This really was a crazy but
actually brilliant tent!
So the tent starts all
folded 
up. There’s an internal
metal framework sort of like a fan, and the nylon tent over that. There’s a solid base on both the top
and bottom of the “fan” so that when closed it covers the tent, and when opened
it creates a solid foundation to 
hold up the tent. The ladder slides down to hold up the extended, folded out
part of the tent (as well as going up and down, since the base of the tent is
now about 6 ft above ground).
up. There’s an internal
metal framework sort of like a fan, and the nylon tent over that. There’s a solid base on both the top
and bottom of the “fan” so that when closed it covers the tent, and when opened
it creates a solid foundation to 
hold up the tent. The ladder slides down to hold up the extended, folded out
part of the tent (as well as going up and down, since the base of the tent is
now about 6 ft above ground).
There’s a mattress that is
stuck to that solid base, and it automatically unfolds.
stuck to that solid base, and it automatically unfolds.
The door and windows, as
well as the “door” opposite the entrance door, have mosquito netting and nylon
covers that we tied up to maximize the airflow, since 
this is summer here in
the Northern Territory. Or, they
can be tied down for cold nights or during rains.
this is summer here in
the Northern Territory. Or, they
can be tied down for cold nights or during rains.
There’s a waterproof cover
that unzips on three sides and then hangs over the passenger side of the car –
when the tent is folded up, 
the cover keeps everything all tidy and closed up,
with webbing straps that go over the whole thing.
the cover keeps everything all tidy and closed up,
with webbing straps that go over the whole thing.
Brilliant, isn’t it? And look how roomy inside!
I’ll admit it was fairly
comfortable. The worst part was
trying to get out and down in the middle of the night for a bathroom run. Richard managed to go down the ladder
facing forward (which really is easier for exiting from the tent). I usually backed out of 
the tent to go
down the ladder while holding onto the ladder – but that meant wiggling out of
the tent to my bellybutton, at which point my legs could dangle down and reach
the ladder. Yes, graceful image,
huh?
comfortable. The worst part was
trying to get out and down in the middle of the night for a bathroom run. Richard managed to go down the ladder
facing forward (which really is easier for exiting from the tent). I usually backed out of 
the tent to go
down the ladder while holding onto the ladder – but that meant wiggling out of
the tent to my bellybutton, at which point my legs could dangle down and reach
the ladder. Yes, graceful image,
huh?
The other great part of
being in the roof tent was that we were closer to the birds waking up each
morning in the trees – I spent this 
morning watching the cockatoos preening
before flying off, because, well, cockatoos know how pretty they are, and they
don’t go out until those feathers are all in perfect array.
morning watching the cockatoos preening
before flying off, because, well, cockatoos know how pretty they are, and they
don’t go out until those feathers are all in perfect array.
Anyway, that was our
tent.
That's really neat how the tent opens up and sits on top of the car like that. When you talked about the tent before I couldn't imagine sleeping on top of the car. It's much roomier inside than I thought it would be. That's so cool that you got to wake up and watch the cockatoos preening before they flew off!
ReplyDeletePretty amazing when you think about it, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed great! I'm pretty much impressed with this kind of tent. I think this is a perfect camping tent there will be less hassle in moving things from car to camping site. I really like this. Thanks for sharing!
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What brand of tent is this? Also, where do you park your car to avoid trouble? Thanks!!! :)
ReplyDeleteSorry, we rented the car with the tent on top - so I really have no idea what brand the tent was. We mostly stayed overnight in campgrounds (with entrance fees) - but when we were driving around Australia, we'd park in whatever town and just walk around for a while. Never had any problems.
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