fourwheeler.com FOUR WHEELER SEPTEMBER 2019 69
- The Simpson Series III tent from ARB comes
90 percent assembled. The only parts you’ll need to
attach are the aluminum base rails and the ladder.
The tent base is configured so it can either open from
the side or the back of the vehicle. We opted for the
side since a rear setup might interfere without the
back glass on our A.R.E. cap. - Our Z Series cap is fit with the optional roof rails,
which we’ve paired with a set of Yakima JetStream
crossbars. These bars are rated for 165 pounds
(static), making them fine for the 154-pound tent. - ARB ships the tent with plates that allow you
sandwich the crossbars between the provided plates
and rails. These will work with many plate and
tubular roof racks, but the JetStream crossbars are
wider than most.- We had a feeling the provided plates would be
too short, so we picked up some 1^1 ⁄ 2 -inch-wide,
(^1) ⁄ 4 -inch-thick flat bar from our local hardware store.
After cutting them to length, we drilled the necessary
holes and gave them a nice coat of black paint.
- With the tent secured to the crossbars, you’re
ready to set it up. Doing so only requires you to
extend and twist two rods on the inside and two at
the entryway on the outside. To actually unfold the
tent, you’ll unstrap the two buckles, lock the ladder
into the extension slots, and slowly walk it back. It’s
an easy one-person job.- Speaking of ladders: Depending on how tall you
are, you may find that you’ll need to haul a short
stepstool or ladder to make setup and teardown go a
little easier. If your 4x4 is taller than average, you can
also pick up a ladder extension from ARB. - Inside, you’ll find a 2.5-inch, high-density,
bonded-chip foam mattress with a removable cover.
We found it to be a little on the firm side, so we’ll slip
an air pad under our sleeping bag if we are out for
more than one night. - We’ve found it roomy enough for two adults and
a couple of very small kiddos. There are a few small
pockets where you can easily tuck in gear, and
there’s just enough room at the base of the mattress
for a gear bag or two. Even better is that the tent can
be folded up with the sleeping bags in place. The
bungee cords you see are there to help keep the walls
pulled in for when it’s time to pack up.
3
4
5
6
7
8
2
1
upgrade—the Simpson Series III tent from
ARB. This particular tent is what’s commonly
referred to as a rooftop tent. The idea behind
the Simpson Series III is to provide you with a
quality, easy-to-use tent, which will keep you out
of the elements (and food chain). Designed to de-
ploy in just a few minutes, it allows you to set up
camp anywhere you can find level ground.
Sure, at 154 pounds, it’s far heavier than a
conventional backpack tent. However, the fact
that we can now utilize camping spots that
would be otherwise unusable with a traditional
two-person tent has equated to a solid invest-
ment. Add in the fact that tiny humans are a
part of the equation, and the rapid deployment
becomes something you and your kiddos will
appreciate for years to come.
So, what’s it like actually using (and daily
driving with) our new setup? Read on to
find out.