A tent on top of your car

These have actually been around for a while in different configurations. The only thing I could come up with for a problem that this solves is camping in low land areas during monsoon like rains. I would think this would absolutely peak the interest of any curious bear or other critter.

On the other hand I have seen some really neat pop up refits for vans and mini vans mirroring the ones that came in the VW campers of years gone by. Traveled thousands of miles as a kid in the back of one or those :)

They unfold and pop up instantly. I can sort of see why it would be nice in a long off-road expedition but that’s not really my thing.

I’m guessing they give people a sense of security.

They are relatively popular in Australia, mostly to avoid creeping insects or soggy ground but also good for areas where pitching a tent close to the car may not be easy.

This article explains some of the good and bad points :

https://gearjunkie.com/why-rooftop-car-top-tents-explained

My understanding is they are for overlanding. And they make a lot of sense for that activity. My friend just taled his dad into getting one on kickstarter that has a king size bed.

If you are just driving into a numbered campsite I bet you’d feel pretty goofy when the rv pulls up one over.

My wife went camping with another doc in Zimbabwe and they used a Range Rover-top tent.  The local felt it was safer from lions and hyenas than a tent on the ground.

Also, you know your floor is going to be flat with no gopher holes (Meerkat holes?), rocks, grass tussocks, etc.

Good article Franco.

Okay, I’m sold. Will buy one tomorrow for my Rav4, then drive around the country for a bit.

I have been shopping for one for the past year and just ordered one with my REI discount. I travel for races and events that like to start super early. And being able to comfortable camp wherever the start of the races/events would provide me with much more sleep.

The other benefit for me is that this allows me to more easily drive out to a trail head friday night when there is less traffic.

It pops up ‘instantly’?

if not i see no benifit, save monsoons and heyenas. Neither of which are a prob in oregon. Ok… maybe monsoons, but my 6-woman tent keeps me dry in bs weather. If its standing water i move on, but that is rare….  well…. pretty rare.

When I was a boy a friend of my father made a system like that for on top of their land cruiser. They went touring through the African continent and it was easy to set up, out of the way of snakes and insects if not bigger animals. I thought it was the coolest thing.

Google “overland tent”, they are very popular in the offroad world.

Most of the tents offer a solid floor with some sort of real mattress.  People tend to think they are safer from animals, the cold wet ground, etc.  Most of these style tents are made from heavy canvas materials.  Yakima went a different route with using the standard nylon material to make a light weight tent.

I think the reason most folks buy them is because its one more cool toy to bolt onto their trucks.

Rooftop tents are popular in Australia for touring due to being quick to setup, and your bedding is already in place. If you are covering long distances and setting up at the end of each day its a good option.

They are also immune to Drop Bears.

Cheers

“They are also immune to Drop Bears.“
I read a report today that some have learned to unzip the fly.
Not as cute as some think :