outgrows our vehicle!

Yeah thats the problem we have at times its ok if we head out by ourselves but my mum and little sisiter come with me a fair bit and she only has a nissan micra so i end up with all the gear and my son likes to bring alot of tonkas bike etc and i dont mind because he will enertain him self for hours, so having trailer to just put everything in for me seems the right way to go, going to buy 2 big tool boxes to just slide in to the trailer with everything we need, i will also sika flex the bottoms and sides of the tool boxes the help keep the weather and dust out. I priced up some of those space cases and they where $400 compared to a $99 gavinsed one, i will hopefully have some time next fortnight to take the trailer apart and start welding up some frames. Who knows this trailer might end up with a rtt down the track

[Throbbinhood]

Not sure if you've sorted this already.

We've got a camper, but take a double swag for short stays. We have a 2 year old, and my partner is pregnant, so she can't help with the camper and to be honest, it's a pain in the ass to do solo.

Swag is eleventy million times easier. I leave sleeping bag in there, it gets thrown on the roof rack so size isn't an issue. Will likely just get another swag when our second bundle of trouble comes along for the quicker stays. Plus, when I head away solo, I can just take one of the swags.

Gazebo takes 2 seconds to setup. Job done. I hate the idea of rooftop tents - if you want to go get firewood or anything you have to packup. And if you need to leave in a hurry, your kinda stuffed unless your happy for it to all fall off somewhere up the road.

[Brodie Tas]

Just a update how the swag has been holding up. The last 2 weekends we have been able to get away for a night. Setting up the swag awning awning walls and packing up have been real easy for 1 person. The first night i took it all out we got around 70km winds and i was real suprise everything was still up in the morning, the swag in nice and warm and i found a couple of extra guy ropes around the poles take alot of slack out of the middle. I also brought a self inflating mattress today to put in the swag the 50mm foam is just a bit to thin for me but im very happy with this setup best thing ive done for camping, now to start working on my trailer will order awnings for it this week and the steel, then all i have to do is allow a day to build and set it all up

[Throbbinhood]

Funny you mention trailer.

I've been considering taking the tent off my camper trailer, replacing it with a metal lid and some roof racks. Basically it'd be an enclosed trailer with kitchen, that I could throw swags and a fold out awning on top of.

It'd drastically reduce setup time and effort, and would mean minimal expenses as I already have the trailer.

Missus isn't too keen on the idea but we'll see haha.

[Bird]

Funny you mention trailer.

I've been considering taking the tent off my camper trailer, replacing it with a metal lid and some roof racks. Basically it'd be an enclosed trailer with kitchen, that I could throw swags and a fold out awning on top of.

I know 3 of my mates who have gone back to tents and swags carried in a box trailer with just a normal soft cover, and not one of them regrets it.

[SEADOO]

I reckon that's why the Drifta DOT style campers are gaining popularity.

Going back to the basics