DIY ROOF TENT
I set a goal of building a Roof Tent myself. Learning new things such as how to use a sewing machine, what lightweight materials were suitable and even designing custom hinges.
I made 3 versions, trying to maximise space while keeping the tent weight low. It’s was a huge challenge making this tent and endless hours of work, research and sourcing materials.
In the end I almost achieved the 35-40kg weight goal, with a 42kg dry weight (without the mattress and accessories). I know what changes to make to be 37kg but it’s too expensive to make a 4th version at this time.
Size wise, it’s big enough for me at 6 foot tall. It’s low profile at 100mm and I can still store an inflatable mattress, pillow, down quilt and poles when closed. However, it does lack a lot of the luxuries and is not as good as a professionally made roof tent.
I’m happy and it looks awesome on top of the Jimny, almost like a roof rack. I’ll release a video detailing more about this project.
DIY KITCHEN
A fun project was the slide out kitchen. I’m delighted with how this turned out. It’s slimline design which in my opinion is essential with such limited space in a Jimny.
Measuring 80mm high and 1320mm long. It can hold weight loads up to 200kg. It’s rock solid!
I chose this design instead of the tailgate drop down tables for 3 reasons.
1. It’s more worktop space.
2. I don’t have to deal with the weird slope on the Jimny door.
3. I can still access my Molle pouches on the tailgate. (Even with a Molle compatible tailgate table I’m not keen on usability of accessing their contents with the table in use)
It includes a slimline sink and running water via the new Dometic battery operated faucet. On top is a drawer fridge with 21 litres of capacity. small but enough for me. I would have liked a better brand and slightly larger capacity fridge, like the Dometic drawer fridge, but they’re very expensive. Hopefully this cheaper option will work well. Its efficiency is okay when combined with the Bluetti EB55 Powerstation.
I made the kitchen slide slimline instead of taller and leaving permanently affixed equipment like the sink and stove. The reason is I don’t always want to take a sink and double stove. I prefer modular set ups where I can choose what I take based on the trip. Fractionally more set up time in exchange for extra storage space and flexibility.
In the video I’ve shown the simple set up for when you’re on the go and just need a quick coffee or to heat up some soup. Then if you’re spending longer at a fixed camping location you can cook a bigger meal using the double stove.
This set up uses the least amount of space and I can still sleep in the car during bad weather. An option I did not want to lose.
KUKSA GIVEAWAY
I promised a Kuksa giveaway on the channel and it will happen in June. I’m just adding the final touches. I’ve had so many attempts crack that end up on a fire. Thankfully this one has survived my amateur carving processes! I’ll do my best to make sure it’s lovely to look at and beautifully finished.
CHANNEL UPDATE
I plan to start releasing videos more regular. I’ve trips organised with other 4×4 owners but will make most of my videos solo. I also want to release DIY build and equipment related shorter videos. I’ll put them in a separate playlist from the silent camping videos. I hope you find them useful and interesting.
THANK YOU
Appreciate everyone’s time watching my videos and hope you stick around for more.
SHOUT OUT
Met a nice local guy with a new clothing brand start up. I bought one of his hoodies and said I’d wear it camping to help spread the word. https://txlviiclothing.com
Thanks again to Bluetti for the EB55 power station and solar panel. Helping me power the fridge, charge LED lights and all the camera equipment.
EQUIPMENT LINKS
https://geordiejimny.com/kit-list
WHEELS
HIGH PEAK J-02 Wheel Package for Suzuki Jimny (2018+)
MY ETSY STORE
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GeordieJimny
CAMERA & MIC
Sony A7C & Rode microphone. Still learning and making mistakes, iPhone was much easier 🙂
INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/geordiejimny
WEBSITE
https://geordiejimny.com
#camping #jimny #rooftoptent
