Just in case anyone wonders what the hell I'm on about: Eva Haberman, the original Zev Bellringer in 'Lexx'. Which was a sufficiently interestingly-weird thing on cable in the early hours, but mainly I watched it for Ms Haberman.
I'm see those bloody tent boxes on top of cars everywhere up here, it's like an epidemic of people sleeping on their cars; whats the game? When I was at the bike show at Ingleston last time they had a stall and appeared to be doing a roaring trade! Am I missing something? It is the end times? Zombie apocalypse? Should I be getting a roof-top-box for the Navara? Somebody tell me please, I want to live!
Because it’s the new cool thing to do, dropping the back seats down and kipping in the car is so last year.
Roof tents used to be the preserve of 4x4s in the UK, and even then were rare as they were aimed at those actually going on expedition and those who just enjoyed the look as though they could. It was a topic of conversation a couple of years ago on a 4x4 forum I use, that they had started appearing on 'normal' cars more often and there were some good insights. The main one was something I was unaware of but have had confirmed by colleagues at work from parts of Europe. Roof tents on cars is an 'Eastern European thing' apparently our neighbours from the likes of Hungary, Poland, Estonia etc have embraced them for traveling and camping for years now, so of course when they come to the UK to live they've been carrying on as usual. Also of course, the more people that see them the more think they are a good idea, I personally agree. I've climbed a ladder and slept in one on a 110 for a couple of nights and would do it again. They are certainly a lot easier to set up and put away than a conventional tent.
In a typical tent, you can still go out in the car sight seeing, to eat or shopping, without having to pack everything up unlike the rooftop nonsense. The costs of the campsite are not smaller because the tent is on the roof. But the tent is far smaller than most other tents. Pop up, good quality tents are £100 or less. Rooftop tents are £1000 or more You don't need a ladder to get in a ground tent, and you can't fall out of it either.
