Roof tent

Yes, precisely. Although very few people seem to use them for anything other than the things you've mentioned anyway, so it's a bit of a moot point!
Of course, it is possible to exceed the roof capacity in the same way that you can exceed the towing capacity or payload, and not suffer any direct consequences. The trouble is, that one day when things don't go to plan the owner then becomes culpable for their negligence and the price for that can be a hefty one! It's what is commonly known as "winging it". That's why I think it's important that people are aware of the facts. It's then up to individuals to make their own decisions based on that information. Obviously Front Runner have no interest in telling you that their £800 product is essentially no more than an ornament.

Hi all,

Thanks for all the extra info, it is indeed what I expected.
The great benefit of a roof tent is that you don't need a camping spot to set up your tent.
I was just wondering if there is a specific roof tent for the Jimny, if so, I would like to try this to see if this is a nice way to camp.
But it's now clear to me that this will not be the case.
So we just go camping in our normal tent.

Thanks for all your input!

There is this expensive option Inflatable RTT weight 25kg, not sure if you need a full rack to fit it or whether roof bars would do?

Marloes van Oijen wrote: The great benefit of a roof tent is that you don't need a camping spot to set up your tent.

But you do need a parking spot, and camping in most places where you can park is not allowed, unless it's a campsite. If you're trying to be stealthy, having a tent on top of your car makes your intentions very obvious! I do lots of camping, both on campsites and wild camping, mostly on a motorcycle, and I never have any trouble finding places to pitch a small tent. I can't think of many wild spots that would have worked with a roof tent though. Often I will park up and then camp somewhere a short walk from the vehicle. Again, not an option with a roof tent. I have to say, I really don't get the obsession with them. They have this image of the being the ultimate freedom, yet as far as I can see the reality is that they are more of an inconvenience!

You can tell your insurance you have a roof rack / tent fitted just as you can for body / tyre / suspension lifts.
Then if it's lying on its side due to the tent or the 4 inch lift it's simply between you and your insurance.
Both are a modified vehicle in Suzuki's eyes.

I love the concept of a roof tent - who wouldn't want to sleep high up and have their accomodation always available? However in reality it does limit what you're able to do.

Once you've parked and pitched the tent, you're stuck in that location and can't drive off without packing the tent away, so it's a bit of a rubbish solution for holidays where you want a basecamp to visit sights in a given area.

You really need a rack to take the weight of a tent - bars will give too much flex in the tent base. Weight combo of rack and tent will probably be double the recommended roof load of the Jimny.

People see the large overland rigs and want to replicate that, but the Jimny just isn't suited to that kind of setup.

A set of lightweight roofbars is probably the best bet for most people. I can strongly recommend the Yakima flushbars, as they're light (3kg each) and the adjustments can be locked into place, so it takes about 5 minutes to fit them when needed.

This is a 3 man rooftent we use on our (1999) Jimny but we have a custom roof rack.

Total weight probably close to 60/70kg but no way would the original roof bars hold just the tent (50kg) and me and my girlfriend (+ another 180kg ish).

Maybe somewhat naively (or stupidly!) I’d never considered advising my insurance about adding a tow bar, adding a roof rack or changing the tyre size, on Jimny’s that I’ve owned in the past... I suppose I just thought of them as accessories... anyway as a result of this thread I’ve just asked my insurance company, Direct Line, via their online chat... this is what they have replied..

“None of those are classed as mods for us so you can change them at will with no effect on the insurance.”

Needless to say I have taken screen shots of the conversation, which I will keep for later reference, should the need arise.

Obviously this may not apply to all insurers!

PJ

Yep tell them everything, if they choose it ignore it that's their call.
My insurance know I have aftermarket roof rack, tow hitch and stereo. Like you it makes makes no noticeable difference to my premium.

Bill Portland wrote:

Soeley wrote:

Bill Portland wrote:

Busta wrote: The same limit applies to the gen 4.

No it doesn't.

Please explain.

I haven't found any Suzuki stated roof load limit for the gen 4, only a limit for the Suzuki brand roof bars.

Confirmation from Suzuki: