70 SEPTEMBER 2019 FOUR WHEELER fourwheeler.com
Top Thoughts
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Having used a rooftop tent on other vehicles in the past, we will say that we prefer this setup
on our pickup. Why? Our ultra-flexy suspension on our previous rig made the tent sway as you
moved around. Our ZR2 doesn’t shift around nearly as much. If you move around a lot in your sleep,
you might want to bring something to stabilize your rig (if the motion bothers you). Two bottle jacks with
a couple pieces of cut 4x4 wooden blocks under your rock sliders are easy body stabilizers.
It may seem like a sizable investment (around $1,499 at time of print), but you’re getting a lot of tent
for the money. With so many well-engineered design features throughout to ensure it remains leakproof
and user friendly, this isn’t a throwaway tent that you’ll be tossing after one season. As is the case with
most things, a little maintenance goes a long way. Don’t put a tent away wet and forget about it!
For those who like to take their family camping, the tent is an excellent addition. The setup time
is so quick (a few minutes), and it will make impromptu camping trips a bit faster and easier. While
“overlanding” might be the buzzword of the moment, making memories with your family outdoors will
never go out of style. FWTech Camp Anywhere
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- If you need some extra ventilation, ARB provides
prop rods and four window openings (only three are
usable, however, with the rain guard cover on). These
allow you to unzip the canvas windows and allow air
to flow through the screened windows. Given the
small openings in the screens, they do a fine job of
keeping the bugs at bay. - ARB understands that if you’re investing in this
tent, it’s likely going to see some tough environ-
ments. This is why the tent is comprised primarily of
a poly/cotton ripstop canvas material. It’s a 300GSM
PU impregnated canvas. We’ve been lucky enough to
not have a rainy overnight. We have, however, taken
extra care to wash it after a few outings, allowing the
tent to completely dry before folding it back up. - Having owned many tents over the years, we can’t
stress how important a quality set of zippers can be.
Though our sandy soil in the Southeast always seems
to make its way in the tent, we’ve had good luck with
the zippers all around. Even in some of the more
frequently used areas (like the entry point), they’ve
been trouble free. - The cover ARB sends with
the tent is a UV-stabilized PVC
vinyl material. It’s a little bulky
but very thick, and (of course) it’s
waterproof. Even dragging limbs
across it, we haven’t had any
issues. To access the tent, you’ll
unzip the cover three quarters of
the way. If you’d like to remove the
cover completely, you can slide it
out of the holding groove. Given the
size of the cover, we tend to leave
it attached.
Practical Points
T
here’s nothing aerodynamic about this tent.
That being said, we don’t notice the aero-
robbing attributes until we get over 60 mph. The
ZR2 actually handles
the added weight
extremely well. The
bummer is that it’s a bit
difficult to take on and
off given the size. You
can store it vertically
in your garage, which
saves a bit of space, but
make sure it’s secured
to the wall. You also
may notice that our tent is slightly offset to the
passenger side. We did that to allow room for an
awning on the driver side and to align with the
ARB mounting rails more easily.Load Ratings
O
ne thing worth mentioning is static versus
dynamic load ratings. A.R.E. and Yakima list
their dynamic load ratings. This is the maximum
amount of weight the company states should be
attached while moving. In Yakima’s case, that’s
165 pounds. Static figures are often much higher,
although companies are not always willing to share
these figures publicly. We haven’t had any issue
with having the tent and a few hundred extra
pounds sleeping on top. While we wouldn’t push
the limit in regard to hauling any extra gear up top,
sleeping two adults should not be a problem.SOURCES
ARB 4x4
Accessories
866/293-9078
arbusa.com
A.R.E
800/649-4ARE
4are.com
Yakima
888/925-4621
yakima.com