According to our requirements a tent, rooftop tent or off-road caravan is the second most important item you require to do true overlanding. You need somewhere safe and comfortable to sleep, that will protect you from the extreme elements of the African continent. As this would be your bed for days, weeks or even months. Especially after a long day of arduous travel over rough terrain. It's always nice to be able to climb into your own comfy bed and rest your weary bones. After careful consideration we decided that a roof top tent would be best for us from a budget friendly, safety, versatility and ease of use perspective.
As mentioned previously, a brand-new rooftop tent was unattainable due to budget constraints, so we resorted to Facebook Marketplace. We were really lucky to obtain 'Our Hobo Home', an Eezi-Awn rooftop tent and Challenger 4x4 trailer. As a hobo is defined as someone who does not have a job or a house and moves from place to place. While a home is defined as a place to live, we felt the name was fitting. We love the tranquility of being in wild open spaces and sleeping under a billion stars, as opposed to 5-star accommodation.
Versatility of having the option of the rooftop tent on roof on the Landcruiser or the Challenger trailer is ideal. It is safer on the roof of the Land cruiser as it is higher off the ground, so wild animals and poisonous reptiles can't get to you as easily. It is always good to not get too complacent as it is possible for a leopard to climb up the ladder, as this has happened before in the Kgalagadi. Our plan B is to escape out the side window of the tent and drop into the car via the sunroof. When wild camping it is very dangerous to walk around at night, as this is when the predators like to hunt. as humans cannot see as well. As we suffer with renal failure, we need to go to the toilet multiple times a night. We came up with a plan and keep a funnel and plastic pipe in the tent in case of emergencies. It is also nice to have the option of placing the rooftop tent on the Landcruiser, especially if we know we are going to overland really tough terrain or are moving each day to a new camp.
Eezi-Awn is the first South African manufacturer to produce roof-top tents in South Africa, out of the finest materials and we can vouch for their ruggedness, no matter the weather. We just love the windows and doors of the tent and enjoy lying in the rooftop tent and staring at the scenery from the comfort of the bed. The netting is a must to allow cool air through, especially when it's hot and to keep out reptiles and insects like the pesky mosquitos. We added a convoluted mattress, that we bought from Camp and Climb, on top of the original mattress and just cover it with a sheet. We also bought a K-way Mammoth sleeping bag from Cape Union Mart, we called Manny, which when unzipped covers both of us and keeps us really warm. We just need to remember to pack in our favorite pillows and we are ready to go.
Our latest addition was to add a reflective sheet and poles, from Camp and Climb, to give us even more shelter from the rain and sun, especially in Summer. Just to be clear, we have not been sponsored at all by anyone. 
We love our Hobo Home so much and have had so many memorable adventures! We would like to get the tent waterproofed again and maybe replace the cover. If by some miracle we won the lotto, would we consider upgrading to a Mobi Lodge Continental, so we at least have a toilet inside.
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