Roof tent

[Jaro Tuzinsky]

Hej @Carnity friends. I am planning to buy a roof tent. Or better to say, i am considering to do it. Do you have any advices? Is it worth? Any recommendations for my FJ cruiser?

[Looper]

A roof tent will give you a convenient, elevated sleeping option that is always present. It will give you great views of the desert or wadis and it will give you a quick and safe sleeping option at various types of terrain.  

A roof tent will add a lot of weight to the car plus it will increase the centre of gravity of the entire car which will hinder its handling and ability in the off-roading drastically. Added weight will also decrease the fuel efficiency if it is a permanent fixture on the vehicle when it is doing its daily duties.

Depending on the type of roof tent whether permanent or removable, if you are regularly going camping or overloading it could be a great option. But if it is occasional use I would not recommend a permanent solution.

[Frederic]

I think the origin of a roof tent was also to be elevated from the ground level, in order to be safe from animals, which is valid if you go camping in Africa or Australia for example, or in Northern US where you could wake up with a black bear in front of you.

Here in the UAE we don't have to worry about these things, and can easily pitch up a 2-seconds tent that can provide similar comfort and not having to worry about the heavy weight, cost, and center of gravity.

I think @Fabien Monleauhad one originally on his LC79.

 

[Ahmed Wagdy]

Just few points to consider from a practical point of view:

- As easy as it is to open and fold the tent where you can store all sleeping accessories like pillows, covers ...etc (which is a nice advantage), but you have to consider leveling the whole car as much as possible to have a comfortable sleep, i never thought about that untill i saw it with a friend it is not very easy on the sand.

- for an FJ it will add a considerable weight in addition to wind resistance and noise on highways. I just added a roof rack and it makes to much noise driving 140km on a highway, eventually u will get used to it but the wind resistance will always make you reduce ur speed and consume more gas.

- depending on the weight of the tent and if the car has an elevated suspensions already, the center of gravity of the car shifts significantly with inclination, just to consider especially when  side slopping or with aggressive turns.

[Bjoern]

Got a roof top tent on my trailer. Howling Moon, quite nice. They are pretty well known for their quality. My family and I enjoy sleeping there. Quite comfy we don't worry so much about any wildlife crawling into the tent.

But it is on an offroad trailer for overlanding as all the other stuff that would make the jeep heavy like fridge, batteries kitchen, water... but all designed for a family of 5 overlanding.

If you look for a one person solution that is amazingly comfortable try the stretcher tent from Oztrail. Got one, really easy to set up and really comfortable.

You can check both out if you want to.

Edited May 29, 2023 by Bjoern