Where to Park Up & Camp

A. You can camp with a roof tent wherever you can drive your vehicle. Dedicated campsites will have facilities that will make your experience more rewarding. They can include showers and toilets and cooking facilities. If wild camping, it is important to get permission from the landowner before setting up your tent for the night. If camping next to natural beauty spots, aim to park your vehicle in a quiet area as these areas can attract noisy people at night if they are remotely situated. A group of drunken youths shouting or revving engines all night will spoil your experience.

A. Campsites, forests, fields, rivers, lakes, beaches, car parks, driveways, mountains, truck stops, deserts – the list is endless, but all have something in common – you must be able to drive to the location and it is best if you can park on even and level ground. There is nothing worse than sleeping in a rooftop tent where the mattress slopes from front to back or from one side to the other.

A. Since rooftop tents have become much more mainstream over the past few years, most campsites welcome campers in roof tents. Remember, the peak season for most campsites is a short one and owners are desperate to maximise earnings during the summer months. Unless a campsite is booked out, a vehicle with a car tent attached should not be turned away. The exception would be if a campsite’s topography does not allow the safe parking of a car, van or SUV or public insurance prevents a tent from being pitched above the ground. By ringing ahead, one will ascertain the campsite’s usage and pitching policy. It is advisable to do this well in advance of peak times such as bank holidays or certain weekends during the year.

A. When answering this question, we are referring to hard shell rooftop tents, because they are a much better purchase than soft shell tents.

To answer the question, what is the point of a roof top tent, I feel it would be best to list out the advantages of owning one. After reading this list, a potential purchaser will be able to decide if there is any point in buying a roof tent.

The main advantages of using a rooftop tent are as follows:
1. More comfortable than a standard ground tent. Ground tents are cold, can get damp and you are often forced to sleep on uneven ground.
2. Quick and easy set-up and takedown. Roof top tents are so easy to set up and take down the following morning. Just unhook the clips and the tent springs open. The following day when you want to take it down you just lower the roof and clip it closed to the base and ready for you to start your journey. It is that easy.
3. Sleeping at a height is safer than on the ground. One is less likely to be disturbed by animals or people when sleeping on the roof of their vehicle.
4. Hardshell roof top tents can be locked when closed making them more secure and less prone to thieves.
5. Hardshell tents are more durable. The base and roof are constructed from either ABS plastic or fibreglass or a combination of both. This makes the tent tough and longer-lasting.
6. A rooftop tent is much cheaper to buy than a camper van, R.V. or motor home. In addition, you do not need to insure, service or park a roof top tent.

I hope this list of advantages will help you decide whether a rooftop tent is worth purchasing.