23zero Rooftop Tent- First impressions! Walkabout 62 review
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- čas přidán 25. 01. 2020
- We've recently discovered the world of rooftop tents and have become intrigued by it. The idea of camping in remote places isn't new to us, but getting there via 4x4 trails is... Today we give our first impression of the 23zero Walkabout 62 rooftop tent after its first adventure into the wild.
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*The rainfly is made of 210D oxford polyester ripstop.*
Check out their full lineup of tents here:
23zero.com/
Music: Americana Folk
Artist: Nicola Donchev
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I received my 23Zero Walkabout 62" last week. It is incredible! So well made, true four season tent. I live in Austin Tx, I have slept in it midday in 85 degree clear sky sunlight. All windows open, screens down (no insects) and a very mild breeze (barely) and sunlight and heat blocked from above by LST (Light Suppression Technology) fabric, my dog and I slept very well. A normal RTT would have been an oven. The mattress is the gold standard by the way. I have many injuries from my time in the Marines, and difficulty sleeping comfortably. I slept two nights in our Walkabout 62" (queen sized mattress) like a baby. Tent cost $1800 plus tax and shipping, best deal in quality RTT's period!
Its definitely a worthwhile purchase! I'm glad you enjoy yours as much as we do! That LST is a game changer for lazy mornings huh? Lol
is it too small for family of 4?
Just ordered mine! Cant wait!
Nice! Welcome to the family! You won't regret it.
Very cool video!! Good review , we love our 23zero too
Thank you! It's a worthwhile purchase!
Great Video and info. Love the tent.👍🙋♂️
Appreciate the feedback! It's been great and we've learned a few things... keep an eye out for the updated review soon!
Great video, thanks 👍🏻
Thank you! I can't wait to put out some more 🤙
Nice review. We just received out Walkabout 87 LST for my Jeep Gladiator. I’m planning a shoot 🎥 soon on how we like it as well. Very happy to be apart of the 23 Zero family, and looking forward to many adventures in it 🏜
That's awesome! Welcome to the family! So far it's a small family in my neck of the woods lol but nonetheless I hope you enjoy it like we have!
Let us know when you post a video
Zach Bennett I did post a first impressions video a few weeks ago on my 87 LST. Let me know what you think 📺 👋🏼
I just got mine. Same tent. First Jeep camp trip in Northern Wisconsin. Got 8"s of snow that night and it got down to 3 degrees. The tent performed very well. Although i think because of the cold my zipper handle with the paracord on it broke off. idk. However, Justin at 23zero got out a new zipper to me right away. So, top notch service. Can't wait for some warmer tent experiences. Awesome material and quality is fantastic.
Sounds like a great trip! (mishap aside) I'm a little envious of your snow adventure... we just get the really low temperatures in SoCal, not much snow. That's very nice to know they have some great customer service as well as a great product!
How did you mount the tent to your topper. Very low profile. Thanks for the video.
@@shanegibson8931 its mounted to my shell via rhino rack's RTC tracks that I installed. I then fabricated my own roof rack out of steel square tubing and carriage bolts to fit the tracks and be as low profile as possible. Thank you for the question!
Great video. Thanks.
I appreciate that, thank you for the kind words!
I really like that tent. Thanks for the video
We like it too! Thanks for watching!
great video
Thank you for the kind feedback!
Had to laugh that you took the dogs up there. As I'd do the same. I've camped with THREE big malamutes/siberians. Real 3 dog night stuff...always warm. Good video. Thank YOU.
Its definitely not easy lol if my dogs weren't as big as they are itd be no problem 😅
Sharp rig up. Now time to look into an awning,, 23 zero has a few to choose from. Have fun go offroad
Thanks! Yeah its something I've been considering for a while now but I need to build another rack system, the one I have now doesn't allow for much room to mount anything else. 23zero has a nice one and so does Kinsman. I'm sure it'll be top of the list this year as summer rolls around.
love the more in deep video of the functions of the tent, now i just wished they would sell it in europ as well....
Thank you. I like to be as thorough as possible without being boring lol are you sure they dont offer it? I know they're based out of Australia but sell to Canada and USA as well. Justin runs the Instagram account for 23zero USA and I think he does the CZcams as well, super nice guy. Hit em up to see if they're in the UK.
May i suggest "vickywood" big Willow. Its a roof top tent very similar to this
Super helpful video. I am in the market for one here in SoCal as well. Thinking about going with the Breezeway series. It was nice to finally see a video of the inside and the functionality of the tent. Did it come with a mattress and ant-condensation mat? I believe they are advertised that way.
I appreciate that. That was the purpose of this because I couldn't find anything helpful when I was purchasing. It came with the mattress and the material its encased in supposedly negates the need for an anti condensation mat. I couldn't be happier with the purchase! Good luck, I don't think you can go wrong with 23zero!
Great video and first impressions! You're right, there aren't many video reviews at all on 23Zero tents. Now your video can help those researching. Well done. I'm curious, what are you going to use for sleeping (sheets/blankets/sleeping bags)?
Thank you for the kind feedback! We are currently using zero degree sleeping bags because it's what were accustomed to, but with as comfy as this is, we might make the switch to regular blankets and a heated blanket for the cold weather.
@@TheStoicWolfe Thank you for the response and knowledge! I'll have to look into different heated blankets (great idea!) not to mention a power source for it. Best of luck!
@@adampolselli597 no problem! Theres power banks you can buy like the jackery. I have one in the mail right now, it's basically a standalone battery with an inverter. Or based on where your tent is on your vehicle you could run it into the cab.
@@TheStoicWolfe I have my eye on a couple of different power banks. So far, I'm watching the Rockpals 300w. It gets pretty good reviews on Amazon, so we'll see. Thanks again! You earned a sub for sure!
@@adampolselli597 I seen that one as well. Only reason I went with the jackery was amazon notified me of a huge price drop so I took advantage before it shot back up 😆
Thanks for that! I'll do my best to ensure I keep you entertained 🤙
dope vid. Looking to get this one. Question, is it loud in the wind. as in does it flutter and flap and make a bunch of noise?
Thanks, it depends on how bad the winds are. For the most part it's not that bad because everything is pretty tight if you have everything open. One thing I've noticed is theres a lot less wind noise if the rain fly is off. Here where we live we can do that because the rain is never unpredictable.
Give another review after a couple more nights! Do you have any accessories for it now? Interior lights or anything like that? How does it do with moisture? Do you leave it on your truck all the time?
Will do! And yeah I've added a light strip from Amazon in there and its been a blessing with that light suppression technology in the tent. I haven't had any trouble with moisture, even after our recent trip to death valley where it actually rained and got fairly cold. I do leave it on full time, for now, but it might come off when I design a better rack system so it'll be easier to add/remove.
First rooftop tent I've seen a review on with a Dakota underneath. What did you do to mount the tent to the top of the truck?
I hope that's a good thing lol its mounted via some RTC tracks I installed on the camper then built a makeshift lowpro roofrack out of 1"square tubing and end caps to keep it from looking too "shadetree mechanic"-esque. Eventually I'm going to build a prinsu style rack instead.
Thanks for posting this! Gotta say, haven’t heard much negative about the 23Zero. Personally it’d be great to see some trip videos.
Thanks Donald, I agree based on the experience I've had so far, their products are VERY well made. And I appreciate you saying that, I have a trip coming up the end of this week and I'll see if I cant get some good shots to throw together for the channel.
From what im reading my bank account likes this better then then ......... company’s with out lots of the features this has for 500-1,000$ less. I think the only down fall I see is 155 lbs but not much of a problem for my truck but for others it may.
Nice video. good to see others enjoying their 23zero gear. mine is on the way. bought it sight unseen based on reviews alone. how do you like the mattress ? any need for a topper for it ?
Thanks for the kind words. Honestly I don't think you made a bad choice, im beyond impressed with this tent so far. Im usually a really light sleeper and can't get comfortable due to some back issues, but I don't wake up sore or tired in this tent so I haven't found any need to improve the comfort level. Suffice it to say, its pretty comfy on its own.
Bill, I'm curious to know how the delivery experience went. Did you deliver to your residence? Did you need the liftgate service that is offered on the 23zero site? Did you need to be present for delivery?
This RTT is definitely on my radar. I’d like your opinion on how it compares to the roam vagabond tent. These are the two I’m looking at
I havent spent much time inside the vagabond but my brother has it on his rig. It's a nice setup. The pros of his tent I would say are the skylights are visible thru the rain fly, whereas mine isn't. Which for me wasn't a big deal. Honestly theyre very similar in quality of the build. In my honest opinion I think it'll come down to the style of each tent and Which you prefer because the build quality is amazing on both tents. The vagabond looks a bit more low profile.. I'm not sure what the specs are on interior room for sitting up but the 23zero walkabout has more than ample headspace inside. Which is good for winter camps where the weather outside might get too crazy. The con for my 23zero ( and this is personal preference) I bought the LST version and it's super nice because it blocks out all other light... the bad part is unless you set an alarm you WILL sleep in because it stays DARK in there lol not a huge con but for me I like early mornings at camp.
@@TheStoicWolfe thank you very much for the comparison. I’m definitely leaning toward the 23 zero. I’ve watched so many you tube videos on both models my eyes are starting to bleed lol
@@rd9865 no problem. If you can think of anything else you'd like to know I'd be happy to help!
I would love to see how 23 works in the long term
You're in Luck I'm in the process of planning an update video real soon!!
Is it a big pain to set it up/pack it in? How long does it take you roughly?
It's not a pain at all. Way easier than packing up a tent. I havent actually timed myself but on our recent trip to Death Valley we had it rain on us so I packed pretty quickly. If I were to guess conservatively I would say probably 5-7 minutes if all the windows are open, less if you have help. 10 if the annex is on and connected. Unpacking is the fastest, you can be setup and in the tent in about 2 mins if you dont open the windows.
Cool tent man.. did that ladder come standard with it?
Yes it did, sorry for the late response. Its one of the reasons I went with this company.
How long have you had this tent now for? What's the durability and build quality been like? Does it seem to be holding up in the long(er) term?
I'm planning on doing an update soon. But I've had the tent for just over a year now and we've used it plenty. I have seen no wear or stress anywhere on the tent other than the cover. I dont have a garage tall enough to park this vehicle in, so the cover gets blasted by the sun. Its looking faded but still holding up quite well considering.
PLEASE do a video of you putting the dogs inside. I need to figure out how to get my border collie up in there!
I can definitely include that but its not pretty! Lol I usually grab them one arm around their chest and the other behind the back legs and very carefully climb the ladder. Only works if your dogs fully trust you otherwise they squirm. There is a company ive recently found that makes a dog ladder, theyre called Desert Armor and it looks like a pretty slick option.
The dog can get in on their own. Get a jeep gladiator, take out the back seat and put in a goosegear rear seat delete kit. Get bed rails that rest on top of the bed instead of a rack to put the tent on. Take the roof off the gladiator and just use the mopar solid sun bonnet instead. Set up tent, open side window facing the back seat, throw chicken nuggets through window.
I didn't catch if you added any padding/mattress to the tent floor? If yes does it still pack away easily?
I didn't add anything more than what it already came with. It's a dense memory foam about 3 inches thick. It's sufficient for me and I have back issues. I can sleep on my side and not feel the tent floor. I hope this helps!!
@@TheStoicWolfe Great thanks for this!
Ok you correct
Thanks for your review, I was thinking to buy a 23zero or a smittybilt, I found 23zero has better quality and value. My question is, is it too heavy for 2adult and 2 kids sleep with this tent on the rooftop, since the max load capacity is 150 Lb for the crossbar, is there any issue? Thanks
Thanks for watching! I too was originally gonna get the smitty, but 23 zero piqued my fancy. Honestly I was worried about the same thing, but I put 2 adults and two large dogs (70 & 95lbs) up with us at night and haven't seen any issues. Although it's worth mentioning that my "cross bars" are a diy rack made from 1"steel square tubing. Not sure if that effects it a whole bunch compared to commercially available racks, but I will say I'm not very gentle on gear and it's held up well for me. Even in severe wind.
@@TheStoicWolfe thanks
hi mate. Did you get this in the States or Australia?
I got this in the states, but its my understanding that they're an Australian company. I really enjoy this tent.
Any updated thoughts on the tent? This is one of several im considering. Thanks
After months of use i still have no complaints. The tent is amazing, held up fantastic on our recent 3k mile road trip to Montana and back. Rain, shine, dust and ash, The only issue we had was mosquitoes got in the tent one night in a really infested camp. This was because we didn't connect the annex and we left all screens open on the windows so I think our breathing thru the night attracted them to the porch on the tent and a few found a way in. This would be possible with all rtt's tho because of the way they connect to the base. The blackout interior is lovely for keeping sun out but makes it so easy to sleep in. You cant go wrong with this tent!
@@TheStoicWolfe Thanks for the feedback. Im thinking this is the one.
@@robz4825 no problem, if you have any other questions im happy to help!
Now... could one live in this? Like instead of rv living do you think this would be a good alternative?
It depends. It's definitely doable, but you sacrifice the "living space" an rv has because it's a tent obviously. But it's totally comfortable enough to do so, we have an annex as well which is like a room that attaches off the front and encapsulates the ladder. We use it as a changing room or a place to leave our dogs resting most days but it's big enough to put an extra cot down there for a guest!
How well does the tent do in below freezing climate?
It does really well with the wood stove setup I have installed in it. Otherwise it be pretty chilly, personally I've never had it in snow, only heavy rain. But I've talked with other people that have used them in the snow and they say the tent holds up fantastically!
Tip for bringing dogs down have them come rest there front legs on your shoulders then you pull there back legs in towards you carry them down like a lil baby with you arm holding them in an walk down stairs with the free arm for the ladder. They get use to it.
Thank you! I do that with my one dog, shes more trusting and ironically the bigger dog. The other one, he doesn't care for it. I have to chase him around the tent lol
Can you leave bedding in it when you pack it up??
Yeah you can, takes some strategy. Im still not a perfect packer but ive noticed light blankets and such pack easily but heavy blankets for winter take a bit more finesse.
Can side window open for person to come in and out please?
Every window can open up with a mesh screen, and you can also open the screen. So if you wanted to climb out any other window you could, although the ladder is fixed to the one side.
Is there any flex to the base? I saw that they don’t use a honeycomb base and I use to have a smittybilt that had a bit of flex.
I'm not sure I'm fully aware of what you mean, but if youre talking about what the mattress comes into contact with no it's not honeycomb but I haven't seen any flex.. especially with 2 people and 2 big dogs. It's very well built I'm my opinion. Hope this helps!
@@TheStoicWolfe does the base itself feel solid and sturdy? Like when you’re up in the tent and moving around, is there and flex or give to it?
@@startthemachin3 nothing more than what I would attribute to my not so well fitting camper shell. We've had this tent in some extreme winds and I haven't noticed any flexing. Even with all of us up there moving around. A really sturdy tent as far as I can tell
@@TheStoicWolfe awesome. That’s what I needed to know. Thanks!
@@startthemachin3 no problem! Don't hesitate to ask if there's anything else you'd like to know!
Does it come with the boot bag or do you purchase that separately?
The boot bags were purchased separately. Unfortunately, I know some other companies offer them with the purchase of the tent, however the quality of these bags aren't an afterthought. Theyre as durable as the tent is, which is good for those rainy or muddy camp sites. So in the end I don't mind that I had to pay for them.
@@TheStoicWolfe ok just checking. I just purchased a very lightly used 62 walkabout for $1k and it didn’t have a boot bag so I wondered.
How comfortable is the mattress?
Its a decently comfy mattress for only being a few inches thick. I have difficulty getting comfortable because I have a bad back due to my career... but I dont have any issue with this mattress and falling asleep at night. Hope that helps!
Are rooftop tents pretty much universal with roof racks? I don’t see any of that discussion anywhere but I’m curious if this would fit on a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek so I can get it for my girlfriend.
As far as I know they are. They all take a pretty similar approach to attaching to crossbars from what ive seen.out of the three different brands amongst our group of campers, theyre all the same. I've seen Subaru with them, your only concern would have to be the overhang. I got this model because it doesn't overhang my truck shell and look awkward. I'd measure the roof and look for a corresponding tent size that fits.
@@TheStoicWolfe Good information thank you! Is the overhang just personal preference? We wanted an annex and most good sized rooftop tents we like have overhang.
@@xShiftyyy yeah thats just my preference lol it's harder with smaller vehicles, like my midsized truck. The overhang doesn't effect performance though.
@@TheStoicWolfe Yeah we’re young so we don’t have any huge nice expensive vehicle but we want plenty of room for friends if we ever want to bring anyone along. I found a wholesaler nearby that sells a big 4 season one with a king size bed and the annex that pairs too it, it’s pretty damn big and is just under the weight limit for $1400, if it fits it ships 😂 Thanks again for your help
they claim a height of 14" , is that including the ladder hump in the middle ?
Yes this is including the ladder hump.
please show a video of closing it up in real time...
I'll keep that in mind for the next one, thanks!
Can you leave the rain fly on to fold?
Yes. we leave ours on when we pack it up. I've even seen some people pack up their bedding in it as well depending on how bulky it is, but we haven't tried this yet.
@@TheStoicWolfe that’s what I usually do but I bought mines used and that what they did. I wasn’t sure if it would fold up with it on. Thank you
@@moejr14 no problem! Happy adventuring! 👍
Do you still like it?
I like it even more now than when I bought it. It's been a very worthwhile investment!
@@TheStoicWolfe How is the wind drag when driving? Do you have problems getting into parking garages?
@@NathanHegwer-px3us I don't have any issues with clearance on anything other than my garage unfortunately lol but I also dont have this on a full size truck. All drive thrus and garages are still accessible- I sit at about 7.5ft. The drag is barely noticeable and it surprisingly hasn't effected my mpgs.
@@TheStoicWolfe lol, I’d be in same boat. Garage is short. Awesome! My yakima overhauls lowered to lowest setting and with this tent, I should be just at 7.5 ft. Good to know it worked for you! Thanks for your input and your review. Helped alot!
@@NathanHegwer-px3us you're very welcome. It's a worthy purchase!
Is this the weeklander?
No this is the Walkabout 62
yeah I have one question, why do vloggers flip the video and believe no one will notice or that somehow it makes the shot look better. The type on your shirt and all the branding is backwards at 13:37
I dont consider myself a vlogger, and I also didn't think anyone WOULDNT notice. It was shot on my phone and the fact that I dont do videos much means I didnt have the experience when shooting this... therefore mistakes were made. The clip stayed in otherwise itd be cut and itd force me re-shooting it in my garage. If thats all you took away from the video then idk what to tell you lol
Check out Shawn U-Tube program “ the journey until Now” great show roof top tents Michigan 🤗
OMG the audio channels 😖😖😖😖
What do you expect for royalty free music? Lol
@@TheStoicWolfe Well I'll just shut my big mouth then 😂
@@nyak63RUS lol I'm not paying for licensing unless CZcams starts paying me 😆
Your video is inverse....body