Thank you Scott for such a comprehensive review of this tent. As a dyed in the wool roof top tent man, your video has convinced me to steer clear of this one. Over the years I have had a succession of roof toppers, all of which have had pros & cons. As I got older I thought that climbing ladders was going to be a problem so I invested in a camper trailer. I soon realised that this was even more inconvenient than erecting even the worst roof top tent. You are right about the anchoring system & nyloc nuts should have been mandatory instead of the plastic twirl knobs. I have a Kwikky from KINGS which, although cheap & nasty is still the most convenient tent that I have ever owned. One thing that used to put me off the 'soft' cover tents was the repack in the cold mornings when condensation made everything wet & the older versions had zippered covers with a sail track which could play havoc with fingers when trying to put it back on. I have been looking at DUNE tents from Anaconda recently but see some potential problems for my way of travelling. KINGS do have a side opening, Hard Shell tent which I am seriously considering buying to replace my Kwikky which I have just repaired by replacing the telescopic legs which are integral to getting it erected. I noticed that you have a platform on which your tent is fixed whereas I have bars across my canopy & ute roof which makes centering of the tent easier. I assume from your video that you are 'new' to the roof top tent world & I am sure that over time you will have some really wonderful experiences with being out on the road. Again thank you for taking the time to give us your impressions of this particular tent. I have a number of videos on You Tube which show my travels & some show various tents that I have owned over the years. Before I invest in any new equipment I always try to look at what other people think about their own set ups & from them I can make an informed decision about what might suit me. In my experience, we are all very different in how we approach our camping activities & having no frills videos about what people really think is very refreshing & more importantly helpful! Again thank you & happy travels.
Hey mate are those bolts long enough to drill a hole through when fully tightened to accomodate for the safety pin for easier removal rather than lock nuts?
Hey mate, I used to have the other one, the cheaper model ad I actually really liked it, but it's very big on top of the roof and I was looking at this one since it seems incredibly small. I am just a bit worries about having half of the length of the tent not being supported by anything but the ladder... Does it feel stable? Do you reckon it could hold two people with no problems? Thanks!
So now that we’re 4 months on, what are your current standings on this RTT? How has the waterproofing been on it? Wind noise? Also how tall are you if you found it to be a bit short?
Update..... I've done a week long trip camping and another couple weekends, and all is good Yes I'm tall-ish.... To the point my head touched the end and toes touched end.... So, I modded the entrance. I'll post up a quick vid one day. It's not pretty, but it works for me. The ladder; it does not inspire confidence. The right side of it let's go and the tent needs to be lifted up to reset the ladder. Wind noise.....meh. I don't notice it. I've recently had the tent off, yes I noticed the weight being off the car, but that's about it. On that; I toyed with the idea of taking it in and off as I use it. Being only 38kg, it's doable, but my God do you need to have had your Weetabix! I have thought about selling it, getting something bigger... But then I'm also adding weight and I don't want to do that. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the tent. It's quick and easy to set up and pack up, I'm getting a good night's sleep in it, it ticks all the boxes for me.
Hows it go folded out? Considering this over the dune 1400 which is too wide for my car, but the fold out I worry about weight on it, does it hold itself out flat by itself or all reliant on those single stairs holding you up?
I did, and still do, have the same worries....especially when the ladder let's go on one side of it!!! The internal locking mechanism of the ladder at its top end, sometimes will let go.....then have to climb back down, lift the tent up to re-engage the locks, test the ladder again before bearing weight on it.
can you please tell me when its packed up what are the dimensions on the anaconda web site it has Packed size: 137 x 121 x 37 cm does it open on the long or short side of these dimensions ?
Have been thinking that.... Got my first proper trip away coming up in October, I'll definitely have a look at how the Shakeel channel mounting system works and if I can do that.
Thank you Scott for such a comprehensive review of this tent. As a dyed in the wool roof top tent man, your video has convinced me to steer clear of this one. Over the years I have had a succession of roof toppers, all of which have had pros & cons. As I got older I thought that climbing ladders was going to be a problem so I invested in a camper trailer. I soon realised that this was even more inconvenient than erecting even the worst roof top tent. You are right about the anchoring system & nyloc nuts should have been mandatory instead of the plastic twirl knobs. I have a Kwikky from KINGS which, although cheap & nasty is still the most convenient tent that I have ever owned. One thing that used to put me off the 'soft' cover tents was the repack in the cold mornings when condensation made everything wet & the older versions had zippered covers with a sail track which could play havoc with fingers when trying to put it back on. I have been looking at DUNE tents from Anaconda recently but see some potential problems for my way of travelling. KINGS do have a side opening, Hard Shell tent which I am seriously considering buying to replace my Kwikky which I have just repaired by replacing the telescopic legs which are integral to getting it erected. I noticed that you have a platform on which your tent is fixed whereas I have bars across my canopy & ute roof which makes centering of the tent easier. I assume from your video that you are 'new' to the roof top tent world & I am sure that over time you will have some really wonderful experiences with being out on the road. Again thank you for taking the time to give us your impressions of this particular tent. I have a number of videos on You Tube which show my travels & some show various tents that I have owned over the years. Before I invest in any new equipment I always try to look at what other people think about their own set ups & from them I can make an informed decision about what might suit me. In my experience, we are all very different in how we approach our camping activities & having no frills videos about what people really think is very refreshing & more importantly helpful! Again thank you & happy travels.
Hey mate could you please do a updated review. With how the RTT has been cheers mate
Great review. Thank you.
Hey mate are those bolts long enough to drill a hole through when fully tightened to accomodate for the safety pin for easier removal rather than lock nuts?
Hey mate, I used to have the other one, the cheaper model ad I actually really liked it, but it's very big on top of the roof and I was looking at this one since it seems incredibly small. I am just a bit worries about having half of the length of the tent not being supported by anything but the ladder... Does it feel stable? Do you reckon it could hold two people with no problems?
Thanks!
Stable, but not high enough to sit up in it.
So now that we’re 4 months on, what are your current standings on this RTT? How has the waterproofing been on it? Wind noise? Also how tall are you if you found it to be a bit short?
i’m also interested in an update !! (i believe he said he’s about 6’-6’1 in the vid) just curious about the stability as well??
Update..... I've done a week long trip camping and another couple weekends, and all is good
Yes I'm tall-ish.... To the point my head touched the end and toes touched end.... So, I modded the entrance. I'll post up a quick vid one day. It's not pretty, but it works for me.
The ladder; it does not inspire confidence. The right side of it let's go and the tent needs to be lifted up to reset the ladder.
Wind noise.....meh. I don't notice it. I've recently had the tent off, yes I noticed the weight being off the car, but that's about it.
On that; I toyed with the idea of taking it in and off as I use it. Being only 38kg, it's doable, but my God do you need to have had your Weetabix!
I have thought about selling it, getting something bigger... But then I'm also adding weight and I don't want to do that.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the tent. It's quick and easy to set up and pack up, I'm getting a good night's sleep in it, it ticks all the boxes for me.
Great tip thankyou
Great review. Thanks mate
would love to have seen how it was set up
You’re from Tamworth? Any chance I’d be able to have a look at this in person?
Hey mate, sorry for late reply....
100% not a problem.
Been meaning to post it up for sale actually......
Hows it go folded out? Considering this over the dune 1400 which is too wide for my car, but the fold out I worry about weight on it, does it hold itself out flat by itself or all reliant on those single stairs holding you up?
I did, and still do, have the same worries....especially when the ladder let's go on one side of it!!!
The internal locking mechanism of the ladder at its top end, sometimes will let go.....then have to climb back down, lift the tent up to re-engage the locks, test the ladder again before bearing weight on it.
Hi mate. Question. I see you mounted the RTT east west, can you mount it north south? My tub rack bars that I can use are only north south.
I did consider this, but, way my rear drawers and pullout kitchen setup is, this wouldn't work.
can you please tell me when its packed up what are the dimensions on the anaconda web site it has Packed size: 137 x 121 x 37 cm does it open on the long or short side of these dimensions ?
Can you remove your tee slot bars from north south and install them east west ? Then it should pick up your North South roof rack bars ?
Have been thinking that.... Got my first proper trip away coming up in October, I'll definitely have a look at how the Shakeel channel mounting system works and if I can do that.
Anyone with one of these know the width between the 2 mounting bars?
Put it on a box trailer and no more worries