Cloud Camper Sizes Rooftop Tents to Fit Every Summer Crew

Bookings for December campsites open around October across South Africa, and families start working out who sleeps where on the road. Cloud Camper is a Johannesburg company that sells rooftop tents, awnings and vehicle camping gear. To help with that planning, it is pointing buyers to tents sized for the number of people travelling.

Group size changes everything. Two people spending a long weekend in the Karoo need a different setup from a family of four on a two-week coastal holiday. Cloud Camper suggests choosing Rooftop Tents by headcount first, then looking at the vehicle and the type of trip. Buyers who follow that order spend less and avoid a tent that is too small or heavier than they need.

Two sleepers: low profile, fast setup

Cloud Camper's two-person tents suit travellers who want a slim unit on the roof and a camp that goes up quickly after a long day of driving.

Closed, the Ultra-Slim 9cm Rooftop Tent is only 9 cm thick. Its hard shell is durable aluminium, and the tent is made from 320G ripstop polycotton with a blackout coating. It carries a PU 5000 mm waterproof rating and UPF 50+ UV protection. Two adults can sleep on the 6 cm inflatable mattress, and a telescopic aluminium ladder extends to 2.3 m. Cloud Camper adds a note for Suzuki Jimny owners: the tent, rack and hard shell together may go over the vehicle's roof load rating, so check that rating before buying.

The 2-Person Quick Set-Up Car Roof-top Tent comes with a solar panel bracket. It turns a vehicle into somewhere to sleep within minutes and uses tough, weather-resistant fabrics.

Three sleepers: a mid-size hard shell

In the middle of the range is the Easy Set-Up Waterproof Slimline Hardshell Rooftop Tent. It has a hard shell, sets up automatically, is waterproof and UV resistant, and stays compact on the road. Its ladder holds up to 150 kg. It suits couples or small families who want more space but don't need a full four-person tent.

Four sleepers: space for the whole family

Cloud Camper offers three tents that sleep four. The Kalbarri Z 4-Person Hard Shell Roof-top Tent is made for 4WD camping. Its hard shell combines aluminium with Oxford and cotton fabrics for UV resistance and waterproofing, and it comes with a mattress, ladder and solar panel bracket. The Cloud Camper XV 4 Sleeper is for families who want a durable tent that sets up quickly. The Navaro 4 Sleeper, made from nylon, polyester and Oxford fabric, is the third option.

To compare Rooftop Tents For Sale side by side, buyers can view the whole range on the Cloud Camper website, with specifications and current prices.

Shade and storage beyond the tent

The tent takes care of sleeping, but a South African summer trip also needs shade. Cloud Camper sells two freestanding side awnings that mount on the vehicle. One opens to 270 degrees. The other is a 180 degree batwing awning with a side wall. Both use 600D double-ripstop Oxford fabric with a 3000 mm waterproof rating and 50+ UV protection, and each is rated for five people.

The accessories cover most other camping needs. The AR-ON FSS-95 95L Dual-Zone Mobile Fridge/Freezer has two compartments, 52.5 L and 42.5 L, which can run as a fridge and a freezer at the same time, anywhere from minus 20 to 10 degrees Celsius. The range also includes a self-inflating camping mattress, a tent shower, a heavy-duty metal jerry can, a rechargeable camping fan with an LED lantern, and QuickRelease steel mount locks for roof tents and side awnings.

Four checks before you buy

Cloud Camper's guidance for picking Roof Top Tents for Cars comes down to four checks:

Fit: make sure the tent works with your roof rack.Sleeping capacity: allow for every traveller and the gear they bring.Load: make sure the vehicle's roof load capacity can take the tent's weight.Conditions: choose a model for the climate you'll camp in, such as a waterproof tent for rain.

Rooftop tents are heavy, so most need two people to install them. They fix to the roof rack with mounting brackets. With spring rain around, care matters too. Cloud Camper advises cleaning the tent after every trip to remove dirt and moisture, storing it somewhere dry and checking it often for damage.

Tested in the Karoo, Namibia and Tanzania

At the time of writing, 31 customers had left reviews on the Cloud Camper website. They describe trips in South Africa and further afield, including the Karoo, Namibia and Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. Many praise the build quality, the fast setup and the help they got when choosing their gear. Several mention practical details: bedding can stay inside the closed tent, there is built-in lighting and there are power points, and the tents pack away easily at the end of a stay. For first-time buyers, these reviews show how the tents hold up on real South African roads.

See a tent in person

Cloud Camper's Johannesburg showroom is at Shop 20, Kingswood Centre, 9 Northfield Avenue, Glenhazel. Visits are by appointment only. Buyers who want to see a tent opened up before they decide can contact the team to book a time.

The summer holidays are a few weeks away. Buying in October leaves time to choose a tent, have it fitted and test it on a weekend trip before the long December drive.

The full range of tents, awnings and accessories is at https://cloudcamper.co.za/.

About Cloud Camper

A team of outdoor and camping enthusiasts started Cloud Camper, a Johannesburg supplier of rooftop tents, vehicle awnings and camping accessories. It sells two, three and four person rooftop tents, freestanding side awnings, mobile fridge freezers and overlanding gear. Its Glenhazel showroom is open by appointment.