The Best Tent Ever, Maybe?

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Embark With Mark

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The quest to find the perfect tent has been a rough one for me. When I was single and in warmer weather a cot, or ground mat was perfectly fine for me. When my wife and I started dating we used my, very small, back packing tent with two blow up hiking mats. We tried two Roof Top Tents both on the Jeep and then on a trailer, but they just did not fit our camping style.

While the RTTs were comfortable we found issues with it being on the roof of a Jeep TJ. One we are smaller people and this forced me to have to, almost, climb on the roof to pack the thing away. Furthermore the two models of RTT we had did not have enough storage space inside to be able to store all the sleeping gear inside it self. Since we explore in a TJ space is a premium and having a huge tent that takes up both the roof rack and then sleeping gear that takes up space on the inside was not working out. Plus questions of stability come into play when hitting harder trails. The trailer was a nice setup and fixed most of these issues expect that the added complexity of getting stuck on a tight trail towing a trailer. We often just point the rig down a trail and see were it leads. That is a little harder to do with a trailer.

After trying out the RTT, we then moved back to our trusted 2 person ground tent setup. The two flaws here were that we had to blow up our hiking mattresses by mouth every night, something that becomes daunting if you hit camp at 4AM. (We do this more than I care to admit). The ground tent has only one door, and is very small. Having only one door is an inconvenience, but we worked around it. The ground tent had a few pros over the RTT. One was weight, the ground tent setup was very light weight. Two was space, the whole ground tent setup took up less space because it left our roof rack open. I say whole setup, because I count the sleeping arrangement and tent as a unit. Its crucial these parts come together to make a complete unit and as such space and comfort comes down to more than just the tent it self. However, this setup was not nearly as comfortable as the Roof Top Tent and started to become a problem for us. We started to dread pulling out all the sleeping gear every night, blowing up mattresses, and organizing the whole sleep system. In the morning it would be a reverse of this.

Entire the Swag tent. We are still in the testing phases of this tent. However, it knocks off a few important factors for us. One all the sleeping gear can be stored inside the swag when it is rolled up and then the swag gets thrown on the roof. This keeps all the sleeping gear together, ready to go, and keeps the inside of the jeep more tidy. Secondly, no blowing up of air mattresses. Third, the thing is very comfortable. My wife made a statement the first night saying "when I woke up I thought we were still at home for a moment". Fourth, it has two doors. fifth, the tent and the jeep are independent of each other so we can setup a base camp. It really is nice not having to pack up a tent when ever you want to move the vehicle. Finally, the thing is so thick that light can not penetrate it. For someone like myself who likes the ideas of an RTT but wants portability of a ground tent. I think a swag is right in the middle. With all that said, I still beileve that one has to configure their setup for their camping style. So far it seems that this Swag tent is a winner. 2What do you think? Would you try one? Do you already use one? Do you know anyone that uses them?

Check out my first impressions:
 

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That was a good video - thanks for putting it together and posting it.

My wife and I have been using a Gazelle for a few trips, and have been thinking about camper and trailer options that would allow us to park and sleep. If we didn't have a hundred pound dog and lots of stuff, a swag would be a tempting option.
 
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Billiebob

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It is a tent, lets watch it get rolled up in the rain. RTTs are nice cuz yer off the ground and have a solid level base once parked. This concept is a nightmare in bad weather.
 

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I think it depends on the situation. What is ideal for me might not work for you. Each have merits and weak points.
I had a huge RTT, hardshell. It was nice, well insulated and comfortable, bedding stayed inside, being a hardshell, to pack was a breeze, about 1 min maximum with 2 people. But the kid got bigger and we no longer fit inside. So it had to go, . Soft shell for me has almost 0 advantages compared with a ground tent, except being off the ground. Packing takes for ever, almost impossible to setup in high wind ( I saw it first hand during a storm ) . So I bought 1 double swag for me and the missus and a smaller 1 person swag for the kid.
As you pointed out , bedding stays inside, fast to install and pack. Bad whether - at lest to pack will be easier than a canvas RTT for sure. Most of overlanding around the world is actually done on motorbikes and they do fine with ground tent on all continents. I have a Toyota Hilux . As soon as I removed the RTT ( it was 77 kg or 170 lbs ) I noticed a significant improvement in handling both on and off road, and my fuel average went from 11l/100 km or ~ 21 mpg to 9l/100 km or 26.13 U.S. MPG .
My wife still would prefer an RTT but it is what it is, until the kid will be big enough and he will not want to travel with us anymore this is a good solution for us.

For long therm travel like many months in different climates I would go for a vehicle where is possible to have a roof conversion . It adds very little to height of the vehicle and lower overall weight. Easy to setup/pack. You have a huge space inside where you can spend time in bad whether . But it is very expensive and only a limited number of vehicles have this option. There are a couple of companies now that can make a canopy for pickups with an RTT roof conversions.
Something like this . Expensive but if you decide to travel for a couple of years this is what I would get.
 

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I think it depends on the situation. What is ideal for me might not work for you. Each have merits and weak points.
I had a huge RTT, hardshell. It was nice, well insulated and comfortable, bedding stayed inside, being a hardshell, to pack was a breeze, about 1 min maximum with 2 people. But the kid got bigger and we no longer fit inside. So it had to go, . Soft shell for me has almost 0 advantages compared with a ground tent, except being off the ground. Packing takes for ever, almost impossible to setup in high wind ( I saw it first hand during a storm ) . So I bought 1 double swag for me and the missus and a smaller 1 person swag for the kid.
As you pointed out , bedding stays inside, fast to install and pack. Bad whether - at lest to pack will be easier than a canvas RTT for sure. Most of overlanding around the world is actually done on motorbikes and they do fine with ground tent on all continents. I have a Toyota Hilux . As soon as I removed the RTT ( it was 77 kg or 170 lbs ) I noticed a significant improvement in handling both on and off road, and my fuel average went from 11l/100 km or ~ 21 mpg to 9l/100 km or 26.13 U.S. MPG .
My wife still would prefer an RTT but it is what it is, until the kid will be big enough and he will not want to travel with us anymore this is a good solution for us.

For long therm travel like many months in different climates I would go for a vehicle where is possible to have a roof conversion . It adds very little to height of the vehicle and lower overall weight. Easy to setup/pack. You have a huge space inside where you can spend time in bad whether . But it is very expensive and only a limited number of vehicles have this option. There are a couple of companies now that can make a canopy for pickups with an RTT roof conversions.
Something like this . Expensive but if you decide to travel for a couple of years this is what I would get.
Good. The roof conversion looks cool.
 
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For long therm travel like many months in different climates I would go for a vehicle where is possible to have a roof conversion...
I like the Ursa Minor replacement top for a jeep. Someone should make something similar that uses an accordian seal to connect an open sunroof to a hardtop tent.
 
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Nice story tell on your video, well shot and the review is concise and nicely told. Thanks for posting.
Interesting, not for me. Way to big and bulky. Watching you wrestle that thing closed sealed it for me. I am a ground tent guy for most of my trips. I just did a 2+ weeks in Baja with a 10 year old Eureka packer tent. (Heavy duty). I don’t have problems with Thermarest pads and finishing them off. If takes me 15 mins to set up the tent and fill it. I run truck and the tent et all rides behind the seats so it’s easy to sleep in a pinch.
I love change and thinking out of the box, in this case I’ll run with tried and true. I live buy the montra “the reason I love something is the exact reason you hate it”.
Thank you for doing a nice video showing the feature of the tent and the benefits for you and yours.
 

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That was a good video - thanks for putting it together and posting it.

My wife and I have been using a Gazelle for a few trips, and have been thinking about camper and trailer options that would allow us to park and sleep. If we didn't have a hundred pound dog and lots of stuff, a swag would be a tempting option.

You are very welcome, glad you liked it.

How do you like the Gazelle, I hear good things. I agree with the space issue, we could not use this tent without a roof rack.
 
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Embark With Mark

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It is a tent, lets watch it get rolled up in the rain. RTTs are nice cuz yer off the ground and have a solid level base once parked. This concept is a nightmare in bad weather.
A very possible scenario. I might have to test this thing out in some bad weather now. My personal expereaince with RTT's is that wind just reeks havoc on them.
 

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I think it depends on the situation. What is ideal for me might not work for you. Each have merits and weak points.
I had a huge RTT, hardshell. It was nice, well insulated and comfortable, bedding stayed inside, being a hardshell, to pack was a breeze, about 1 min maximum with 2 people. But the kid got bigger and we no longer fit inside. So it had to go, . Soft shell for me has almost 0 advantages compared with a ground tent, except being off the ground. Packing takes for ever, almost impossible to setup in high wind ( I saw it first hand during a storm ) . So I bought 1 double swag for me and the missus and a smaller 1 person swag for the kid.
As you pointed out , bedding stays inside, fast to install and pack. Bad whether - at lest to pack will be easier than a canvas RTT for sure. Most of overlanding around the world is actually done on motorbikes and they do fine with ground tent on all continents. I have a Toyota Hilux . As soon as I removed the RTT ( it was 77 kg or 170 lbs ) I noticed a significant improvement in handling both on and off road, and my fuel average went from 11l/100 km or ~ 21 mpg to 9l/100 km or 26.13 U.S. MPG .
My wife still would prefer an RTT but it is what it is, until the kid will be big enough and he will not want to travel with us anymore this is a good solution for us.

I totally agree that the setup has to be customized your own style of exploring/camping. I also noticed the same improvements to my Jeep when I took the RTT off.
 
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A very possible scenario. I might have to test this thing out in some bad weather now. My personal expereaince with RTT's is that wind just reeks havoc on them.
Not all RTT's are created equal. Hard Shell and canvas foldouts ALWAYS get categorized together. Hard shells are splendid in highs winds, been there, done that. :smile:
 
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Embark With Mark

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Nice story tell on your video, well shot and the review is concise and nicely told. Thanks for posting.
Interesting, not for me. Way to big and bulky. Watching you wrestle that thing closed sealed it for me. I am a ground tent guy for most of my trips. I just did a 2+ weeks in Baja with a 10 year old Eureka packer tent. (Heavy duty). I don’t have problems with Thermarest pads and finishing them off. If takes me 15 mins to set up the tent and fill it. I run truck and the tent et all rides behind the seats so it’s easy to sleep in a pinch.
I love change and thinking out of the box, in this case I’ll run with tried and true. I live buy the montra “the reason I love something is the exact reason you hate it”.
Thank you for doing a nice video showing the feature of the tent and the benefits for you and yours.
Hey, thank you! I am really glad you liked this review.

This thing is very bulky, that is true. Honeslty the only way we are able us it is because the Jeep has a roof rack. Time will tell if the resleting it around is an issue. I can say that it is already far easier than any of the soft shell roof top tents I have owned. However, I fully agree with your montra, their is no perfect camp setup for everyone only a perfect camp setup for someone.
 

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Not all RTT's are created equal. Hard Shell and canvas foldouts ALWAYS get categorized together. Hard shells are splendid in highs winds, been there, done that. :smile:
Very true! However, I feel that most Hard shell RTTs are in a totally differnt price bracket than most of the RTT's or ground tents being used today. Though, they are very nice and I know they are a totally different animal than soft shell RTTs.
 
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You are very welcome, glad you liked it.

How do you like the Gazelle, I hear good things. I agree with the space issue, we could not use this tent without a roof rack.
We love it. The Gazelle is like camping with a two bedroom cottage. We use the T4 plus, which has one room large enough for a queen size mattress, and an entry room of equal size, useful for dining or hanging out on a rainy day. It's very handy, but rolls up about the size of your swag, plus the inflatable mattress and blankets. Like yours, I don't think the T4 works without a roof rack.
 
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Very true! However, I feel that most Hard shell RTTs are in a totally differnt price bracket than most of the RTT's or ground tents being used today. Though, they are very nice and I know they are a totally different animal than soft shell RTTs.
Yes, they are in a different price bracket.

But, if your trying to enlighten people it's only fair to classify them properly.

1. Ground Tents
2. Hard Shell RTT's
3. Folding Canvas RRT's

They are 3 VERY different setups. :smile:

IMG_0325.jpg
 
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I still prefer a ground tent.

It takes up very little space, weighs very little as well.
Cheap.
Easy to setup, probably 2 minutes.
No need to go up and down any ladders, especially in the middle of the night when its damp out. Plus I have 2 dogs averaging 55 lbs.
No extra weight at the top of my vehicle.
I dont have to park on a level surface.

I like to add that my mattress takes less than a minute to inflate, and I've seen self inflating mattresses, id get one but mine isn't a hassle at all.

I'm looking to upgrade my tent, been looking at this one that is over 6' at the middle. Also claims a 60 second setup.
 

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To resume my experience - I had a normal ground tent, a good quality hardshell RTT - Autohome Columbus XL and swags.

Self inflatable mattress - they are a bloody curse . They sounds nice, you throw them out in the tent, wait for like 30 min, puff in them a few times and done ...right ? What nobody is telling you is the deflation process, that takes a lot of time and effort. From this point of view a normal pad or a normal inflatable one is much better/faster.
RTT. - canvas RTT the only added value is that you are off the ground. The setup very often is even more painful and time consuming that the most basic ground tents. Heavy compared with with ground tent that offers the same space.

The off the ground-safety factor.
I think it is more of a psychological effect. . I don't know of anyone dying even in Africa from sleeping on the ground. I think like 15 years ago there was a case of a german lady who slept with her feet outside the ground tent and a lion took a bite out of it, but that was about it. For some reason even for huge animals a bit of canvas with zipper seems like an impenetrable barrier ( i know it does not make any sense, a bit of canvas should be nothing for a bear or a lion or whatever, but is true) .. so there is no real value added to the safety factor by going on the roof. As long as you close the zippers you are good, in any tent, at least from large animals.

But if this is what it takes to get the missus out and the family to enjoy the trip ..it will worth any expense. and all other talk about weight up top, poor fuel economy cost etc becomes irrelevant :)


A hard shell it is a different ball game. They are in general smaller than canvas RTT, but the experience is different. Less impact on the aerodynamics and for most, the set up and fold is under 1 min. Heavier than cavas. Difficult if you have to take them off the vehicle often, you need some kind of pulley system or 3 buddies . Some canvas RTT - have the same issue, you need more than 2 people to put them on or off the vehicle.

Best RTT when money is no object that takes care of almost all disadvantages of RTT are roof top conversions. They are costly, but probably worth it it if you plan a 3 year trip around the world. For pickups there are options now that will fit almost any pick up, for wagons'SUV, there are some specific models, like defenders, troopies, jeeps wrangler, who have specialized companies on doing this type of work, so there the selection is more limited.

Swags - heavier than ground tents. Can be kept inside or on a roof rack, they can take some weather. They pack and setup fast, there are even some inflatable option with no poles. You can leave the bedding inside like it is possible in the good RTT's . This saves a lot of time and space . They come with a normal mattress that can be upgraded. But they are bulky and heavy. Where storage space is an issue.. they might be a problem. Cost is also a factor, they are for sure up there with the more expensive ground tents. but much cheaper than an RTT
 
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The quest to find the perfect tent has been a rough one for me. When I was single and in warmer weather a cot, or ground mat was perfectly fine for me. When my wife and I started dating we used my, very small, back packing tent with two blow up hiking mats. We tried two Roof Top Tents both on the Jeep and then on a trailer, but they just did not fit our camping style.

While the RTTs were comfortable we found issues with it being on the roof of a Jeep TJ. One we are smaller people and this forced me to have to, almost, climb on the roof to pack the thing away. Furthermore the two models of RTT we had did not have enough storage space inside to be able to store all the sleeping gear inside it self. Since we explore in a TJ space is a premium and having a huge tent that takes up both the roof rack and then sleeping gear that takes up space on the inside was not working out. Plus questions of stability come into play when hitting harder trails. The trailer was a nice setup and fixed most of these issues expect that the added complexity of getting stuck on a tight trail towing a trailer. We often just point the rig down a trail and see were it leads. That is a little harder to do with a trailer.

After trying out the RTT, we then moved back to our trusted 2 person ground tent setup. The two flaws here were that we had to blow up our hiking mattresses by mouth every night, something that becomes daunting if you hit camp at 4AM. (We do this more than I care to admit). The ground tent has only one door, and is very small. Having only one door is an inconvenience, but we worked around it. The ground tent had a few pros over the RTT. One was weight, the ground tent setup was very light weight. Two was space, the whole ground tent setup took up less space because it left our roof rack open. I say whole setup, because I count the sleeping arrangement and tent as a unit. Its crucial these parts come together to make a complete unit and as such space and comfort comes down to more than just the tent it self. However, this setup was not nearly as comfortable as the Roof Top Tent and started to become a problem for us. We started to dread pulling out all the sleeping gear every night, blowing up mattresses, and organizing the whole sleep system. In the morning it would be a reverse of this.

Entire the Swag tent. We are still in the testing phases of this tent. However, it knocks off a few important factors for us. One all the sleeping gear can be stored inside the swag when it is rolled up and then the swag gets thrown on the roof. This keeps all the sleeping gear together, ready to go, and keeps the inside of the jeep more tidy. Secondly, no blowing up of air mattresses. Third, the thing is very comfortable. My wife made a statement the first night saying "when I woke up I thought we were still at home for a moment". Fourth, it has two doors. fifth, the tent and the jeep are independent of each other so we can setup a base camp. It really is nice not having to pack up a tent when ever you want to move the vehicle. Finally, the thing is so thick that light can not penetrate it. For someone like myself who likes the ideas of an RTT but wants portability of a ground tent. I think a swag is right in the middle. With all that said, I still beileve that one has to configure their setup for their camping style. So far it seems that this Swag tent is a winner. 2What do you think? Would you try one? Do you already use one? Do you know anyone that uses them?

Check out my first impressions:
That is a very cool tent. Like you I chose a ground tent to use for camping. I chose the Oztent and it rides up on the roof of my JK as well. The other reason and main one for my wife is the fact that we can stand up inside the tent to get dressed and or to move around. I also like the front awning that is built in to the tent and can be used or not at all depending on the camping moment. The rest of the gear fits inside the back of the Jeep. If you build a box around the ARB fridge you will be able to put items on top of it and still be able to access the fridge when stopped for breaks and meals. The box can be made portable and thrown into the Jeep when ever you take the fridge with you, too.
 
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It is a tent, lets watch it get rolled up in the rain. RTTs are nice cuz yer off the ground and have a solid level base once parked. This concept is a nightmare in bad weather.
Luckily, here in AZ we don't get much rain so your scenario doesn't happen that often. I like to adventure deep off road and the trails get very off camber and I hate the tipsiness of the higher center of gravity.