Most rooftop tents that fail do not wear out. They get put away damp and come
back out with mould, odour and weakened canvas. Storing a rooftop tent properly
over winter costs nothing but a bit of patience, and it is the difference between
a tent that lasts a decade and one that lasts three seasons.
Dry it completely, and mean completely
After the last trip, open the tent fully at home on a dry day. Take the
bedding out, lift the mattress, and let the canvas, the base and the corners dry
right through. Canvas that feels dry to the hand can still be damp in the seams,
around the hinges and where the fabric folds.
This is the step people rush, and it is the one that matters more than
everything else combined. On The Horizon tents use 350gsm ripstop poly-cotton,
which is water resistant rather than waterproof, and like any canvas it will not
forgive being closed up wet for months.
Clean before you store, not after
Brush off dirt, sap and bird mess, and wipe salt away if the tent has been
near the coast. Salt holds moisture and keeps working on fittings long after the
trip is over. Use products suited to canvas and to the fittings rather than
household cleaners, and let it dry again afterwards.
Run a hand around the seams, zips and hinges while you are there. It is much
better to find a problem in the driveway in May than at a campsite in September.
On the vehicle or off it
Leaving the tent mounted over winter is fine, and for most people it is the
simpler option. It needs to be somewhere with clearance, and it still needs to be
opened occasionally on a dry day so air moves through it.
Taking it off means finding somewhere for it. A closed On The Horizon tent
measures between 21cm and 31cm high depending on the model, with a footprint from
155cm by 127cm for the 1.5 Pro up to 225cm by 158cm for the 1.4. It weighs
between 80kg and 120kg, so plan how it comes down before you start rather than
halfway through.
Where it sits matters
Store it off a bare concrete floor, because concrete holds and passes moisture
upward. Keep it away from standing water, out of direct sun where the canvas will
age, and supported the way the manufacturer directs rather than resting on a
corner or a hinge. Somewhere with a bit of airflow beats a sealed cupboard.
Check it before it goes back on
Open it, look it over, check the seams and the fittings, and re-torque the
mounting bolts once it is back on the vehicle. Then check them again after the
first trip. Mounts settle, and a bolt that was right in the shed is not
necessarily right after a few hundred kilometres of corrugations.
Common questions
Can you leave a rooftop tent on the car over winter?
Yes. A hard shell rooftop tent is designed to stay mounted and the shell
protects the canvas. Open it on a dry day now and then so air moves through it,
and make sure it is stored somewhere with clearance.
How do you store a rooftop tent so it does not go mouldy?
Dry it completely before it goes away, including the seams and folds, clean
off dirt and salt, keep it off bare concrete and out of standing water, and store
it somewhere with a little airflow rather than sealed up.
How much space does a rooftop tent take up when stored?
An On The Horizon rooftop tent packs down to between 21cm and 31cm high
depending on the model, with a footprint from 155cm by 127cm up to 225cm by
158cm, and weighs 80kg to 120kg.
Related guides
How to Store a Rooftop Tent Through Winter
Most rooftop tents that fail do not wear out. They get put away damp and come back out with mould, odour and weakened canvas. Storing a rooftop tent properly over winter costs nothing but a bit of patience, and it is the difference between a tent that lasts a decade and one that lasts three seasons.
Dry it completely, and mean completely
After the last trip, open the tent fully at home on a dry day. Take the bedding out, lift the mattress, and let the canvas, the base and the corners dry right through. Canvas that feels dry to the hand can still be damp in the seams, around the hinges and where the fabric folds.
This is the step people rush, and it is the one that matters more than everything else combined. On The Horizon tents use 350gsm ripstop poly-cotton, which is water resistant rather than waterproof, and like any canvas it will not forgive being closed up wet for months.
Clean before you store, not after
Brush off dirt, sap and bird mess, and wipe salt away if the tent has been near the coast. Salt holds moisture and keeps working on fittings long after the trip is over. Use products suited to canvas and to the fittings rather than household cleaners, and let it dry again afterwards.
Run a hand around the seams, zips and hinges while you are there. It is much better to find a problem in the driveway in May than at a campsite in September.
On the vehicle or off it
Leaving the tent mounted over winter is fine, and for most people it is the simpler option. It needs to be somewhere with clearance, and it still needs to be opened occasionally on a dry day so air moves through it.
Taking it off means finding somewhere for it. A closed On The Horizon tent measures between 21cm and 31cm high depending on the model, with a footprint from 155cm by 127cm for the 1.5 Pro up to 225cm by 158cm for the 1.4. It weighs between 80kg and 120kg, so plan how it comes down before you start rather than halfway through.
Where it sits matters
Store it off a bare concrete floor, because concrete holds and passes moisture upward. Keep it away from standing water, out of direct sun where the canvas will age, and supported the way the manufacturer directs rather than resting on a corner or a hinge. Somewhere with a bit of airflow beats a sealed cupboard.
Check it before it goes back on
Open it, look it over, check the seams and the fittings, and re-torque the mounting bolts once it is back on the vehicle. Then check them again after the first trip. Mounts settle, and a bolt that was right in the shed is not necessarily right after a few hundred kilometres of corrugations.
Common questions
Can you leave a rooftop tent on the car over winter?
Yes. A hard shell rooftop tent is designed to stay mounted and the shell protects the canvas. Open it on a dry day now and then so air moves through it, and make sure it is stored somewhere with clearance.
How do you store a rooftop tent so it does not go mouldy?
Dry it completely before it goes away, including the seams and folds, clean off dirt and salt, keep it off bare concrete and out of standing water, and store it somewhere with a little airflow rather than sealed up.
How much space does a rooftop tent take up when stored?
An On The Horizon rooftop tent packs down to between 21cm and 31cm high depending on the model, with a footprint from 155cm by 127cm up to 225cm by 158cm, and weighs 80kg to 120kg.
Related guides