A Couple of Poles, Two Planks & Some Canvas
… And you’ve got yourself a place to sleep on top of your car!
Okay, so there’s a little more involved that just those five items. In truth there are a few more
bits of hardware you will need, as per the shopping list at the end of ‘part 2’ of this project, to which you will need to add in two to three days for labour, punctuated naturally with the correct expletives emitted at the appropriate times, and voila! Only then will you have your very own 'I-did-it-myself' roof-top tent to ‘bopa’ (colloquial term borrowed from isiZulu meaning ‘fasten’) on top of your adventure chariot before heading out to explore some more.
For some time I’d wanted to build my own roof-top tent and having done so there’s been a bit of interest shown from fellow adventurers wanting to know what make of tent this is. There’s usually even more interest when they find out it’s called DIY (Do-It-Yourself) … so here’s Part 1 of how I went about DIY’ing this thing.
Firstly I needed to find a canvas goods manufacture place willing to help and then provide them with a drawing of sorts. As I was based up in northern Botswana when I took on this project I approached a crowd in Maun called Canvas Zone who were more than happy to take on the challenge. In fact they even let me draw out the design together with one of the machine operators which was a real bonus as while doing so we got to discuss who would be doing the job, what zips, where mosquito mesh, how to position the fly-sheet and when I could collect the finished result.
This was going to take them a few days which I reckoned to be just the right amount of time I needed to get the rest of the construction done. So, to the hardware store to purchase the necessary bit’s ‘n pieces, then to AliBoats where I managed to buy three lengths of square tubing and quite fortuitously four large L-shaped pieces which served wonderfully well as the hinge mechanism. Kalahari Canvas was next to purchase two adjustable-length tent poles and then it was back to my friend’s house to get cracking with things.
I cut the plywood – a 12mm thick sheet for the base and a 9mm thick sheet for the ceiling – to length; on that score and in hindsight I’d go longer than the 210cm length I chose, but I’m not tall so it works for me. Filed the corners round a bit, sanded both sheets down and applied the first coat of varnish.
While that was drying I made up the hinge brackets; filed and sanded the edges smooth, drilled the holes for small machine screws which I used to fasten them to the respective boards as well as the hole for the pivot bolt.
The aluminium tubing was next; cut to length with the appropriate holes drilled for attachment to the bottom of the base board and respectively to the roof-rack. I cut short slots in the sides as well into which a spanner head fits in order to be able to tighten up the roof-rack attachment nuts.
When the first coat of varnish was dry I drilled the holes through the boards for the hinge brackets, at the other end for the tent pole anchors, as well as the holes to attach the tubing. Gave the boards a light sanding using a fine grit paper and applied the second coat.
With the first part done and now waiting for the canvas work to be completed it was a good time for a beer. Being the ‘clever juice’ that beer is I’m deducing a certain question may at this point in time pop into one’s head, but it more than likely did right at the beginning of this article, “Why would anyone want to go to the trouble of making their own roof-top tent when there are so many great tent manufacturers around? "
And the answer is, “Because one can, one was quite specific on design criteria and one thought it would be more cost effective.” All of that aside, this ‘one’ really enjoys projects of this nature, working with my hands and there’s a certain satisfaction to be had when a practical idea works out and is seen through to fruition.
Hang in there for Part 2 and the completion of this project. It’ll be out soon.
