Rooftop camper

Opposite Lock stores are the agents for Howling Moon and Ezi Awn . We have a Howling Moon and love it. Ours though is mounted on top of a purpose built off road trailer.We have an awning off to the side for protection. The beauty of this is that it is minimal time to put up and take down. Got sick of the time consumed putting a camper trailer up and down especially at overnight stops. Having it on a trailer means we can use the car without putting the tent up and down all the time,

Hi Jeff ,
If you have the dough , check out Shippshape.com.au ( great blowfly there ! )
Made in Australia from local canvas - beautifully made - I have a friend with one .
I reckon though , I would only ever put one on a trailer though because if you camped somewhere for a few days , everytime you wanted to go for a drive , you have to pack it all away .I guess every different way is a trade off .
I reckon Chrispy has it right putting his on an offroad trailer .
Cheers ,
Willie .

I have a Hannibal roof top tent very happy with it!

We've got a Shippshape, felt it was the best setup as you have dry access to the bed as well as somewhere to shelter in bad weather. Some others are just that a tent on the roof and you are out in the weather as soon as you undo the zip, get pretty wet getting in and out, never mind the sloping walls.
Very well made, we bought ours secondhand, it is now 5 years old, has the later aluminium ladder with wide rungs which can be used in bare feet. Also have an innerspring mattress (not standard)
We also have the two walls to form a tent beside the vehicle when required.
We still use a camper if intending to have a fixed camp and wishing to use the vehicle but for touring the Shippshape is ideal.

I also have a Hannibal roof top tent & it is tops. The main canvas is made in Australia. very compact compaired to others on the market IMO.

Dave

Lovely to read all the sales pitches from their agents...we looked at most all of these units and ...have had an AUSSIE TRAVELLER Roof Top Tent for about 7 years ...its been on that many trips and about 75000 kms on the roof and its the best of all the aforementioned units..why ?..because its built in Brisbane by a group of people who know what is required in the outback and don't pinch and scrape in their efforts to build the best...top quality unit, heavy duty canvas, and has a room on the side so as u can eat and change in shelter and out of the weather...instead of being out under the Howling Moon with all the bities and rain and .....well whatever the Aussie Bush throws at u in the night...o yes and its fully enclosed and can be locked up ...yes u do need that if u are really going to the outback..plenty of bleep artist station hands stir the dirt after the local has closed and so on ...yep ..been there -done that ..in the Aussie Traveller .. see them on (www.aussietraveller.com.au) costs about $3200 at last years show !!..best money i ever spent !!!.. i.e. hard earned dollars ..

Like the Aussie the Shippshape is made here in Oz with Oz materials, good quality all round. Both are similar in their design and execution.
Our main reason for selecting the shippshape over the aussie was that the RH (drivers side) on the Shippshape is vertical giving more room over the bed and allowing the windows on that side to be left open except in the heaviest rain.
Also for overnight stops the walls on the side bit are not fitted to the shippshape unless required, making for less wet canvas etc. ( I can't remember whether they could be detached from the aussie).
Despite assertions I have nothing to do with the company but am a satisfied owner.

hi
i will sell you mine th shipshape are terrific
we now have a camper trailer the shipshape it a 2001 model

Another vote for the Shipp Shape here, though i haven't compared it to other tents. I bought it 2nd hand from this site. Used it only once so far as we have a campertrailer. Ideal for a single or close couple.

Very comfortable and snug on a cold NSW south coast camping trip.
I have the side walls as well and there is a zip-in room option for longer/drier stops
A bit annoying to have to pack up the full setup if you want to use or just move the car, but not the end of the world. I am sure that it would get easier with practice.

Thanks everyone - you've all given us a few good leads.

We basically need one for when we are doing long trips - such as going across the Nullabour. We just want to drive - then stop and sleep for the night - then continue on the next day. And rooftop tents will do the purpose.

Cheers
Jeff

I saw a new (ish) style of rooftop tent the other week here in Canberra at the Leisure show. It was some Italian Made thing , that was like a Fibreglass pod that popped up , with canvas sides. Looked interesting.