G4 Owners Club

Roof tents and awnings

https://forum.g4ownersclub.com/Topic18169.aspx

By Kisangani - 19 Mar 2011

Hi there,



Slowly starting to prepare for our planned expedition London - Cape Town in 2013, and mulling over ideas for kit and vehicle mods.



I'm not a roof tent fan, never used one, don't like the added weight on top or the bulky look, but Mrs Kisangani being south African has grown up with them and doesn't relish the thought of being eaten by tigers ':w00t:'

or bears ':D' in the masai mara!!



So first question, given the tiny usable space on the expedition roof rack fitted to the D3, has anybody found a roof tent that even comes close to fitting and doesn't leave the D3 looking like an AWACS aircraft.



Secondly, having looked through the old topics, found this one started last year



http://www.g4ownersclub.com/forum/Topic16287-14-1.aspx?Highlight=roof+tents



and particularly interested to hear from Lewis, about his Fox wing awning fitments to the expedition rack. I'd love to see some pics if pos of exactly how you fitted it to make it easily removable.



Finally, moving away from the roof tent idea, there has been a lot of talk about the oztent RV 5 tent. I wondered if there were any more reviews and updates about the RV 5 durability and use, as always pics always appreciated.



As time goes by there will be many more questions as I prep the D3 for our trip, and a website in the offing with a homage area to Camel and G4 and our club.



Cheers



Rich
By camel_landy - 20 Mar 2011

I'm not a fan of roof-tents either.



When travelling, I tend to use a regular canvas ground tent (You need canvas as they are better in the sun) but I carry a small backpacking tent too.



This backpacking tent can be used for excursions but the footprint of the inner is also small enough that it fits on the roof-rack too. As the tent is one of those free-standing geodesic designs, it makes for a perfect backup if you want to sleep off the ground.



M
By Andy131 - 20 Mar 2011

We have used a myway roof tent fitted to a Freelander in Morocco.

Made in S.Africa, weight 35Kg packed size 1.3m x 1.2m x 0.2m, comes compleat with under-tent/awning/shower.

Light enough not to destabilise the lightweight Freelander, quick to put up, sleep far away from scorpions, a right pain in the bum when you need to nip into town for a beer/milk. Much cheaper than some other brands, we only used ours for 6 weeks in total with no issues - sold it for 70% of what we paid new.

In the UK roof tents of this type can be a problem if you get them wet - how do you dry them? can't really leave it erected for a week waiting for a sunny day.

Taking it off and putting it in the garage is an option, just make sure you have a couple of tall friends to help - good job Gill isn't reading this.
By CraigS-L - 21 Mar 2011

For Oz tent durability, I suggest you have a chat with Iain at www.offroad-essentials.com, otherwise known as TFC on d3.co.uk. He has been hiring Oztents out for a few years for North Africa Expeditions.

From personal experience, I think the Oztent is pretty durable, but I have only had mine for 3 years and it gets used 2-3 times per year at the moment, however the main body goes up very quickly, adding all the extra panels takes a while (but still a lot quicker on my own than my brother and his wife putting up their Vango Tunnel together).

Hope this helps.

By Kisangani - 21 Mar 2011

Thanks for your advice, I'll need to measure the internal footprint of the roof rack to see if anything will even fit for starters. It is a ridiculously unpractical roof rack.



I'd maybe consider one if it fitted discreetly. The dimensions you mentioned Andy make me think it might be possible.

Equally the idea of a canvas tent that just sits on the roof is a very good idea too Camel Landy.



Anyone used or got an RV 5? Or fox wing awning?



Rich
By aedwar57 - 21 Mar 2011

have you considered a trailer to put all your kit in - someone has previously made a very nice expedition trailer from a sankey...

http://www.g4ownersclub.com/forum/Topic16305-14-1.aspx?Highlight=trailer

or search under G4 trailer

By Kisangani - 23 Mar 2011

Hi Alan, the trailer is an option, Wiggs sankey build is stunning. The outback/bundu type of trailers are hugely popular in South Africa an Oz, but as Camel Landy would say, if you are carrying that much c##p on an expedition, well your just carrying too much c##p!!

We used to use trailers when I ran my overland expeditions, and they where lovingly renamed anchors as soon as you hit the soft stuff (well they did weigh 3.5t)



Rich

By camel_landy - 23 Mar 2011

Did someone mention my name... :D



Yep, I am dead against trailers off-road. They are a right royal PITA.



Also, when you're on dirt, they have a tendency to smash windows!!! The stones your rear wheels throw up, will ricochet off the front of the trailer and into the windscreens of passing vehicles or your rear window.



M
By MikeS - 26 Mar 2011

That's just explained why all the outback trailers / caravans I saw in Oz 2 weeks ago had solid fronts, I hadn't considered the stones thrown up from the towing vehicles...
By adesg4 - 6 Apr 2011

CraigS-L (21/03/2011)

From personal experience, I think the Oztent is pretty durable, but I have only had mine for 3 years and it gets used 2-3 times per year at the moment, however the main body goes up very quickly, adding all the extra panels takes a while (but still a lot quicker on my own than my brother and his wife putting up their Vango Tunnel together).

Hope this helps.

I would agree with Craigs comments here

I have had 1 for 2 years and and have used it fairly frequently in good and bad weather in UK and Europe.

The tent goes up really well as they tell you. The additional panels add about 10-15mins but these would not really need to be fitted if moving every day.

There are a couple of things with the Oztent.

The hinge system is relatively flimsy as it is made of plastic which can deform over time.

Lifting the front of an RV5 needs to be done relatively carefully everytime.

Has guy rope storage front and rear and a power lead opening.

Ensure tent is  pegged down well and with guy ropes in wet and windy conditions.

Condensation is a problem in cooler climes but can be reduced with the flysheet.

The floor can be easily ripped if used in hard dry stony conditions (not everywhere is grass) I bought a 3m x 3m section of butyl pond liner that I put down before the tent in these conditions.

The RV5 is a very tight fit on a D3 roofrack and needs to be fitted diagonally even then it can still catch the top tailgate when opened.

They are much lighter than a roof tent.

Packing away takes a lot longer than 30 seconds.

Adrian