Hannibal the Cannibal... [Archive]

dmarchand

July 7th, 2004, 01:26 PM

Nick, BW Overland is in the process of making me a new basket out of aluminum. Same look and feel of the LRNA basket, but with an aluminum floor (slatted) on the rear third of the basket and an open front for the tent. Fitted specifically for the hannibal with direct tie-ins for the mounting of the tent. The basket height will be about 3 inches shorter than your stock basket. I had mine cut down last year and removed 3 inches out of the side wall to make it a little sleeker. If you want, give Jesse and email. They are planning on offering it in their product line. :cool:

EDIT: Reason for the new basket is that it will be purpose built, lighter overall, and I won't be chopping an expensive LR basket up any further than I already have....

Eric Siepmann

July 7th, 2004, 02:45 PM

The question begs to be asked....

Why not just get a floor for the rack and a normal tent? 800 bucks buys you one hell of a 4 season tent with replacement parts readily available. Plus most tents in that range will be 4 season mountaineering tents that are very capable in the elements. Shouldn't be too difficult to get it up on the rack given most were designed to be erected on the side on a mountain.

So could someone please educate my ignorant ass here and explain the reason other than height of the tent? Is this a rover thing I am not in tune with?

EwS

Mike Hippert

July 7th, 2004, 03:05 PM

Nicholas I posted it to be funny I new you new all that stuff.:)

Hey Eric, some of your questions would be answered by reading my first link.
:grin

dave_lucas

July 7th, 2004, 03:30 PM

"Why not just get a floor for the rack and a normal tent?"

I think the biggest selling points for the fancy roof top tents is the fact that it only took about 2 Min by myself to setup the tent and about another 3 min to close it up when you are ready to get going.

Additionally they do not take up as much room as a standard tent (most hang 1/2 of the tent in the air) leaving more room for storage on the top of the vehicle.

The tent that was on the top of my disco was made by a company called tent on top, I think they have stopped selling the tents and I got one of the last ones for a super discounted price. But with that said the tent was only used a few times and then I sold it because my wife would not go camping even with the fancy tent thingy :rolleyes

Oh well……… At least she loves to off-road and mod her disco :)

Eric Siepmann

July 7th, 2004, 03:36 PM

Hey Eric, some of your questions would be answered by reading my first link.

Indeed they were.

They do look quite cool. $$$$$ though.

EwS

norros

July 7th, 2004, 04:19 PM

The other manufacturer I was thinking of in my original post was HOWLING MOON, they're pretty bad-ass tents too, another African manufacturer like Hannibal. I got the name from one of my LRE mag's at home, and I just remembered...

The only link I could find right now (not the manufacturer link but a link with some decent info) is:

http://www.opensky.com.au/RTTHMSub.htm

<small logo pic attached>

I really like the 'Double Tent' ... looks HUGE ... The prices seem high, but I think that's Australian prices because that's an australian link I posted... Have to do more research.

Nicholas

rcork

July 8th, 2004, 08:24 AM

I too have been looking at these roof top tents. I'm not so sure I want to spend $2000 for some smelly old canvas thing, though. I found this one from Cabela's. Anyone actually seen one?
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/horizontal-item.jhtml?id=0024844516382a&navAction=jump&navCount=0&indexId=&podId=0024844&catalogCode=IE&parentId=&parentType=&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.1_A&_DAV=search&hasJS=true

norros

July 8th, 2004, 01:57 PM

Robert,

I like your style... I am not looking to spend 'two large' either, but I don't know if I like that Cabela Mombasa CarTop Tent though. It seems well priced but doesn't look like it would hold up and I don't think the 2 mesh windows on the side have coverings, I didn't see that listed anywhere. I did a small amount of research on the 'Mombassa' and really didn't find anything, nor did I find a vendor link.

ANYWAY...

I did find THIS:

http://www.safaritrailers.com/index.cfm?action=catalog&catID=2

They have 2 roof top tents, one is the TECHNITOP and the other is the BEDOUIN. Now the Technitop is prices a little over a grand, but the Bedouin is priced at $875 AND it looks like it will 'hold up'.
The 2 tents are almost identical except for the fact that the Technitop has a 'hard shell' case and the Bedouin is about 10 inches longer. That's what I'm talking about.

The dimensions of Bedouin are:
55 x 98 inches x 50 inches high
or
4ft 7inches x 8ft 2inches x 4ft 2inches

Not bad in my book. AND I really like the look of it, looks just like the Hannibal/HowlingMoon/Eezi-Awn one's. I'm going to email them and find out how much shipping is going to be...

Optimally I really like the HOWLING MOON tents, they seem to be the best. The adapter to fit the roof racks is universal so there's probably not too much sawing or changing out the basket to make the thing fit. BUT they are a LOT of money... TWO LARGE MAN! ouch... And there aren't many vendors for it. I checked out the TrekOverLand.com website and there wasn't too much information and they haven't emailed me back yet.

I'm going to do some more research... I've spent a considerable amount of time on this already today, luckily I'm not too busy.

Nicholas

UPDATE:

After closer inspection of the BEDOUIN pictures on the safaritrailers.com website, I think I noticed the Howling Moon LOGO on the tents... I'm pretty sure... Could be... haven't heard back from them.

norros

July 12th, 2004, 01:38 PM

Nobody replied back so I'm 'ass'uming that no one is interested.

BUT...

I've got MAD updates if anyone is...

Cheers,

Nicholas Orros

dmarchand

July 12th, 2004, 01:41 PM

Spill the beans. Info is ALWAYS appreciated.

norros

July 12th, 2004, 02:06 PM

Well, I spent the good part of last week working on this 'tent' issue... Emailed ALL of the HOWLING MOON & Hannibal Dealers throughout the freakin' world and some emailed me back.

I'll go from good to best...

First, there's a guy named John in DC on the RoversNorth BBS Board (under items for sale section, pretty recent) that's going to Africa and loves the Howling Moon tents and is trying to 'offset' his costs of the 'crate' he is bringing back and says he can bring a Howling Moon back for about $1000. You'll have to pay shipping costs from the Baltimore/DC area so that's the catch there. STILL, not bad. This tent goes for about $1300-$1500 EVERYWHERE.

Nathan from Pangeaa has Eezi-Awn's but they are in the $1300-$1500 range as well... BUT he is a very reputable vendor, and a nice guy on top of that.

There's a guy in Florida at ozziesoffroad.com who can do a Hannibal but again, pretty expensive.

I also have a guy named Grant who I used to work with until a short time ago who now lives in Africa and he says he can do a HOWLING MOON for about $900. Pretty good deal but you'll have to pay shipping and from AFRICA, it ain't cheap. Still an option...

----->>> Now THE BEST deal I have come across, where coincidentally I AM ORDERING from is a joint venture company that I came across because they were listed on the HOWLING MOON Dealers list, was one in Canada called 'Rocky Mountain Expedition Equipment' at 1-888-880-2600 (they're a joint venture between Footloose4x4.com/WiseOwlParts & one other I can't remember) , and they have THREE HOWLING MOON TENTS (actually 2 now... :) ) Their PRICE is pretty damn good. They have one NEW 1.22 Howling Moon Deluxe RoofTop tent for $750 which you CAN'T BEAT ANYWHERE WITH A STICK. This tent isn't sold in the U.S.A. and by a lot of reviews I've read beats the Hannibal & Eezi-Awn by far... this one will run you $1300+... and add shipping on top of that. Now, shipping from Canada is pretty expensive but with the tent being such a great price the whole thing will cost you about a GRAND shipped FEDEX AIR CARGO (which means you may have to go to the nearest large airport to pick 'er up).
Now the REASON why they are 'blowing' these out is because their company is producing/manufacturing a rooftop tent to compete with HowlingMoon/Hannibal and it runs about $899. You can go to rovertents.com to see 'their' version of the rooftop tent and for contact information in case you want one of the 2 HOWLING MOON tents that are left. They have 2 tents left... ONE NEW 1.22 Deluxe Howling Moon and ONE 1.4 Deluxe Howling Moon which I was informed by Tim & Eric (the sales-guys) was DEMO'ed by the owners for ONE TRIP to Alaska... he did say there was a tear or two on the cover (not the tent) of it but it was in great shape, again only used once. (who knows though right ?) The price on either of these is $750. I asked for a better deal on the 1.4 but they told me they couldn't 'make a deal' on the used one because the owner's are on Safari somewhere... but will be back on the 20th. I can't wait that long, so I opted out. But you may be able to get it for $500, who knows...

Anyway, hope this helps someone, I'm looking forward to getting mine. The only obstacle in my way is to figure out a way to fit it on the factory safari basket...

Oh, and there is a couple of TENTS called OASIS tents coming out from ExpeditionExchange but I'm not familiar with them. And even when I questioned Rocky Mtn Exp. they said the Howling Moon was the best, supposedly they've been making these tents for years and have worked out all the 'bugs'. John Lee said they haven't introduced them yet, but are coming to the site rather soon. They are going to sell Hannibal but it's going to be about $1500 LARGE.

Cheers,

Nicholas Orros

I've got some other vendors too, but they're all about the same price.

JimC

July 12th, 2004, 06:42 PM

I'd like to know, really. I want one of these someday, so lets hear it.

dmarchand

July 13th, 2004, 08:45 AM

Sounds interesting Nick. In all of your research, where were you able to get info on "experiences" with the various tents. I've only seen a hannibal in person and was overall impressed with it. So it's hard for me to put a price on something I haven't seen. To be honest, that technitop looks cheap in the pictures. But I can't say they do it justice.

I do agree, the Howling Moon looks legit. I'd love to see one in person.

norros

July 13th, 2004, 10:33 AM

Dave & Jim,

Well, I've spoken to both Tim & Eric at Rocky Mountain and they both told me that the Howling Moon was the best, strongest, been doing it the longest so they've worked out all the kinks and what not. But basically a lot of the vendors.... Nathan at Pangea, and OpenSky.com.au (very informative site) say that the TOP THREE are HOWLING MOON / HANNIBAL / EEZI-AWN are very close. One may have better stitching on the cover (Hannibal), whereas the other may be a stronger tent (Howling Moon) and have a better more UNIVERSAL mounting system (Howling Moon) , whereas the other may be 'easiest' to open (Eezi-Awn).
I just had to bite the bullet, couldn't wait because I want to get out and do some camping... it's been YEARS... literally.

One thing to keep in mind, is that ALL of these tents are about the same price, they're ALL from the same area in AFRICA so they're made to withstand extreme conditions and to keep out even the 'smallest' of insects. 90% of the people/vendors I've spoken to have said this. And according to them, the HOWLING MOON has been 'at it' the LONGEST.

And WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT! ... I had a VENDOR FOR HOWLING MOON in the U.S.A. email me this morning that he does have A BUNCH of them, and they're priced pretty decent too... oh well...
I'm emailing him back to find out how much shipping would be... He is in ARIZONA.
Here's his prices:
1.4 Deluxe with mattrass and cover $1008.00
Shower Annex Nylon $139.00
Shower Annex Ripstop $178.00
Ladder Ext $39.00
1.6 Delux $1083.00
1.4 Tourer with matt and cover $1029.00
Tourer 1.6 $1132.00
Tourer 2.4 $1616.00

The differences in price and size is REALLY GOOD from what I've seen.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Nicholas

Follow-up Post:

Ok, for those that emailed me about WHO the vendor is, I apologize for not posting...

The website is actionafrica.com and the guy's name is PAUL ZWAY 'The Krazy African' , his phone # is 520-762-9293. He's getting more information on the 'shipping charges' and says he's going to email them to me shortly.

I spoke to him for about 20 minutes and he sounds like he really knows what he is talking about. He was not 'in the know' about d-90.com so I explained to him that 'this is the definitive place for anything & everything DEFENDER'. I also explained to him about the 'Vendors Loft' and gave him Chris' name and says he's going to check it out and give him a call.

They've got all kinds of interesting items on there, tents of course, but I was particularly looking at the REFRIGERATION units that were offered. Apparently, they are high dollar but have INTERNAL power units that when charged can last about 48 hours and work much better than the Engels'... but again, expensive they are. They're even coming out with a DIAMOND PLATED FRIG... neat...

Solar panels, camping equipment, wine barrels, some neat stuff.

Anyway...

Nicholas

norros

July 20th, 2004, 01:09 PM

Well, I picked the HOWLING MOON tent up on Friday and all I have to say is that this thing is INCREDIBLE... of very high quality. And to those who think they can make a tent and put it on a board, you probably could but not like this. I am amazed with the quality, strength and ease of use both opening and closing.

I'm having a local welding shop make me a couple of mounting bars that I can attach to the factory roof to mount this this to the safari rack so it's going to be another few days before I can install it... but I brought it into the house and opened it up in the living room and was really blown away.

Anyway, just an update, and if anyone's interested in pics when I get it up, I'll post them if you want... but there doesn't seem to be too many interested in these things over here in the U.S.A. ... (they seem to be very popular overseas).

Now, I just need a place to go camping... my girlfriend says the North Carolina mountains are fantastic... if anyone has .02 cents to spare on that idea... send the idea my way eh ...

Cheers,

Nicholas

DJ Menasco

July 20th, 2004, 01:24 PM

Hey Man, I'd like to see some pictures of it. Especially when you get it installed!

DJ

dmarchand

July 20th, 2004, 02:05 PM

Good news Nick. "This thread is useless without pics..."

Please!

JimC

July 20th, 2004, 02:08 PM

The NC mountains are nice, but your best bet is to simply move to a place that is actually nice, like CO or WA.

Eric Siepmann

July 20th, 2004, 02:23 PM

Sure, what the hell....

EwS

norros

July 20th, 2004, 03:07 PM

DJ,

Will do. I'll post a few but I can send you high-res pics if your mailbox can handle it. (i'm sure it can) They're making the bars up this week, and possibly a 'powder coat' on them as well. I'll take some shots of the tent itself, the mount points, the bars and of course, the tent installed. For you, no problem.

Dave,

I don't think this thread is useless, I posted a hell of a lot of concrete information as far as quality, reviews, links and vendor prices... and a lot of typing, with very few spelling mistakes I might add ( :) ). More than I can say for most. But of course, I will post pics.

Jim,

Possibly one day I'll move... when this New Jersey native wants to deal with SNOW again! I'm sure it's beautiful in CO & WA as well, I've never been. For now I love it down here in Florida.

---->
OUCH! I just got a call from the local welding shop and they want $250 for the bars total, and $315 for them powder-coated. That seems pretty high. I wouldn't know though, I've never had to get anything fabricated. What do you STUDS think ?
I'm sure I can make them myself but they probably won't be as nice.
What exactly are they making for me ?

Well, I'm using 1 x 2 inch rectangular metal bars about 47 inches long, with about 6 or so inches of the same bar welded to the bottom ends (to put it simply... slightly more intricate) with 1 1/4 inch pipe cut in half so it fits neatly over the end of the safari rack (slightly larger so I can put a some type of rubber padding inside so they 'clamp' over the tubing. Hope that came out correctly...

But $315 ??

THANKS & WILL POST PICS & PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU THINK THAT'S A "REALISTIC" PRICE !!

Nicholas Orros

ronward

July 20th, 2004, 03:15 PM

Not sure if that's fair or not. Sounds like you provided measured drawings and all. Probably a pretty nice piece of iron you are talking about so in the end it may be worth it. How much are you into the tent for now anyway?

dmarchand

July 20th, 2004, 03:15 PM

Nick, call Rovertracks. They made several of us bars that link the rear hoop of the safari rack to the 2nd support bar. Picture here: http://www.rovertracks.com/carnage%20canyon%207-18-03%20002.jpg

And it was not more than $100 from what I remembered.

norros

July 20th, 2004, 03:39 PM

Dave,

Will do.
the only thing is that the dimensions have to be perfect... and since I'm not using the 'rails' that are normally fitted with the tent I need to make sure there is a flat platform for the tent to sit on.

In any case, if I have them do it I'll have it done by Friday and will post pics.

Nicholas

JimC

July 20th, 2004, 06:29 PM

Nicholas- I'm mainly jerking your chain as opposed to knocking your residence of choice, but here's my 2c. I lived in NY, SC, WA and Germany, and my folks lived in Tallahassee FL for 5 years so I was there often. NY like NJ has seasons, which is rough if you dont like snow. WA and Germany only have snow if you want it (like go up in the mountains) - other than that, its great year-round. Tal has some nice canopy roads, but its so damn hot... :gag

javelinadave

July 21st, 2004, 11:28 AM

chrisvonc

July 21st, 2004, 12:03 PM

It should just mount to the factory mounting holes on the ladders.

javelinadave

July 21st, 2004, 12:43 PM

I am mid project making a rack. I am trying to figure out a few options for mounting it without drilling any holes or blocking the rear gate/tire rack.

chrisvonc

July 21st, 2004, 01:42 PM

The Rovers north models I think bolt up nicer than the OEM units. They used pre-existing mounting points.

norros

July 21st, 2004, 02:08 PM

I really can't comment much on the RoversNorth racks but I do have a strong opinion that NONE of the other racks I've seen compares to the Factory Safari Roof Rack (LRNAFS90RR). To me it simply looks the best to boot, it just 'fits' ... (I guess that's why I paid so much for it last year when I purchased it new and installed it)

In any case, I came across this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2485201670&category=46093&sspagename=WDVW

It seems that this gentleman had a local shop 'replicate' the safari rack. Looks pretty good except for where the front attaches to the existing roll cage on the NAS Defender. (note: the factory rack has very nice clamps that attach to the roll cage).

Hmm...

Nicholas

chrisvonc

July 21st, 2004, 02:10 PM

I agree. The NAS OEM rack is the best looking rack I think too. But the left ladder mount should just run down and bolt to the rear x-member so you dont have to drill the holes above the licence plate.

norros

July 21st, 2004, 02:13 PM

True... I never understood why they did that ?

Possibly to leave room for 'light guards' ? Who knows eh...

:)

Nicholas

Eric Siepmann

July 21st, 2004, 02:13 PM

I like the Safety devices rack much better. I have heard the NAS rack can deform with weight shifts. The SD will not and you don't have to drill holes in your truck as well.

norros

July 21st, 2004, 02:19 PM

Eric,

Which is the 'Safety Devices' rack that you speak of ?

And I thought that the Factory Safari Roof Rack (LRNAFS90RR) WAS in fact made by Safety Devices UK ?

I'm semi-lost.

:confused

Thanks

Nicholas

Glenn_Guinto

July 21st, 2004, 02:49 PM

There are two kinds of Safety Devices rack for the D90. The NAS version is like the one Nick is talking about and the one Eric is speaking of is the gutter mount one. It's a more expensive unit and is supposedly stronger. Obviously, that won't work for us lowly ST owners. :)

c2sox

July 21st, 2004, 03:32 PM

I believe this is the gutter mount version...

Al

Eric Siepmann

July 21st, 2004, 03:53 PM

Yup, that's the one. No drilling to mount. And you can get custom holders at time of purchase, IE Jerrycan, Hi-lift jack, ect.

I like the look of the gutter mounts. EE just picked them up as well. Surf on over.

EwS

Glenn_Guinto

July 21st, 2004, 03:57 PM

That's correct.... John at EE has one on his D90. Sweet looking truck. He's got more close up pics in ee's website.

norros

July 22nd, 2004, 10:26 AM

I like the look of the 'SD' rack you guys are talking about, though I still think the NAS version looks ten times better. For my purposes I'll probably never bend it, I don't go through too many trails or put too much up there to worry about it. I am thinking about the tent though, I'm 6-2 215 and my other half is 5-8 125 and the tent itself is 110 lbs, so you guys do got me thinking but I think it will be ok. We'll have to see right ?

I did check out the schematic of the 'SD' roof rack for the 90/110 that EE has installed and it does look like there's some drilling, especially in the roof... perhaps...

Nicholas

chrisvonc

July 22nd, 2004, 10:43 AM

No, what you are seeing in that install doc is the gutter clamps. They are a 2 part clamp that sits in the rain gutter and the outter part clamps over the outter edge of the gutter. Teh bolts you see there go through the outer clamp into the inner clamp and tighten on the gutter to keep it in place. You should have no drilling to mount that.

norros

July 22nd, 2004, 10:53 AM

ohhh... gotcha... seems pretty sturdy eh...

OH YEAH... and to get back to the topic of tents and since we were talking about EE... John sent me a link that's not 'totally live' yet (as we like to say in website rollout land) that has a couple of rooftop tents that they are rolling out shortly and that link is:

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/oasistent/

They've got 2 different versions than what I've seen, not bad I guess AND they are selling the HANNIBAL 1.4.

Check 'em out if you're interested.

Nicholas

dmarchand

July 23rd, 2004, 07:54 AM

Eric, just curious but how substantiated were the claims on the NAS rack. Not attacking you, just trying to understand this a bit better. As long as you don't exceed the load limit on the rack, I can't see how that might happen.

If anything, my opinion is the NAS rack can handle a bit more simply because it ties into the roll cage. Which the "SD" rack does not.

As far as the oasis tent goes. Is it only me, or does anyone else think it looks like a backyard special you could buy at Walmart? I know it's made of many space age materials. But it's fugly.

chrisvonc

July 23rd, 2004, 08:02 AM

It may look ugly to some but its much lighter, folds down for ease of storage not to mention doesnt take up 2/3rd of your roof when stored, and is more verstile than the others. I would like to see one come out sized inbetween that one and their TentCot.

Eric Siepmann

July 23rd, 2004, 10:10 AM

Eric, just curious but how substantiated were the claims on the NAS rack. Not attacking you, just trying to understand this a bit better. As long as you don't exceed the load limit on the rack, I can't see how that might happen.

Fewer mounting points than the SD gutter rack. If you get a large load shift heavily laden it could deform the rack. We're talking in rough terrain after some use, but the SD Gutter rack has not displayed this tendency. That was the info I got straight from SD UK when I called them around 6 months ago...

If anything, my opinion is the NAS rack can handle a bit more simply because it ties into the roll cage. Which the "SD" rack does not.

It does, but at 4 points toal if I remember correctly. Plus you have the ladders in the rear as the only other attachement points. The Gutter rack on the other hand isn't dependent on the rear ladders for support, another benefit IMHO. No un-necessary drilling.

Both are fine racks, but the consensus I got from SD is that the Gutter system is stronger rack by a nose. All things equal, I got the impression that they were biased to the UK style gutter to sell an off the shelf item so to speak. Personally, I love the NAS rack and OEM items in general, but if I decide to pull the trigger on this I most likely will get the gutter.

That is the info I got from SD and did a little poking around the Net.

So take the info with a grain of salt as it could be salesmanship on SD's part and the other verified deformation were stories off of the net.....

EwS

dmarchand

July 23rd, 2004, 10:47 AM

Well that's interesting nonetheless. I would normally think the SD version would be more prone to load shift and causing the upper cab half to shift, more importantly. My biggest concern would be the upper cab since I know their are only a few bolts holding it to the rest of the truck. Know what I mean? :)

Eric Siepmann

July 23rd, 2004, 10:55 AM

Yes. Big leap of faith in the design of the gutter system.

EwS

pangaea

July 23rd, 2004, 03:44 PM

Guys, I just stubled on this post today... I've been pretty busy and haven't been online in quite a while. Anyway, here's my 2¢ on the racks and the tents. And honestly, this is my take not as a vendor, but as a guy who's used alot of these prodcuts....

Roof Top tents - The big three: Eezi-Awn, Hannibal and Howling Moon are all pretty good tents. The design is very similar between them, and which ever one you picked would be a good choice. But I think there are BETTER choices within them:

Hannibal: My company has been selling the Hannibal stuff for about 2 years now, and although I think that they're fairly well built, we've had a few warranty claims come in with thin spots in the canvas or tearing of the mosquito mesh within the first few months. These issues, are kind of minor and can be rectified, but I think that's BS to have to deal with when you drop $1400 on a tent. As a result of these quality control issues, we're actually in the process of "phasing out" the Hannibal line.

Howling Moon: A very well designed tent. I'm impressed with the build quality of these tents. We use them on our rental trucks over in South Africa. They do the job well, have a decent ladder and a slick raincover that allows room for the ladder. But, after extended use, I've seen these tents fall apart quicker than I'd like. Granted they're on rental trucks, which suffer a a lot of use and abuse, but I still haven't been thrilled with what I've seen. The materials are holding up fine, but the stiching and the seams tear and split quite a bit. Still, it would be my second choice.

Eezi Awn: When we started having the aforementioned problems with the Hannibal tents, that's when I started actively reasearching for another better tent to import. Honestly, I looked at ALOT of them: Tent On Top, Howling Moon, Technitop, Maggiolina, Echo, etc and I was most impressed by the these tents. Of all of them, these are the tents that I liked the most, and was the most impressed with from a build quailty standpoint. They've been making them for about 20 years and make a good tent. The fact that they're by far the tent of choice for most overland expeditions definitely says a thing or two about them...

As to the plastic case tents and that Oasis tent.... well, let's just say- don't get me started.

Follow-up Post:

My last post was getting a bit long, I thought that I'd break it up a bit...

As to the roof racks, I think that both the SD expedition rack and the NAS 90 racks are both equally well built racks. The NAS 90 rack has the intrinsic advantage, simply because it mounts to the roll cage and the frame. The expedition rack mounts to the roof rails. Comparing apples to apples, with an identical basket system, a roof rail mounting system CANNOT provide the strength of a frame mounted rack. Over time and with improper loading, the rail mounted rack will bend the rain gutters, weaken the bulkhead and wear out the body of truck.

That being said, I think that the front mounting points on the NAS rack do leave a bit to be desired, and I for one would strenthen them considerably. I have seen them slip on a 90 before...

Anyway, that's my 2¢, and a little more,

norros

July 26th, 2004, 08:26 AM

Nathan,

Hey, Thanks for the info.

I'd love to hear your opinions on the Oasis tent & plastic case tents! I love a good bashing...

Nicholas

pangaea

July 26th, 2004, 09:53 AM

Nicholas,

First off I don't want you to think I'm totally dissing the Howling Moon tents. I do think it's a good tent and you'll be happy with it. I've just been unimpressed with some of the long term use that seen on those rental units over in South Africa.

As to the Oasis tent, I basically think it's a Tent Cot with a $900 ladder. It's not that it's a BAD tent per se, just VERY over priced for what it is. I was actually approached by Oasis about a year ago to start selling them, and I turned it down, because I just don't think that it's a very good value. If you want a set up like that, just buy a TentCot and a rear ladder for your truck and save the extra $700.

I do like the Technitop plastic tent, I think that the basic design of it is pretty decent and the plastic case is a really great idea- it's fairly lightweight and weather resistant. But I do have a concern about the durability of the telescoping poles on the inside of the tent (semi-dodgy plastic and potential for dirt ingress), but they seem to be somewhat unfounded based on some of the reports that I've heard from a couple of long term users.

BUT, I think that most of those other plastic tents like the Maggiolina, and even the Hannibal Impi are crap. You're paying $2k for a tiny, clausterphobic tent that takes up your entire roof... just not worth it, IMO. I've heard the sensation of sleeping in a Maggiolina being equated to that of sleeping in a coffin....

norros

July 26th, 2004, 10:20 AM

Nathan,

Hey Thanks man! Nothing I like better than some 'real life' test/opinion from someone who knows what the hell they're talking about ... it's life smacking you right in the face!

LOL...

Seriously though... Great F%$^king review!

Nicholas

norros

August 12th, 2004, 07:55 PM

Well, here are some pics.
I planned on taking more during the install but it's pretty self explanatory and I didn't have the camera at the time.

Anyway, here's a few.

I have high-res if anyone wants to see more... I can email them no prob. Just send me a PM so I can keep track of them.

The bars were expensive but came out really good, I was impressed, the spec's were perfect.

The truck drove fairly well with the tent on top except when passing 18 wheelers, that was fun but not too bad. I'm going to mount it farther back on my next trip.

Even without the ladder being fully supported in the front, because I didn't have time... The tent didn't 'bow' at all when you moved your weight to the half of the tent that is on top of the hood. It was neat.

Anyway, I'm tired.

Nicholas

<... I tried to upload more than 2 but couldn't, so pm if you want more detailed/closeup pics ...>

DJ Menasco

August 13th, 2004, 12:25 PM

Looks good Nic! Sent you a PM.

DJ

OCD90

August 13th, 2004, 01:31 PM

I'd still like to find something that works with the LRNA rack, beacuse all the others seem to work with their own specific rack, no? Anything work with thwe stock rack?

pangaea

August 13th, 2004, 01:59 PM

Torrence,

Depends... how much are you willing to modify the rack. If you notice, Nicholas' set up utilizes the factory rack though I'm not sure exactly how he attached it...

norros

August 13th, 2004, 02:32 PM

Torrence,

ALL 'safari type' rooftop tents (not the pop-up magnolia ones') are designed to be used with 3-sided racks OR 2 'yakima-TYPE' bars. It's a pretty easy setup... opens just like a book.

I wouldn't suggest modifying the stock rack. Watch out for 'rattles' if you do, it will drive you nuts, and I don't think it's worth it. And you'll be compromising the 'strength' of the rack itself.

I don't have the 'closeup' pic handy... I left the pics at home this morning and a bunch of people have emailed me but I'll get some up on here tonight of what the 'bracket' looks like that connects to the top bar of the roofrack at 4 points. Worked like a charm, and very strong.

If you want closeup HIGH-res pics however, you'll have to let me know.

Nicholas

norros

August 13th, 2004, 04:50 PM

ok... here's a couple of more detailed shots of the actual 'bars' I had made up to my spec's.

I gave the local welding shop a visioshop (visio + photoshop) drawing of exactly what I wanted.

They exceeded my expectations. (mainly by making the part that actually touched the bottom of the rooftop tent just a little higher than the top of the roofrack bar... why is this important? Because mounting this tent on LRNA90FSRR, means that it's pretty high up there... for lack of better words).

Nicholas

OCD90

August 16th, 2004, 11:44 AM

What a great set-up! Can you say "high center of gravity"? And talk about wind resistance...but isn't it all about torque, according to LRNA?! :)

That looks great.

So jealous...

And your rack is stock otherwise?

norros

August 16th, 2004, 03:17 PM

Torrence,

Yeah, it's up there, but up there good. :)

There was just NO other way without sacrificing 'noise', the 'rack' or spending a lot for my 1st idea which was to have a 'spring-loaded' lift that sat inside the basket and you just released a spring and it 'popped' up...
Kinda like those old beds that go under a normal bed & just 'pop-up'. That would have been cool. We drew it out but it was too much work.

Yes, the rack is 100% stock.

Now, I got the bars on a Wednesday and we left Thursday afternoon so I didn't have a lot of time to figure out a good mounting point... but for the next trip I'm going to mount it a little farther back perhaps and create some sort of 'scoop' to sit in front and 'deflect' some air. But honestly the aerodynamics weren't that bad... the ONLY time it was a pain was '18-wheeler land'... haha...

makes it interesting though...

Thanks for the compliments eh!

Nicholas

OCD90

August 16th, 2004, 05:53 PM

Is that bracket shown in the first pic available off the shelf, or was it fabbed too?

norros

August 17th, 2004, 08:11 AM

Torrence,

No, the first pic was the actual bar that was fabricated for me. There were 2 made.

The bar is really just a piece of 1x2 metal with a notch taken out of it if you look closely... then a say 2inch pipe that was cut in half with little pieces welded to it to make a 'bracket' out of it...
The thickest part in the middle of the bar was 47 inches because it just had to clear the bottom lip of the tent which was about 48 inches. Then a couple of inches to make room for the bracket nuts & bolts, then the actual 'top arc' of the pipes had to be 52.5 inches (or really close, can't remember) to sit perfectly on top of the roof rack.

Works like a charm... No butchering of LRNA90FSRR here.

:)

Nicholas

dmarchand

August 18th, 2004, 11:45 AM

Nick, any pics of the tent folded on the rack? Just curious. I got your emails but my antivirus stripped the attachments...

norros

August 19th, 2004, 07:49 AM

Dave,

Yes sir, I've got some pics of it all folded up... except they're at home. Will get them tonight & post... unless you find an email address that will let you download attachments.

Cheers,

Nicholas

Deon

August 19th, 2004, 11:38 AM

Hi Everybody

Out here in South Africa we can ONLY go camping with rooftop tents, unless you want to be bothered by predators at night. Most of the game parks in the neighbouring countries don't have the campsites fenced in. So the animals (especially hyena's) roam the campsites at night looking for food.

The Hannibal tents are really taking off over here but the two most prominent rooftop tent makers are Eezi_Awn and Echo. They are both around UD$ 700-00 in our money. I don't think that the Echo tents are exported to the US (yet!), but it is a very good tent made of ripstop canvas. It is durable and weather resistant. I have tried both Eezi-Awn and Echo, and they are both very good. I went and looked at the Hannibal tents the other day, and I must say I am impressed. They have a new design which is called The Impi, and it really isn't a chore to open and close.

I am including some pics of my own tents (both Echo) The one on the red Range Rover have been sold (together with the Rover) in the meantime. I am also including some links to the South African websites for Echo and Eezi Awn.

http://www.echo4x4.co.za/
http://www.eezi-awn.co.za/

Also check out some of the sites below!

http://heine.nusa.co.za/Links.html

norros

August 19th, 2004, 05:45 PM

Dave,

I hope these will do.

Nicholas

OCD90

August 19th, 2004, 06:09 PM

How much does it weigh? Easy to take it all off for the winter and such?

Do you mind my asking what it cost to have the bracketry fabbed?

norros

August 19th, 2004, 06:21 PM

Torrence,

I believe the weight is about 110lbs, if that.

I got it up there by myself, but taking it down takes 2 people. Not because of the weight, it's just that it's kinda bulky... like a big 'cheez-it', as I like to call it.
I had to call a friend of mine over to help, took us about 2 seconds. (we're both 6ft+ ... the height helps a little I guess)

I paid $315 plus tax. $250 for the bars & $65 for the powder coating.

And you don't want to drive around for more than 'expedition use' if you can help it. You definitely notice it. When I put the safari roof rack on people said I would notice it but I really didn't... with the tent, that's another story.

Nicholas

OCD90

August 19th, 2004, 06:39 PM

Yeah, but how cool are you when you whip out that tent on the roof?!

The "bitchin' factor alone" is on EXTREME. I love it.

(just slightly more than those lights)

norros

August 20th, 2004, 12:13 AM

Thanks for the compliment.

It's a fairly cool mod, but I really got it for times like the attached pic.

It was a truly 'authentic' Land Rover experience.

Cheers,

Nicholas Orros

jam90

November 29th, 2005, 03:08 PM

Nick,

I'm reviving your old thread on roof tents...
Are you still happy with your tent and set-up?
I just got a LR OEM Safari Rack installed on my soft-top D90 and would like to mount a roof-top tent.
I like the idea of not modifying my LR basket... do you think your welder could duplicate the custom bars and brackets he made for you?

-James Marks

read

November 29th, 2005, 04:16 PM

James,

I noticed you are in L.A. and thought i would chime in. I don't know where you plan to do your most of your wheeling but for me I find my self spending most of it in the Mojave and Death Valley. I mention this because the winds that kick up at night. You will find that there is little to no protection to be found from the wind when your tent is on the roof of your truck. It could lead to some sleepless nights on the trail. Kevin "kellymo" another socal local, had one and sold it for that reason as i remember. You can always PM him and get his take on it.

Also check out sclr.org if your looking for a local club. Fun runs and good people.

Hope this helps,
Read

jam90

November 29th, 2005, 08:58 PM

Read -

Good point about the wind in the desert... I didn't think of that...

I probably will join the SCLR club... I'm waiting for more trips to show up on the calendar...
looking forward to meeting all of you southern california rover folk...

-James

kellymoe

November 30th, 2005, 02:07 AM

James,

Read was right. I had a very lux Hannibal tent that I ended up selling because it just was not practical for me. The wind was the main issue. You are much more exposed up on top of your truck than on the ground and one of the poles busted during a extremly windy night a few years ago leaving me with canvas pressed against my face :angry . If you happen to have a small bladder sleeping on the roof can be a pain in the arse. I solved this with a pee bottle :embarress . Just dont confuse it with your water bottle in the middle of the night :eek: Another issue was the high center of gravity while wheeling. You can really feel it swaying. Wind drag is another problem which leads to even worse mpg than my truck already gets. Besides that the tent was great :grin
When i am camping without my family I sleep in the back of my truck since I sold the Hannibal. But when my family goes camping we use a large dome tent that we bought at Costco. It works great but is a pain to set up. This summer we went up to Coyote Flats in the sierras. It is just above 10k feet and I had splitting headache from the altitude. Setting up that tent was miserable. I am considering buying a tent made by a company called www.airzonerecreation.com . The poles are inflatable and the whole tent sets up in seconds. The price is pretty steep $600 for the 6 person tent. They are very sturdy. I think this may be the eventual route I will take. Anyway that is my 2 cents on the rooftop tent.

chrisvonc

November 30th, 2005, 08:49 AM

I have 2 of the AirZone tents. I haven't camped in them yet but have spent some time inflating them and what-not in my garage and their system is pretty strong. I cant wait to try them out somewhere. Seem to be good tents from my playing with them. And yes, with a powertank, you can have your house up and ready in about 15 seconds. Haven't tried it yet with the included compressor they send.

jam90

November 30th, 2005, 10:02 AM

Those air tents look great... perhaps I can forgo the roof tent... it certainly would save me a lot of money!
They really ought to add an inflatable floor to those tents so you don't need to pack an air mattress...
I have one of those North Face "Airfloor" tents that has a built in therma-rest style floor... I really love it because there are no edges or seams to the air mattress... you can't roll off of it.

-James

Trevor Tarr

November 30th, 2005, 02:08 PM

On a related note ... I've thought a lot about rooftop tents. To me, the single biggest drawback is that you've coupled your transportation to your campsite. Any time you want to take a drive away from camp, which for me is at least once a day, you have to empty and collapse the tent. That's just way too much work. Plus there's the high center-of-gravity driving issue, and the susceptibility to wind.

What I've finally settled on, which kills a lot of birds with one expensive stone, is a South African Defense Forces-style trailer, with its own roof-top tent (on telescoping spring-loaded struts). The tent is a 2.4-meter-square Howling Moon Tourer. See the first thumbnail below for a picture of the tent itself (but on a D110, not the trailer).

The trailer is being manufactured by Chris Cole's CampaUSA (http://www.campausa.com/) in Ohio, an offshoot of CampaATT in South Africa. Some of the pluses for me are:

I can drive away from my campsite whenever I want.
The tent is actually relatively easy to set up, and huge.
Compared to the Sankey ex-MOD trailer I've been using, the Campa is an entirely self-contained campsite.
Although I will still be more susceptible to wind than camping at ground level, the tent dosn't sit quite as high as the roof of my truck.

Although it's pricey, the trailer is incredible. It's all stainless, and includes 40 gallons of water storage, a shower, two sinks, an instant tankless water heater for showers and dish-washing, a self-contained fold-out kitchen unit, 2 11-pound propane tanks, 15 gallons of fuel storage, an Engel 45 refrigerator and Engel IB67 cooler, wheels and tires interchangeable with my truck's, brakes, a very burly offroad suspension, water- and dust-tight storage, two enclosed levels (with a ground-level skirt below the tent), lighting inside the tent and in all the storage bins ... the list goes on and on.

Keeping my fingers crossed this baby will be done before my next trip to the Saline Valley in December....

Follow-up Post:

Forgot to mention, the trailer is coming through, and with a lot of help from, Charles d'Andrade and Rover Accessories, CampaUSA's West Coast distributor. You should see them soon at http://www.roveraccessories.com/trailers.htm

lactic

November 30th, 2005, 04:01 PM

Whoa...! Now THAT'S a trailer! Got to ask- about what $ are we talkin' as built? My wife and I were thinking of doing a AT tear-drop trailer but I like the looks of this!

Thanks!

Trevor Tarr

November 30th, 2005, 05:07 PM

I actually started with the idea of an offroad teardrop too. I was mostly looking at the Camp-Inn (http://www.tinycamper.com/), with a ruggedized offroad option I don't think they still offer. I loved the idea that I could pull over any time, walk from my truck back to the trailer, get in, and go to sleep. Or just pop up the rear hatch and have an instant kitchen. The two deal-breakers for me were:

I wasn't convinced that even the "offroad" models were truly rugged enough to withstand the abuse I'd give them, especially extended high speeds on washboard.
There was never really enough storage space, without filling up the trailer's interior, which would eliminate the always-ready-bed plus.

Pricing for my CampaATT hasn't been finalized. but it should land somewhere in the low- to mid-teens.