Roof Tent Question

[WHITE VAN MAN]

I am considereing getting a Hannibal IMPI/ZULU tent and would like to know if anyone has got or has used one. I have had regular roof tents but like the idea of the ski box type.

All comments appreciated

Simon

[AJC]

Simon,

Haven't got the model you're considering getting but mine is encased in a waterproof fiberglass case - Maggiolina Extreme. We use an Oztent for base camp, cooking shelter etc.

We considered and invetigated all canvas roof tents and after talking to and knowing people who have them they complained of water leaks: Not so much when erected but when driving in the rain. Sodden mattresses!!

Anyway, the Maggiolina Extreme is totally waterproof (we keep it outside), aerodynamic and is also capable of taking a small load on it's own rack.

There's a new one on the market of similar design at www.kproduction-rooftent.com (http://www.kproduction-rooftent.com/) but doesn't look as good as mine!!

AJ

PS Is that a Todra Gorge phot in your avitar?

[OrbitalPear]

So could you mount a smaller roofbox on the roof box' roof rack?

[WHITE VAN MAN]

Thanks AJ

Never had the problem with water ingress with other roof tents. I was wondering if the ski box type sweat inside as they are sealed. I have a Hannibal side awning with sides that we use for cooking in but loose the shower skirt below the rear of regular tent if I get the ski box type.

Yes the pic is a Todra Gorge I was there October last year.

Simon

[AJC]

OrbitalPear,

The only load I reckon you could safely carry and have room for is a spare wheel (25Kg) there are attachment for it to carry canoes etc. I've taken the rails off mine as I want to keep it as light as possible. The other tent is underslung from the roof inside which is about 75 Kg in total up top.

Simon,

Never experienced 'sweating' but I imagine there will be condensation travelling from hot to cold or vise versa. We considered the howling Moon with integral access into the tent and shower skirt but if you're staying somewhere for a few days and day running from there it's having to pack everything up if you go out. That's why went for the Oztent too as the base camp. Excellent bit of kit.

Thought it was Todra. Went there last Easter and was amazed that they've tarmac'd the road since the last time I was there.

AJ

[OrbitalPear]

I thought the roof was only menat to take 75kg?

Or is there support bars to the cappings or lower?

[AJC]

Where's the limit laid down?

Considering a roof rack (rain channel support only) with a roof tent with a couple of jerry cans of fuel and a couple of water cans must weigh well over 150Kg and you regularly see that.

I use 3 x Mantec roof bars for my tent instead of a roof rack. But if I had a roof rack (50Kg) with my tent (60Kg) I'm over your limit straight away so what vehicles can you use them on?

Keep as light as possible up top and heavy stuff inside (fuel water).

A good read on roof racks and loads is Tom Sheppard's Vehicle Dependant Expedition Guide.

AJ

[AJC]

OrbitalPear,

Your question 'So could you mount a smaller roofbox on the roof box' roof rack'? Well funny old thing I saw a Volvo estate with the same roof tent as mine and he did have a small roof box fitted. Couldn't have had much inside as the extract below from the website reckons only 20Kg.

'This Maggiolina™ is designed for the serious off-road enthusiast or outdoor professional. It combines the best features along with an integral roof rack capable of carrying 20 Kg (45 Lbs) of extra equipment'.

AJ

[Astbury]

We have a Maggiolina Adventure and must say it is a great tent! We use it all year around camping even in winter at temps as low as -21C.

No problems with sweating. when its has been raining in the night all you need to do is hit the sides and the water will 'jump' off, allowing you to put the tent down.

The tent is errected using a handle to wind it up until the sides are taught, you have a door each side and a ladder that we place on the roll bars.

On a negative side the tent takes up more room than for example a hanabal tent, if you have a 110 then with the Maggiolina you would have enough room left for a line of jerry cans side to side where as the hanibal folded up would allow for more storage up top.

we have carried stuff on top of the tent but I would not like to carry a Land Rover spare wheel as it is just too heavy, if you carry anything reasonably heavy then it takes two people to put the tent up, one has to stand at the front and one to wind the handle. if the tent rack is empty then it can be errected by one person in about 30 sec's

In all a great tent that is very fast to put up, keeps dry but takes too much room on the top.

This is a Swiss site but it shows the range Maggiolina tents...

http://www.procamp.ch/produkte/dachzelte/dachzelte.asp

And here is a page with customers and the tents fitted, just to give you an idea what they look like.

http://www.procamp.ch/bildergallery/bilder.asp

C

[WHITE VAN MAN]

Thanks Astbury.

I am fitting on a 90 and have a Hannibal rack that has sides so I think perhaps the Maggiolina is not going to be suitable. The Hannibal has a rear entrance plus I also like the cover it has over the entrance to stop any rain entering the tent when getting in or out. Again the amount of space taken up on the roof is my concern as we take on of the hop up ladder platforms to cook on and don;t want to keep inside vehicle.

Simon

[Astbury]

Agree with you, on the space issue though the rack with sides would not cause you a problem as the tent stands higher. one other issue is the ammount of bedding you can keep in the Maggiolina its has a lot of room to keep everything. As we use it most weekends it is nice to have a tent that is so fast to put up and jump into but if your doing an overland its better to have the space uptop to keep all that stuff you probably wont use.


C

[WHITE VAN MAN]

Possibly going to be used for mainly weekend away trips but tend to have ****** all room in the back of the 90.
Just removed the rear seats and fitted Mobile Storage Systems chest and drawer on the floor. Plus slimline chest to one side of arch and my Engel on the other side. Hopefully this will help with the space problem I just need to try loading up.

Simon

[terry]

Hi we use the mag roof tent, med size, sheeps two people with ease and at times two pug dogs. Its just so much less work to put up and we keep it in the roof of the garage, great thing is it can fit on the roof of the 110, the delica and the 207. much better then the rag in a bag type. terry a