You don’t have to sleep on the ground when hunting this season. Taking your RV on a hunting trip is a great idea. Your RV can work as the perfect basecamp giving you a real bed to sleep and prepare for a busy day. An RV for hunting gives you a real kitchen to cook and a place to shower. Your RV will also protect you from mosquitoes and crawling insects.

While the RV comes with its great comforts, you need to focus more on your hunting. What are the essential gears to have with you when on a hunting trip? This is a difficult question for a first-time camper. You still need to pack essential gears since you’re heading out in the wild. Having the right essential gears will help you camp and hunt like a pro.

Essential gears to carry when taking your RV on a hunting trip come in two categories. These are the hunting gear and the camping gear.

The hunting gear

Hunting is not just waking from your RV, picking a gun, and shooting at your target. There is a lot more involved before you can get your kill. There are a lot of things to carry to make your hunting trip a successful one. These include:

The right optics

There is no substitute when it comes to choosing the right hunting optics. After all, if you’re going to hunt, you must first spot the game.  When hunting game at long ranges, you need to spot it and calculate the distance before shooting. This requires a quality spotting scope.

You can also consider other optics like binoculars, riflescopes, and rangefinders, you might want to visit https://opticsaddict.com/ for more details about them. The aim is to spot animals without getting too close. The last thing you want if have the animals spot you before you have a shot.

Weapons

It is pretty obvious you will not hunt without a weapon. You need the right choice of weapon depending on the game you’re hunting. For example, if you’re into short-range and long-range hunting, then picking a proper AR 15 is a good idea. A good weapon choice and excellent optics get you halfway through in the field.

Maps and compasses

Maps and compasses are a must-have when hunting in any new area. You need to get the maps early and know how to read and use them. While most maps can be found on smartphones, you still need to carry an actual map on paper. In a survival situation, you can end up losing your signal and rely on the map. A compass on the other hand will help you find directions with ease.

Route marking tape

A route marking tape is quite essential when hunting further away from the camp. Sometimes it can be pretty finding your way back to the back after a long day hunting. This is why you need a route marking tape to easily identify your way back. These tapes come in visible colors like blaze orange for you to see from a distance.

Scent eliminators and attractors

It is worth noting that animals have a pretty good sense of smell. They can smell new things and people in their habitat. If you’re not careful, the animals can find you first and escape. You’re the one hunting and want to avoid being hunted. Getting scent eliminators that throw animals off their game. Scent eliminators mask your body scent preventing animals from sniffing you.

We also have scent attractors that can attract wild animals your way. The attractors are great especially when hunting from a stationary position like a tree stand.

Hunting clothes

Lastly, you need to have proper hunting clothes. You need to choose hunting clothes that match your hunting environments. The clothes’ color needs to camouflage the surrounding to keep you hidden from game animals. Moreover, the clothes need to hug your body tightly. Make sure you avoid baggy clothes that get blown away by the wind. Such clothes will easily give your position.

When hunting in cold areas, make sure you choose clothes with excellent layering and insulation for cold protection.

The camping gear

Our next list of essential gears to check is the camping gears. You need to ensure your backpack fits all essential gears that you will use throughout the night. Some of the essential camping gears include:

Utensils

If you’re staying overnight, you need to carry some utensils to help you cook and serve the food. Consider things like a portable stove, pots, knives, spoons, and cooking supplies.

Warm clothes

The night can get cold even inside your RV. Make sure you carry enough warm clothes. Your sleeping bag will only protect you from cold but not keep you warm.

Water jugs and filters

Water is essential for any camping trip. You need to pack enough water for cooking and drinking. If there is a river nearby, you can consider water jugs and filters to help you with extra water. Purifications tablets are quite important in emergencies.

Survival kit

Lastly, make sure you have your survival kit with you. Survival kits include things like a first-aid kit, medicines, and bandages.

For most outdoor adventurers and overlanders, getting a comfortable bed and place to shelter means everything. While camping tents remain the best way for persons to sleep outdoors, innovations in tent technologies are changing everything. Nowadays, rooftop tents or car tents are becoming common as people avoid the cold ground. Also known as a roof rack tent, this is a new genre of a tent that sets up on car racks and top.

Deciding on a roof top tent is not something easy and one must consider several factors. This is also because roof top tents cost way too much more than usually camp tents.

The appeal of roof top tents

Roof top tents are not new in the market but have only become popular in the United States a few years ago. These tents have been in use in Australia for years as campers seek to stay away from crawling insects and the cold ground. The tents are nowadays highly recognized in the USA as a genius idea.

This might be due to the love of treehouses when most Americans look back to their childhood. Sleeping high gives campers a good vantage point to survey their territory. Sleeping in a roof top tent is always appealing and comes with many benefits. Most roof top tents feature pretty solid construction and can withstand stormy weathers. The tents are also easy to pitch and come with super-plush mattresses for added comfort.

However, choosing the best roof top tent is the tricky part. Do you need a 2 person roof top tent or just a single person roof top tent? There are several factors one must consider when choosing a roof top tent. These include the following:

Factors to consider when choosing a roof top tent

For the scope of this article, we will looking for some consideration when choosing a rooftop tents, for those who looking for some best rated roof top tents on the market, ABC-Of-Rockclimbing have a great article that I would suggest you to check out!

Raw materials

The materials used in the construction of roof top tents go a long way in determining their quality and durability. You need to consider the frame material, fabric, and mattress. In most cases, aluminum metal is considered the best since it is both durable and lightweight. As for the fabric, you can choose tents made of cotton ripstop or polyester canvas since they are strong and durable. However, make sure the fabric is also waterproof and breathable.

A GSM unit which stands for gram per square meter is usually used to describe the density of the fabric. A higher GSM value means denser and thicker fabric. Apart from the fabric quality, you also have to consider the fabric weight and cost. Nylon is not the strongest but is very lightweight and very affordable. Overall, make sure you select a fabric with a PU coating to withstand strong rain and winds. This is crucial especially for roof tents that are prone to strong winds.

The tent hinges need to feature stainless steel metal since the metal is non-corrosive and can withstand harsh weather elements. You also need to consider strong door zippers that will not break easily.

Design of the tent

Next, you have to consider the design of the tent and choose one that matches your needs. We have roof top tents that feature an extending awning while others just fit over your car roof. Some designs pop up while others open manually. We also have custom-built designs that fit on the roof top while open to the rear or both sides.

You need to perform some research and choose a design that best works for your needs and car type.

Total tent weight vs car and rack weight capacity

The total weight of the tent is usually shown in the specifics of the tent. However, you also have to check your car rack weight capacity. Both the vehicle and roof rack must support the tent weight when driving.

Rack compatibility

You need to choose a roof top tent that matches with your rack design. Make sure you check the tent manual and see which roof racks it works with best. In fact, some roof top tents are specially designed to work with specific roof tops.

Tent capacity

This is a simple and obvious consideration that one must not assume. You need to know the number of people that will be sleeping in a tent. Most roof top tents feature 2 person, 3 person, and 4 person models.

Ladder and vehicle height

If your roof top tent comes with a ladder, then go ahead and make sure it fits your vehicle height. There are usually two pieces of aluminum ladders that extend with ease. You need to measure your car height from the roof top to the ground and make sure the ladder fits perfectly.

Extra features

Lastly, you can consider extra features that make the tent more comfortable and friendly. Consider things like travel covers, LED lights, color combos, remote controls, and cozy mattresses.