Test Naitup Roof Tent on a campsite in France

Equipped with the Hussarde Duö roof tent from NaïtUp, we were able to enjoy our first camping nights of the season. The opportunity to test this product after visiting the factory in Alès (by Nîmes in the Gard, Southern France).

The Duö Hussarde roof tent on the road

The Duö roof tent was installed on the roof of our vehicle (a Citroën Berlingo) by the NaïtUp teams at the Alès factory. The Berlingo offers only three possibilities to position the roof bars. Two of them at the front of the vehicle, separated by only 70/80 cm. Fortunately, the tent requires roof bars separated by at least 70 cm (and 120 cm maximum). It is attached to the roof bars with a system of clamps that are tightened with a tool provided by NaïtUp (see photo). The first thing to notice, once in place, is that the tent is not that bulky. Even though it is 28 cm high at its thickest part, it is rather well shaped and does not take up more space than a simple roof box.

As soon as the tent is set up, it undergoes its first tests on the road. The main concern with this type of material is the increase in consumption. In addition to its weight of 55 kg, it also offers an additional wind resistance. On a country road, we are pleased to see that the average consumption hardly varies. On the motorway, even though strong winds and rain showers on the return journey slightly distort the comparison between the outward journey without the tent and the return journey with the tent, there is an increase in consumption of around 10%. This increase can be almost completely eliminated by driving at around 120 km/h instead of 130 km/h. It should be noted, however, that the test was carried out on a Berlingo, which is not the most profiled car on the market. The second concern was noise. Depending on the roof bars and what you load on the roof of the vehicle, sometimes vibrations or the whistling of the air can produce very disturbing noises. Nothing like that here. The tent is securely fastened, does not vibrate and there is no air whistling. In short, you quickly forget that you have a tent on the roof. Be careful, though, because between the roof bars and the tent, your vehicle has just gained almost 40 cm in height. It would be a shame to smash your tent against a gantry.

The NaïtUp Duö tent at the campsite

As we saw at the factory with the Quattrö, the Duö tent is very easy to unfold thanks to a jack system. It takes less than 30 seconds to open. On your own. And it doesn’t take much longer to fold it up. That’s a real advantage, especially when you’re staying at a campsite and use your car for sightseeing or shopping. It’s quick and easy enough to do so that it doesn’t feel like a chore every time you move the car. A cover is offered as an option by NaïtUp. It allows you to cover the mattress and the duvet if your tent is wet when folded. So you can go for a ride after a rainy night. I have not yet had the time to test the tent in these conditions, so plan a little addendum in a few days.

One of the advantages of the tent is its multiple openings, equipped with mosquito nets. Ideal for breathing in hot weather. We also opted for the cotton version, made by Cabanon. It’s a not cheap option (+350 €), but it gives a real touch of extra comfort to the tent which breathes much better this way.

Inside you have a space of 2.1 m x 1.2 m. On its own the tent is spacious enough. It can also be used by two people up to a maximum of 200 kg. You do have to be a couple in love, because two people are very close to each other on this 120cm mattress. But it works very well with two people. However, if there are two of you and both of you like to have space to sleep, you should opt for one of the Quattrö or Family models. A mattress option is offered by NaïtUp. We didn’t take it, opting for our Duvalay mattress which fitted perfectly in the tent as you can see on the video. A small padlock is supplied with the ladder when the tent is delivered. This allows you to attach the ladder to the tent to prevent a prankster from stealing it during the night.

first night of camping in the roof tent

The first night in the tent was really conclusive. In combination with the Duvalay mattress, the tent is very comfortable and the large openings are particularly appreciated, allowing you to enjoy the views from the high position. Once up, it even attracts curious onlookers and becomes a topic of discussion with the neighbours.