James Baroud roof top tents

[rafa]

Hi all.

I'm thinking of buying one of these to put on top of the pod.

http://www.jamesbaroud.com.au/products/grand-raid-evolution.html

Anyone using one?

Also thought I'd grab one of these for the hot nights.

http://www.transcool.info

Hope your all well.

Marty.
Darwin.

[Stropp]

The roof tent is good, not so sure on the trans cool tho especially in the wet it will not work but in the dry it MAY help a bit but I wouldn't have faith in it although I am happy to be corrected if you get one.

[threedogs]

Couldn't see the pic but if its anything like the Magliolinni hard top tent then yes they are great.
price wise good value too, not sure how much they weigh though.
As for the Transcool make sure it'll work in humid conditions

[BigRAWesty]

The roof tent is good, not so sure on the trans cool tho especially in the wet it will not work but in the dry it MAY help a bit but I wouldn't have faith in it although I am happy to be corrected if you get one.

X2. Tent looks tops. But yea I don't think the cooler will do much up in your humid climate..

[happygu]

Rafa,

The only thing that put me off this style rooftop tent was the fact of their is no discussion of where the ladder can be stored ..... not by any of them, and I didn't want mine hanging around inside the car.

I looked at them when I bought my rooftop tent, and was also put off by the pricing - so didn't pursue it any further.


If it goes inside the tent, well that is all good except for when it gets dirty.

My suspicious mind says that....No information gets me worried, and usually means there is something to hide.

Could be all good though, and there are quite a few out there so they must be OK.

Mic

[Stropp]

hannibal also do a full length hardlid tent too, there is one advertised in perth on gumtree for 1600 looks very very good and slimline too which is a bonus.

[Clunk]

Rafa,

The only thing that put me off this style rooftop tent was the fact of their is no discussion of where the ladder can be stored ..... not by any of them, and I didn't want mine hanging around inside the car.

I looked at them when I bought my rooftop tent, and was also put off by the pricing - so didn't pursue it any further.


If it goes inside the tent, well that is all good except for when it gets dirty.

My suspicious mind says that....No information gets me worried, and usually means there is something to hide.

Could be all good though, and there are quite a few out there so they must be OK.

Mic

I would say the ladder gets stored in a bag and kept inside the tent.......... Like this one (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/perth-cbd/camping-hiking/3-person-hardtop-roof-top-trailer-tent-rooftop-camping-4wd-perth/1031364825)

[Cuppa]

Being the owner of a rooftop tent I’ll make some comments.

Firstly although this style of rooftop tent has some pitfalls, if buying one now I would consider it.
The pitfall in the design is that in wet weather there is no covering over the entry. Getting in & out in driving rain would be like living in a swag in similar conditions.

Our rooftop tent ( Shippshape) has two features which sold me on it. The entrance is well protected, in fact it can be left open in even the worst rain. Excellent for giving good airflow.
It also, unlike many, does not rely on the ladder to support it when erected. So no need to have the ladder in the middle of your ‘downstairs’ living space (which is under cover & enclose able).
As far as rooftop tents go, I reckon it’s one of the best designs. However where the design you are looking at shines brighter is in putting it up & down - it wil be quicker & easier, not by heaps, but when doing it on a regular basis less is more. The other aspect is it’s solid roof. In the wet, although the walls would still be wet, packing up would have to be less drama.

All that said, I am currently re-thinking whether I really want a rooftop tent. Unike some folk I don’t mind the climbing up & down, (flat steps are way more comfy on bare feet copared to rungs) & I enjoy the extra ‘airiness’ that you don’t get in in a ground based tent. The two things however, which I can envisage becoming a real pain when living in the vehicle for extended periods is 1) the whole packing up wet scenario but more 2) when we have camped in places where there are other folk around & it is not appropriate to climb down the ladder starkers to get dressed outside, I find it bloody hard going having to get dressed sitting down with no ‘wall’ I can lean against to assist the process. Might not sound like much, but believe me, it would drive me nuts. Starting the day grumpy is not what I want.

What I am now considering is to remove the rooftopper & to permanently mount the solar panels I currently have ‘loose’ in it’s place. Instead of ‘up top’ I am thinking of building a small ‘towable bedroom’ - essentially a bed sized off road teardrop, as light as possible, but with solid walls & roof & sitting up room. ONLY the bed, no need for anything else because it’s already all there in the pod. Oh,& a door on each side so I don’t have to climb over the top of MrsTea when getting up for a middle of the night leak. Although there is the downside of having to tow, it would give us the flexibility of far less packing when just heading out from ‘base’ for the day, or heading to town to get supplies. Because we would also still carry our ground based ‘Oztent’ we could leave the towable bedroom behind & ‘rough it’ when particular routes make towing less desirable or impractical. Removal of the solar panels from inside the pod would free up space to carry a couple of foam mattresses for those occasions.

Still all just in the consideration stage, because as yet we haven’t used the rooftopper where we have needed to put it up & down on a daily basis, nor in really foul weather. If I do decide to build a ‘teardrop’ it’ll have to wait until we’ve sold here & moved, so I wont be rushing into it.

I expect Macca might also comment as he has a tent of the same design as you are considering.

Cuppa

[threedogs]

Give me a yell if/when you decide to make the Teardrop bedroom. I'll give you a hand.


Having been camping since Cockie was an egg two things I don't like these days ,one is getting dressed laying down,
And climbing down stairs to have a leak , But I would make a phissaphone from funnel and hose.
IMO best tent ever made is the 4 pegs 1pole Pyrimad tent, Up in 30 secs sleeps two with a bit of storage great ventilation and well priced
Its only to sleep in so don't expect the Hilton ,but you'll be dry warm and that's the main thing isn't it

[rafa]

Just an update.

The trans cool was no good with the humidity up here. I ended up fitting an aircommand sparrow reverse cycle air con. Which is fantastic.

40916

40917

[sooty_10]

Would be tops to have an aircon whilst out and about up the top end. My only query is what are the power consumption requirements for it? I imagine it would be quite hefty?

[rafa]

Would be tops to have an aircon whilst out and about up the top end. My only query is what are the power consumption requirements for it? I imagine it would be quite hefty?

Actually pretty good, that's why I got the sparrow. Gives the honda 20 a wake up on start up then on Eco throttle goes back to half revs. Such a small space to cool the aircon is hardly working

[liftlid]

How do the roof toppers go with dampness especially in wet weather, we have had to pack up wet many times, and the tent is always damp when you set up that night, to the extent that we wipe the walls with a towel and wait 30 mins before putting in bedding for it to dry?

[rafa]

How do the roof toppers go with dampness especially in wet weather, we have had to pack up wet many times, and the tent is always damp when you set up that night, to the extent that we wipe the walls with a towel and wait 30 mins before putting in bedding for it to dry?

This one has a solar exhaust fan that works well. I packed up in rain plus condensation from aircon. All dry inside at night. Damp out. But no rain can get in. It's awesome.

[rafa]

Have an ensuite this week

41855