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Thread: How to improve your (cheap) Rooftop Tent

  1. #11
    I am he, fear me the evil twin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DX grunt View Post
    Hi all.

    I've seen a few roof top tents come onto the market lately and just want your opinion/advice.

    As some of you know, I've got an ex Telstra 4.2 TDi, 2005 ute with a pod on the back.

    On the roof of my pod, I have a plethora of aerials and 2 x 120w solar panels - all of which nearly occupy the whole roof space.

    I was thinking about putting a roof top tent on the roof, on sliders, so that when I pull up in a parking bay (lol), I can just slide it out to the back of the pod to still allow my solar panels to charge.

    Will the centre of gravity be too high whilst travelling? Constructive comments/other ideas would be appreciated.

    Rossco
    Moving from the basement to the Penthouse suite eh...

    You will pay a fortune for sliders that have sufficient reach and weight rating mate.
    Keep in mind that the way they rate a lot of slide racks is tricky and they will not hold the rated weight at full extension.

    If it was me I would be more tempted to pod mount the tent and put the panels sideways on a slider with maybe 1 over the other and the top one slides forward over the cab or whatever.
    Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.

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  3. #12
    Patrol God threedogs's Avatar
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    out of interest do you have scrub bars protecting the front guards ??
    04 ST 3lt auto, not enough Mods to keep me happy, but getting there

  4. #13
    Travelling Podologist Cuppa's Avatar
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    Wanting your cake & eating it eh?

    Creative thinking but regardless of which slides - tent or panels - (& I agree it would be much easier to slide the panels) the height of the erected rooftop tent may place panels in shade. Depending upon the design of the RTT it may not be practical to move the vehicle to keep the panels in the sun without first taking the tent down. This could become pretty tiresome when done several times a day. However if all the panels were slid out on the same side it should be easy enough to park facing the right direction to allow the sun to track across the panels east to west. However sliding them out to the side is likely to make opening the pod doors an issue, so sliding out to either the front or rear would be better. To be honest I reckon a single panel mounted on top of the cap + portables would be way easier to set up. If I remember correctly you have two 125w panels? if so one will fit on top of the cab, & moving a single portable 3 or 4 times a day isn’t that much drama. Storage wise it might make sense to get a folding one & find another use for the redundant 125 watter.

    Keeping centre of gravity as low as possible is also important. A rooftop tent, + solar panels + slides will amount to quite a bit of weight up high.


    Another factor to be aware of is that the top of an ex telstra pod is higher than most if not all 4wd’s. Adding a tent makes it higher still of course, but this is only an issue if likely to be driving anywhere with low hanging branches, or if the rooftop tent has an annexe incorporated in it’s design. I had to get some additional length added to my Shippshape RTT in order for the annexe to reach the ground. Many RTT’s are also taller than the Shippshape when packed up, although they may have a smaller footprint.

    Another left of centre thought ............ if you mounted a panel on top of the cab (using roof bars) you could hinge a second panel to it & unfold it when at camp. A pair of legs which sat on the bonnet could hold the folded out panel at an optimum angle, & also act as a sunshade for the cab. If you wanted to charge batteries whilst driving this could be done from the alternator, switching to solar when stopped. With a RTT still weight up top, but centre of gravity would be a bit lower than if the panels were on top of the pod.

    If our setup were intended for weekend & holiday use the RTT would certainly be the go, but for extended touring I feel it has limitations I’m not prepared to put up with long term so our intention is now to go the opposite direction you are considering - removing the tent & permanently mounting our portable solar in it’s place. The price we pay is to tow our sleeping quarters.

    Ps. If you do decide to buy a RTT, take your time & have a very careful look at all the various designs, as well as the quality. Some are far easier to live with than others.
    Last edited by Cuppa; 5th March 2015 at 07:07 PM. Reason: Added PS.

    2006 4.2TDi ex-Telstra Remote area Camper.
    Patrol Sold after 11 years of ownership Replaced with 2006 OKA NT Expedition Truck. Cummins, Allison & lots of goodies
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    DX grunt (5th March 2015)

  6. #14
    Bitumen Burner DX grunt's Avatar
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    Thanks everybody. Definitely food for thought.

    Low branches aren't an issue, Cuppa. I stick to the bitumen. lol.

    One thing I do remember is that on our first camping trip, I was sleeping in the pod and had to get up in the middle of the night, but forgot where I was.
    and rolled out of the pod and ended up on all fours on the sand, then woke up. lol
    Winner of 'Best 4 x 4 ' at the 2017 Albany Agricultural Society Inc - Town n Country Ute Muster.

    Ex Telstra - 2005, 4.2 TDi ute -with pod and more fruit than a grocery shop.

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  8. #15
    Dribble Master Clunk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DX grunt View Post
    Thanks everybody. Definitely food for thought.

    Low branches aren't an issue, Cuppa. I stick to the bitumen. lol.

    One thing I do remember is that on our first camping trip, I was sleeping in the pod and had to get up in the middle of the night, but forgot where I was.
    and rolled out of the pod and ended up on all fours on the sand, then woke up. lol
    So does that mean you're planning on doing away with your fancy setup that you had made?


  9. #16
    Travelling Podologist Cuppa's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clunk View Post
    So does that mean you're planning on doing away with your fancy setup that you had made?
    Quote Originally Posted by Cuppa View Post

    If our setup were intended for weekend & holiday use the RTT would certainly be the go, but for extended touring I feel it has limitations I’m not prepared to put up with long term so our intention is now to go the opposite direction you are considering - removing the tent & permanently mounting our portable solar in it’s place. The price we pay is to tow our sleeping quarters.
    I hope that answers your question, & to clarify I didn’t have my setup made. I made it myself. Do you intend to continue make digs & to make a hippo of yourself?

    2006 4.2TDi ex-Telstra Remote area Camper.
    Patrol Sold after 11 years of ownership Replaced with 2006 OKA NT Expedition Truck. Cummins, Allison & lots of goodies
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  10. #17
    Bitumen Burner DX grunt's Avatar
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    All good. It was an 'off the cuff' thought, but I was looking for options.

    My goal is to try and not buy a camper/caravan - at this stage. I'm still fit and healthy. lol

    Edit: My set up on the roof is pretty well set in concrete. I had the solar panels joined together, then securely mounted on a bracket. It aint going no where.
    Last edited by DX grunt; 5th March 2015 at 09:11 PM.
    Winner of 'Best 4 x 4 ' at the 2017 Albany Agricultural Society Inc - Town n Country Ute Muster.

    Ex Telstra - 2005, 4.2 TDi ute -with pod and more fruit than a grocery shop.

  11. #18
    Dribble Master Clunk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cuppa View Post
    I hope that answers your question, & to clarify I didn’t have my setup made. I made it myself. Do you intend to continue make digs & to make a hippo of yourself?
    Cuppa me old china, wind your neck in mate. Clearly you missed who's post I quoted. New glasses maybe???

    and as far as making a hippo of myself, I think you're doing that quite nicely yourself and out of respect to you and the forum I shall say no more.


  12. #19
    Travelling Podologist Cuppa's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clunk View Post
    Cuppa me old china, wind your neck in mate. Clearly you missed who's post I quoted. New glasses maybe???

    and as far as making a hippo of myself, I think you're doing that quite nicely yourself and out of respect to you and the forum I shall say no more.

    Apologies Clunk, I was feeling a little ‘got at’ from the cooker thread. I have my glasses on now & can see that you were not making a dig at me as I had wrongly thought.

    Cuppa

    2006 4.2TDi ex-Telstra Remote area Camper.
    Patrol Sold after 11 years of ownership Replaced with 2006 OKA NT Expedition Truck. Cummins, Allison & lots of goodies
    A Nomadic Life (Blog)

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