Rooftop tent vs ground tent — the honest pros and cons for SA overlanding
Back from 7 nights in the bush — here is the full report from East London.
The spot: Walk-in only, no advance booking, and we had it to ourselves mid-week.
Facilities: Fully equipped with power points, hot water, and a communal kitchen area.
Wildlife: The bird life alone is worth the trip — 47 species on my list for the weekend.
What worked: The National Luna fridge ran the full trip on 152Ah LiFePO4 topped up by 210W solar. Didn't need the generator once.
What to bring: Your own firewood (collecting prohibited in most reserves), minimum 20L water per person for 3 days, and a headlamp — the bush is seriously dark.
Would I go back: Immediately. This is exactly why we overland.
4 Replies
Did you see any large wildlife in camp? We had an elephant push over a tree about 19m from our rooftop tent at 02:00. Incredible to experience — absolutely terrifying in the moment.
Good tip on the firewood — this catches so many people out. I now carry a 48kg bag of hardwood in the back of the bakkie on every trip. Enough for 5 nights of evening fires without relying on anything available on site.
Did you see any large wildlife in camp? We had an elephant push over a tree about 26m from our rooftop tent at 02:00. Incredible to experience — absolutely terrifying in the moment.
Did you see any large wildlife in camp? We had an elephant push over a tree about 26m from our rooftop tent at 02:00. Incredible to experience — absolutely terrifying in the moment.
— marco_joubert
What is the booking lead time for this spot? I have been looking at it for a trip in October and starting to wonder if I have left it too late.