A Roof-Top Tent Changes The Way We Camp
Camping has been fairly revolutionized this past year with the increase of people seeking to commune with nature once again while socially-distancing themselves at the same time. It's a travel trend that's not expected to change anytime soon and will likely only continue to grow, as people seek ways to reunite with the Great Outdoors and appreciate what's (literally) in their own backyard, away from large crowds and busy city life. Camping may have taken the camping world by storm several years ago. But sometimes it isn't the most pleasant to sleep with through the night. Ground tents are great for a lot of things, but they aren't super well known for being comfortable or overly convenient. Therefore, roof-top tents are here to move into first place in terms of the most convenient ways to bond with nature.
What is the point of a roof top tent? There are some advantages, as follow:
- Sleeping off ground level
Since you will be on top of your vehicle, most rooftop tents are accessed via a telescoping ladder. This means that if it rains, you will not be sleeping in a puddle or in a mud pit. It’s also easier to catch a breeze when you are off the ground, so your tent will be better ventilated and stay cooler in the summertime. Plus, you’ll have a better vantage point being up off the ground, because it’s almost like being in a treehouse!
Being off the ground also helps keep dirt and detritus out of your tent. For instance, if you are camping on sand or dusty ground, you can climb up on the ladder, brush off your shoes, and then get into the tent without tracking anything inside.
- It’s more secure
This is an added benefit of being off the ground, but it deserves its own point. Animals are less likely to get into your tent if it’s off the ground, and especially if you remove the ladder while you aren’t in the tent, so squirrels and such can’t climb up. It will be much harder for creepy crawlies like spiders, scorpions, or snakes to get into your tent as well.
- Comfortable sleeping platform
If you have the swankiest ground tent and air mattress ever made, maybe this isn’t true, but in general, rooftop tents come with high-density memory foam mattresses which are vastly more comfortable than air mattresses. Especially if your spouse or significant other is camping with you - nearly being launched off the air mattress every time the other person moves at all gets old fast.
- Durability
If you’ve ever spent the night in a ground tent during a wind/rain/hail/snowstorm, you know that you are likely to be kept awake all night by flapping of the tent material, probably find yourself in a pool of cold water in the morning, and possibly even find your tent damaged beyond repair.
It’s particularly terrifying if you do somehow manage to fall asleep, and then are awoken to the battered side of the tent being blown so flat to the ground that it is essentially smothering you. Or, even worse, your tent gets ripped clear of its stakes and you are hamster-balled around the campground.
Fortunately, none of these issues are a concern in a rooftop tent. Many of them have a solid fiberglass panel that either pops straight up or at an angle, which protects you from most of the elements. And the canvas is much more durable and many of them have systems that allow you to crank the canvas extra tight if it’s windy.
- Convenient and quick to set up
Most rooftop tents are very quick to set up: you simply park your vehicle in a relatively flat spot, undo the locks or latches, and your tent will spring up on its own or you can quickly fold it open. Some tents have annexes that require a few more minutes to set up, but in general, rooftop tents are faster and easier to set up than ground tents since there are no poles to put together or stakes to drive into the ground.
Additionally, most rooftop tents allow you to leave your bedding in place even when the tent is packed down so everything is ready to go as soon as you open the tent. In a ground tent, that’s not possible and you would have to inflate an air mattress or sleeping pad and then lay out your sleeping bag.
- Save space inside your vehicle
You can keep all your expensive gear locked away in your vehicle even while you are sleeping, since you don’t need to use the truck bed space for sleeping. This way you don’t have to rearrange your entire vehicle every time you want to go to sleep.
Additionally, you don’t have to keep a tent, sleeping bags, and air mattresses stored in your vehicle, since everything you need to sleep on is already ready to go up top in your rooftop tent. This frees up room in your vehicle for other supplies and toys.
- Easy year-round use
Since rooftop tents are made with heavier duty materials that insulate much better against the elements than a ground tent, you can use an rooftop tent in nearly every kind of weather conditions. This means that if you are an avid camper or traveler, your rooftop tent will allow you to camp throughout the year and in all seasons and locations.
As long as your vehicle can safely get you to where you want to camp, your rooftop tent will keep you cozy and safe from the elements. Some rooftop tents even come with optional four-seasons gear like extra insulation, weather hoods, and so forth.
If you are keen on camping, you can check the rooftop tents on our website, Crawlertec.
