Sprache wechseln
As much as I would like to think that a rooftop tent is possibly the best excuse for a spontaneous getaway from nine-to-five and a fantastic reason to distance oneself from social expectations and the news, our modern lifestyle tethers us to our phones and tablets like never before—not always in a bad way, as they act as our navigators when we’re exploring places we have never been, translate when we’re in foreign lands, and form an urgent line of communication when things don’t go as planned.
And then there’s the question of lighting after the sun has set, and the other gadgets we depend on to capture our adventures: drones and action cams.
LIGHTS
You don’t see rooftop tents with a full electrical supply everyday, but some suppliers do offer battery-powered LED lighting which can be suspended with hooks from the ceiling, a net, or on the metal tubes that make up the frame to keep the canvas taught. If you are going to buy LEDs to light up the night, then look for a set that either has a warm light or can be switched between warm white and cool white. If they are dimmable, so much the better.
Inexpensive, a string of LEDs will shed light throughout the tent without being in the way.
POWER SUPPLY
As far as charging phones is concerned, you can, of course, resort to a power bank, but then you should ask yourself how many charges you might need. If you need to charge more than just a mobile, then a more versatile solution is a portable power supply with 230V, 12V and USB/USB-C outlets. These will take care of all your charging demands for several days between charges, but are bulkier and not so practical in the confines of the tent.
Another option, if you don’t need 230V, is one of the latest generation of jump starters for the car. Almost forgotten are the workshop-style ones that were the size of a car battery and weighed just as much. The latest models are pocket-sized and can recharge phones, tablets, and other batteries several days on the trot without needing a charge.
SOLAR
Solar power takes rooftop tent electronics to the next level. Soft-shell tents are not so easily equipped with this luxury, but a hard shell or hybrid with a flat surface is almost begging to be put to good use.
A permanently installed panel can feed into a solar converter and battery, which can then supply power to USB/USB-C, 12V or even 230V sockets if you have an inverter.
If you want to keep everything inside the tent, then you’ll be looking for a compact battery plus the electronics, wiring and sockets. Hardly space-saving, and you don’t forget the additional weight.
If you are going down this route, then it is wise to use the space available on the top of the tent for the solar panel, install the electronic wizardry in the car, and only wire in whatever sockets you need in the tent.
Bear in mind that any holes you may have to drill can evolve into a potential leak.
CONCLUSION
Bringing light into the darkness of your tent and keeping your phone charged is neither rocket science nor expensive. If you need more power for more equipment, then you may be thinking about installing a comprehensive power supply in your car, with the added benefit of powering a fridge.
Whatever your requirements are, don’t think you can tap into the car’s starter battery indefinitely. You don’t want to be stranded somewhere with no way of getting the motor running again. And starter batteries weren’t designed for a permanent draw on their reserves—they’re better at providing a lot of power in short bursts.
The topic of setting up solar, solar converter, a leisure battery, inverter, and outlets is much more complex than this brief overview is intended to cover. We will, however, address this in depth in a separate article soon.
Photography: Frank Schrader
