With a catchy title like that, who would be believe we are talking about a tent!
In fact we chickened out and didn’t use that as our leading title on You Tube, instead we went for ‘Watch this before you buy a roof top tent or awning’
Boring in comparison, but I guess it says what it is!
The Bush Company Roof Top Tent was our home from home as we came to rely on it time after time, self driving around Africa for a year across 11 African countries.
When our 30 year old Land Rover Defender finally arrived into Durban, we hot foot it over to Pretoria for the ensemble to be fitted - now you’ve got to bear in mind, we had never put everything together before, and in truth, weren’t exactly sure how it would all work out, but by some miracle, it did work out!
We did however, do our research before leaving and found the Bush Company also have an outlet in the UK and we saw not our tent but another smaller on on display at one of the overlanding trade shows, in the UK.
Unbeknown to us at the time, the UK guy told us that they had an outlet in South Africa too, and after contacting their Head office in Australia, things started to slowly fall into place.
We had the Bush Company 270 XT awning and TX27max roof tent fitted in South Africa before we set off to explore this relative unknown continent. Andi the Landy was kitted out and took on a whole new rugged appearance- the look of a landrover who meant business, a landrover ready for the rigours of the road and the bush and a landrover ready to be our home and our sanctuary for the next year.
We looked the part, but did the tent and awning perform?
We self drove through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, back into SA, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and finished in Kenya - over a year later and around 35,000 miles clocked up. Like a snail, our home was on our back and we dragged it around with us, ready to pop up as we needed.
It’s fair to say we did give the tent and awning a good airing and whilst we also worked with some venues, getting back into the tent was like coming home.
Aided by the comfort and ease of use, the Bush Company tent and awning are perfect for the travellers who like a little luxury. We slept really well in the tent, usually with just the fly-wire open, but once or twice we needed the storm flaps up and on the very rare occasion, the inner flaps up for warmth.
Meeting other road warriors from France, Germany, UK, Israel, South Africa, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, we talked about the Bush Company tent and what they had chosen as their equivalent, and I can safely say, we had the absolute best set-up for comfort and for ease of use - even being able to pack the tent away with the bed fully made, and the 6 huge pockets full of ‘stuff’ in a simple, pull it down and lock it up way, was superior to a lot of their options.
We loved the three way light; white, red and orange, it stuck to the inside of the tent when not in use and charged by USB when needed - which wasn’t often.
The six deep gusseted pockets pretty much held all our clothes, neatly rolled up and lined up like soldiers. A round pocket for the water bottle and a USB charger inside the tent all helped for comfort and easy of use.
We even loved the fact that the bed was flat with no creases where it had been folded away, (the base remains static and only the roof folds up and down) it is so comfortable, we slept so well in Africa.
But the crowning glory was the easy open close mechanism. Aided by gas struts, the tent was unclipped and made a slow but steady upward lift, a bit like an old gent getting up out of his chair after being sat there for hours!
This was the first part of the opening, and in truth, you could sleep in this cheese wedge shape, or you could unlock the other side and have, what can only be described as a cavernous space inside as the cheese shape changed into a box with the opposite side slowly crawling up to match.
6 windows, well windows or doors, meant we had a 360 view all around, which was extra special when we were camping and woke to the sound of birdsong or the sea crashing against the shoreline, and being able to open those bleary eyes to the wonders of Africa as the sun rose once again on this beautiful and diverse continent.
We even had lions visit us- which we didn’t know about until the next morning when the unmistakable footprints gave the game away, and reminded us, we were in their space, and they were wild. So grateful we could exercise a hasty tent pack away, before we set off for an early morning game drive. A little tug, 4 clips engaged, a wrap around and tuck away of the awning and we were ready to go.
Ever grateful for the hasty pack-up as we scoured the hedges for movement!
Arriving at Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe looking at the decidedly dodgy grey skies, we heed the words of wisdom from the lady behind the desk declaring it hasn’t rained for months, so it wont rain. A few moments later and we’re sat underneath the awning watching a torrential downpour. Rain coming off the awning in gushes, more akin to a waterfall, but we remind dry and as luck would have it we hadn’t got the tent out yet. Under cooler, grey skies, we marvelled at the sudden change of view from brown arid sandy game park, to a yellowing turning to green veld, right in front of our eyes.
The awning was our friend once more as we hunkered down in the desert, as evening quickly descended upon us and we watched the oryx and ostrich wander by in the fading light, going to who knows where in that baron wasteland. The awning serving as a welcome sun shield right up until the sun dropped behind the horizon.
Both tent and awning are made of rip-stop fabric and aluminium, so not that heavy compared to some, but we also have a solar panel on the roof, a must to keep the drinks cold and the food fresh in Africa’s heat. The tent took the weight of the solar panel and lifted it with ease as the tent came to life night after night.
Climbing up into bed, our ready made bed as there was enough space up top to make the bed and pack the tent away in readiness for the next night, was made easy by the lightweight telescopic ladders, which stored away in a rip stop bag when not in use. As easy click, click as they dropped down and lock in section by section, until you get to your desired length - which changed at each campsite, depending on the ground. The unique attachment of the ladders to the tent, meant they were stable, but easy to pull up at night, if you wanted to- we didn’t..
We didn’t have any unwelcome visitors, no snakes, spiders (except maybe the odd little one), only clever mosquitoes that clung to our clothes as we got in bed, lions, leopards or any naughty people wishing to share our tent, and as such we were comfortable and happy in our space, our home, our comfort.
We have been asked where to get this tent from, the manufacturer is The Bush Company and they have outlets in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States.
We opted for the easy open close 270 XT awning and TX27max roof tent, but there are many more models to choose from.
If you are serious about a roof top tent, bearing in mind you get what you pay for, then you should consider The Bush Company - a company we know worked for us on our extreme journey around Africa, and we certainly did put it to the test!!
Still not sure? Check out our you Tube channel to help you decide - you wont regret investing int he Bush Company products - we didn’t
We’ve more adventures planned, so watch this space… and comment below or contact us if you need more information.
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