Rooftop Tent and Refrigerator
December 6, 2003
Updated 12/20/2003

I ordered a folding rooftop tent for my wagon a while ago.  Finally received it.  The tent is a Technitop tent, designed and manufactured in South Africa.  It is a clamshell-type design.  Folded, it measures about 10"Hx50"Lx48"W. Pop two latches on the case, and unfold it.  As you do so, the tent rises out of the clamshell, and a stepladder folds down to the ground.  The tent has an integral rain/snow fly.  Inside, it has a removable mattress.  I looked at a number of different products from Italy and Germany, to include other manufacturers in South Africa.  This is the best of the bunch.  If a piece of gear is popular in Southern Africa, you can bet it has been tested under the harshest possible conditions, and is therefore durable and a good value for the money.  The North American distributor is Offroad Academy in Vancouver, BC.  They just received a shipment of tents, and have had enough success with special-order-only sales that they've taken the leap to actually stock them for immediate delivery.  Price is $1,775.00 Canadian, about $1,360 US Dollars, which includes the mattress and a storm cover.  An optional shower enclosure and side canopy is also available.

Offroad Academy is also a dealer for the Engle line of dual-voltage 12VDC /110AC refrigerators.  There are NOT the "Coleman"-type Peltier-effect "solid state" coolers, which can only lower their internal temp. about 30 degrees F below the current AMBIENT temperature (meaning you can only "cool" down to a pleasantly warm 60 if the air temp is 90 - yes?).  These are true refrigerant-type, swing-compressor units that are fully CAPABLE OF MAKING ICE CUBES, or keeping ice cream or meat frozen.  However, the current draw is low enough that you can leave them hooked-up overnight w/o draining your batteries (crank the thermostat to the lowest/coolest setting during the day when the truck is running, raise is up to a higher/idle setting at night when you're not in and out of the cooler so much).  Three sizes are available: 35 liters, 45 liters and 60 liters.