Roof Tent - Roof Bars

[KitCat]

Hi all,

We bought our T6 LWB Highline back in December (Starlight Blue) with nothing done to it. We’re now, having spent the last 3 months discussing what layout/needs we want from the van, have decided that a roof tent is the way to go for us. We spent a couple of weeks last summer trialling one and have now decided on which one we want. However, we’re struggling to find roof bars that will hold the weight of the roof tent with us in it.
Does anyone have any recommendations on roof tents (just in case there are any out there that we haven’t researched) and roof bars to hold a couple of hundred kilos? Thanks

 

[kiter]

Which roof tent are you going for? We had a Hannibal tent for the roof of the defender and we had some good trips in it, 4 weeks in Iceland and then last summer touring in the pyrenees. After we sold the defender there was lots of discussion about whether to keep the tent and use it on the T6 - came up against similar concerns as you, the Hannibal tent was heavy and quite frankly a pain in the a** to take on and off the vehicle so it stayed up on the roof for the entire summer - defo had an adverse effect on fuel economy. In the end we decided to sell it and get a driveaway awning for the T6 - main reasons were storage of the tent when not using it, surprising how much space they take up, hassle with getting on and off the roof, they are easy to erect but certainly our canvas one was hard going to pack away on your own, especially if you leave the bedding in it and once it is up the vehicle is stuck where it is. I think if I was going to g down the roof tent route again it would be a hard shell and I'd rig up a winch in the garage for lifting it on and off the vehicle.

Have to say the Hannibal tent was excellent, Iceland gave us a real mixture of weather and it coped without any issues.

 

[Davenjo]

I think you will struggle to find any roof bars rated to cope with the weight of the tent plus a couple of adults. However, I think the load rating is more to do with the safe loading when underway when the forces come from different directions, thus, bars that are rated for 70kg or 100kg, should suffice for when you are parked up and using the tent. I'd start by talking to the suppliers and ask for their recommendations.

 

[KitCat]

We’re thinking of going for a Tuff Trek 1.8m with awning extension. Similar to what we used last summer. We are a family of 5 so need as much bedroom space as we can get!

We, actually I, am put off by a pop top, as once you’ve done it, you can’t go back. And for me I’m worried about leakage, costs etc. At least having a roof tent gives us options for the future when the 3 kids are grown up / not wanting to come with us anymore.

 

[stuart-t6]

For the roof bars I would look at KRS they are sold by only one dealer I think and they come from Australia.
I have had these on various vans and they are by far the best looking and strongest roof bars I have seen. They are used on BT vans.
They have a channel on the top which will take a unistrut channel nut so you can fix what ever you like, and a rubber strip also fits in this channel.
I had 4 of these bars on my LWB T6 before I fitted a pop top.

 

[kiter]

We’re thinking of going for a Tuff Trek 1.8m with awning extension. Similar to what we used last summer. We are a family of 5 so need as much bedroom space as we can get!

We, actually I, am put off by a pop top, as once you’ve done it, you can’t go back. And for me I’m worried about leakage, costs etc. At least having a roof tent gives us options for the future when the 3 kids are grown up / not wanting to come with us anymore.

awning extension defo worth it, especially if the weather not great. I wasn't meaning a pop top but a hard shell roof tent, they are a bit dearer but seem to hold their value better than canvas ones and easier to put up.

 

[KitCat]

We’ve had a look at the hard shell ones but am not sure it’ll be big enough. My husband is 6’4”, so we need space!

 

[Jimmi]

Have you looked at Front Runner roof racks?

 

[KitCat]

I haven’t, but i’ll check it out, thanks

 

[Jimmi]

I’d be interested to know how you get on, I’m looking at the roof tent option myself. But a modest roof tent is around £1000, for that much money I can get a really nice air beam.

 

[KitCat]

I know, since I posted, we’ve been toying with the idea of a driveaway awning instead! We need start making a decision but don’t want to spend the best part of £2k on the wrong one!

 

[Jimmi]

I just have a regular Kombi so I don’t really see the benefit of attaching it to the tent,

 

[KitCat]

Again, another thing to consider for us.....we have a tent, as a family of 5 we need all the sleeping space we can get! We have a few days away in June in which we’ll trial the tent and see how we get on. I do like the idea of having an awning attached to the van though.

 

[Lukavell]

Old thread I know but how did you get on @KitCat ? We're a family of five and I'm looking into roof top tents but as you say they ain't cheap! A friend has the 2.2m tuff trek and loves it. I'd really like a hard shell but they are mega bucks for a family sized one. Still, cheaper than a conversion and I like the Caravelle interior as is.

 

[KitCat]

We ended up going for normal roof bars (the weight limit on them is only a concern when driving not static) and bought a Howling Moon 1.4m Tourer roof tent. It’s great quality, exactly what we were after but it was around £1600 all in as you need the ladder extension as well. Bought it from Flatdog.co.uk who were brilliant, I’d contact them first as they were waiting on a new shipment from Oz.

Whatever you go for, DON’T buy a Ventura, it was cheap plastic, not rip stop material and would have been a sweat box (we made that mistake first - thought we were saving ourselves some money - sent it straight back for a refund)

We’ve just come back from 2 weeks touring France and it worked a treat, 10 minutes set up time.
The kids slept in the roof tent, we were in the van. (Although we did give it a go for a couple of nights, it’s comfy and nice and dark)
We would buy a roof tent again in a heartbeat over anything else. It gives us the flexibility that we need for us as a family.
We got a huge amount of interest in it once it was set up from a lot of other families camping from various nationalities, a few even asked to see inside and were impressed!

Hope that helps.

 

[Lukavell]

Thanks for getting back to me.

I was reading about dynamic loads the other day and suspected that normal roof rails and bars would work but it's nice to have it confirmed. I've been looking at the front runner roof rack and a expedition roof rack from direct4x4 in Derby but they are expensive compared to the regular set up which you have. Plus, whatever I buy I need shipping to Italy which is becoming an expensive hurdle at the moment. I looked for suppliers of the stuff in Italy but so far have come up stumped, even from manufacturers who claim to be Italian!

I was drawn to the Ventura tent, mainly due to the price but was put off by the awning part not being water proof and some terrible reviews of the companies customer service. Three reason now - one of the best bits for me about roof top tents is the heavy weight canvas material that they are made from so I'd have been sending it back too.

My plan is very similar to what you guys do. Two in the van and three up top.

I went this way after looking at awnings, which generally are, in my opinion, overpriced tents with a hole in the side! Also, I love my Caravelle interior layout as is. We don't need a cooker inside and I wouldn't entertain a pop top roof even if I had a van as once you cut up the roof you can't turn back. Storage wise we use plastic boxes. I may look for a more permanent drawer type solution in the future. The roof top tent research has opened up a whole world of overlander alternatives to camping problems.

I'm looking at the Howling Moon RTTs right now. Cheers for all the info!

 

[KitCat]

We’re exactly the same, we cook outside and have everything in big plastic storage boxes that stack. It works really well for us.

I also didn’t want a pop top, like you say, you can’t put it back once it’s done!

We enjoy going off the beaten track and moving around every couple of days, RTT’s are the way to go.

Good luck!