Roofnest Roof Top Tent review

https://heartspaceexplorations.com/gear-for-explorers/roofnest-sparrow-review/

You can follow the link above to see my initial thoughts on the Roofnest Sparrow roof top tent.

I think roof top tents are a great choice for climbers, pretty sure we'll be seeing more of these in the wild. 

How much does it bounce around the suspension when you move around in it?

I don't understand why other companies come along and knock off long established models and charge the same price.

Its the same thing as a Maggiolina without the 15+ years of proven performance. All within a few dollars of the original.

I'd be interested in a knock off for $600 or so. At $2500, get the real thing.

Hey Matt - it's pretty stable, very little movement.

And yes I looked at the Maggiolina and read the feedback about them on Expedition Portal. I personally like the door awning feature better on the Roofnest and there were negative reports regarding customer service with the Autohome products.

I bought a Roofnest last month and used it in the Saline Valley last week on a solo trip.  It performed great.  I live in the LA area and called to order mine at 10:00am it was delivered at 2:00pm the same day, they have a distribution place in LA apparently.  I took it on some pretty rough roads, long washboard and some steeper 4x4 trails to get to some potential new climbing spots and I never felt it bumping around though I did hear some creaking but that was the Thule rack and gutter connection and not the tent.  
I don't care if people knock off the other brands, it's done in all fields including climbing.
 
On the second night of my trip a dry cold system moved in and the wind really cranked up over night.   I have a Kestrel wind gauge and it was registering gusts up to 60mph with steady winds of 25-30mph and the tent held up great,

My only complaint is that Roofnest switched from a ratchet strap type closure to a metal buckle closure system.   I think the metal buckle closure has the potential to open if the two piece shell gets compressed while traveling on rough roads.  This never happened to me however even on the roughest roads though I would still prefer a ratchet stream or cam strap closure.

Great review and pics, Kevin. Re. your concern about the buckle vs. ratchet closure. I have a Thule pod with questionable latches. I throw a locking strap like this around it whenever I'm hitting the road to make sure it doesn't pop open.

https://www.rei.com/product/843133/thule-10-foot-locking-straps-package-of-2

Honest question and I dont want to start thread drift but what are the pros/cons of a roof top tent vs just pitching one on the ground? 

Tapawingo Markey wrote: Honest question and I dont want to start thread drift but what are the pros/cons of a roof top tent vs just pitching one on the ground? 

Time.  I have spent the last 40 years sleeping in a tent on the ground and will still do it from time to time but the main reason I bought this was time of set up.  That may not seem like a big deal but i got tired of rushing to pitch a tent during a rain storm or pulling into camp late at night and having to put up a tent.  The Roofnest literally goes up in less than a minute.  

I'm also having a off road teardrop trailer built and the tent will eventually go on top of the trailer so the kids can have the tent and my wife and I will have the trailer.  
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Kevin-thanks for sharing, that's good info. I haven't been in that much wind with mine yet, glad it did well. Nice looking rig you have there! I was tempted by the teardrop trailers as well, lots of good options out there these days. Speaking of options, if you leave the roofnest on the vehicle and finish the teardrop you'll have two really nice vehicle camping choices.

Tapawingo - lots of reasons for me. easy setup and takedown is a big one. find a levelish spot to park and you can be set up super fast. you can even leave some bedding in the tent, plus the foam mattress stays in place, which can mean less stuff in the vehicle. Being up off the ground is nice; better views, breezes, less likely to have issues with wildlife. I've been awakened by a skunk in the wee hours of the morning in a ground tent, heard this snuffing and scratching, turn on the headlamp, and see that the skunk is under the fly and i'm nose to nose with just the bug netting between us. Def would've slept better in a rooftop that night. :)

Jody Jacobs wrote: Kevin-thanks for sharing, that's good info. I haven't been in that much wind with mine yet, glad it did well. Nice looking rig you have there! I was tempted by the teardrop trailers as well, lots of good options out there these days. Speaking of options, if you leave the roofnest on the vehicle and finish the teardrop you'll have two really nice vehicle camping choices.

Since the Jeep is my daily driver keeping it on all the time really isn't an option.   The main area I climb two days a week is 40 miles on mountain roads and the extra weight on the roof will take a toll on tire life in the long run as well as body roll on turns.  It's also a pain to take on and off on any regular basis.  I have a carport next to the house, I need to find a way to rig a two to one pulley and so I can take it off myself.     

I love your buffed out teardrop. I sometimes borrow a friend's Little Guy Silver Shadow, and they're fantastic. My hunch is that putting a heavy rooftop tent on the teardrop isn't going to be so great, though. Seems like lots of potential for sway and rocking of the entire contraption with two in the trailer and two up top. Hopefully I'm wrong. 

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:

I don't understand why other companies come along and knock off long established models and charge the same price.

Its the same thing as a Maggiolina without the 15+ years of proven performance. All within a few dollars of the original.

I'd be interested in a knock off for $600 or so. At $2500, get the real thing.

You could always order yourself a Walmart rooftop tent for real prestige. 

Señor Arroz wrote: I love your buffed out teardrop. I sometimes borrow a friend's Little Guy Silver Shadow, and they're fantastic. My hunch is that putting a heavy rooftop tent on the teardrop isn't going to be so great, though. Seems like lots of potential for sway and rocking of the entire contraption with two in the trailer and two up top. Hopefully I'm wrong. 

The rooftop on the trailer is a pretty standard set up on the off road teardrops.   The tent is much narrower than the wheel width of the trailer so I'm not too worried about it but just have to be aware of it off road.   The trailer also has a 30 gallon baffled and armored water tank at the axle level that I won't have completely full most of the time but that will keep the weight close to the ground.  

Jody Jacobs wrote:

https://heartspaceexplorations.com/gear-for-explorers/roofnest-sparrow-review/

You can follow the link above to see my initial thoughts on the Roofnest Sparrow roof top tent.

I think roof top tents are a great choice for climbers, pretty sure we'll be seeing more of these in the wild. 

How stable is it? Copulating approved?

My updated review is up for viewing here: https://heartspaceexplorations.com/gear-for-explorers/roofnest-sparrow-6-month-review/

Also, Roofnest is currently doing a free accessory promotion for the next 50 purchasers. Apparently it includes their 12v cooler ($549), vehicle awning ($349), etc. That's a deal for someone who's in the market to upgrade their car camping experience. 

Meh, spending a couple thousand extra dollars to inconvinance myself trying to go pee in the middle of the night: no thanks.

Billcoe wrote: Meh, spending a couple thousand extra dollars to inconvinance myself trying to go pee in the middle of the night: no thanks.

It’s just like sleeping in a portaledge, pee bottle dude, no inconvenience unless you grab the wrong bottle to get a drink in the middle of the night. 

This is from a week ago on a solo trip to scope out a new climbing area.  The Roofnest goes on top of the trailer this week.  

Kevin Mokracek wrote: This is from a week ago on a solo trip to scope out a new climbing area.  The Roofnest goes on top of the trailer this week.  

Kevin, do you have a place to store your teardrop at home or do you pay to store it? That's really the only thing keeping me from getting one. I'm not game to spend the $150-$200 month it'd cost me to store on the Westside of LA.

Señor Arroz wrote:

Kevin, do you have a place to store your teardrop at home or do you pay to store it? That's really the only thing keeping me from getting one. I'm not game to spend the $150-$200 month it'd cost me to store on the Westside of LA.

I keep it in the driveway behind our gate.  We are fortunate to have the room to store it.  In Burbank most of the homes are 1940's track homes and almost all have similar layouts and have plenty of room.

What kind of teardrop is that?