Car roofrack tents

[mrcharly-YHT]

Anyone have experience with car roofrack tents?

MrsC is getting a hankering to have one.

[robgul]

Yes - in the late 1960s - advice:  avoid!   The climbing up and down is awkward and you need somewhere to cook etc.

Limited experience of a VW microbus type lift-up roof camper with beds in the early 70s - altogether better but pretty slow if travelling any distance.

[Oscar's dad]

Some of the new roof rack tents I've seen advertised look pretty cool.  Not sure of the advantages over a regular ground based tent, possibly quicker to erect and doesn't take up room in the car when packed?  Perhaps you could use them in places which aren't campsites like a carpark?

Be our guinea pig, buy one and share your experiences   

[mark]

I work for a large US retailer that sells Thule and iKamper rooftop tents. They've become quite the status symbol in my part of the world. Thule have a tool on their website that lets you input your vehicle details and find out if putting a rooftop tent on your vehicle is seen as a good idea by at least one manufacturer of rooftop tents. The vehicles that meet Thule's approval are almost all SUV's with factory installed luggage rails on the roof. I'm sure people install rooftop tents on every imaginable vehicle, but I'm not sure how good an idea that is.  You'll need to install a set of crossbars on the roof rails, if you don't have them already. The tents we sell weigh 45-75 kg, so installing and removing them is not trivial, and generally requires 2+ adults. People around here seem to leave them on throughout whatever part of the year they go camping, if not year-round. The happiest rooftop tent users around here do what we call "dispersed camping". This means finding a dirt road (usually requiring 4WD, always requiring a high clearance vehicle), drive down it until you find a place to pull off that you like, and set up camp for a few days. The vehicle and tent stay put for the duration of the trip, while you go mountain biking, hiking, climbing, fishing, etc. People who like to use a motor vehicle to go anywhere during a stay at a campsite usually tire of rooftop tents very quickly.

Yes - in the late 1960s - advice:  avoid!   The climbing up and down is awkward and you need somewhere to cook etc.

Thule have addressed the issue of somewhere to cook, etc.: https://www.rei.com/product/174377/thule-tepui-ruggedized-autana-3-tent

Some of the new roof rack tents I've seen advertised look pretty cool.  Not sure of the advantages over a regular ground based tent, possibly quicker to erect and doesn't take up room in the car when packed?  Perhaps you could use them in places which aren't campsites like a carpark?

Be our guinea pig, buy one and share your experiences   

No quicker to erect than a ground based tent, from what I've seen. I'm told they're very popular in places like the Australian Outback, where there are lots of nasty creepy crawly creatures on the ground waiting to bite you.

[TPMB12]

A guy at work was just about the least likely to camp but after lockdown he got one and absolutely loves it.  He went from thinking camping is a terrible idea to going away with his roof tent every couple of weeks, certainly once a month.

I think the modern ones are probably not what people think they are. However I've only ever seen them on SUVs / 4x4s. There's a higher roof load capability needed I think.

[Polar Bear]

I would advise checking the car handbook to see how much weight the vehicle is approved to hold before buying a roof tent.  Some cars even have a zero limit.

[mrcharly-YHT]

We definitely don't have a zero limit!  The thule bars that go between the roof rails have a dynamic limit of 70kg. I think the static limit is much higher.

[TPMB12]

Dynamic limit of 75kg? Do you sleep on the top of your car on a roof tent? Are you less than 75kg dynamic load?

Serious question but assuming tent is 20kg, you're say 65 to 85kg, your bars are perhaps 10kg. You sleep on a mat, in a bag with your stuff to hand. So just how can that all sit on a roof rated at 75kg load? Sorry if I'm being a bit slow here but weight thing doesn't work as far as I can tell but roof tents are a useable thing. Mind you most are on landys that I've seen. I've seen some scary big roof tents,  solid cage racks and solid boxes on landys with a huge roof tent before now. Never worked out how that worked with roof weight limits.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Dynamic limit of 75kg? Do you sleep on the top of your car on a roof tent? Are you less than 75kg dynamic load?

Serious question but assuming tent is 20kg, you're say 65 to 85kg, your bars are perhaps 10kg. You sleep on a mat, in a bag with your stuff to hand. So just how can that all sit on a roof rated at 75kg load? Sorry if I'm being a bit slow here but weight thing doesn't work as far as I can tell but roof tents are a useable thing. Mind you most are on landys that I've seen. I've seen some scary big roof tents,  solid cage racks and solid boxes on landys with a huge roof tent before now. Never worked out how that worked with roof weight limits.

'dynamic limit' means the limit while driving.

The static limit is a lot higher.

There are some nice calculations here https://outbackjoe.com/macho-divertissement/macho-articles/roof-loading-and-roof-top-tents/

Rough summary - your roof can support 10 x (manufacturer's dynamic limit).

[Polar Bear]

A question.  Peak force is not usually prolonged or constant but static generally is.  Given this, surely it is not possible to extrapolate that static load can be in the region of 10 times max dynamic load.  I would hope to see some more definitive information.

I understand that in New Zealand there is a camper van hire company which does Nissan eNV200 ev's with a top tent but also that the vans are modified for the extra load as used to be the habit for Land Rovers and similar vehicles where top tents were used. 

We almost did the New Zealand trip but covid got in the way.  😞

[drossall]

Daft question maybe, but why?

If there's any wind, then being higher off the ground has to be a disadvantage, surely?

[mrcharly-YHT]

A question.  Peak force is not usually prolonged or constant but static generally is.  Given this, surely it is not possible to extrapolate that static load can be in the region of 10 times max dynamic load.  I would hope to see some more definitive information.

I understand that in New Zealand there is a camper van hire company which does Nissan eNV200 ev's with a top tent but also that the vans are modified for the extra load as used to be the habit for Land Rovers and similar vehicles where top tents were used. 

We almost did the New Zealand trip but covid got in the way.  😞

Read the link in my previous post. The bloggers goes through the calculations.

TLDR: Dynamic (driving) loads have to account for hitting things like potholes and cornering. The acceleration imposed by a pothole (or road corrugation) is on the order of 10G. 

He also makes the very reasonable point that cars which have rolled over sometimes end up on the roof - and the roof will support the weight of the entire car.

What is the point of getting one rather than a tent?  There are local places we'd quite like to go to for a weekend where it is a tiring 1.5, 2hrs drive each way - and some near very good restaurants - where there no campsites. Perfectly possible to just park up for the evening though.

[Polar Bear]

I did read it which is why I am unconvinced.  Each vehicle is different but he is applying his theory to a generic model.  There are for instance cars which are not approved for roof racks.

The structure and rigidity of a modern car is designed around the need for structural integrity in accidents which will be massively different than putting 150kgs or so directly onto the roof.

It's your car though and I am a very cautious and risk averse type of bear so please feel free to ignore my concerns.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I did read it which is why I am unconvinced.  Each vehicle is different but he is applying his theory to a generic model.  There are for instance cars which are not approved for roof racks.

The structure and rigidity of a modern car is designed around the need for structural integrity in accidents which will be massively different than putting 150kgs or so directly onto the roof.

It's your car though and I am a very cautious and risk averse type of bear so please feel free to ignore my concerns.

His calculations use the manufacturer's figures for roofracks on the specific car.  So your point is void.

[Canardly]

For those with too much money  that are financially unembarrassed.
https://www.costco.co.uk/Sports-Spas-Leisure/Camping/Tents-Shelters/TentBox-Cargo-with-Tent-Roof-Bars-Black-Edition/p/393847

[nikki]

The earwigs are still going to find a way in though, aren't they.

[Kim]

Earwigs found their way into the BHPC timing tent at the weekend.  Made me nostalgic for Dunwich (but not enough to want to cycle there).

[drossall]

For those with too much money  that are financially unembarrassed.
https://www.costco.co.uk/Sports-Spas-Leisure/Camping/Tents-Shelters/TentBox-Cargo-with-Tent-Roof-Bars-Black-Edition/p/393847

Also useful if you're asked to provide the start facilities for time trials?