Hi all! I'm a staunch solo traveller who loves a good road trip. I usually stay in hostels or hotels, but private rooms can be expensive and I'm not a fan of having no privacy at all in dorm rooms.
I come from a camping family and spent many a childhood holiday in a tent, which I absolutely hated at the time. But I mostly hated it because I was with my family (I love them, but I'm antisocial, and 5 people in one tent for 2 weeks was hell). I also hated sleeping on the bumpy ground (maybe an equipment issue, I had a sleeping bag on a thin inflatable mat).
Now, with the rising cost of travelling hitting me hard, I'm looking at investing in a tent for myself so I can try camping solo. I'm looking at either a rooftop tent or a ground tent. Rooftop appeals to me because 1. Easy set up and take down, 2. Saves space in the car for luggage/accessories, 3. Off the ground, which just sounds nice to me and I can set up anywhere, gravel, tarmac etc.
However, a ground tent appeals to me as well primarily because they are cheaper, but also because I can leave the tent set up at the campsite and use the car in the daytime.
Does anyone have experience with both tent styles, or one or the other? I'd appreciate some opinions and advice 😄
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I'm totally new to this forum BTW, I've tried searching for answers but the forum isn't working very well on my phone. I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right way or right place, so please be kind to me! Only posting as my mom says she's had some lovely advice off people on here before.
i hope your aware that most car roofs can only hold 50kgs on them before they will damage the car, if you read your car manual it should tell you about this. as most roof top tents weigh that amount before you clamber into it, it will already be at your cars max tolerances add a 100kg bloke on his own and your now 3 times over that so dont be surprised if over time your back doors dont line up or shut properly
Thanks for the heads up! My car has a dynamic max roof load weight of 75kgs, which is more than enough for the couple of 50kg tents I'm researching. The static max load weight of my car has been queried with the manufacturer - I'm waiting for a reply from them, but the manufacturer's dealer shop I asked states its usually at least 5x higher than the dynamic load rating. So, my car should be good to have the tentbox in place when moving around, and both me and my tentbox in place while stationary. Ofc if the car manufacturer advises against a rooftop tent, I simply will not buy one. I'll wait and see what they say. Just looking for some feedback from people who have actually used them really, and whether they would/wouldn't recommend one.
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the 75kgs that you say your car is ok with, isnt referring to the load when your on the move only, it means in total at any point in time, so yeah great you can fix it up on the roof, you can look at it, you can sit under it, but the one thing you cant do is climb in it to sleep! because im guessing your about 100kgs mean that your car roof would have 150kgs on the top of it when it can only hold a max of 75kgs
Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 16/6/2023
the 75kgs that you say your car is ok with, isnt referring to the load when your on the move only, it means in total at any point in time, so yeah great you can fix it up on the roof, you can look at it, you can sit under it, but the one thing you cant do is climb in it to sleep! because im guessing your about 100kgs mean that your car roof would have 150kgs on the top of it when it can only hold a max of 75kgs
It doesn't. Dynamic roof load means with the car moving. That's what dynamic means.
Why not start as a lot of us do, with a modestly priced ground tent, pop up ones are easy. Basic but comfortable sleeping kit. Everything else will be the same anyway.
Give it a go, then if you think you could improve, ask on here again, maybe sell the tent and get a better set up, or keep it as a spare, like the rest of us do......
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Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 16/6/2023
i hope your aware that most car roofs can only hold 50kgs on them before they will damage the car, if you read your car manual it should tell you about this. as most roof top tents weigh that amount before you clamber into it, it will already be at your cars max tolerances add a 100kg bloke on his own and your now 3 times over that so dont be surprised if over time your back doors dont line up or shut properly
I think that only relates to when the vehicle is travelling. There was a recent thread about this (but I can't find it now).
Quote: Originally posted by InTheWakeOfStardust on 16/6/2023
Hi all! I'm a staunch solo traveller who loves a good road trip. I usually stay in hostels or hotels, but private rooms can be expensive and I'm not a fan of having no privacy at all in dorm rooms.
I come from a camping family and spent many a childhood holiday in a tent, which I absolutely hated at the time. But I mostly hated it because I was with my family (I love them, but I'm antisocial, and 5 people in one tent for 2 weeks was hell). I also hated sleeping on the bumpy ground (maybe an equipment issue, I had a sleeping bag on a thin inflatable mat).
Now, with the rising cost of travelling hitting me hard, I'm looking at investing in a tent for myself so I can try camping solo. I'm looking at either a rooftop tent or a ground tent. Rooftop appeals to me because 1. Easy set up and take down, 2. Saves space in the car for luggage/accessories, 3. Off the ground, which just sounds nice to me and I can set up anywhere, gravel, tarmac etc.
However, a ground tent appeals to me as well primarily because they are cheaper, but also because I can leave the tent set up at the campsite and use the car in the daytime.
Does anyone have experience with both tent styles, or one or the other? I'd appreciate some opinions and advice 😄
If you go for a standard tent, I'd advise getting a good one that's not too huge and is easy to pitch (if funds will stretch, something such as the Cabanon Guadeloupe; a smaller Karsten pod or a small Karsten tunnel). Same with the bed; get something like the Exped Megamat 10XLW or Megamat Max (15cm deep) and you will never be uncomfortable at night. They're pricey but a good investment as will last for years if looked after (also have good resale value if you don't like the camping experience - though with this kit, you probably will!).
Where are you planning on camping? You don't see many rooftop tents on UK OR French sites (though have seen a couple and checked out Howling Moon back in the day. The thought of climbing down the ladder for nighttime runs to the sanitary block put us off, as well as the price.
P.S. How long are your camping trips likely to be? If only overnights and if you simply need a bedroom (no living space or necessity for standing height) then the most simple way to start is with one of these. They are super-fast and easy to pitch, lots of space for a solo camper plus equipment, and comfortable. We used one when doing overnights in France, before we got our easy-pitch trailer tent.
I'd still get a good self inflating mat (SIM) though, and we always use a standard duvet and pillows (hate sleeping bags). Take a fleece blanket for an extra layer for if it gets cold.
I'd say a tent is more versatile than a roof tent, unless you're planning on going off-grid camping out in the middle of nowhere, in which case a roof tent might prove more appropriate.
I'm very tempted to do this - I have a small pop up already which I used as a teenager for more privacy away from the main family tent and I can't stand the thing. But it's old and was very cheap at the time, maybe I can find a better one that's still cheap now.
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Quote: Originally posted by lidds0 on 16/6/2023
P.S. How long are your camping trips likely to be? If only overnights and if you simply need a bedroom (no living space or necessity for standing height) then the most simple way to start is with one of these. They are super-fast and easy to pitch, lots of space for a solo camper plus equipment, and comfortable. We used one when doing overnights in France, before we got our easy-pitch trailer tent.
I'd still get a good self inflating mat (SIM) though, and we always use a standard duvet and pillows (hate sleeping bags). Take a fleece blanket for an extra layer for if it gets cold.
I'd say a tent is more versatile than a roof tent, unless you're planning on going off-grid camping out in the middle of nowhere, in which case a roof tent might prove more appropriate.
Thank you for all the advice! You've certainly given me some things to consider. I'm definitely all about ease of setting up, the last thing I need is to be faffing around in the rain for an hour trying to set up/pack away by myself. I'll check out all the gear you've mentioned for sure.
My trips are likely to be anything from 1-2 night breaks to 2-3 weeks at a time, either on one campsite or multiple. So a bit of a mixture really. I'd love to get out more frequently than I currently do, particularly as I'm an avid astronomer and I'd like to escape the city lights as often as I possibly can. Because of the astronomy interest, I'd ultimately like a four season set up since some of the best and longest nights are during winter. But that makes everything more expensive so for now I'd just be looking for something relatively cheap to see how I like it.
I believe you are onto something with the beds. One of the things I use to hate was sleeping on a thin old mat in a nasty old sleeping bag. I'd love to bring a decent duvet and pillow with me, and sleep on something comfortable.
Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 16/6/2023
the 75kgs that you say your car is ok with, isnt referring to the load when your on the move only, it means in total at any point in time, so yeah great you can fix it up on the roof, you can look at it, you can sit under it, but the one thing you cant do is climb in it to sleep! because im guessing your about 100kgs mean that your car roof would have 150kgs on the top of it when it can only hold a max of 75kgs
I've checked directly with the manufacturer, that max weight (its actually 80kg for my car) is specifically the dynamic max roof load weight. The static roof load weight is more than capable of taking me (not quite 100kg, though close), another grown adult, and a heavier tent box than the ones I'm currently looking at.
That being said, I'm likely going to at least try a regular tent first, primarily because of how expensive rooftop tents are compared to your average basic ground tent.
The pop-up I've linked to is a good size and has a small porch area for shoes etc. Not all pop-ups are equal; some are single-skin, some poorly ventilated. Don't risk ruining your first camping trip by using poor equipment or it will just reinforce your negative perception of camping.
Roof tents are advertised for sleeping 3 (interesting concept). Have only ever seen 1, a young couple at Cwm Bychan. Good luck in what you choose, like others, I think a conventional tent would be better.
Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 16/6/2023
the 75kgs that you say your car is ok with, isnt referring to the load when your on the move only, it means in total at any point in time, so yeah great you can fix it up on the roof, you can look at it, you can sit under it, but the one thing you cant do is climb in it to sleep! because im guessing your about 100kgs mean that your car roof would have 150kgs on the top of it when it can only hold a max of 75kgs
No - the 75kg roof load is load when moving. The load when stationary is much higher, to account for the dynamic forces on the 75kg when moving.
Tent box have a whole article dedicated to this question.
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Topic: Rooftop tent or ground tent?
via mobile 16/6/2023 at 11:33am
