Camper vs roof tent
Posted by Ill_Entrepreneur_340@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 14 comments
I want to start traveling through Europe and I'm somewhat in doubt. I don't know which would be more appropriate.
The car is a Dacia Duster 4x4 dci.
For tent and camping accessories I would allocate about 1400 euros + possibly a DIY "platform" + removable mattress to sleep in the car in unsafe areas.
And for the caravan, I would allocate a maximum of 4000 euros but the problem is that they are all old, so it will probably take more repairs / modifications.
I plan to travel in the summer for 2-4 weeks and maybe even in the winter, but one, maximum two.
In other words, I ask for some advice to make a decision.
Galax8811@reddit
For me, it depends a lot on what you want to do and the country. An old caravan could self-destruct on even the uneven gravel road, and even if it's durable, it's very limiting compared to a rooftop tent. Also, with a caravan, in many European countries it's difficult, if not impossible in some areas, to avoid campsites, whereas with a tent you can always find a quiet spot to open your tent discreetly enough so no one bothers you.
A caravan is better if you want to stay on the road and go to campsites, a tent is better if you want to be out in nature.
Smcitchell@reddit
I work on campers for a living, take it from me and build the platform for the rooftop tent. The repairs/mods will get expensive quick. Not to mention, you'll be spending more money on gas to haul it. Best of luck
Ill_Entrepreneur_340@reddit (OP)
Would a camper of 600kg/1300lbs worsen the fuel consumption that much? Like more than 1/1.5l?
Smcitchell@reddit
Depends on what you're towing it with, what your roads are like and how tall it is. I tow a pop up with a 1500 Silverado and lost some MPG but I was going through a lot of hilly roads. If you go the trailer route, grease your wheel bearings like another user said. Dry wheel bearings are the cause of most blowouts on the road.
AwesomeBantha@reddit
I’m not an expert but I would be surprised if the fuel economy penalty when towing a camper was only 1-1.5L/100.
RTT will also lower fuel economy, but probably way less than a camper would.
Ill_Entrepreneur_340@reddit (OP)
I mean for relatively flat roads. If i go through mountains or hills, it goes up to 7-8-9 without a trailer
arris15@reddit
Your milage will vary, and its not so much about weight as other factors.
I have a 1300lb pop up that sits at the trunk height of a car, very aerodynamic, keep the wheel bearings greased and you might only loose 3-4 MPG.
When I rent Uhaul trailers, even when empty and lighter than my fully loaded camper, they are worse. Not/less areodynamic and they are often poorly maintained so you have dry grinding wheel bearing creating a ton of rolling resistance.
The weight doesn't matter much once you get up to speed, the drag does.
Roof top tents and roof racks also create a lot of drag and can be very loud at highway speed. That drag will reduce your MPG as well.
ninjamansidekick@reddit
I am in US but we had a camper and went to an RTT. If you are a spontaneous adventurer towing a trailer gets old and limits options.
Amadreas@reddit
If you want an RTT. Crossbar only needed. RTT On the roof, or on the ground, use the base as a swim platform.
AwesomeBantha@reddit
One thing I’ve heard about is that in many/all European countries, sleeping in an RTT is treated the same way as sleeping in your car, which you can do almost everywhere, but there are lots of regulations about pitching a ground tent.
I have a DIY car sleeper platform right now, and while it works great, I spend a lot of time setting it up every evening and then tearing it down in the morning when I want to go somewhere. I’ll even bring a tent with me, not to sleep in, but to store all the stuff I had to remove from the car to set up the platform.
If I was doing a 2-4 week trip, I’d absolutely get an RTT instead of depending on the platform to sleep in each night.
Skip the camper trailer entirely until you’re 100% sure you need one.
FoxtrotsFolly@reddit
Camper trailers are all poor quality because they have to be lightweight for towing. Trailers limit 4x4 campsite access and you need a rig that can pull them. Kills mpg on long trips.
Rooftop tents are expensive for what you get. They are heavy and mounted on places that were not designed to hold that load. Also it’s no fun to crawl off the top of a vehicle half asleep to take a wiz in the middle of the night.
So hear me out, how about a $400 tent that sets up on the ground? No need to level your vehicle, easily stored, can be taken away from a road for that early morning wake-up view.
I camp for work and play ~30 nights a year. My favorite is just sleeping under the stars with my bedroll. You just need a quality sleeping pad (which you would need with a rooftop anyway). Less is more.
Ill_Entrepreneur_340@reddit (OP)
I was searching for lighter campers of around 600kg/1300lbs because i wanna visit cities as well. Not just the overlanding in the mountains and offroad. I would also do a lot of highway/national roads.
Evening_Debate_754@reddit
If I had a bigger truck would go with camper my current truck a 2015 Tacoma 2wd is getting a rtt in July for $1500
TelevisionBetter4845@reddit
For 2–4 week trips, I’d honestly go with the Duster setup.
Car + simple sleep platform + mattress = way more flexibility, easier border hopping, and no constant caravan repairs.
A €4k old caravan sounds comfortable, but usually turns into ongoing fixes + campsite dependence.
If it were long term living, caravan might win, but for your use case, car camping is the simpler and more free option.