How to choose your roof tent?

One of the first advantages of going high up is to avoid all the insects and other creepy-crawlies that sometimes keep us company in a traditional tent. Or any other animal in general for that matter (hello campers who have been woken up by foxes, raccoons or even sometimes horses). Nothing very dangerous in our European regions... but it can become useful in countries with less "friendly" fauna.

Sleeping on high ground also avoids minor flooding on days of heavy rain.
Yes, the days when we dug our little trenches around the tents on the campsites are long gone. The soil must remain intact for the next ones (and in the end, that's good).
If you still remember that rock that prevented you from sleeping well last summer (the "camping" version of the story of the Princess and the Pea, in short), the advantage of sleeping on your roof is that you will sleep on a (really) flat floor.

Have you already mumbled "Oh, how low the earth is!" when getting up from your tent?
You don't think about it enough, but sleeping in a roof tent makes it easier to get up! Indeed, even though age can sometimes accentuate the effects of gravity on our bodies, with a roof tent, the height and the ladder lets you have a kind of bed edge to help the transition from lying down to standing up.

And for those who are still nurturing their inner child, sleeping in a roof tent is like the adult version of having the top bunk (or finally having your own "tree house").
If this last argument (in modelling clay) did not convince you, I invite you to consult our article to help you choose your tent (that’s all).

One of the advantages put forward by roof-tent campers is the freedom to camp wherever you want, or nearly so, with the best view. A similar advantage to van life, without having to fit out the interior of your van or truck, or simply without having to reinvest in a new vehicle. Even if the purchase price of a roof tent is not negligible, it’s nothing like the purchase or fitting out of a van, its maintenance and sometimes the parking space to be rented when you don't take it on holiday.

Want to camp wherever you want when you want, does that sound too good? The roof tent opens up many new horizons to you, with few constraints. Simply put, you can open your roof tent where you park and spend the night, as long as no part of your tent is on the ground. However, even if there is no national or international legislation in place, this doesn’t mean that everything is allowed! There are a few exceptions such as: classified areas, the surroundings of historic sites or the seaside, and of course private property. You should look into it a little in advance.
To find out more, you can read our article on wild camping. 
The advantage of a roof tent is that you can go on the road and cross borders with your house on your back. You will need to find out about the regulations in each country. 
Oh yes! The adventure sometimes has a small organisational cost upstream, which will save you a financial cost later (what are a few minutes of online research compared to a fine in another language or even another currency?).

As roof tents are universal, if you have a roof rack, you have already passed the first criteria (except for the van roof tent mentioned above... to be continued)! Check the data sheet of the roof tent for the minimum number of kilos that each roof rack bar should be able to support, and compare it with your vehicle.
For example, the Quechua MH500 2-person roof tent, with its cover dimensions of 46 x 123 x 35 cm and a total weight of 52 kg (tent 45 kg + ladder 7 kg), can be fitted to any vehicle that can be equipped with two roof rack bars that can support a minimum of 75 kg.
In any case, we advise you to refer to the manufacturer's logbook of your vehicle, where the maximum load supported is specified. We also advise against using a roof tent with glass roofs, as this reduces the mechanical strength of the roof.

NB: don't neglect the size of the closed tent and its design (rigid shell, aerodynamics) which will impact on your fuel consumption.

Each roof tent comes with a built-in mattress, which matches the exact measurements of the tent. Be sure to check the thickness, but more importantly the density of the mattress to see how comfortable it is. Some models even have an under-mattress to minimise condensation. When it comes to bedding (and investment products in general), the best thing to do is to try and test the models on display.

The good news about the roof tent is that it's usually the setting up on the roof that's the most laborious. After that, you can often just "unfold" it and it will take on its shape in no time, like a "pop-up" book.

For tents that consist of a shell that opens (like an oyster), without protruding from the vehicle, pitching and disassembly will be quick and easy. Open, they offer a rather small (or "very cosy", depending on your point of view) living space.

"Portfolio" tents are not free-standing. This means that the top of the tent is supported by the ladder. The ladder must therefore be securely locked. Otherwise, the platform will lean "into the void" and will not support any load. However, the ladder lock is essential for all types of roof tents that have one!

There are also roof tents with an inflatable structure, such as the MH900 Fresh & Black 2-person inflatable roof tent which inflates in 20 seconds. However, the ladder still needs to be secured.

The advantage of inflatable roof tents: more compact, they leave space to carry the rest of your sports equipment on the roof of your car, such as a surfboard or kayak. What's more, they are better suited to small vehicles.