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assassin ********
Age: 64 Zodiac: Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 5077 Location: Wherever I Wander To -- Midlands
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 3:19 Post subject: Roof Tents |
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Having recently fitted a roof tent to a Pajero i thought i would post a little on this as little is posted here in the UK:
The tents sit on a standard roofrack and simply fold out, some work side to side, others from front to back, these are generally contained within the confines of the vehicle, sideways folding ones extend and the ladder to access them is an important structural component. Such tents are more for the traveller as opposed to the dedicated camper, and are great for touring or safari type work.
Fitting the roofrack was simple as it was an "Outback" modular item, this means all the components are available seperately, this means it can be configured to virtually any users applications as all the individual components can be purchased seperately, so more can be added if necessary.
Fitting the rack involved drilling the roof to mount the permanent side rails, high strength positions through the reinforcing members were selected, and the side rails are simply bolted on after protecting the holes by painting them to prevent corrosion.
Two way adjustable brackets were fitted, these adjust for height and width, they were simply slid into the rail and positioned roughly, the 4 main crossmembers were slid into position, they were aligned and levelled and the side rails positioned into them, everything was locked down solidly. The slats were then slid into position, these had extra slats added to provide a better area with smaller gaps between the slats, and were positioned and locked.
Fitting the tent is very simple, it simply bolts to the rack, being manufactured from aluminium extrusions means everything can be slid in the slota of the extruded aluminium, the slats needed slight adjustment to fit the tent unit, once fitted it was tried out. Once this was finally positioned, the front surround rail was added along with a rear cross rail, this left the front part of the rack for carrying other items other than the tent.
With the rack and tent installed it was a simple matter of putting bedding into the tent, being a folding item means anything too thick cannot be left in permanently, so sleeping rolls and sleeping bags were laid flat along with two pillows, this allowed the tent to close easily and without straining it.
Roof tent do have problems and benefits so i will list them:
Pro's:
Fitted permanently to the top of the vehicle, so no storage needed inside the vehicle to carry it.
Easily and quickly erected only requiring folding out and 4 guy lines pegging down.
Great for just two people or multiple vehicles with only two occupants.
Take up no ground space, just the vehicles size and a little side projection.
No need to clear the ground prior to setting up.
Being off the ground means no leaking groundsheets through punctures, so no wet bedding.
Can be left permanently on the vehicle, so a quick getaway without packing the camping gear is a great benefit.
Cons:
Height or headroom is a problem as you can only reasonably sit up in them.
Only two people can use them, and they still have to be very good friends, preferably lovers.
Susceptible to rocking in high winds due to vehicular movement.
Can be difficult to access for less than able bodied people.
No storage for anything other than bedding, so everything else has to remain in the vehicle.
Cannot cook in them due to the restricted height, so outside or inside the vehicle is the only cooking option.
Hope this gives an insight into these other forms of camping. |
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 3:19 Post subject: Google Ads keep the POCUK free to join! |
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craigszxtt *
Age: 47 Zodiac: Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 33 Location: sheffield
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:34 Post subject: |
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heres our rooftent on hols in the isle of whight.stayed in it a full week and found it great.its made out of thick gor-tex material not the stuff tents are made out of so keeps you warm dry and dampfree.the tent itself is really easy to put up/take down its just a case of climbing the ladders unzipping the waterproof cover then throwing the tent down the side of the truck.its on a aliminium frame so unfolds on its own.you then peg the bottom out and go inside to extend the frame job done.
we found the benefits are
easy to put up/down
keeps dampfree
comfortable sleeping on propper bed above car
leaves space in car
plenty of room for 6 people
own toilet and shower
and the cons we found are
you cannot drive the paj once tents up
climbing the ladders to get to bed after to many beers
ground has to be flat so you dont fall out of bed!
gets to much attention from other campers
home from home
all packed up and having to come home
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DawnH LifeTime Member
Age: 56 Zodiac: Joined: 08 Sep 2008 Posts: 6828 Location: newport, gwent
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 16:13 Post subject: |
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wow....that's some set up!!!! no wonder it attracts attention!!!!! |
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jfarsang *
Age: 49 Zodiac: Joined: 16 May 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Vancouver, BC
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Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 4:38 Post subject: |
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craigszxtt
What type of tent is it ?
Can you give us the layout ?
Thanks
Jesse |
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samantha48 Newbie
Age: 32 Zodiac: Joined: 30 Apr 2010 Posts: 3 Location: chicago
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 5:56 Post subject: |
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I like the place where you have put your rooftent. This tent can be either on the roof of your vehicle, on the bed of a pick up truck, on the roof of an off-road trailer and some can also be taken off the roof and re-located on the ground. This will make you enjoy your camping trip!
Last edited by samantha48 on Sat May 01, 2010 8:27; edited 1 time in total |
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samantha48 Newbie
Age: 32 Zodiac: Joined: 30 Apr 2010 Posts: 3 Location: chicago
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 5:57 Post subject: |
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I like the place where you have put your rooftent. This tent can be either on the roof of your vehicle, on the bed of a pick up truck, on the roof of an off-road trailer and some can also be taken off the roof and re-located on the ground. I think you will enjoy your camping trip! |
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Paul83c LifeTime Member
Age: 40 Zodiac: Joined: 20 Feb 2009 Posts: 2731 Location: LIVERPOOL
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 14:01 Post subject: |
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Thats fantastic.
I prefer a tent on the floor with all the bumps..........
when your rolling over you get a massaging effect. |
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craigszxtt *
Age: 47 Zodiac: Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 33 Location: sheffield
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 17:01 Post subject: |
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thinking of selling the tent now as we have a baby and cant really use it anymore.just have no idea of how much these things go for.any ideas what price i should be advertising or maybe best to just put it on ebay. |
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Rick **
Age: 62 Zodiac: Joined: 30 Dec 2006 Posts: 85 Location: Lincoln
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 17:36 Post subject: |
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With a set up like that, i would expect to see a couple of camels nearby rather than springers ! |
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venn105 LifeTime Member
Age: 49 Zodiac: Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 13103 Location: Lancashire
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 19:08 Post subject: |
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craigszxtt wrote: |
thinking of selling the tent now as we have a baby and cant really use it anymore.just have no idea of how much these things go for.any ideas what price i should be advertising or maybe best to just put it on ebay. |
Awesome set up
Keep it if you can,we got a tent when little one was 8 months old then a van,can be hard work but you cant beat camping with a young family.Give it 12 months |
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target4998 *
Age: 39 Zodiac: Joined: 24 Sep 2011 Posts: 21 Location: England
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 18:39 Post subject: |
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that is a pretty awesome set up. where can you purchase roof tents for the paj from? ive seen loads of sites for landys but not one for pajs |
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DaveRob ***
Age: 53 Zodiac: Joined: 06 Apr 2007 Posts: 140 Location: Gloucester
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:21 Post subject: |
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The roof tents aren't vehicle specific! As stated above, they just bolt on to a roof rack, so they're basically a universal fit. As long as you have a decent roof rack! |
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craigszxtt *
Age: 47 Zodiac: Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 33 Location: sheffield
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:52 Post subject: |
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now for sale £400 without roofrack £600 with pm me if interested |
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skids LifeTime Member
Age: 56 Zodiac: Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1335 Location: Glos
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 16:47 Post subject: |
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craigszxtt wrote: |
now for sale £400 without roofrack £600 with pm me if interested |
Is that the tent and the awning/changing room for £400? |
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craigszxtt *
Age: 47 Zodiac: Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 33 Location: sheffield
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 23:35 Post subject: |
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yep thats everything apart from the roof rack,theres a toilet/shower room that zips to it to. |
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