Rooftop foldout campers

Try 3 Dog Camping at Byron Bay
www.3dogcamping.com

Dazza

Hi John

I have a Howling Moon, they are made in South Africa and originally supplied ARB before they got them made in China. I love mine and they are huge inside, I have the touring one so it has an awning over the ladder and these things will never fall apart. You could be sleeping in it in five minutes easy and not much longer to pack up, I have the room that hangs off it and that takes more time than everything else.

Here is the site for both Howling Moon and Eazy Awn, Site Link

Have fun

Craig

A mate had one on loan, the ladder didn't reach the ground - can't remember the brand, was a big name I think. Something to keep in mind. Open Sky make one with walls that enclose the ladder. Their stuff has a good reputation too. I've been away wiyh people who swear by theirs - Opposite Lock. Sets up in seconds and they reckon there's plenty of room. I think theirs has walls that enclose the ladder too. For mine, bit dubious about having to climb down a ladder at 3am for a leak, after a night around the campfire.

John, Have you checked out recent posts 43831 & 43178? My son purchased from eBay and it is happy with the result. It is roomy (check the dimensions), and similar to some brand names ones sold at dearer prices. It can be mounted onto a ute top.

Hi John,

We had an Ezi-Awn roof top tent for a while, we loved it but it did have 3 disadvantages.
1. When you are set up for camp your vehicle becomes part of the camp set up. A quick trip down the shops to pick up milk or beer becomes a real pain, you learn to plan better.
They are great for overnight stops but for more than a couple of days can be a drag taking down so you can go for a drive.
2. They are heavy. Lifting on and off is a two man job, they weigh approx 55kgs and also the weight changes the centre of gravity of your 4by.
3. The set up time is not a quick as I initilay thought before I bought, the tent is up high so a lot of stretching and reaching up high putting in poles to hold out the canvas and putting the cover back on is not as easy as it looks due to the height of the tent. We now have a canvas, centre pole tent that can be put up and down in similar time but has room for the kids now :-), cost a lot less than the roof tent.

Think about the use you want from this, if you set up camp at night and move on the next day then roof top tents are ideal but if you like to stop in one place and explore for a few days then maybe not so convienient.

One major bonus was the comfort and sound nights sleep we got while sleeping in one, its cooler up there and a slight breeze is really nice when you are sleeping. Climbing in and out in the middle of the night (even after a few bevvies) was never an issue.

Maybe rent for a weekend and try it out.