By Iona Disko - 15 Aug 2008
I'm planning to buy a roof tent to put on a safari trailer (modified ex-military Reynolds Sankey) - it sits at about the same height as a Defender and is fitted with a modified Land Rover 90 Hannibal roof rack which will be the platform for the tent.My intended use is North Africa, and occasional weekend use in the UK throughout the year. I want a five year life out of it. It will be permanently fitted to the trailer which will be dry stored in an ambient warehouse and there is ample room to dry. The design I like has an awning that encloses the back of the mule vehicle and encloses the ladder. I've been looking at the following manufacturers: Echo Ezi Awn Howling Moon ARB Hannibal Most seem to have a model to the design I want but where I am struggling is in identifying any differentiating factors in the design or materials etc. They all seem pretty similar. Most are well over £1000 and some when bought with the seperate awning will come in at nearer £2000. Because of the cost, I am looking to get the purchase right first time... so any advice from someone with expereince of using any of the main brands of roof tent would be hugely appreciated. Additionally, if anyone has ownership experience of Waeco or Engel fridges I'd be keen to hear of any advice on buying - any alternative brands I should consider would be of interest too.
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By Emon - 15 Aug 2008
Hmmm. I would go for Maggiliona, if you are thinking of Africa. I will have mine with me at the Lake District meet next week. Are you coming to that, we can discuss.
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By martin bisby - 15 Aug 2008
jasonpm sally or andrew (both Camel trophy owners) they favour howling moon and would recommend trek overland for quotes and advice. engel seem to be the preffered brand for fridge / freezer regards martin
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By Moose - 16 Aug 2008
I can warmly recommend the Engel.
After trawling the other forums, I found that about 88% of poeple recomended the Engel.
National Luna is better insulated but about 30% more expensive.
I have used the Engel all summer with ambient temperatures up towards 35 c this year, and the fridge kept the tonic water at a refreshing 5 c and the battery's were not a problem.
Regarding the roof tent, I have a friend who did a lot of research of which tent to buy, he bought Howling moon from Trekoverland.
Nice people.
Glen
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By DL4PLM - 16 Aug 2008
the waeco fridges are fine too .. I have one and it withstood some v v heavy roads in iceland ok ;)
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By willowkis - 18 Aug 2008
We can recommend the Howling moon tent and the Waeco fridge.Kim ;)
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By Iona Disko - 18 Aug 2008
Thanks for that... Howling Moon bought on eBay and I reckon a Nat Luna, Waeco or Engel will do the job. I'll wait and see what I can get my bidding paws on.It would be a shame to spoil the originality of an eBay purchase by adding non-eBay accessories. What do you think?
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By Iona Disko - 18 Aug 2008
PS - I did look at the Magiolina range as recommended... but I didn't think they looked like they were built for the overland trip - there was the "Overzone" but I couldn't justify the high cost - not when there is a bargain to be had on eBay at least!
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By jimcarr - 21 Aug 2008
I have driven to the other side of the world, twice and can recomend Waeco fridges.Cheers
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By Emon - 27 Aug 2008
Howling Moon is a good buy, all names mentioned above for tents and fridges are good. At the end of the day after many overlanding trips, your own experience will guide your preference. Thought you may like the picture below from these hardened overlanders and the choice of tents they ended up with having tried others.
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By Adamski - 28 Aug 2008
I'm really glad I don't work for the opposition =)
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By BlackPerth - 28 Aug 2008
I have done a alot of research on fridges and this is one of the best - used by alot of Hire companies in Australia.http://www.conergy.com.au/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-490/779_read-5268/
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By Iona Disko - 31 Aug 2008
Thanks for the suggestions and help.I eventually decided on a 1.4m Howling Moon "Tourer" for the huge amount of space and large safari / change room with enclosed ladder. I really like this design - Howling Moon are the market leaders and thus, my thinking at least, spares and repairs will be easier to come by globally. For the fridge I looked at all suggestions, but it came down to local availability and delivery lead times. Again I went for the market leader Engel with their largest 80 litre combi fridge and freezer. I also bought a power lead and will soon source the slide-lock and possibly transit-cover. Engel seemed to have the most comprehensive range of accessories and while not cheap I can't find anyone with something bad to say about them.
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By martin bisby - 1 Sep 2008
glad to see youre sorted, thats what the G4OC is all about helping each anotherhowling moon are a good company and as you say aftersales is very good cant faault your choice for engel, just wish i had the dosh and need for one:D regards martin
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By Iona Disko - 2 Sep 2008
I may have made a mistake with the Engel... went for the 80 litre thinking "bigger the better".Unfortunately I hadn't considered that it would take two to lift it and ocupy around 60% of the enormous luggage area of the D3! It is probably bigger than my domestic fridge... no ice-cube maker though. Still, I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when I dish out the ice-creams in the middle of the next G4OC outing!
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By TJ101 - 2 Sep 2008
Hi, are you sure its the 80lt one ??? as the biggest they currently do is the 60lt (ENGEL MT60-C 60LTR ) see http://e.dominohosting.biz/dca/mpsdb01.nsf/PDF2/MT60F-C.pdf/$file/MT60F-C.pdf for spec
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By Iona Disko - 3 Sep 2008
Oh yes... it is a 33 litre freezer and 40 litre fridge all combined... it has this on my email receipt:ENGEL MT80-C 80LTR 12/24/230V COMBI FRIDGE AND FREEZER Makes use of all that boot space. Someone should tell Engel that 33 + 40 doesn't add to 80! I'll post some photos of my Moroco preparations shortly.
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By camel_landy - 3 Sep 2008
Fridges...
FWIW, I use an Engel MT35F. This was perfectly adequate for a family of 4 on a 12mth trip, where we would be away from civilization for up to 2 weeks at a time. We also used 2x Zarges ally boxes to keep things 'cool'. Although the Zarges boxes don't chill, being ally & air tight, they do tend to keep the heat out and are great for storing food in (among other things).
HTH
M
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By Iona Disko - 3 Sep 2008
My fridge is the same size... just added the freezer.I wish I got two smaller ones now as the big one is pretty difficult to accommodate in the car. It will spend most of its time in a trailer out of the way though. I am test running it tonight to see how it copes on a 110Ah standard car battery. I'd be interested to see how long it will run for before needing a recharge. Not sure if there is low voltage protection built in - would be useful to prevent damage to the battery.
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By adesg4 - 4 Sep 2008
My National Luna 40ltr fridge runs for 2-3 days at 2°C depending upon ambient before battery needs to be recharged. Runs off an Optima yellow top in portable pack with battery monitor that I can plug in in the 110 or in my trailer when it is finished.Adrian
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By Lee1965 - 31 Aug 2010
Try these Guys out for Roof Tents..http://landroverrooftent.com/id1.html Lee
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