When I first got into camping, I did what most beginners do and bought the cheapest rooftop tent I could find. "How different could they really be?" I thought.
Big mistake.
Looking back, my advice to all rookies starting out is to "buy once; cry once."
The First Tent: "Save Now, Pay Later"
That budget tent had flimsy fabric, a sluggish setup and zero weather resistance. One night of drizzle and I woke up to a drip… drip… drip on my forehead. Looking for the leak with my torch, the dude in the tent next to mine complained about waking him up because the light from my torch was shining straight through the walls of my tent and into his. I never did find the source of the leak, but I did find a 'Made in China' label. I lay in my damp sleeping bag suffering Chinese water torture while waiting for morning to come.
I told myself: "Well, I guess you get what you pay for."
The Second Tent: "Mid-Tier Means Mid-Frustration"
After fighting with that cheap tent, and only ever really using it one other weekend in summer, my camping buddy had upgraded to a roof conversion and so I bought his fibreglass clamshell model. This is it, I thought at the time. Now I can spend more time doing what I love and exploring in the wild. Well, it was better, but it still had its compromises...
- The setup took 10 minutes (annoying after a long drive).
- The single entrance felt claustrophobic.
- The roof couldn’t carry my gear, forcing me to choose between storage and comfort.
It was good enough… but I was camping more now, and good enough wasn’t cutting it. Worse, the fiberglass shell cracked after a few offroad trails.
The Third Tent (The One I Should’ve Bought First): The Alu-Cab Gen 3-R
Then, on a group overlanding trip, I saw a friend’s Gen 3-R in action, which he described as the ultimate rooftop tent. I loved that it...
- Opened in seconds and required no wrestling with poles.
- Three entrances for airflow and easy access.
- Bone-dry in a downpour, thanks to double-canvas and sealed seams.
- 50kg roof load meant I could finally bring all my gear.
- Smart tech with internal LED lights, USB ports and 12V sockets, as well as solar panel input.
- Closed with everything inside it, storing all bedding and the quick release telescopic ladder.
I realized that I’d wasted money on two tents before getting the right one.
The Lesson? Buy Your Third Tent First!
Looking back, I spent more on those two tents combined than I would have on a new Gen 3-R. Worse, I lost hours to setup headaches, nights to leaks and entire weekends to having to compromise on what gear I could take with me.
The Gen 3-R is a lifetime investment, built for:
- Weekend warriors who want hassle-free camping.
- Serious overlanders who need durability.
- Anyone who hates buying the same thing twice.
Don’t make my mistake. Buy your third tent first.
Why the Gen 3-R Is the Last Tent You’ll Ever Need
✔ Never leaks (double-layer 400gsm canvas + sealed seams)
✔ Sets up in seconds (no more frustration)
✔ Grows with you (modular rooftop tent accessories and a 50kg roof load)
✔ Built to outlast (aluminum > fiberglass)
Look, the Gen 3-R isn’t cheap. But it’s cheaper than buying three tents.