The good reasons for Van tents: This is a real ideal way to add on some extra room to the vehicle.

A tent for your van can be used in many ways, such as using it as a exchange or shower room - for vans having a shower installed at the rear. Also very useful when you have a set up with a rear/ outdoor kitchen as the tailgate tent can be your sheltered extra space.

Note: All tents shall be used in good or reasonable weather conditions and not when torrential weather is expected.Make sure your secure the tents proper to the ground. A spray of rain is no problem- however in case your facing weather or heavy rain its recommended to take your tent down. If you tent got wet- make sure you try the tent before packing it away or very shortly after to avoid unwanted odours.

tailgate REAR tents: This  type of tents are our most often sold camper tents. The are light, quick and easy to set up and take up very little space when packed away. This is because they are hold up by the vehicle rear lift up door and therefore do not require any additional poles and frames to erect. With often only 3-6 kg weight- they store way in even the smallest camper and can be set up with little effort by a single person.

A great choice if space is premium and a smaller area is desired to gain. This tents are often the same sqm space or slightly larger as your tailgate self is.

Available for many different van manufacturer rand and models. 

barn door rear tents: For a few popular vans such as VW T5 / T6, Sprinter and Ducato there are solutions available when you have the side opening rear door set up. This tent and annexes are ideal to stop sun and light rain entering and also often the favourable choice for rear outside showers to achieve shelter and privacy.

The set up is quite quick- but on high roof vans you shall keep in mind that you need to be able to reach up high during set up.

free standing tents: Most suitable for people who set up the camp and staying for a few days- the tents can be used to secure your campsite and can be left in behind while leaving for a day trip. They are also  most suitable to not only create a extra living space, they also can be the ideal location for additional sleeping spaces.Free-standing tents for vans have a "extra joining skirt" where you can couple the main tent to the vehicle with.

This tent are offered in different sizes and are available for the back or the side of the van. The classic free standing tents have a pole or frame systems- however the latest tents offer instead of poles  air inflatable solutions, which makes teh set up easy and faster.

General this tents do take up more space when packed away and have a average weight from 12-25kg.

• unpack your  tent for set up on dry, flat ground
• make sure to peg down your tent proper to the ground and for tailgate tents: snug fit it around the vehicle body
• when you pack your tent away, fold it neat together and roll it up tight before packing into the storage bag
• in case your tent was wet when you had to pack it away, make sure as soon as you can to unpack it and let it dry before repacking- this will prevent mould and unwanted odours
• when airing out the tent, avoid leaving the tent thrown over items which sharp and spiky objects- this will minimise risk of rips
• for tents with fixed floors_ make sure the floor is as clean as possible before packing up
• depending on usage, but at least every 6 months treat your threads with a sealer to prevent stitching from start leaking and ageing quickly
• TIP: carry some extra pegs for different grounds ie sand pegs and have a  couple of extra ropes/ tie downs with you
• Cooking inside your tent: many people have pull out  drawers with stoves  in the tailgate area. When you use your tent at the same time, make sure that you do not have a open flame too close to the  tent fabric and make sure that at least one door, roll up section is open.

Basic guidelines for van tent buyers.

What do you want to achieve with  a van tent?

Is the main purpose of the tent to have this little extra room to get changed or using for your Porta Potti toilet?
In this case a small, light weight and very easy quick tent is the way to go.

If you need that bit more space as, because there is more gear to store or you want to sit with 2 people inside your tent, for  tailgate vans the "THROW-OVER" tents will give you a extra amount of floor space.

Above two tents types are also ideal for people who do not want to spend  much time of setting up the tent and also ideal door SOLO travellers- as this tents are very easy to set up.
Especially the lighter tents are suitable for solo travellers, comparing them with a Canvas tent the weight and therefore effort to set them up is a third due to the weight the Canvas tent has.
Canvas tent are great and will last for VERY long- but only a tent which is used is a good tent!

For the extended family, extra sleeping quarters for the (grand) kids the range of free-standing side tent or rear tents are the best choice. You will have much more space available and as you like to stay for a few days in the one camp ground- the tent can still be set up, while you re away for a day trip.

Are Air inflatable tents any good?

Since a few years,  AIR tents making there way to Australia. The real benefit is that even as a single person setting them up- they are easy to erect.
You do not have the inconvenience of sorting and setting up poles, getting frustrated and may even losing a pole.

A high quality AIR tent will last for many years and will be robust.The important part is to look out for models where the tubing and  outer material is durable and tough.

Most AIR tents are in comparison size and weight wise the "happy middle". Larger as the throw over tent, but less bulky and just not as heavy as framed tents.

In case you have a not listed van, or you are after a custom designed tent- please use the form below. We also can offer fly screen annexes for various vehicles and Dometic or Fiamma awnings.

Enquiry FORM for other vehicles or custom tents

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