By Lachlan Palmer.
The ARB Series III Simpson Roof Tent has been fantastic. At first I was hesitant on the cost, but made a spontaneous purchase regardless. Best decision I've made for this truck as the number of trips I took per year exploded.
The shear simplicity of knowing that any time I want to take off that half the packing is already done is awesome. On longer trips being able to keep your bed made everyday is a luxury, simply fold up the bedding and flip the tent closed. When you arrive at your new site flip it open and you're ready for bed.
The tent comfortably sleeps 2 and can sleep 3 in a pinch. Some of my best sleeps have been in that tent on the factory foam mattress. I'm 6'3" and there is so much room I've never made contact with both ends of the tent at the same time.
Wet conditions? No problem, it has never leaked and you're off the ground. In fact I've left it packed up wet for a week and when I set it back up the water was still beaded on the outside. Windy? No problem, the good polyester keeps all the wind out. Uneven ground? No problem, drive onto a piece of wood to level it out (airbags in the truck would be awesome for this).
When the temperature drops I have noticed significant condensation in the tent, to solve this I simply pack plenty of bedding and a cold weather mummy-bag and crack the windows to allow airflow. Tearing down the tent can have its disadvantages as well, since on my rig it's 7 feet up so I spend a lot of my morning climbing the many faces of the landcruiser to reach the buckles, straps and bag. This is an easy task for 2 people but can be time consuming solo. If the tent were mounted lower (like on the back of a pickup) it would be much easier in all aspects for setup and teardown. Getting out to pee in the middle of the night down 8 steps can be challenging, so make sure to get it all out before bed.
I spend a lot of weekends and a few multi-week trips per year living out of my truck and I couldn't ask for a better life. There's nothing like pulling down onto a secluded beach with not a soul in sight, flipping open the tent, lighting a fire, playing some guitar, having some beers, and then hitting the hay in absolute comfort. Best Spent with friends and loved ones.
Lachlan
For more information visit the ARB website
