The Ultimate Roof Tent Buyers Guide
It has become commonplace in NZ for budget specification roof tents to be incorrectly marketed as if offering premium performance, or as if designed in, or uniquely for, NZ conditions. None are.
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For those with a limited budget there is certainly a place for lower spec Chinese origin roof tents, when fairly priced. Unfortunately it's buyers spending over $4,000 that are at greatest risk of disappointment. We're seeing roof tents priced above $5,000 in NZ that in reality are still a budget spec product, only now with a local brand name on it. Don't realise too late that for that level of spend, or just a little more, you could have had the kind of performance, comfort & lifetime our premium world brand roof tents offer.​
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Why trust this roof tent buyers guide?
We're NZ's only roof tent distributor with experience of both Chinese origin roof tents AND those from premium world brands that we'd consider to be commercial expedition-grade products. We understand the difference. Beyond this we are uniquely experienced in overland travel, with years of experience of cross-continent 4wd expeditions to remote parts of our planet.
This guide is to assist those prepared to spend at the higher end of the spectrum ensure that what they buy is a genuinely superior roof tent worth the money.
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Industry Secret Exposed:
Buy right and either side of $6,000 can get you a world class roof tent from a globally recognised brand. Such a tent will seriously outperform and outlast 99% of what's offered on the NZ market. But there are also tents on the NZ market right now priced $5,000+ that in reality are generic rebranded Chinese roof tents, overmarketed and significantly overpriced for tents with no hope of performing or lasting like a roof tent from a serious world brand.​
Canvas Quality
Polyester canvas. Forget it! Serious brands don't even use this for the tent fly! Yet some brands sold here specify the entire tent body made from polyester... avoid!!
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The first thing we think you should completely discount is polyester canvas, also known as Oxford, 400D, 600D or 900D. It's not that this material doesn't have it's place in certain applications, it does, but here we're talking premium hard shell roof tents. Offering a relatively short life under NZ sun, poor performance in hot weather, poor performance in cold weather, albeit good performance in wet weather at least, this belongs on budget roof tents only. Generally the only reason for a manufacturer/brand to specify polyester/oxford canvas in a roof tent application is that it's cheap. Don't be fooled by brands making up fancy sounding technical names for what is really just polyester.
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Polycotton canvas. This is what you want, but there are huge differences between the quality, performance and longevity of polycotton canavs used on Chinese origin roof tents vs the South African woven canvas used on premium world brand roof tents.
Chinese polycotton is ok up to medium spec, medium priced roof tents and is what you'll find on our own SUB60 roof tents, this being the only Chinese origin roof tent model we offer. Whilst other sellers/brands would have you believe this is as good as canvas gets... most simply won't have had opportunity to see the canvas used on our premium world brand roof tents. The difference isn't something we can demonstrate in online photos either, so you'll have to come see/feel for yourself when we're exhibiting at an Expo.
Seam seal tapes. Whereas Chinese canvas will have a seam seal tape applied over the stitched seams, genuine premium canvas does not! So while most brands market their seam sealed canvas to prospective buyers as a positive feature, it's actually the first indication you're looking at a less than top spec roof tent. Seam seal tapes work well when the product is new, but often start to break down when the product is around two years of age. It's not technically a fault, it just means that you'll have some additional ongoing maintenance to do compared to roof tents made from the highest quality South African canvas. We have found that Chinese canvas benefits from reproofing annually, ideally before leaks develop. In comparison, to date, none of our premium models made with South African canvas have ever needed reproofing!
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You might have seen some brands advertising blackout canvas. Chinese canvas needs an artificial blackout liner added to achieve this, whereas superior grades of polycotton canvas from South Africa just naturally blocks more light purely as a result of its quality. This is also a good indicator of the thermal characteristics of the canvas. I.e. premium South African canvas used on premium roof tents is just going to perform better, summer and winter.
Longevity/Durability. We know of two old EEZI-AWN roof tents in New Zealand, having been used on at least one round the world tour each - one is still in use at over 30 years old and the other over 25 years. Real South African canvas can last decades if properly cared for. It's in a very different league. Aluminium tent shells are capable of a long life, which will be limited to the life of the canvas in most brands.
Shell Construction
Aluminium Shells Preferred. We recommend staying away from plastic shells, stick with aluminium.
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A Chinese agent once offered XpeditioNZ a certain model of plastic shell roof tent. I asked her how long the plastic shell would really last under NZ sun. "Oh, not very long", she answered, her honesty taking me by surprise. Needless to say we turned that model down and another NZ brand took it. They went on to advertise it as 'designed for NZ conditions, built to last'.... even though the Chinese manufacturer never claimed any of that! Such overmarketing has become cliche in NZ.
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Chinese origin aluminium hard shells are typically constructed from extrusions held together with plastic corner sections. You'll find this cheaper construction used on brands such as Darche, Feldon Shelter, Ironman and many more - this applies equally to our own SUB60 too. In comparison premium world brands have far more durable, all metal, welded and formed corners. We believe this is superior and much stronger.
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Mounting Awnings. We don't know of any Chinese origin hard shell roof tents able to support heavy freestanding 270 awnings mounted directly to the roof tent, as they're just not strong enough. Check the fine print from any brands you're looking at. Most buying freestanding awnings presumably want to use the freestanding capability and would be disappointed not to be able to. No such restriction is placed on Quick Pitch brand awnings and roof tents. Indeed many videos circulating online show Quick Pitch roof tents & awnings withstanding severe gale force winds, with awning mounted direct to roof tent and no awning legs down or guy lines out. It's not recommended, though is very impressive. Don't assume you can even briefly try this with most others.
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Better Performance. We have noticed the aluminium hard shells on premium brand roof tents just perform better. They are less prone to leakage issues caused by inadvertently clamping canvas beneath a rubber seal, and they typically have extra features to prevent water ingress along the front edge when driving at speed in rain.​​
Insulation
Premium roof tents have quite a lot of this... Chinese origin roof tents typically have none or very minimal because what the consumer can't see isn't invested in. Proper insulation greatly distinguishes top performing roof tents. Beware brands claiming their tents are insulated... when they aren't really!
Insulation explains why serious world brand roof tents usually do not have the anti-condensation mat beneath the mattress that prospective buyers are encouraged to look for in a good roof tent. Yep, whilst buyers are being encouraged to look for an anti-condensation mat as an indicator of a superior roof tent, it mostly identifies a budget spec roof tent!
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The floor in some EEZI-AWN models is aluminium shell, 20mm of foam insulation, marine plywood, thick carpet. In some Quick Pitch models it's aluminium shell, up to an inch of high density foam insulation, thick carpet. ​In Chinese hard shell roof tents (NZ/Aussie brands) it's typically aluminium shell, anti-condensation mat... that's it! The anti-condensation mat does nothing to reduce the extra condensation that will result from the low spec construction, it merely attempts to prevent your mattress swimming directly in it!
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Some brands have started to claim that the honeycomb aluminium panel used in the floor of many Chinese roof tents offers insulated qualities. Do your own research. That's the part that needs to be insulated, not the insulation.
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How it Affects Performance. The bottom line is that when you combine genuinely insulated shells with superior South African woven canvas, all-climate performance is maximised. While your mates experience a cold Winter's night in a mid spec Chinese origin roof tent, you may want to leave your sleeping bag unzipped in your premium brand roof tent. This is the feedback we commonly receive from customers using our premium models. The same holds true in reverse in very hot Summer temperatures.
Mattresses
We hear this all the time at Expos/Shows... "oh, there's a proper mattress in here"!
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​After walking around comparing roof tents and seeing the 40 to 50mm mattresses offered with many roof tents people are surprised to see the 70 to 80mm mattresses in our premium models. Not only that, but some, like the mattress in the EEZI-AWN Stealth, are constructed from triple density foam layers and offer a quilted top and rolled edges. It's more like something you'd have on your bed at home.
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Needless to say, these mattresses are in a class of their own. Some brands will try to convince you a 40mm mattress is enough if the foam quality is good, but it's simply not enough thickness to support a sleeping body without either being too firm or bottoming out onto the hard floor below. Trying out a mattress briefly in a shop or at an Expo is different from spending 10 hours in the tent.
Other Features
Premium roof tents tend to have permanently wired lighting from recognised brands rather than just a powerbank powered light strip. They also have onboard electrics for charging devices, all powered via an Anderson connector on the tent body.
Conclusion
Ignore marketing - do your own homework to ensure what you buy genuinely justifies the price.
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If you're shopping in the $4,000 to $5,500 price range and have correctly used this guide to undertake your own research, you may draw the conclusion this is not actually the best price range to be buying in. Tents in this price range are largely rebranded generic Chinese roof tents offered at relatively high prices for products still lacking advanced construction or genuinely top spec materials.
If you can move nearer $6,000 to get into something like an EEZI-AWN Blade or Quick Pitch RTT you'll be far, far better off. The upgrade in price is relatively small, whereas the upgrades you'll get in terms of performance, comfort and longevity are not small. For that modest additional spend you're finally breaking out of the rebranded generic Chinese product class and emerging into the bliss of commercial grade world brands.
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Want to see some of the only true world commercial grade roof tents offered on the NZ market? You're already in the right place. Hard Shell Models. Soft Shell Models.