4RunAmok
Explorer
We picked up our Oasis II from evertythingsuv.com late last year and took it camping in Anza Borrego in December and nearly froze our bunz off during a 31 degree night. Our fault mostly, we did not have two sleeping bags, we had one laid out and tried to cover with blankets. It didn't work.
We took it out again early February, and this time, we were more prepared. Bear in mind, this my 2ND time camping. My better half has camped many times as a kid, but in a camper type environment or tenting in warm weather.
I've never even owned a tent. The thought of camping was too much, even an RV was considered roughing it. So this rooftop tent was my compromise so we could camp together, I didn't have to sleep on the ground, I'd have an elevated advantage over what might sneak up on us, and I didn't have to modify my interior to sleep inside.
After our second run with the tent, I must say I'm addicted. There were so many issues the first time out, it was almost a disaster.
The first thing was mounting. We were incredibly late meeting up the night before because I had not tried to mount the tent before hand. It looked simple enough with those U-bolts it comes with.
The U-bolts to the Yakima bars was not easy, I had to try to balance the round tent leg tube on the round Yakima tube, and then attach the U-bolt to this. The U-bolt has a flat bar on the end to tighten onto. Who knew that the Thule rack with it's flat crossbars would have been the better rack to buy, even though they felt weaker than the Yakimas. The round end on the U-bolt and flat bar would have mounted up easier.
This round-to-round balancing act also didn't like the force from the wind while driving, and it began to pivot. The weight of sleepers in the tent didn't fare well either, it tried to pivot again, even after trying to add more u-bolts after noticing the shifting from driving.
So the search began for better mounting brackets. Solution found in the oddest of places, Guitar Center. Solid steel Gibraltar drum rack mounts. Once again, I waited until the night we left for a trip to try it out, and I have to say it worked like a charm, and now the tent can be easily removed from the top. They required some 1/4 thick rubber to size down to the tent leg, but this handles vibration issues as well. It wasn't cheap at nearly $30 per bracket, and I have 6 of them. The rubber I picked up for free, with some to spare.
The tent itself is a masterpiece of design. I'm 6'1 and 225+. The tent is comfortable, long enough to have foot room and headroom. I can easily sit up in the tent. The design is basically two cots side by side. Such a design requires a metal bar down the middle, which could be wider for a guy of my size, but when she moved in the night, I didn't feel a thing, it only affected her side. These cots are adjustable in their tension as well. There is a bungee cord that can be tightened or loosened.
The first time out with the tent, it was cold and we had it sealed up tight with a Coleman catalyst heater, which caused a condensation mess inside, which had it's own comical events related to it, such as the beanie I wore freezing to the edge of the tent, which came off during the night, when I got it unstuck and put it back on, the ice melted and created a nice wet spot which my body heat took a while to dry up. The second time, it wasn't much warmer outside, but we each had our own sleeping bag this time and kept a window fully open at the feet end, and we didn't use the heater at all.
The tent weighs 40 pounds. I was able to remove it from the truck without any help at all. Other solutions looked to be 120 pounds and up. Our 4runner is her daily driver and even the Yakima cross bars come off for as much fuel efficiency as we can get. So a heavy tent up top was not an option. We live in an apartment, so storage is an issue. Right now it's sitting behind the curtains of a window we don't use and keep the curtains shut most of the time.
All in all it's a great tent, I'd recommend it for anyone who wants a rooftop tent but doesn't want the hassle of a permanently mounted heavy tent.
I can't wait for the next time we go out to use it!
I'm attaching some pictures to help illustrate some of the story. I intended a short review, not this book, but I hope the extra content helps.
Any questions?
We took it out again early February, and this time, we were more prepared. Bear in mind, this my 2ND time camping. My better half has camped many times as a kid, but in a camper type environment or tenting in warm weather.
I've never even owned a tent. The thought of camping was too much, even an RV was considered roughing it. So this rooftop tent was my compromise so we could camp together, I didn't have to sleep on the ground, I'd have an elevated advantage over what might sneak up on us, and I didn't have to modify my interior to sleep inside.
After our second run with the tent, I must say I'm addicted. There were so many issues the first time out, it was almost a disaster.
The first thing was mounting. We were incredibly late meeting up the night before because I had not tried to mount the tent before hand. It looked simple enough with those U-bolts it comes with.
The U-bolts to the Yakima bars was not easy, I had to try to balance the round tent leg tube on the round Yakima tube, and then attach the U-bolt to this. The U-bolt has a flat bar on the end to tighten onto. Who knew that the Thule rack with it's flat crossbars would have been the better rack to buy, even though they felt weaker than the Yakimas. The round end on the U-bolt and flat bar would have mounted up easier.
This round-to-round balancing act also didn't like the force from the wind while driving, and it began to pivot. The weight of sleepers in the tent didn't fare well either, it tried to pivot again, even after trying to add more u-bolts after noticing the shifting from driving.
So the search began for better mounting brackets. Solution found in the oddest of places, Guitar Center. Solid steel Gibraltar drum rack mounts. Once again, I waited until the night we left for a trip to try it out, and I have to say it worked like a charm, and now the tent can be easily removed from the top. They required some 1/4 thick rubber to size down to the tent leg, but this handles vibration issues as well. It wasn't cheap at nearly $30 per bracket, and I have 6 of them. The rubber I picked up for free, with some to spare.
The tent itself is a masterpiece of design. I'm 6'1 and 225+. The tent is comfortable, long enough to have foot room and headroom. I can easily sit up in the tent. The design is basically two cots side by side. Such a design requires a metal bar down the middle, which could be wider for a guy of my size, but when she moved in the night, I didn't feel a thing, it only affected her side. These cots are adjustable in their tension as well. There is a bungee cord that can be tightened or loosened.
The first time out with the tent, it was cold and we had it sealed up tight with a Coleman catalyst heater, which caused a condensation mess inside, which had it's own comical events related to it, such as the beanie I wore freezing to the edge of the tent, which came off during the night, when I got it unstuck and put it back on, the ice melted and created a nice wet spot which my body heat took a while to dry up. The second time, it wasn't much warmer outside, but we each had our own sleeping bag this time and kept a window fully open at the feet end, and we didn't use the heater at all.
The tent weighs 40 pounds. I was able to remove it from the truck without any help at all. Other solutions looked to be 120 pounds and up. Our 4runner is her daily driver and even the Yakima cross bars come off for as much fuel efficiency as we can get. So a heavy tent up top was not an option. We live in an apartment, so storage is an issue. Right now it's sitting behind the curtains of a window we don't use and keep the curtains shut most of the time.
All in all it's a great tent, I'd recommend it for anyone who wants a rooftop tent but doesn't want the hassle of a permanently mounted heavy tent.
I can't wait for the next time we go out to use it!
I'm attaching some pictures to help illustrate some of the story. I intended a short review, not this book, but I hope the extra content helps.
Any questions?
