Collapsable Hard Tent?

[schaney]

Hmmm, as others have said, putting it in the back of your car maybe a problem.

If it has to be hard shell and a trailer is out, then something similar to the vintage car top camper that Navigator posted would be nice. What comes to mind for me is my old folding plywood and canvas Boy Scout boat. Seems like you could design a luan and canvas(for the folding joints) folding tent, it would be hardshell and 125-200 lbs.

[scottyp]

actually I'm not going to throw it inside the car, I'll be strapping it to the roof.

Most of my "need" for a hard topped tent would have been based on a false pretense I had that in order to camp in Yellowstone I couldn't use a tent or a soft sided pop up. I have since researched it and discovered that that isn't the case, I'd just be located on other grounds within the park.

So now I'm working on a new concept based on the explorer box concept, but one that still takes the trailer out of the equation since my current car isn't recommended for towing. Basically creating a box that I can fold out to have a galley and some storage areas, and then mount a roof mountable tent on it, it could be light and compact that I'd mount to the roof, and the tent would have to be large enough, but that's obviously a lot more doable.

[schaney]

Yes bears are generally lazy with all the "food" available at ground level, why would they be looking on top of cars

Ok, the tent units we use on trailers can also be roof topped, that is actually what they are designed for.

(sorry for the small picture, my main computer crashed today)

[scottyp]

I'm thinking more like strap the box to my roof rack on my tiny little SX4 but pull it off and mount it on to legs and pop up the tent while it's mounted on the box on the ground.

[PaulC]

Send me pics the first time you lift it off

Cheers
Paul

[scottyp]

Anyone have any suggestions for a lighter material other than plain old plywood to build it out of? Is Luan significantly lighter than other plywoods? Obviously this construction needs to hold up, but if I made it out of a light weight material (I don't know like carbon fiber although I'm not suggesting that as an option) I could always reinforce it with some sort of skeleton. SCHANEY... you obviously have the most experience with this, any insights?

[schaney]

The short answer is, the cost of dropping pounds grows fast.

With ACX plywood as a base line;
Using marine grade Okoume will reduce weight 30% at a 2-3X cost increase.
Using Tricel panels (a paper honeycomb core panel) will save 50-60% in weight at a 6-8X cost increase.
Using Okoume for the core material and a simple composite building method with fiberglass/epoxy skins you'll save 40-50% in weight at a 5-6X cost increase.

You get the idea anything is possible, the question becomes, is it cost effective for your situation

I'm with PaulC, taking a box like that on and off your roof will be a pain.

[scottyp]

I'm not sure how annoying it'll be to take off, my roof is pretty low on the SX4, I'm contemplating loading up some sort of mock up and seeing how problematic it actually is. In my head this sounds like a workable idea. I want something to work and unfortunately towing isn't an option with my car, so the roof rack is the only thing I can work with.

Obviously simple tents are doable, but I really want a galley and other facilities for some hardcore camping trips cross country.... Plus I'm having fun trying to make this work

[PaulC]

Scotty, why not build a simple, cheap box, put 100lbs of lead in it and see if you can lift it onto the roof of your vehicle. After you, and your partner, recover from the resulting back injuries, you can download the pics and post them here.
Cheers
Paul
PS 100lbs is about the minimum weight you are talking, by the way.

[schaney]

It is fun how the SX4 doesn't have a factory tow rating, but U-haul does have a 2000 lb hitch available for them.

I would also check what your rack is rated for. I'd be a bit worried that a few hundred pounds on the roof will notably affect handling in the turns.

I know what you mean, I like a good challenge myself Check out www.drifta.com.au , IMHO they set the standard for camp kitchens. Maybe you can get some ideas for building a camp kitchen/box that mounts in the hatch area

[bgordon]

Scotty, why not build a simple, cheap box, put 100lbs of lead in it and see if you can lift it onto the roof of your vehicle. After you, and your partner, recover from the resulting back injuries, you can download the pics and post them here.
Cheers
Paul
PS 100lbs is about the minimum weight you are talking, by the way.

Now THIS is good advice if I ever heard it! To be very honest, I still think the TINY trailer is your best bet. I believe you might even get better mileage towing something small than having a fairly large (compared to the SX 4) box on top of the car's roof... My2c worth...

[scottyp]

Yeah I've been rethinking everything about it, hey a guy's gotta dream right? I'll probably end up doing something like the regular Thule cargo box for extra storage and then maybe build some sort of box kitchen like the DSO that Drifta makes, when I get a new car I'll be paying closer attention to the tow rating and then build a tear, still love my car, this seems to be too much to ask of it though ; )

[bgordon]

Scottyp,

I apologise if my previous post made you despondend.
Could something like this work for you?





http://secure.mycart.net/catalogs/catal ... prevnext=1

[bgordon]

Scottyp,

Another thing - could you not modify the back of your car to make some or other sleeping arrangement - like temporarily taking out the back seat and substituting it with a bed and storage boxes of some sort?

[scottyp]

so... I found my future, obviously the Samurai/Sidekick would have to be the first purchase.... but obviously I can do a tear or explorer box easily, just would have to be more carefull with a tear, (but that's my ultimate dream) I guess I'm becoming a Suzuki guy now or something?

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... i&start=15