Driving Line VOLUME V ISSUE 2 | SPRING 2019 | Page 47

GROUND TENT
Perhaps the most widely used form of camping, a simple
tent on the ground remains a favorite for many, and for good
reason. Modern tents are lightweight, easy to set up and often
fit in small carrying bags. While not the most comfortable way
to spend a few nights in the wild, it certainly gets the job done
for most people who are privy to the outdoors. With modern
advancements in tent technology, camping on the ground
has never been more convenient, even in inclement weather.
But tents do have their drawbacks. Windy weather can keep
you up all night, setting up and tearing down a tent in rain is a
hassle and staying warm in cold weather can be challenging.
Despite the cons of ground tenting, it’s undoubtedly the image
that pops into anyone’s head when you tell them you’re going
camping for the weekend.
ROOFTOP TENT
Next on our list is a form of camping that has recently seen
an explosion in popularity and led to an entire lifestyle of its own.
Rooftop tents have been around for many years, but due to the recent
popularization of overlanding and new technology letting people easily
take their camping supplies to the ends of the earth, they’re becoming a
household item that are now being mounted on all kinds of vehicles—not
just off-road rigs. While the rooftop tent has many advantages—such
as being self-contained, easy to set up and tear down, stored above
the vehicle and relatively comfortable—it shares many of the cons of
sleeping in a normal ground tent. You’ll also need to have some way
of mounting it to the vehicle, which can get costly if you don’t have
factory roof rails on your rig. Additionally, you’ll need to park on level
ground to make sure you don’t roll into the corner of the tent while you
sleep, and climbing a 7-foot ladder to get in and out isn’t exactly fun
to do for those middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks. Another thing to
consider is the cost. While ground tents can be bought for less than
$100, even the most modest rooftop tent will still run you about $700.
Although these tents have relatively simple designs, new features and
add-ons are becoming available all the time, so we’ll be keeping our
eye on how these tents progress over the years.
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