How do I move my mattress across state lines? December 16, 2012 Subscribe Is it prohibitively dangerous to try to move a full-size mattress from Ohio to Florida on the roof of a Honda Accord?3 Problems with Roof Top Tents and How To Fix Them Category: Dad's Dirt Roads: A Blog on Wed Sep 21, 2011 by Mark Stephens on Wed Sep 21, 2011 Oh, come on now, it looks much more complicated than it really is. Though they're atypical, roof top tents could very well be the answer to the comfort woes of those who don't approve of sleeping on the ground. Inside (and up top) is a pleasant foam mattress the size of a queen bed. Plus you'll appreciate that private stand-up space within the walls of the lower room when it comes time to change your underwear, take a shower, or bail out of the rain. As you can see, one entire side of that lower portion also detaches and rolls up; it could also be staked outward in awning fashion giving you a lovely veranda under which to sip morning coffee, listen to songbirds, and get amped up for a bike ride in the pines.
Like all things in life, this comfort comes with a trade off or two. After owning this tent or one like it for the past six years, I've sorted out some downsides, lived with them, and found a few answers to them. 1. Taking it on and off the roof is a pain A roof tent weighs between 100 lbs and 175 lbs, and their size and shape add to the challenge. But I've found a way to put it on and take it off without a helper - it's now a one person job. And I'm serious when I say it's pretty easy, too. There are two parts to this. Make a cart/skateboard for your tent. You'll spend about $30 in strong caster wheels, and maybe $30 in a sheet of 3/4" plywood. See it in this video. Use a tip and roll onto the tail gate. Or if you don't have a tail gate, a table or chair would work. The cart not only lets you maneuver the tent around your garage but it makes a dandy place to store the tent. When it's time to get this thing on your vehicle, roll it on out and position it. Keep the tent on end, tip it toward the tail gate and keep going.
Lift up on the ground end until it's standing on the tail gate. Tip it onto the roof bars and slide the tent into place. 2. The rain fly collects rain water Not all roof top tents suffer this fate, but, dammit, mine does and here's what I've done about it. While the bed portion of the tent is on top of the truck, there's a lower room. As you can see, it sure is awfully rectangular. The roof may slope down, yes, but it's flat and when it rains (ugh, or snows) that roof over the lower room pools up with water. What's bad about that is all that weight residing on the top of your tent and wearing things out or the water leaking through. Your nearest gear shop probably sells an extendible tarp pole. Get one or two. They're handy for a hundred different scenarios. In this instance, you use the pole to hold the center of the rain fly up so the water just runs off. sells this beauty: LINK sells a more collapsible version: LINK (I like this one better — just FYI)
3. They're dark inside Depending on your perspective, a dark tent might be just fine. Sure, you can fix that with a battery operated lantern or flashlight strapped to your noggin. But there's a slightly better way. A roof top tent is attached to your vehicle, which means with a little bit of thinking you can fashion a more sophisticated form of lighting into your tent. LED strips are a nice choice because they're small and require such an insignificant amount of battery juice to operate. More details on how to install >>> (this site) I know you might be wondering what could be so wrong with just using flashlights or headlamps. But let me tell you, installing some lights inside is just nicer. Especially in wonky weather when you're hunkered down in the tent. For those with babies who wake up and need some attention in the night, or who have bigger kids with tiny bladders that need to be drained around midnight, we know how much of a drag it is to hunt for a flashlight in the dark.
There's an element of home comfort that comes with lights attached to a ceiling. < Prev Next > More Stories You Might Like How to Reduce Santa's Carbon Footprint of 67.9 Million Metric Tons You People Surprise Me Climbing 35 Pitches on Your 35th Birthday Two Little Kids Brave The Wilderness Alone And All They Got Was This Little Movie 364 posts, read 1,299,045 times 10,875 posts, read 35,773,059 times 1,367 posts, read 4,550,211 times Yep, my husband and I did this. It sure was interesting watching him pull the car over and go running into the middle of the highway to grab it before the traffic caught up! Originally Posted by DNaomi Good story, but can you elaborate and tell me how you strapped it on so that I can be sure to strap it much more securely? 303 posts, read 1,572,732 times 700 posts, read 2,098,026 times 2,217 posts, read 1,266,065 times Originally Posted by djkkt6 What size bed are you talking about?
If it's a single, this should be easy. If it's a double, it's still doable. First of all, make sure your mattress is protected. A furniture store might have a box you can get, or a heavy plastic bag. If not, you can get inexpensive tarps anywhere. If you're also taking your bed frame, set that on TOP of the mattress, before you strap it down. Use your headboard too. Also, consider going to Home Depot and getting about 4 2x4 studs to set on top. All this will add rigidity and keep the mattress from lifting in the front. Strap that baby down! Quarter-inch rope will work, provided you secure it well. Ratchet straps are also good. You can get 6-packs of them at placed like WalMart for about $15.00. This link will show you what I'm talking about. /index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.catalog&categoryID=23 2 - broken link) I used to run a side-line lawn mowing service with my sons, before they left home. We've secured and hauled just about everything imaginable. They've also traipsed all over the country while traveling with bands.