Simpson III Rooftop Tent ARB

[tbblitz]

Hello everyone, i recently got a arb canopy and roof racks to support a arb roof top tent.

I went to a 4wd show on the weekend and checked them out and i wasnt 100% on them. Well just not sure about it.. Id hate to spend 1700 bucks and wasnt happy. The matris wasnt 100% cumfy like some other tents we tried out. I guess you could replace it with a more cumfy one if needed?

I love how you can setup the tent so fast but i do have one question.

Since i have a low garage door im going to have to mount the roof top tent on my car everytime i go away.

Is this a long process and is it going to be a real pain to do?

I was told you need 2 people to lift it up onto the roof then you got 4 or so brackets you need to screw in.

The main reason i want one is when we go camping it doesnt take 40min setupping up a big tent , then the bedding then what ever else.

If anyone has any advice or experiance with this can you please let me know. thanks

 

[WoodyD40]

We have a roof top tent and use is and/or our camper trailer whenever we go away.

The roof top is a two person easy lift up onto the Navara.

there are 4 brackets that have 2 nylock nuts each - they can become painful to do up, so i finally got a ratchet set of spanners, and geez that makes the job so much easier and quick.

The tent setup is so easy. The matress aint the best, so we replace the low density 50mm with a high density 50mm cut to shape the original cover. That makes it slightly more bearable. But it certainly makes you appreciate your own bed when you get home.

I'm glad we bought it last xmas, and this year we will be using the roof top tent for a 2 week trip from melbourne to alice springs and back again.

any more questions ... just ask away.

 

[FatBoy89]

We have a roof top tent and use is and/or our camper trailer whenever we go away.

The roof top is a two person easy lift up onto the Navara.

there are 4 brackets that have 2 nylock nuts each - they can become painful to do up, so i finally got a ratchet set of spanners, and geez that makes the job so much easier and quick.

The tent setup is so easy. The matress aint the best, so we replace the low density 50mm with a high density 50mm cut to shape the original cover. That makes it slightly more bearable. But it certainly makes you appreciate your own bed when you get home.

I'm glad we bought it last xmas, and this year we will be using the roof top tent for a 2 week trip from melbourne to alice springs and back again.

any more questions ... just ask away.

What rooftop are you using? Did it mount to your standard roof racks easily?
Last one. How strong the the standard racks feel under it. I have rola racks

 

[tbblitz]

Yeah i got the ARB canopy and the rhino racks i think, but inside the canopy its got these roll cage type bars that the roof racks hold / screw into and there very strong.

If i try and move the roof racks the whole car moves. Its solid as.

So from the point of having the tent on the floor in the shed to being able to drive off down the road with it mounted, is it about a 15min - 20min process? By the time you lift it up and then tighten the brackets?

Ive attached a photo from the weekend and you can kinda see the roof racks.

Ill take another photo tonight of inside to show you the internal bars if you want.

 

[WoodyD40]

Guys

I have the Flexiglass canopy and racks. It also has the inside support structure so the weight of whatever you put on the racks is transferred down to the top of the tub.

It is a comfortable 2 person lift to put the roof top tent on the racks. Then you need to slide the brackets along the channels under the roof top to align with the racks. I have run TWO longtitudinal rails down the length of the canopy, so that i can mount spot lights in front of the roof top tent, and also work lights at the rear of the tent for at night. There is no need for the longtitudinal rails that I have, unless your dead set keen on lighting up areas like I am. (as seen in my avatar piccy).

It takes about 5 minutes per corner to do up both nylok nuts - so a comfortable 20 minute job once you know what your doing. I'm sure the first time you try to set it up it will take much longer as you play around and adjust things to suit your liking.

I generally ask mate to come around and help me with the lift on or off - I dont bother asking the boss lady to help though.

I believe the ARB canopy and Rhino racks will be more than suitable to handle the task of a roof top tent.

I have a roof top tent sourced through Tigerz11 - It IS identical to the Ironman roof top, but a bit cheaper and I dont have the pretty Ironman logo on the side of the tent.

There are TWO main types of tents available. one does not have the extra fly to cover the ladder access, and the one I have - does have the fly going over the ladder access. Try climing down at night when its raining and you feel the urgent need to water the closest tree ... go for a tent with the 'extra' covering (ie do your homework properly b4 you buy). you can buy the downstairs 'room' to go with the tent too. This is good if your going to stay 2 nights in the same spot, OR you need somewhere to hide the portapotti and dont want to set up a seperate toilet tent.

You can set up the tent to extend over the REAR of the vehicle (like i do), that way i have a cover over me as i access the rear of the canopy. Or you can set it up so it extends sideways from the vehicle (you will see that kind of setup on ScottyBobcat's photo's at the muster). Its all personal choice - it just depends on how you bolt the rails to the underside of the roof top tent (geometrically goes either way) before you bolt the roof top to your roof racks.

After doing a couple of trips with the roof top, I found that the retaining screws for the internal poles down to the hinge brackets worked their way loose. It pays to check out how tight those screws are before you use it. Best to do so when folded up (without being straped down tight). This is done from the OUTSIDE very easily.

 

[FatBoy89]

Do you find the rooftop to be a hassle when you want to camp and do a bit of wheelin'?
Maybe I should save the extra and buy a trailer?

 

[WoodyD40]

yess FatBoy, you could find that cumbersome... but its a compromise isn't it. A bit over a grand for a rooftop, or many thousands for a camper trailer.

A rooftop weighs a lot less than a camper trailer, and if your going off-road to get to a destination - its a lot easier to do so with a roof top than dragging a trailer.

But, If you have a trailer, you can take a lot more stuff with you - and is certainly a lot better if you have a family of 4 or more. (do i dare say the the MRS will love having a pull out kitchen available ... - oops i better NOT say that)

You can always start with a roof top (look for one 2nd hand on ebay if you like) try it out for a year or two. then you can sell it when you decide to upgrade to a camper trailer - and if you'd bought 2nd hand, you might get most of your money back.

 

[FatBoy89]

I Have Rola racks and not sure if theyl hold. Theyre rated at 80 Kg each. I weigh about 95 and the misses abut 60. Wonder how itd go?
What racks do you have?

 

[TurpsD22]

Do the roof top tents fit to any type of roof rack - i have an ARB trade rack so am not to sure how compatible it is with the tents. Does anyone have experience with this setup.

Any advice is appreciated thanks

 

[RedST-R]

I Have Rola racks and not sure if theyl hold. Theyre rated at 80 Kg each. I weigh about 95 and the misses abut 60. Wonder how itd go?
What racks do you have?

Hey with those weight ratings it's usually mean't for when your traveling not stopped.