To buy a tent box

[Turnedtochaos]

Even though they are probably overpriced and overhyped?

No chance of affording a holiday any time soon. Young kids and would love to do adventures quickly and cheaply.

Are they a fun adventure or something I’ll regret?

Also considering a caravan but I can only afford an ancient one. I also only want to stay places 1-2 nights so feel that’s maybe a bit much for the length of time?

I'd stick with a "normal" tent. Take your time, and go and see the tents up in a showroom somewhere.

Don't go massive - it's just more of it to dry after the event. If you're only planning one or 2 night stays, you don't need the tent version of Buckingham Palace! Read the reviews, and pick what will work for you. Many are easy to put up and down after a practice or 2.

While I know tent boxes have their uses, they are also not overly practical just for a weekend away. Especially if raining or windy as no where to sit in a chair or prepare food etc.

We hired vehicles with rooftop tents in Namibia and they were great. Comfy mattress, up away from creepy crawlies, easier to put up on varied ground etc.

wouldn’t get one in the UK though - the key reason being damp both during use and storage, especially under the mattress. And in a hot dry climate there was never a time when we couldn’t sit outside - in the UK not so much and they are so much smaller than a decent tent you could get for much less money.

I would spend less money on decent self inflating mats if you want comfort when camping.

Always book campsites. Even in Scotland we rarely wild camp as we do like some luxuries like a toilet!

for the person saying not practical for a weekend, again I think a tent box is way better than a tent for a short period, since it only takes a few minutes to set up and it doesn’t matter if it’s raining when you try and pack it away!

I'm not a fan of them for all the reasons around trying to leave the site.

I've just (last night!) bought a Coleman tent Meadowwood air on offer from Sports Pursuit. I'm a bit nervous about the inflatable poles side of things but reviews say the 1 person takes 10 minutes to put up which has sold out for me.. Also the blackout sleeping pods which will be great up here in the north of Scotland!

I bought one of the Reactive Outdoor tents and used it for a couple of years. Took me minutes to pitch and withstood a very rainy trip to Devon without a single leak. But as a PP mentioned, it’s difficult to open the door without water or condensation dripping in.

Last year I bought a Slumit Cub which is a similar design but has a small porch area for wet gear and there’s also the option of canopy poles for a bit of shelter/shade. I’ve done a couple of trips in it and it’s been great so far.

All my gear has to fit in my Smart ForTwo so size and weight is a huge factor plus the ability of a 5ft tall person to put the tent up single-handedly.

Why would it bother with the zip? It's got claws hasn't it?

We didn't give abuse but were defo pissed off at a whole row of tent boxes.camped front line at a campsite with sea veiw... bastards.
They were way higher than the largest tent, higher than the hedge and totally spoiled the view. Again, bastards!

How about a trailer tent or folding camper?
You can get folding campers that have separate bed ‘rooms’, toilet and sink, kitchen with oven as well as seating built in. Secondhand Pennine Pathfinders can be the same price as a new tent box but you basically get a full caravan with a canvas roof!

Even smaller trailer tents have you sleeping of the ground and double their size with an awning.

thanks so much

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/178108021439

For the price of a tent box I’d rather have something like this for family camping.

I know a few people who have them and get good use out of them but where I live they are constantly getting stolen. Even ones that have the security have been taken, one of my neighbours had everything on theirs that should, in theory, stop them being stolen and still woke up in the morning to it gone. I’d imagine they are very lucrative given the price.

Would have thought a trailer tent would cover all your needs, give you way more space, possibly a little kitchen, stays put at the campsite while you travel and available super cheap second hand because not "fashionable" like the roof box. Dogs can also hop in on a cold night and keep you warm 🥰

@Pleasehelpmedress I have that tent and would say it's a perfect a set up as you can possibly get. Happy camping!

Edited to say: I can put it up by myself in 20 minutes and that includes having the kettle on and tea brewed.

Oh that's great to hear!

It's a bit adjustment to me as I'm used to wild camping or bivvying on hiking and biking trips. But realised I was rarely going camping with my four year old as couldn't handle the thought of squeezing into our small hiking tent with her and a big dog when it's raining! So hopefully this means we can still go camping when it's not 100% guaranteed good weather :-)

@Pleasehelpmedress Happens to us all. I was that 'coffin sized tent' person for years.

One of the biggest 'I didn't know what I was missing' moments of my life was when I first got a tent I could sit on a chair in. The LUXURY!!

Now I have blankets, fairy lights, cushions, lanterns and am the Queen of Sheba.

Blimey - getting a huge 60Kg Tentbox safely on to the the roof of your car wouldn't be for the faint hearted!

I would not really want one for the ladder issue, wouldn't feel safe in a high wind, no storage for such a massive object. Wouldn't want to leave it in the car between trips so the hefting of 60Kg on and off would be an issue.

And I would still want a tarp or similar to cook / make coffee under.

For a quick one person set up I might go for a decent pop up tent (not single skin, the condensation is terrible) with a big tarp over the whole lot or at least the front half of the tent - to sit under, make coffee under etc. I would buy extra poles for the tarp.

This sort of set up but with a pop up tent and buy extra poles for more flexibility and stability Blue Eurohike Adventure Tarp – GO Outdoors

There is a MN Camping Board - here Camping & Caravan Holidays Forum | Mumsnet

For the money you could buy a spectacular tent. Personally I don't see any pros to a tent box...no where to cook when it's wet, you have to take it down if you take the car off site, small, makes your car less economical to drive, no privacy.

A largish tent can have separate bedrooms, somewhere to cook, potentially a portaloo area. Plus you can stand up, have proper chairs inside and can easily connect to electricity.

One suggestion if you can tow something, a decent trailer tent. We had one with 2 large bedrooms, a kitchen, a toilet room. The tent part was 3 meters by 5 and that's before the bedrooms.

I really don’t get them. You have to pack everything away every
time you want to use the car. What a faff!

just spend your money on an air tent. They’re even quick to erect

Thankyou all of you!
I suppose the benefit of the tentbox for me was its quick to set up and put away for one night. That was it. Oh and the kids would probably like it!

Ive spent the last hour looking at trailer tents but whats the benefit over a caravan? Just smaller to store? It feels like the hassle of a tent but with the storage issue of a caravan or am I wrong?

Inflatable tents are a game changer so easy to put up

We have one of those adventure tarps and it's been one of the most useful bits of camping kit I've ever bought. So cheap and easy.

I have a roof bag instead as my DD won’t go camping without her bike so all soft stuff/clothes go in roof bag and food bike in the car and it all fits! There’s usually lots of room left in the roof bag!

I will say though, there’s no way I would go camping without just my DD. The adventure comes imo from being in a big group! I quite dislike camping for various reasons but my DD loves it.

If you already have a large people carrier/van then I’d get a tent box plus a boot jump to give you a proper kitchen/storage. Boot jumps also convert into a bed in the car, but that might be a bit cramped without the tent box too.

I’m an experienced camper. Don’t get a roof tent if you have kids. Or if you need to go to the loo in the night. Firstly, if you have someone not well, it’s gonna be awful trying to see to them up high. Secondly they can be cold as wind gets underneath the base and also you are high so will catch the wind. Everytime you go out in the car it all has to be put away. A normal tent would be much better for you and your kids. For one or two nights it doesn’t need to be a big tent. Spend your money on a second hand tent, and good sleeping bags. Or, if you can afford a trailer tent that’s another option. But obviously factor in the cost of a tow bar, somewhere to store it, and also you need to be able to dry out the canvas if wet.
kids love camping! The simpler you do it, the more you will enjoy it.

We bought a roof tent a couple of years ago (two kids, now 3 and 6, then 1 and 4). I wanted to try camping, my DH likes cool expensive stuff - I was unconvinced but we bought a Ventura XL for about half the price of a tentbox equivalent.

its great. It takes (him) 5 minutes to sort out on arrival, 10 minutes to pack up the next day. the bedding is already in there and stays packed all summer so we can go fairly impromptu for a night away.

the plan was to just enable us to pop away for a night at a time - the kids love it but it’s also comfy. we were getting on with it so well that last summer we spent two and a half weeks travelling through Europe. For longer trips we have bought an octagon tent that gives us more space/shelter if it’s raining/you just want a bit more privacy eating your cereal, but we only use it when pitching for a few nights so we can spread out our crap a bit more.

the most problematic part (if you ask me, DH says it’s fine) is that they’re really heavy and a pain to get on and off the car. So once summer hits we enlist a friend to help get it loaded, and then it stays loaded until the final camping outing of the year.