gofast
SILVER Star
Today I picked up my new Roofnest Sparrow Eye in black. Sparrow Eye Roof Top Tent - 82" x 46" - Sleeps 2 | Roofnest
The struts are weighted perfectly - the first opening was a gentle nudge and it effortlessly lifted up. Purchasing sight unseen is always worrying but first impressions is that its made well and great quality.
After researching hard shell tents for what seems like forever I selected the Sparrow Eye. I wanted a tent that was lightweight (120 LBS), configured as a wedge for ease of opening and packing, and suitable for just me. My wife loves the Hannibal on the m101 as it's close to the ground and it’s a large unit. Without the constraint to sleep two, the one I selected is more narrow than most at just 46 inches wide and 82 inches long. It will still sleep two though. That dimension is well within the footprint of my 80's roof rack and the sides of the tent won't be hanging over catching trees
I’m pretty excited not having to pop up the 0ztent daily - it takes up some time to set up and load and unload and is more suited to a few days camping in the same location. I'm also glad I'm not dragging the trailer, or sleeping in the back. All decent options for a trip depending on length and company but my next Utah trip will see a bunch of daily moves and long days behind the wheel so this will be deluxe for me.
Links that helped in my decision making.
8 Hardshell Roof Top Tents That Will Soften Your Senses This 2018
Buyer’s Guide: Hard Shell Roof Top Tents
There are a number of YouTube Roofnest reviews covering their whole range.
I almost pulled the trigger on the Autohome Columbus Variant as it enjoys a great reputation and is affordable compared to others. I really hadn’t yet found Roofnest and in comparison the Variant costs more than the Sparrow Eye, especially for black and all accessories like the condensation mat also cost extra. The Baroud is too costly and is made out of fiberglass which can crack. However they do sell some larger tents that you can throw a spare tire on. A little too big for me and I can't afford $6,000 after exchange and shipping for a tent. The Roofnest is an ABS fiberglass composite which is tougher that straight fiberglass though. Shipping something this large had me worried and was something I kept calculating cost for when I was looking at various models. Roofnest charges a flat fee!
The tent came with the anti-condensation mat, extra gas strut, extra metal awning door tensioners, led lantern, sand mat for the base of the ladder, install hardware, and a nice, thick high density foam mattress. Packaging was fab, and the crate was on a pallet. I had two small punctures on the side of the crate but luckily they were on the bottom side of the tent floor. I have two very small scratches that will never be seen and were largely prevented as the tent is shipped with a removable plastic film which took the brunt of the scraping. It shipped from LA to Oroville, WA in 4 days and I got updates several times a day.
Those upside down arrows had me worried - came that way strapped to the pallet.
Condensation mat is two layers thick:
Appear to be stainless:
I spoke with the owner Tim before I purchased and he was great with my questions and he knows BC coming here to ski with family. He tried to connect me with another purchaser in Kamloops so I could save on shipping and at time of purchase offered me a coupon. Great group of staff to purchase from and customer service is excellent.
The tent is light enough that my neighbour lady, my wife and I easily unloaded it from the trailer. That will be the last time it will be picked up by hand. I purchased a hoist and will store the tent hanging from my ceiling.
Most cost effective Canadian price I could find was fromHarken 4-Point Hoist 200lb - Marine Outfitters - Ontario Canada . I’ve purchased from them before and service is also excellent.
I missed two used hard shell tents on Craigslist as they go super quick. Nice to get something new though and the used ones were bigger and cost the same as my purchase. One was an Autohome and the other a Maggiolina.
I'm off to Utah for the first half of May and will update this thread with my impressions when I get back.
The struts are weighted perfectly - the first opening was a gentle nudge and it effortlessly lifted up. Purchasing sight unseen is always worrying but first impressions is that its made well and great quality.
After researching hard shell tents for what seems like forever I selected the Sparrow Eye. I wanted a tent that was lightweight (120 LBS), configured as a wedge for ease of opening and packing, and suitable for just me. My wife loves the Hannibal on the m101 as it's close to the ground and it’s a large unit. Without the constraint to sleep two, the one I selected is more narrow than most at just 46 inches wide and 82 inches long. It will still sleep two though. That dimension is well within the footprint of my 80's roof rack and the sides of the tent won't be hanging over catching trees
I’m pretty excited not having to pop up the 0ztent daily - it takes up some time to set up and load and unload and is more suited to a few days camping in the same location. I'm also glad I'm not dragging the trailer, or sleeping in the back. All decent options for a trip depending on length and company but my next Utah trip will see a bunch of daily moves and long days behind the wheel so this will be deluxe for me.
Links that helped in my decision making.
8 Hardshell Roof Top Tents That Will Soften Your Senses This 2018
Buyer’s Guide: Hard Shell Roof Top Tents
There are a number of YouTube Roofnest reviews covering their whole range.
I almost pulled the trigger on the Autohome Columbus Variant as it enjoys a great reputation and is affordable compared to others. I really hadn’t yet found Roofnest and in comparison the Variant costs more than the Sparrow Eye, especially for black and all accessories like the condensation mat also cost extra. The Baroud is too costly and is made out of fiberglass which can crack. However they do sell some larger tents that you can throw a spare tire on. A little too big for me and I can't afford $6,000 after exchange and shipping for a tent. The Roofnest is an ABS fiberglass composite which is tougher that straight fiberglass though. Shipping something this large had me worried and was something I kept calculating cost for when I was looking at various models. Roofnest charges a flat fee!
The tent came with the anti-condensation mat, extra gas strut, extra metal awning door tensioners, led lantern, sand mat for the base of the ladder, install hardware, and a nice, thick high density foam mattress. Packaging was fab, and the crate was on a pallet. I had two small punctures on the side of the crate but luckily they were on the bottom side of the tent floor. I have two very small scratches that will never be seen and were largely prevented as the tent is shipped with a removable plastic film which took the brunt of the scraping. It shipped from LA to Oroville, WA in 4 days and I got updates several times a day.
Those upside down arrows had me worried - came that way strapped to the pallet.
Condensation mat is two layers thick:
Appear to be stainless:
I spoke with the owner Tim before I purchased and he was great with my questions and he knows BC coming here to ski with family. He tried to connect me with another purchaser in Kamloops so I could save on shipping and at time of purchase offered me a coupon. Great group of staff to purchase from and customer service is excellent.
The tent is light enough that my neighbour lady, my wife and I easily unloaded it from the trailer. That will be the last time it will be picked up by hand. I purchased a hoist and will store the tent hanging from my ceiling.
Most cost effective Canadian price I could find was fromHarken 4-Point Hoist 200lb - Marine Outfitters - Ontario Canada . I’ve purchased from them before and service is also excellent.
I missed two used hard shell tents on Craigslist as they go super quick. Nice to get something new though and the used ones were bigger and cost the same as my purchase. One was an Autohome and the other a Maggiolina.
I'm off to Utah for the first half of May and will update this thread with my impressions when I get back.
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