Recent content by Lemsteraak

OK, I can see why you are asking. I'm not familiar with IKamper so I went to their website. I believe you are referring to their Skycamp 3.0? They advertise that this tent alonei is 165 Lbs. If you ask both Thule or Yakima what their sport bars are rated for, 165 pounds. If you read their...

We need to know more to advise. Light tents are always a good idea. Take the mattress out and should be easy to take off and put on with two people. Softshell tents are as aerodynamic as a church and the fabric covers tend to get hurt by the sun Hardshell tents are a better choice. Still...

Hi John, I don't think Mike is involved with overloading anymore he retired and moved to Arizona hunting for birds with his big pack of dogs. I talked to Andrew a few months back, I needed one of their replacement ladder for my tent. I believe Andrew is their sales manager and been involved...

Folding tents are designed to expand and have more room but are a pain on tall vehicles. They were originally designed when off road trucks went really slow, about as aerodynamic as a church, not a good choice for roadtrips. Hardshell tents were pretty much the same but have been redesigned to...

Years ago, Zifer in Italy developed the "universal" mount system that most all roof tents use today. It is a system and we would bring the sport bar manufacturers into the mix. It was developed with Thule in Europe. Here in the states we would work with Yakima, who didn't like the idea of...

Another idea ..... we never liked having the tents on the bed as it made it a hassle to get at anything. Years ago, Thule made a special tower that was designed to fit into the stake holes in the top of the bed. They were very light alloy and were intended as a ladder rack but made a great...

It might work but you really need to do some homework to make sure the top is well connected to the jeep and the gutters are structural so that the rack has something to connect to. Hard to tell by pictures. If the top is designed to handle a roll over, might be good to go. Ask the mfg for...

Machine shop, that looks welded or ask AutoHome to ship you whole assemblies. The rod is called an "acme" screw, like on jack to lift a car. This is a design for high loads. I've heard of chains skipping a tooth because of being over stressed lifting a heavy load or having something caught in...

You are right, that isn't working for you. A taller ladder will help a lot. I'd suggest starting with the folks at AutoHome and see if you can exchange your ladder for a taller one. They try to include a ladder that works for your intended rig. It is common to keep the tent when you change...

Myron, what exactly don't you like about your ladder? From what I can see in your picture, it may flex a lot because it is at its limit - stop against stop. You might want to exchange it for a longer ladder. Ladders seem to be an afterthought and not a lot of thought goes into them. I have...

There were some nice small Hardtop tents made by Zifer that you may find on the used market. They made a small Maggiolina "Adventure" that was designed for expedition use and very cold weather. If you are over 6'1" it is too short for you and the top barely goes high enough to sit up. The...

Years ago, a small Columbus was 95-100 Lbs with mediums running 115-120 Lbs. Large ones are stupid, they hang over the sides of the vehicle and mess with the aerodynamics. Maybe on a Chevy Subdivision .... If you put a nice 4" memory foam mattress in a Columbus and you will have a 150 lb...

Hi John, Your analysis and upgrade of the hardware is excellent, I don't disagree at all. The square holes in the brackets are made so you can replace with carriage bolts. When you get into the larger heavier tents the OEM hardware does get a bit wimpy. Personally, I like the original...

Or, just go with stainless and be done with it, and you can lock it. Use stainless pop rivets for extra strength and no corrosion

No, roof tents aren't over, they need to adjust to the mainstream. The trouble is that the specialty tents we all developed aren't well suited for the mainstream. I had my rooftent stolen, yes, I live in Portland, I don't blame Portland, my own laziness, it was a wakeup call. I left the...