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Tembo 4×4 Rooftop tent
We’ve all seen the pictures of Land Rovers and Toyotas equipped with a rooftop tent traveling through Africa. Some say it’s the perfect image of adventure. Do you know why? Because a rooftop tent gives you the best bedroom view on the campsite. It provides a ventilated bedroom, comes with a king-size memory foam mattress, and saves you valuable space inside the car.
So a rooftop tent is easy and comfortable, but it also opens up your holiday for more adventure. For example, you don’t have to worry about uneven ground or a campsite. After a full day of adventure you just look for a horizontal spot in the middle of nowhere, park the car, and flip the tent open. So when you arrive at the ultimate camp spot your basecamp will be set up in minutes, leaving more time to enjoy the birds, the beer, or the bonfire. Reasons enough for us to look for a rooftop tent!
Why a rooftop tent?
We were all in for a rooftop tent. The only two questions we had when looking for one were: which type and which brand? First, you should start looking at which type you want. This can be a hard-shell pop-up or a soft-shell fold-open type. The first can be very expensive and takes up a lot of space on the roof, but is easier to set up and causes less wind resistance when driving. The latter type is normally a bit cheaper, takes less space on the roof, and has more inside space, but has more wind drag and it takes a few minutes longer to set up. We went for the soft-shell rooftop tent primarily because of the price, but you don’t hear us complaining about the huge bed and the fact that it can open up over the back of the truck, which creates a dry working space to prepare dinner.
Which brand to go for wasn’t an easy decision. Brands like EezyAwn, Hannibal, Maggiolina, and Howling Moon are very commonly mentioned, yet they are fairly pricy (at least to beginning overlanders). But as with every trend, imitations soon flood the market to offer a similar product for a smaller price. During the last couple of years, mostly Chinese brands have evolved into developing rooftop tents, with now nearly every outdoor specialist having their own brand. It sounds crazy to us, but it did give us more options to look into. The choice however wasn’t easy, as every imitation brand has something to make them stand out. Nonetheless, almost all imitation tents lack the high-quality canvas that would give us peace of mind during the windy nights.
Why the Tembo 4×4?
Tembo 4×4 has been on the market for a long time and therefore has lots of experience in the overlanding world. They took their time to improve their tent to give you the best value for a fair price. Their tents fall in the same price range as the Chinese ones, but they come with the high-quality fabric of American and South African brands. For us, this was the match we were looking for!
The tent itself is made of a poly-cotton mix with a brownish color, which gives it a natural look and doesn’t heat up quickly in the morning. Covering the top of the tent is the green 420D polyester flysheet, which acts as an extra rain barrier and creates a double roof that keeps the inside of the tent cooler. The tent has two entrances; one on the side of the ladder and one on the opposite side, both of which are provided with roll-up mosquito mesh. The two sides have windows that are also covered with mosquito mesh and are covered by small awnings that keep the rain out.
Tembo 4×4 update
We have used Tembo’s rooftop tent since 2015, with much pleasure and confidence in the brand. However, a few years back they underwent a massive overhaul of business activities and they are now focussing on electric 4×4 vehicles. Therefore their camping range is not available anymore.
We are trying to contact their manufacturer to see if they are still manufacturing, and if so, under what name they are being sold. An update will follow once we know more.
Pros
- High-quality 380-gram Rip-Stop canvas resistant to tearing and keeps the sun out in the morning
- Green cover made of hard-wearing PVC, which is a great color to reduce the heat in and on the tent cover
- Sliding stairs instead of telescopic ones, the latter tend to clog up with sand
- Great color combination (looks & practicality)
- Extra horizontal pole above the ladder to prevent a sag
- Very good ventilation
- Mosquito mesh
- Easy to set up
- Improved mattress & mattress cover
- Improved fabric
- Improved flooring
Cons
- No window in the cover above the stairs, but this feature is unique to a very select few tents.
- Aluminum base/floor instead of marine ply that breathes. Be aware of condensation in some climates. Although the new mattress cover compensates for this!
- It’s still a softshell rooftop tent, making it harder to set up in bad weather compared to hardshell versions.
- The fabric of the flysheet tends to flap in the wind, disturbing you’re good nights sleep. Unfortunately, many roof tents suffer from this issue.
Would we buy it again?
It’s good to know the tent can handle our way of travel and the elements we encounter on the road. Having a rooftop tent is great and provides us with amazing adventures. In extreme conditions, we would advise you to buy a condensation mattress which is placed under the memory foam mattress and prevents moisture from building up. It’s great in very cold conditions to get rid of condensation, and perfect in hot climates to get rid of perspiration.
Would we buy this tent again? Yes, we would! Would we still buy it when we compare it to other brands? Why? Because it’s made of great quality materials, has a supportive company behind it, and has a superb price-to-quality ratio. Unfortunately, due to a shift in focus, Tembo has stopped producing the rooftop tents. If you however find one in someone’s garage, don’t let it go to waste!
Safe travels and find your new adventure!
Our approach for gear reviews
As long-term overlanders we fully understand the need for high-quality and reliable gear. We know that if gear isn’t up to standard it can hinder your adventures, resulting in discomfort or a dangerous situation.
We write our reviews after extensive testing and with you – an adventurous overlander – in mind. We hope you appreciate our information, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Let’s get in touch
It’s now October 2024, and this review was written a few years back. As you might have seen Tembo has moved on to a different part of the 4×4 sector, and also our wishes, needs, and experiences have evolved. Although in general we still believe this rooftop tent is an excellent piece of gear, we would’ve opted differently if we had to choose now.
We would be talking about pop-tops, hardshell rooftents, etc. We love to get in touch with you all, to see what your needs and wishes are, and provide you with advise to make well-informed decisions. Let’s get out there!
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Hi, great article! Could you please suggest me where to buy a tembo tent?
Hi Luca!
Thanks for your patience, waiting for our reply. Tembo 4×4 had a restructure in their business and has stopped the production of camping equipment due to a shift in focus. We are trying to get in touch with the manufacturer to see if the tents are still being sold under a different brand name. We will let you know if we find out more.