Rooftop tent camping with kids

For kids, sleeping in a rooftop tent is a fun and magical experience, just like sleeping in a tree house with a different view every night! The starlight gazing and vistas that their eyes can see make it a magical and unique camping experience. For families, it gives you time to spend together while making memories and having fun on your adventures high above the ground.

Rooftop tents are rapidly gaining popularity around the world. It provides a comfortable off-the-ground camping experience, away from bugs and critters. Sunday Campers roof tents are quick and easy to set up, so you can get out and enjoy your trip without spending a long time setting up camp. The three-layer fabric allows for multi-season use, ensuring everyone is comfortable.

What do I need to consider when camping with my kids in a rooftop tent?

1. Safety: Safety is always a family concern when camping with children, especially in a rooftop tent.

▲Ladder/tent location: Whenever possible, choose a location that is free of rocks or other obstacles that children may hit when they fall, such as rocks, stumps, branches, etc.

▲ Climbing up and down ladders: Never climb up a ladder while facing out, especially coming down from a ladder. Always face the ladder, use both hands, and don't skip any steps if you are in a hurry.

▲Ladder Access: When dealing with younger children who like to climb, it is recommended to have something available to block access to the ladder or limit the height they can climb. A good example is Grandma's Child Protector it is designed to prevent children from climbing ladders to the pool, but can also be used for many other ladder applications.

▲ Zipper accessibility: Most falls from rooftop tents tend to occur when children lean on the front door of a tent that is not fully closed. Always try to get into the good habit of not only closing the front door, but also zipping the door up so that the zipper ends up near the top of the door rather than the bottom.  

▲Lighting: Always make sure the outside of the tent is properly lit, so if someone needs to get up in the middle of the night, the outside light is always on so kids (and adults) know their feet and hands when going down the ladder. A ready light is a good idea for an exterior light. Sunday Campers tents come with LED strips in the tent that provide light when entering and exiting the tent.

▲ Shoe bag: A shoe bag is a convenient place to store shoes and other gear, but can only be used by adults. It may be more convenient to put a waterproof bag inside the tent to store your child's shoes so they don't try to reach for the shoe bag hanging outside the tent.

▲ Ladder pad: The ladder pad was developed for children. Just as parents tell their children to always put on shoes and sandals before climbing a ladder, most children don't listen and learn carefully. Using a ladder barefoot can be painful. If you don't want to add a ladder pad to your equipment list, bring a pair of sandals specifically designed for tents, such as bath slippers.

▲ Water: It is always recommended to keep water inside the tent so that everyone stays hydrated. The challenge is that water bottle spills always seem to happen, even to adults, so having a water container that can slow or eliminate spills is always a good idea.

▲ Tent games: Nothing creates more memories than time spent in a tent, and uninterrupted quality time chatting and laughing will become lifelong childhood and family memories. To add to the fun, choose games that use very small pieces or travel games with magnetic boards to keep the pieces from flying all over the tent. Bedtime is a great time to play games and gaze at the stars!

▲Stargazing: Always remember that even if you're only about 6 feet off the ground, to a child they feel like they're 100 feet up in a tree house! Turn off all the lights and watch for shooting stars on a star-filled night to spark their imagination. If you really want to look like a superstar, bring a stargazing book that shows you the different constellations and see if you can spot any of them. 

Enjoy time together, laugh, make memories, and more importantly ...... have fun!

If you have any questions for the Sunday Campers team, please feel free to contact us.