Rooftop Tent vs Kings Big Daddy Deluxe Swag: What people don't tell you about a rooftop tent!!
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- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
- We compare and review our Roof Top Tent, talk about the things people don't tell you about travelling in a rooftop tent long term and explain why we've decided to switch to a Kings Big Daddy Deluxe Swag instead. Is a rooftop tent worth the money and a few things to think about before buying one? Are Kings Rooftop tents any good and exactly how big is a Kings Big Daddy Deluxe swag rolled up.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro - Why we swapped a rooftop tent for a swag
00:28 Why we have a caravan and a rooftop tent/swag
01:01 Problems we found with the kings rooftop tent
01:38 Fixing the rooftop tent mounting points
02:09 Advantage of a rooftop tent - being high off the ground
02:30 Limitations of extra bedding in a rooftop tent
03:14 Damage to the hinges from too much bedding
04:03 Ladder too short
04:44 Big downside for the rooftop tent - toilet runs and a ladder
06:00 Another negative - no base camp
07:02 Conclusion - we'll let you know how it goes
Check out what we thought of our swag after putting it through it's paces.
Part 2 can be found here: • From Rooftop Tent to S...
If you like what you see, check out our channel here: / notgreynomads
Me and my partner changed for the exact same reasons, I wish this video was up a year ago, would have saved money! Thanks for the video
I have both kings roof top tent and big daddy deluxe, i gotta say all you said about the roof top tent is so true, my missus hates climbing up and down the ladder when she needs to go to the toilet. I have a patrol with 35’ mud tyres and a 3’ lift. Climbing up and down to set up and pack away does get to you especially a long trip. Good thing about them is the airflow being up high and the space you get which is way more than the swag. Being using the swag for 3 trips now is such a big difference. Although i do miss the space of the roof top tent hence why i kept my roof top tent. The big daddy deluxe is know to have that sag in the middle, saying that setting up and packing away is alot easier. When i got my swag i didnt know it needed to be “seasoned” for the canvas to close up which i found out the hard way camping in the rain. And the end, I do prefer the swag purely because its easier to set up. If space is your main priority roof top tent is the way to go
Good points there Jai, that's a decent lift, especially with the big muddies on there too! The air flow is great, and another thing, the midge/sand fly proof mesh is great for keeping out all small insects. The swag is great, the sag not so much, but we use occy straps at each end and I heated up and bent some electrical conduit as a kind of rib on the inside. I'll do a short video on that soon. Works an absolute treat!
This was really helpful!! Appreciate the info share thank you!
I've never tried a rooftop tent, but I love my swag.
I have to agree with so much of this. I had the Eezi-Awn T-Top Xklusiv 1.6. Utterly fantastic RTT, but putting it up and taking it down every night for a week while on a trip is just so draining. My only issue I had with swags is finding even ground when you're not at a campsite or something similar.
Finally forked up the money and bought myself a Bundutec Bundutop. Gone are the discomforts of a thin mattress/worrying about setting it up and taking it down, it's protected by a hardshell, and I don't have to worry about uneven ground or setting up on a wet surface.
Thanks for sharing! I really like it, very valuable insights by users. I like the way you present and the humor.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very illustrating videos. Both videos.
My question is. Did you considered an oztent? And if so, why did you go for the swag instead?
Thanks
Super helpful! Excellent points. Thanks. And so lovely to hear both of your voices.
Thanks Ellie! Could make a good "spare room" for your tiny!
@@NotGreyNomads yeah, that could work. 🙂 A friend was interested in the roof top tent for his van conversion so would have an extra bed for his son on adventures. Your review helped us work out it wouldn't be a good fit. It also inspired some cool other solutions. Perfect timing. Thanks!
Great honest review
Well thought out. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Dave, you're welcome.
Much appreciated 👍
That's is one reason why I'm against roof top tents, the inability or inconvenience when you want to go out exploring and it takes up a whole lot of roof storage space. A swag doesn't take that long to set up and pack down anyway.
Couldn't agree more Norman. Also, is good to have a roof rack basket back on again 👍
I sold my rooftop tent yesterday after a very short run. It was very comfy and of great quality but too much of a pain to break down every morning. I'm patiently (not) the arrival of a mountain hatch swag. Not too many options in the US.
I know exactly how you feel. Taking down a soft shell rtt is such a pain, especially when you have to move from camp to camp every day. How did you sell your rtt? I’ve been thinking about selling it mine and getting a crush pad swag.
I listed it on some local Facebook for sale pages. Sold quick and I made a few bucks. I’ve been using a mountain hatch swag until my teardrop is built.
@@idahomountainelk Very cool! A teardrop is gonna be such a huge upgrade. I eventually decided to order a swag. Gonna sell my rtt as long as the swag is reasonably comfortable to sleep in.
Can’t beat the trusty old swag 👍
swag all the way for mine, great upload, subbed ✌🏻
hi guys ... 12 months later i know but just saw this come up ... but ... i have a rooftop tent (kings) and made a frame and mounted it in my 7 x 5 trailer this way if i wanna unhitch and drive off ... dont lose my campsite or have to pack up and am still off the ground when i want to sleep and comfortable ... cheers and happy trails (just saying how i overcame the objective of the high climp and still have some freedom to move if i desire)
Yep, that is a great idea! We have seen a few setups in the past 5 months or so like that. Very clever. Some of them had a mesh cage underneath so they had lots of stuff in there. Great idea. Happy travels Aussie Macka 👍
We really like our kings swag but don't do what I did recently and peg out the corners first as when I did that then put the bows in I tore out one corner of it through tension. So set the swag up then pro down the floor. Cheers Steve. PS I have a video on my channel on how to beat the sagging of the sides of the swag.
Thanks for the tips Steve, those piles really do have some tension on them don't they. We were not far off having a crack at the sagging thing too. Will be sure to check out your channel 👍🏻
Thanks for covering the roof top tent. We have thought about getting one for the same reason. It will be good to hear what you guys think of the swag once you head north :D
We've actually given the swag a test run in recent nights, in the middle of Victorian winter - yep, it was minus 2 one night! And with our "extra bedding" it was so toastie and comfie. Surprisingly, no complaints - even from me (Frannie)! 🤞🤞
Great Video !
👍🏻 perfect you guys covered all my questions and thoughts of purchasing a rooftop tent, It's a No not for me, ladder +Pea + dark ×?= No thank you. I appreciate the honesty in all you put forward liked and subscribed 👍🏻 awesome job 😎
So glad it was helpful. We we're definitely happy with the change.
Don’t see the attraction to a RTT. The one thing for me would be having to pack up everything to explore. I have the Darche dusk till dawn swag for 1-2 nights or the RV5 for longer stays.
thanks for the comment and we get ya. that was one of the biggest kickers for us too - having to pack up when ever we needed to head into town or go somewhere for what ever reason!😀
Ok thanks xxx
Love my big daddy swag swapped the 70mm mat fo 2 single dune 4x4 supermats they fit snugly in the swag so they don't move about (they are bonded unbounded sims have to many potential issues) and put foam tiles with holes in them under the swag reduced moisture under the swag and massively decrease drying time on pack up. Super cumfy and the swag plus mats, matting and bedding now only takes up one third of my back seat instead of the whole back seat if I pack everything individually but even if I leave it all in after deflating the mats the swag is still nowhere near as bulky.
That's a fantastic idea Brad 👌🏻 when on the road full time the two biggest things are weight and storage. You've got both covered 👍🏻😁 and a mega comfy sleep
I love my rooftop tent, are used even for extremely cold weather. I try swag too But still I like my rooftop
The roof top tents are good in cold weather, up off the cold ground. We're still experimenting with the swag and so far through a Victorian winter it seemed comfortable enough.
Happy camping and thanks for contributing 😀
I've never liked the idea of rtt because I like to set up camp and still be able to get wood or even a day trip, without packing up the camp, and when on the move I roll up the swag and throw it on the roof.
Yep, couldn't agree more Mark, we're loving being able to take off and leave camp setup, even having a roof rack again is so handy
Good Aussie charm. Subscribed
Everything you said in this vid is very true I recently went back to the ground as well but I got a oztent instead of a swag
Those instant up oztents do sound great 👌 happy camping David 👍
If you are doing long trips with a swag on the roof you need to wrap it in a black plastic bag or in the rain the water will penetrate through the bag into the swag itself. We found out the hard way when we needed our swag in the Daintree several years ago.
Thanks for the awareness tip! Finding mould in a swag would be a nightmare. Not a better place to test it out than the Daintree too 👌🏻👍🏻
@@NotGreyNomads Not just mould to worry about, it's not nice getting into a wet swag :-(
Was kings the best swag you could find?
Great points guys. Did you look into other different types of Rooftops? A lot of the issues you had with your RTT are a non issue with pop up types like alu-cab plus they are not cheap in build and cheap in price like the one you had. As with anything you get what you pay for. I have reviews of mine on my channel if it helps
We did think about going for a different style of Rooftop tent, but there were still a couple of things that didn't solve for us, like having a base camp you can leave, and that pesky wee other problem... 😜
NotGreyNomads wide mouth Powerade bottle solves that one. 😝
Well done on the review. just found your Channel. and just sub to you
I am always confused by the use of double swags. Our instant up four persons tent folds up smaller than a double or king swag, goes put in a minute and you can stand in it. A queen blow up mattress with electric pump covers the bedding issue. What are the advantages of the swag over a quick tent?
I'm not sure on the weight difference between the two, but that could be a factor. We did consider the easy up tents, but for us, we just couldn't bear the thought of sleeping on a blow up mattress or having to pump it up at every site... but each to their own! 👍😁
@@NotGreyNomads self inflating mattress and instant up tent excellent and most come with small awning to sit under if it rains coleman instant up 4 had it in 100km winds no problem had it in heavy rain no problem 10 years old now time to buy a new one at $200 odd dollars can't beat it for price and comfort I think swags and roof top tents a terrible having to crawl to get in to a swag especially when raining or climbing out of a riof top tent when drunk never again instant up all the way . The 4 man is 12kg good size for a couple of people with plenty of room
Getting rid of my big daddy swag and getting a hardtop roof tent. Kings rooftop tents are crap. So many things we disliked about the swag, especially the packing up.
Cheers
Gibbo
Mad Aussie Adventures
Thanks for your comment Gibbo, yeah there are pro's and con's that's for sure. Those hardtops are brilliant aren't they. We have a few friends travelling around Australia at the moment and they all have them. Rolling a double swag up on your own definitely takes some practice! Rock the camping Gibbo and have a blast
Inflatable mattress for either is the go. I went from a swag to a rtt as swags also have there issues.
The inflatable sounds good, we opted to add to the existing mattress as well with an egg shell mattress topper. They both have good and bad but so far so good. We'll have another comparison review out real soon. Thanks for the comment 😀
Thats dog looks to cool
Bella's always the star...
Hi I got both and the swag is what I use most of the time, I find the roof top is much more work setting up and packing away, and I got a jack Russel and see can go for a pee at night from the swag leaving me in bed in the roof top I got to lift her out and back in and on a very cold night its not nice
I know exactly what you mean Jim, we are finding it more convenient for sure. We've working our way to the top end so we'll see how the humidity goes. After that I think it'll be time to give our verdict review! I'll include what we did to solve that saying thing too. It's a bit different to the rest 😁 thanks for the comment
@@NotGreyNomads start putting a tarp down up north this time of year there are a few thing that make you sick in the ground in the wet season so try not breath near the groung
@@NotGreyNomads what's the verdict on the swag vs roof top tent
I think most nights camping i would need someone to help me down from a rooftop tent for a pee i probably be to drunk to get down lol
@@Haslop Hi The swag great if your on the road and moving each day, if you want to stay at a place and drive around you can leave the swag set up but the roof top you have to pull it down and set up each day
I'd fall off the ladder after a few beers
Me too especially if the bells on the fishing rods are going off maybe they need to invent a slippery slide for mine
Learn how to drink then!
So it is in regards to take the vehicle and getting somewhere a bit comparable with the dilemma motorhome versus a camping trailer. With the trailer, you just put it up and take your vehicle to go places (be it a car, bicycle or a motorcycle). With a motorhome, you have to pack all your stuff up before leaving. Or you take bicycles or such stuff with you. Right now, we are tent campers with car or motorcycle. Well, my daughter and my husband are. Myself, I got a setup comparable to a swag and stretcher combination (I hate sleeping on the ground).
Yep, people with motorhomes would have a similar issue. It's good to have a setup that really suits you and gives you the best of both worlds. It's amazing how many different setups there are out there.
where are the King Swags and tents made
China, like 99% of camping equipment
Good luck with the water leaks
it's not been too bad. You'll have to check out our new video to see what we've thought of it over time. We have done a little bit of stuff to make it work better. A little seam sealer has done the trick.
but you wouldnt actually get a soft shell over a hard shell t o begin with
I think already there are a few more decent priced options out there, and a hard shell would be better, but for me that doesn't solve the issues with the ladder! 😜
Hahahah just saw the red star
haha, nice spotting! 😜🐾
Lol. No tent. No swag. Just on ground through. Winter and parts of autumn and spring ..no snakes. No need. But summer. Swags are ovens for me. So I just use a tent with netting..no cover . unless it rains. Would use a rooftop in croc country.
you must be made of tougher stuff than me (Frannie)! haha. but yeah, some places you can certainly just get away with a mozzie proof shell.
Want measurements on a trailer roof tent to go on a trailer top
Sorry mate, we don't have the rooftop any more. Maybe try the Kings website? 😀
wow the quality of the RRT is rubbish
Hello, I am a roof tent supplier from China, hope to cooperate with you
Hi, Thanks but we're not in the market for a rooftop tent at this time. :)
These two are so dramatic
Guys can jump on the ute roof to pee!