Do-it-yourself car roof tent: purpose and manufacturing features

Any person who is an ardent fan of traveling by car knows how difficult it can be with the need for an overnight stay. Of course, if you have a roomy car at your disposal, then the question disappears by itself, but not everyone has huge vehicles. For example, in the domestic "Niva" there is barely enough space for one person, what can we say if you went with friends or family.

In this case, the salvation will be a tent on the roof of the car, which you can do yourself according to the relevant drawings. We propose to consider together the advantages of this device, as well as the process of its manufacture.

Depending on the personal preferences of the driver and the people he is transporting, everyone has the opportunity to take advantage of various types of accommodation, for example, rent a room in one of the nearest hotels or go to bed in the car. However, there are times when such an opportunity simply does not exist, so you have to take advantage of the benefits of civilization. Namely: a purchased or homemade tent on a car. Such a device has a number of visible advantages, we propose to briefly consider each of them.

• Even in the summer season, given the fact that the vehicle is insulated, it is much cooler to spend the night in an iron box than in a tent. In it, under the covers, no one will freeze.
• Regardless of our desire, at night, when we sleep, moisture is released along with breathing, as a result of which condensation occurs on the glass, as well as on the casing. It is worth saying that this is not very useful for the car body. Condensate dries very slowly, there is a high probability of a corrosive stain. In addition, with the appearance of condensation on dusty glass, it will be necessary to wash the windows, because there will be visible streaks.
• Often at night there may be a need to go to the toilet, and to do this in a car without disturbing the sleep of others is considered impossible. The loud sound of a closing door or an obstacle in the form of a sleeping person will not give a chance to quietly go outside.
• Lack of ventilation in the vehicle. The metal that makes up the car body cannot breathe. However, the tent wins in this matter, as it consists of fabric material. In it at night you will breathe fresh air.
• The need to carry things from the passenger compartment to the trunk. Such a need will arise every night, because on long journeys you will need to take with you a huge mass of things, including documents.

Of course, the words about an uncomfortable overnight stay in a vehicle have no scientific basis, but at the same time, the above arguments, which are made up of the words of experienced travelers, thus saying that a car tent is simply irreplaceable when traveling by car.

Many may wonder what is the difference between an ordinary tent that is put on the ground and one that is installed on a car. There are several answers to this question. For example, setting up a tent requires a flat terrain, as well as a lot of time. Needless to say, sometimes it takes more than an hour, when, as with a car tent, such a problem does not arise.

You can buy an acquisition that is so valuable for travelers, but why spend a lot of money when you can do everything yourself for much less. In addition, it is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. So, let's get down to the step-by-step creation of a tent.

In this case, ordinary plywood will serve as the basis, which must first be soaked with hot drying oil. Aluminum pipes can be used as a frame. They are light in weight, so they fit just right. The joints of the structure must be connected with couplings and bolts.

Below, to ensure greater strength, plywood is reinforced with a profile pipe, which must be bolted. It is also worth adding that 6 mm bolts are used everywhere. And only the upper hinges, as an exception, are fastened with 8 mm bolts.

The fabric is chosen individually, but still preference should be given to natural products, as they will breathe and create more comfortable conditions inside the tent.And in order to have enough material, it is better to take it with a margin. In our case, 17 linear meters will be required, as well as an additional 5 meters for the covering layer.

Next comes the sewing process, where you want to outline the windows for comfort and ventilation holes. We recommend installing mosquito nets to protect the place of lodging for the night from penetration of insects.

The mattress is made using 4 mm foam rubber sheets, which in 2 or 3 layers need to be sewn into the selected fabric, preferably plaid, as it is warm and thick. Sleeping on this mattress is comfortable and warm.

An impromptu cover is cut out of the banner material 3x3 m in size and pulled together along the edges, which eliminates the need to purchase a box.

The tent is fixed to the roof rack using clamps in several places.

The tent has the following dimensions (folded and unfolded states are indicated):

• 1250 x 1200 x 300 mm;
• 1250 x 2400 mm (enough to accommodate two people).

How to make a tent on the roof of a car with your own hands, see the following video.