For those who love to take their adventuring to the next level, it's hard to go past a rooftop tent. They're comfortable, make setting up and packing down a breeze and enable you to camp anywhere your 4WD will take you. What's more, sleeping in an elevated position gets you up off the cold ground and improves airflow - not to mention the view! Like anything though, it can take a little time to really get the feel for your rooftop tent and smooth out any small gripes that can get in the way of a good time. So to help out, we've put together a few tips and tricks to help you stay ahead of the game when it comes to sleeping comfortably in your rooftop tent.
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First up, it is worth taking a quick look at the two different types of rooftop tents as they differ a bit in their design. The two main types of rooftop tents consist of either a hard shell or a soft shell design. As both types have their pros and cons depending on what you camping needs are, here is a breakdown of everything you need to know:
Soft shell rooftop tents are made from waterproof fabric like canvas or nylon and fold open to the side with part of the tent extending past the edge of your vehicle. The tent is attached to a hinged platform and held up by a series of poles. Soft shell rooftop tents are folded, which means they are usually bigger than your car once they are fully extended and set up. They aren't the most aerodynamic in design though and will add drag to your car when driving. But apart from that, soft shell rooftop tents are a more affordable option for 4WD campers and offer plenty of living space for camping.
Hard shell rooftop tents have a rigid floor and ceiling, usually made from plastic, fibreglass or aluminium and walls made from waterproof canvas or similar. These tents pop straight up in a box shape, or are hinged at one end to form a wedge shape. They generally have gas struts to help make setup easier. They're more expensive and often smaller than soft shells but are more robust and much easier to pack up and down. Apart from having a more aerodynamic design, hard shell rooftop tents are quicker to set up and are more durable than their soft shell counterparts.
When you are focused on the journey and don't want to waste time setting up a full camping tent and campsite, rooftop camping tents are exactly what you need. They are quick to set up, compact and are perfect for hitting the road in a hurry. Whether you are a first time rooftop camper or have a few years of experience under your belt, here are the best tips to maximise your rooftop camping experience:
One of the best things about rooftop tents is there's usually enough room to keep your bedding set up. So you can leave your sleeping bag (or duvet if that's your preference) and blanket set up and ready to go which will save you precious time when it comes to setting up the rooftop tent later. You can even leave a few small essentials such as a torch or headlamp inside the rooftop tent as well.
Camp lighting is one of those things you generally might not put too much thought into, but the first time you&#;re left stumbling in the dark will make you appreciate the usefulness of having a set of diverse lighting accessories. Lighting solutions for roof top tents vary from integrated lights (in premium roof top tents which may even support solar panels) to humble camping lantern.
A quick rundown of the most popular form factors of camp lighting gear would be:
For a breakdown of the most popular tent lighting solutions and a list of awesome multifunctional products, stay tuned for our guide on roof top tent lighting.
Keeping your roof top tent cool can be a pain, and there are a few ways to make it easier to keep the air in your tent cool. There are various products such as portable fans, evaporative coolers, small portable ACs and some creative or DIY solutions such as reflective tarps or pre-made AC boots. To sum up the best ways you can cool your roof top tent and avoid getting too hot in warm weather / climates, we can list:
Make sure to check out our complete guide on how to cool your roof top tent which includes tips & tricks on how to stay cool while camping with a roof top tent without spending anything.
Camping in winter and colder environments can still be a fun and comfortable experience even if you&#;re not particularly fond of the cold, mainly because there are lots of techniques and products designed to keep you warm even in near-arctic conditions. There are two main approaches to keeping your roof top tent warm and they work best when combined.
The first approach is insulating and basically winterizing your roof top tent with the following upgrades:
The second approach si focused on actually heating you and your roof top tent (preferably now winterized) with one of these accessories:
Make sure to check out our complete guide on how to keep your roof top tent warm, which includes tips & tricks on how to stay warm while camping in a roof top tent without spending a fortune.
While it&#;s unlikely you&#;ll ever be able to completely stop condensation in a tent, there are several ways to prevent most of it and manage it so that it doesn&#;t become a problem or a huge discomfort. Of course, the go-to solutions are various specialized anti-condensation products we&#;ll list below, but we also have some best practices to keep in mind.
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In terms of products aimed at preventing, reducing, managing and at times even stopping condensation in a roof top tent, we can list the following:
At the same time, make sure you follow best practices to keep your tent as dry as possible and stay healthy while camping:
While condensation can be an annoying issue to deal with and dampness in your roof top tent can make it very uncomfortable (and even lead to issues such as mold if it&#;s constant and not aired out properly), these aren&#;t unsurmountable issues. If you&#;re particularly concerned about this, however, make sure to check out our individual guide (which includes individual product recommendations) on how to prevent and manage condensation.
If your roof top tent becomes cluttered on day one and your actual living space is reduced, your comfort level is going to be significantly reduced. With that in mind, we want to help you figure out what gear storage solutions and organizers are best used in conjunction with your roof top tent. With a few extra organizers you might be able to store everything you need AND find them when you actually need them.
In terms of accessories aimed at helping you store gear and organize it in your roof top tent, we should look at:
We generally recommend limiting the amount of gear you keep in your roof top tent while it&#;s pitched, so it&#;s likely that you&#;ll want to have as many overlanding storage & organization solutions as possible in your vehicle:
Overland storage & organization is a massive topic and, while roof top tents somewhat limit your storage space, we look at multiple solutions in our guide on how to organize gear in a roof top tent.
Sleeping in a roof top tent that&#;s not flat is honestly unpleasant for a lot of reasons. We&#;re not going to patronize you by saying &#;Just find a flat surface, how hard can it be&#;&#;. Instead, we recommend that you find the flattest possible surface in the area you plan on setting up camp and we&#;ll point you to a couple cool solutions you can buy and add to your overlanding gear checklist.
The most common overland leveling solutions include:
If you&#;re the kind of camper who really hates uneven surfaces, make sure to check out our handy guide on leveling your overlanding vehicle and explore specific product recommendations.
Constantly fending off mosquitos and other bugs can ruin your camping trip and for that reason we recommend going prepared with multiple backup solutions which will ensure you have a &#;layered defense&#; against the most annoying pests. We really like the concept of a &#;layered defense&#; simply because there rarely is a 100% effective measure for annoyances such as mosquitos (regardless of advertising).
For the purpose of bug-proofing your roof top tent, we recommend considering the following:
For more handy tips and useful products to stave off various bugs, pests and critters, make sure to stay tuned for out our roof top tent bug-proofing guide.
While you can make your roof top tent super comfortable with all the available customizations, upgrades and accessories, boredom can become a big factor if you&#;re stuck longer than you&#;d want in the tent (bad weather for example might keep you inside longer than you&#;d expect). That&#;s when you&#;ll wish you&#;ve packed more stuff to keep you occupied and not stuck to your screen.
While we&#;re not fans of being stuck in a roof top tent most of the time while camping, there are some fun activities that are worth trying out:
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