Show us your tentbox
- Thread starter Andy_l
- Start date
My sons set-up deployed, not sure if a tentbox or not....
Tentbox is a brand name, as in all tent boxes are roof tents but not all roof tents are tent boxes 
I might look at a roof tent next year, I'll see what 3 weeks in a single fold out bed is like first!!
I'd want a hard shell version with a rack on top (for my solar panel) and these seem to start around £2k.
£2000 - Skypod Lair
£2800 inc bars - TentBox Cargo 2.0 Roof Tent
However this one is really taking my fancy:
£2850 - https://amaoutdoors.co.uk/product/roof-tent/
I might look at a roof tent next year, I'll see what 3 weeks in a single fold out bed is like first!!
I'd want a hard shell version with a rack on top (for my solar panel) and these seem to start around £2k.
£2000 - Skypod Lair
£2800 inc bars - TentBox Cargo 2.0 Roof Tent
However this one is really taking my fancy:
£2850 - https://amaoutdoors.co.uk/product/roof-tent/
I've seen a few of these now, but i just don't get it.
I’m not here to pick a fight, but I'm keen to understand what you all see the advantages over a regular tent are as i just see disadvantages.
Cant carry roof toys
Cant use vehicle without putting tent away
Not much room relative to regular tent
Climb down steps for a wee in night
Harder to store if take it off.
Economy loss if on all the time
Cost
I cant think of one advantage, so please help me out.
I’m not here to pick a fight, but I'm keen to understand what you all see the advantages over a regular tent are as i just see disadvantages.
Cant carry roof toys
Cant use vehicle without putting tent away
Not much room relative to regular tent
Climb down steps for a wee in night
Harder to store if take it off.
Economy loss if on all the time
Cost
I cant think of one advantage, so please help me out.
I see them as an alternative to a pop top rather than vs a regular tent.
You wouldn't own a campervan and sleep in a tent next to the van, would you?
You lose the extra headroom a pop top gives you, and in the colder months you wouldn't get the heat from the van heater.
But, advantages over a normal tent:
Takes 60 seconds to erect, rather than 10-15 minutes
Off the cold, damp ground
More room than a std 2 man tent (which is only really a 1 man tent)
Doesn't take up more room than the vehicle outline
Can pitch on any surface - tarmac, dirt, gravel etc
Can leave bedding in the tent
Vs a pop top:
No hole cut in the van
Cheaper than a pop top
Can be removed and moved to another vehicle
If you look at them as a pop top alternative, they're much better value - £3k vs, what, £5k for a decent pop top? If you want a double bed in a T6 with space in the van to store bikes or stuff in when you're alseep, well it's either a tent, or a pop top, or a roof tent. And I know I didn't spend 40k on a van to sleep in a tent!!
Not in stock at the moment (shame as they have 15% off) but worth a look maybe - appears good value compared to some others.
Surely the main advantage is they keep you safe from Lions and Wildebeest?!
Two other slight disadvantages, more exposed to the wind than a regular tent and some campsites don’t allow vehicles on the grass tent pitching area so your back in the car park.I think the original idea came from overlanding 4x4s, in countries with animals and insects that were around trying to eat you
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Some of the things you wrote as advantages puzzled me slightly.
I see them as an alternative to a pop top rather than vs a regular tent.
You wouldn't own a campervan and sleep in a tent next to the van, would you? But you would own a campervan and sleep in a tent on top of it?
You lose the extra headroom a pop top gives you, and in the colder months you wouldn't get the heat from the van heater. You wouldnt get the. heat from the vans eater in a tentbox either.
But, advantages over a normal tent:
Takes 60 seconds to erect, rather than 10-15 minutes
Off the cold, damp ground
More room than a std 2 man tent (which is only really a 1 man tent) Could have bought a bigger tent.
Doesn't take up more room than the vehicle outline
Can pitch on any surface - tarmac, dirt, gravel etc
Can leave bedding in the tent Bedding can be left in the tent box when packed up for driving?
Vs a pop top:
No hole cut in the van
Cheaper than a pop top
Can be removed and moved to another vehicle
If you look at them as a pop top alternative, they're much better value - £3k vs, what, £5k for a decent pop top? If you want a double bed in a T6 with space in the van to store bikes or stuff in when you're alseep, well it's either a tent, or a pop top, or a roof tent. And I know I didn't spend 40k on a van to sleep in a tent!!
A pop top is basically a tent on top of your van, and that seems to be perfectly fine for 90% of campervan owners...
Start asking every pop top owner why they've paid 40k for a van only to sleep in a tent and I think you'd have have arguments there
Literally the only difference between a pop top and roof tent is that instead of climbing in from inside the van, you climb in from outside the van. And with a pop top you gain internal height in the van. Obviously there's some other disadvantages like extra wind resistance.
And yeah I think they originated in Australia where being off the ground and the 100 things trying to kill you is a good idea
Start asking every pop top owner why they've paid 40k for a van only to sleep in a tent and I think you'd have have arguments there
Literally the only difference between a pop top and roof tent is that instead of climbing in from inside the van, you climb in from outside the van. And with a pop top you gain internal height in the van. Obviously there's some other disadvantages like extra wind resistance.
And yeah I think they originated in Australia where being off the ground and the 100 things trying to kill you is a good idea
Thanks - they are vw rails -
Thank you.
Do they handle the weight ok? My T6 has VW installed rails, and I am going to put my Tent Box on, but going from Thule to these rails, not sure how good they are with the weight considering there is a little flex in the rail.
It has been a puzzle to me that the SWB T6 has 4 sets of blanked holes along each side of the roof to accept the longitudinal Roof Bars but all the bars that I have seen only have 3 supports. Is it that only Longitudinal roof bard only come with 3 feet or arr their some that come wit 4 feet. I have often thought that if I was to fit a Roof Tent the to better spread the load I might choose to use just, 4 Transverse bars and feet for that purpose. Also useful for carrying longer items.
The only problem for me then because i live off road and pass though woodland which often has over hanging branches and things is getting caught up on the transverse bars where he longitudinal bars would allow branches to just ride over. I guess i could perhaps fashion something like long poles or bars to cover he length and then fit something in front of the leading transverse bar that allows things to slide over. I am talking then when the roof is not supporting a load.
Also I have noticed that most if not all roof boxes and Roof Tents do not appear to have any streamlining to reduce windage but also to smooth over anything like branches to ride up and over.
The only problem for me then because i live off road and pass though woodland which often has over hanging branches and things is getting caught up on the transverse bars where he longitudinal bars would allow branches to just ride over. I guess i could perhaps fashion something like long poles or bars to cover he length and then fit something in front of the leading transverse bar that allows things to slide over. I am talking then when the roof is not supporting a load.
Also I have noticed that most if not all roof boxes and Roof Tents do not appear to have any streamlining to reduce windage but also to smooth over anything like branches to ride up and over.
