How do you store a roof top tent?

When the camping season is over, you will definitely want to take your tent off your car roof and stow it safely in your garage or basement. Here we give you tips and tricks on how you can store your roof rack tent and prepare for the next season.

It is very important that you put some work into cleaning and maintaining your roof tents after a camping season to protect it from aging and so that it is ready to use again next year.

Can I take off the tent on my own?

You should always take at least two people to remove and set up the roof rack tent. Not only is the tent very heavy, but it is also very big. The possibility of dismantling the tent from the roof alone and damaging it is very large. If it falls on the ground, something can break very quickly or parts of the tent can break off. We, therefore, recommend that you remove or assemble the tent, always with at least two people. But if you don’t have someone who can help you, there are special solutions to dismantle the tent on your own. For example, you can attach a ceiling lift that will help you lift the roof tent and store it on the wall. These lifts are actually intended for roof boxes, but since these roof boxes are almost the same size as our roof tent, you can also use these lift systems. So you also have a good place where you can store the roof tent. If you use it to lift the tent off your car roof, you can simply lower it back onto the roof of your car next year and then attach it. These roof box lift systems are available in a manual version, but the lifts are also available with a motor drive.

What do I have to consider when storing?

If you want to store your tent for a longer period of time, for example in winter, you should always clean the tent first. The best thing to do is to set up the tent again and clean it thoroughly inside and out. It is best to use water and soap for this. Do not forget to vacuum the tent thoroughly and to remove coarse dirt and insects that have accumulated in cracks during the journey.

It is also important that you thoroughly degrease all moving parts or spray them with silicone spray. So you can be sure that the mechanics will work without problems in the next year and that no rust will form on the mechanics in winter, for example.

Plastic parts should also be cleaned thoroughly and treated with special plastic care products. It can happen that some plastic parts that are particularly exposed to the sun harden quickly and become brittle that quickly. This does not happen in the first year of use, but if your roof tent is already a few years old, the plastic parts may start to become brittle and can break if, for example, vibrations.

What we have also found, if you store the roof tent in your garage, it may be that the garage is a bit damp or has a high level of humidity. Wetness and humidity are also not good for the roof rack tents. So you can either place a dehumidifier in your garage, place a heater or turn it up, or you can put newspaper in the tent before you fold it up. This newsprint can then absorb and store the moisture in the air. In this way you prevent mold growth on or in the tent.

Lift systems for roof rack tents

If you want to hang your tent on the ceiling of your garage, for example, I can recommend the hanging devices that are normally used for roof boxes. Using these lift systems is actually very simple and straightforward. When you have screwed the lift system to the ceiling, the worst is already done. Now all you have to do is connect the hooks of the lift system or the rope system to your roof tent and loosen the connections and fastenings from the roof tent to the car. Now you can easily lift the roof tent with the cranks provided and fix it to the ceiling.

When you have fixed the roof top tent to the ceiling, you can leave it hanging there until the next sainon. But please make sure that you clean the roof tent beforehand and treat it with grease or silicone, as already described above.

Also make sure that the humidity in the garage is not too high. Otherwise it could be that mold forms in and on the tent. And you can certainly do without such a surprise when the camping season starts again.

Below I have recommended a few lift systems that we think are the best lift systems you can use for a roof system.