You are probably wondering about our rooftop tent, what is it.  Exactly as it sounds, a tent mounted on top of the car.  I’ve never seen one back home but did hear of them about a  year ago in a travel blog I read.  You could mounted one on any vehicle but the preferred rig here is some form of pick up, ours is a white Toyota Hilux 4×4 with an extended cab, rented from ASCO Car Hire in Windhoek, Namibia.  The tents hold 2 people so we have two on our car.  This is a very popular way of traveling around southern Africa, you see lots of them on the road.

Closed up the tents are folded lengthwise.  You open the tent by first unzipping a cover exposing the tent.  Release a couple velcro latches, pull out the ladder, then unfold and you have a fully standing tent.  The ladder acts as a support for the half that extends over the edge of the car.  There are windows on all four sides that can be unzip to revel a screen, with rain flaps the extend out supported by metal rods you set in place.  Of course the middle two don’t open since the tents are inches apart. We timed the setup yesterday, Sierra and Savanna were racing, and it took about 6 minutes with a little help from me and Michelle.

Camping at Fish River Canyon

Sheets, blankets and a decent mattress are also stowed in the tent, just add pillows and you are ready to sleep.  You would be surprised at the comfort of rooftop tenting, almost like a bed.  My hips usually require a few days of break-in time to get used to camping but I had excellent sleep starting with our first night.  While they look very narrow the tents are actually reasonable spacious for two adults, feels more roomy than a two person ground tent.

Our truck came fully equipped with camping gear.  We have a folding metal table about the size of a card table with four very comfortable chairs.  Cooking supplies consist of a propane tank and burner along with a box of plates, bowls, utensils and stackable pots with the lids double as pans.  A decent size cooler is chilled by the cars DC power or plugs into AC when available.  We have two spare tires and a water tank.  Even with all the gears we can comfortably fit our backpacks and daypacks in back.

Camping at Etosha

It’s a big truck but diesel powered and has two gas tanks so we can go about 800 miles without refueling, almost a requirement here since distances can be far and the population sparse.  Gas mileage has been OK at about the equivalent of low 20’s/gallon.  I’m a diesel convert now, I love them.  I don’t understand why they haven’t taken off back home, the gas mileage is so much better.  Our diesel car in Europe was getting about 45 mpg and it wasn’t tiny or underpowered.

There are plusses and minuses to rooftop tenting.  The main negative is you can’t leave your tent behind.  If you setup camp and plan on staying multiple nights but also would like to use you car the tents need to be taken down in the morning.  Not a big deal but annoying.  On occasions it would be nice to wake up before sunrise and head out looking for animals, coming back an hour later for breakfast and to break down camp but unfortunately it’s not possible with rooftop tents.

The pluses are many.  The tents are easy and quick to setup, no messing around with support poles and stakes like with ground tents.  The most significant advantage is you are eight feet off the ground which has many benefits.  Sleeping on the ground can be either hot or cold.  If the ground is cool it sucks the heat right out of you.  On warm nights air close to the ground remains a bit warmer than air a few feet off the ground.  With the windows open in our tent the breeze easily blows through.

Africa has no shortage of creepy crawlies and critters you don’t want near your tent.  Bugs are everywhere.  I’ve seen some big ass millipedes that look more like snakes.  I am now sitting next to an outlet in our campground constantly swatting off ants trying to feed on a cut on my foot.  We are pretty much bug free on top of the car.

While the fear of wild animals is more perception than reality, once you see hyenas and lions in real life and realize they are bigger and meaner looking than on TV you are thankful for not being a swat away from becoming someones dinner.

As I write this we have two weeks of rooftop camping behind us and the experience continues to be very positive.  We are already dreaming up the next long term trip, maybe months of driving around Africa or maybe a drive from Alaska to Argentina.  I think I need to buy a truck when we get home.

Camping at Nkwazi, across the Okavango river from Angola.