Regarding the rain ingress on top of the roof / hatchdoor, I would suggest just place 1 or 2 of those 12 inch magnet strips. The ones that are used to stick kitchen knives or tools against wall. The magnets on top of the tent canvas on the car roof will seal off any space for water seeping in.
With my Honda CRV and Napier tent attached… I use wide green painter’s tape to seal in the edges of the tent around the attached area. We have camped in the rain and no water leaked in using this method.
With my Honda 2020 & Napier Backwoodx traveled for almost 6 months & had no leaking around hatch w/tent. Recommend taut tent set up & good footprint. Next long trip taking an awning to cover tent & SUV as additional rain/snow protection.
Nice looking setup Bruce. I ran my battery down one time and that was enough. Bought a Jackery 400W at Harbor Freight for 199 bucks. Have used it a lot.
Great review…..I’m very reluctant to buy one of these car tents because of the way they don’t make a tight seal on the car to be completely rainproof or bugproof.
I have had a suggestion to use magnetic strips on the edges of the tent to seal it against the car. I have not tried it yet but I think that would work
I have the Napier Backroads SUV tent attached to my Lincoln Navigator L. Any little gaps along the side of the sleeve that connects to the vehicle can be quickly and easily closed with a few magnets or a magnetic strip. Water entry from the roof section is usually caused by a poor top seal because of the roof rack configurations of different vehicles. Mine has never leaked there, but a few people I talked to had sewn a 6 foot long my 4 inch diameter snake sock and filled it with clean sand and laid the weight of it across the fabric of the tent sleeve where it meets to roof and completely solved their issue. $3 dollars worth of fabric and find a lady with a sewing machine. Another $3 for a bag of clean, washed "Play Sand" from Home Depot.
Thank you for unboxing. I bought it last year for my Honda Passport and it is still in a box lol since we camped with our toy hauler last summer. I wanted something for quick overnight stays with SUV but I am wondering if Clam gazebo tent that would go over back door hatch would be faster, able to stand alone and have more open feeling during the day as a shelter from rain or bugs. The price is not much different. What do you think would be best based on your usage so far?
I am not familiar with the Clam Gazebos, but from what I saw on their website you would have to figure out a way to seal the area underneath the vehicle from insect entry as well as how well you could get the top sealed from insects since the zippered opening peaks in the middle leaving a gap.
Does your dome light go out after the hatch is open a few minutes? Mine does. 2020 Grand Caravan . Do you sleep with the hatch open? We sleep with ours closed due to the increase in Black Bear (SW Missouri, Table Rock Lake).
We have not used it a lot, but what we have, we have had the hatch open. The Pilot has a switch to turn off the interior lights otherwise they stay on and run down the battery.
Most, if not all hatch vehicles have an interior light "Off" switch. Either a separate switch or by turning the dash lights dimming switch all the way down to the "Off" position.
Hey bro, watched your video twice thanks for showing and I'm looking at the same tent to get from my Subaru Forester. Why don't you try pulling your car out a little further from the tent so the rain water won't go in the tent. I noticed it was pulled in a little much, thanks.
Thanks for the comment. I tried that but it left many more gaps for insects to find their way into the tent. The Pilot roof slopes down from the middle of the roof to the back. Also the fit around the lower fender was an issue with the tent farther back. I think that I can put a tarp over the suv roof to shed rain from the back of the roof. Good luck with your Forester.
I have a 2006 Honda CRV and the rear door opens to the right instead of up, I’m wondering if the upward opening trunk door is part of what holds that part of the tent up?
The tent is free standing, but the hatch does seem to provide some support. I am not sure if it would work or not. Contacting the manufacturer might be a good idea.
It has been suggested that magnets could be used to seal the tent to the roof. Water running down the roof of the vehicle is definitely something that would be a concern.
Regarding the rain ingress on top of the roof / hatchdoor, I would suggest just place 1 or 2 of those 12 inch magnet strips. The ones that are used to stick kitchen knives or tools against wall. The magnets on top of the tent canvas on the car roof will seal off any space for water seeping in.
Good idea. Thanks
With my Honda CRV and Napier tent attached… I use wide green painter’s tape to seal in the edges of the tent around the attached area. We have camped in the rain and no water leaked in using this method.
That is a good solution
With my Honda 2020 & Napier Backwoodx traveled for almost 6 months & had no leaking around hatch w/tent. Recommend taut tent set up & good footprint. Next long trip taking an awning to cover tent & SUV as additional rain/snow protection.
Nice looking setup Bruce. I ran my battery down one time and that was enough. Bought a Jackery 400W at Harbor Freight for 199 bucks. Have used it a lot.
That is a good idea
Great review…..I’m very reluctant to buy one of these car tents because of the way they don’t make a tight seal on the car to be completely rainproof or bugproof.
I have had a suggestion to use magnetic strips on the edges of the tent to seal it against the car. I have not tried it yet but I think that would work
I have the Napier Backroads SUV tent attached to my Lincoln Navigator L. Any little gaps along the side of the sleeve that connects to the vehicle can be quickly and easily closed with a few magnets or a magnetic strip. Water entry from the roof section is usually caused by a poor top seal because of the roof rack configurations of different vehicles. Mine has never leaked there, but a few people I talked to had sewn a 6 foot long my 4 inch diameter snake sock and filled it with clean sand and laid the weight of it across the fabric of the tent sleeve where it meets to roof and completely solved their issue. $3 dollars worth of fabric and find a lady with a sewing machine. Another $3 for a bag of clean, washed "Play Sand" from Home Depot.
Thank you for unboxing. I bought it last year for my Honda Passport and it is still in a box lol since we camped with our toy hauler last summer. I wanted something for quick overnight stays with SUV but I am wondering if Clam gazebo tent that would go over back door hatch would be faster, able to stand alone and have more open feeling during the day as a shelter from rain or bugs. The price is not much different. What do you think would be best based on your usage so far?
I am not familiar with the Clam Gazebos, but from what I saw on their website you would have to figure out a way to seal the area underneath the vehicle from insect entry as well as how well you could get the top sealed from insects since the zippered opening peaks in the middle leaving a gap.
Does your dome light go out after the hatch is open a few minutes? Mine does. 2020 Grand Caravan . Do you sleep with the hatch open? We sleep with ours closed due to the increase in Black Bear (SW Missouri, Table Rock Lake).
We have not used it a lot, but what we have, we have had the hatch open. The Pilot has a switch to turn off the interior lights otherwise they stay on and run down the battery.
How do you keep hatch open and not use up battery power ? Is there a trick to trip the light off ?
The Pilot has a switch in the front between the visors that will switch the lights off
Most, if not all hatch vehicles have an interior light "Off" switch. Either a separate switch or by turning the dash lights dimming switch all the way down to the "Off" position.
People suggest using a carbinier to fool the car that the door is locked..
Does the front door have a panel for privacy, or is it just mesh?
There is a panel for privacy, rain and wind. That of course will block the ventilation.
Hey bro, watched your video twice thanks for showing and I'm looking at the same tent to get from my Subaru Forester. Why don't you try pulling your car out a little further from the tent so the rain water won't go in the tent. I noticed it was pulled in a little much, thanks.
Thanks for the comment. I tried that but it left many more gaps for insects to find their way into the tent. The Pilot roof slopes down from the middle of the roof to the back. Also the fit around the lower fender was an issue with the tent farther back. I think that I can put a tarp over the suv roof to shed rain from the back of the roof. Good luck with your Forester.
I have a 2006 Honda CRV and the rear door opens to the right instead of up, I’m wondering if the upward opening trunk door is part of what holds that part of the tent up?
The tent is free standing, but the hatch does seem to provide some support. I am not sure if it would work or not. Contacting the manufacturer might be a good idea.
@@OutOfBounds777 thank you for the quick reply. I’ll reach out to them in the AM. I had a feeling it was part of the support😬
What about if raining so hard, the water go inside
It has been suggested that magnets could be used to seal the tent to the roof. Water running down the roof of the vehicle is definitely something that would be a concern.
How much did you pay?
We paid $300 at Costco for mattress and tent as a set.
Nice idea but your car becomes disabled
You can disconnect in a couple of minutes