Caranex rear tents?

[IPSC_GUY]

Has anyone used the Caranex rear tents before? If so what do you think? Looking at the pictures this option gives you access into the vehicle but still allows the extra space.

So thoughts on these?

IPSC_GUY
SIERRA II ALPHA

 

[TeriAnn]

Has anyone used the Caranex rear tents before? If so what do you think? Looking at the pictures this option gives you access into the vehicle but still allows the extra space.

So thoughts on these?

I owned one for about 2 years then sold it.

Being the width of the vehicle you can fit 2 cots in it but you need to remove one to get in and out of the tent. It is a place to store stuff while you are parked, sleep one or two but I would think twice about cooking in there just because there is no place for the heat to go.

The top is flat with frame rails on all four sides. In a heavy rain it will fill with water and the increasing weight will pull the material into a bigger roof pond & eventually pull out the tent stakes.

While you can easily undock the vehicle and drive off leaving the tent erected, redocking is very difficult without pulling the tent stakes and moving the tent into final location then restaking the tent. The tent is set up around the location of the truck and is not adjustable enough to refit to a truck that is almost in the same position.

Setup time and effort is at least as much and probably more than a modern stand alone dome tent.

I thought it would be additional space for my dog to remain dry while parked overnight in a rain. With the flat roof it didn't work out for me.

My local VW dealer has a dome tent set up in their showroom that has a wall that can be docked to their vans. It looks to me to be superior to the Caranax tent in every way. I've been meaning to take my truck down there and seeing if the tent will dock to my Dormobile.

 

[IPSC_GUY]

AHHHHHHHHHH HAAAAAAAAAA ! ! ! ok that was what I was looking for. So the concept was ok just the execution of it then?

I have a couple of REALLY nice North Face dome tents and I had thought about using either of those even on the roof of the vehicle but the whole crawling up and down the ladder in the middle of the night for any reason does not appeal to me. Roof top tents look cool but I am not sure that the reality of them is that great.

The idea of having a tent that simply extends the living space of the rear of the vehicle is attractive in my mind.

So Volkswagen has a tent? Interesting, I will check that out as well.

THANKS for the input.

IPSC_GUY
SIERRA II ALPHA

 

[paulj]

There are a number of tents with sleeves that fit over the back of a van or suv. Some appear to be based on run-of-the-mill family camping tents (poly floors etc). Cabelas sells one that may be better quality. Some auto makers sell this sort of tent, no doubt built and designed elsewhere. Honda, for example, sells one for the Element.

A web search for 'suv tents' should produce quite a few links.

I considered the Caranex some time ago, though shipping costs from the UK would have been excessive. I am not surprised that it has problems shedding rain.