Cartop tent as platform for field work?
Has anyone used a cartop tent as a platform for outdoor work? I'm looking at a tent from cartopcamper.com. It seems like a relatively stable platform. I like the height and that there are large windows with awnings on all sides. Anyone used one of these? Are they safe, convenient, weather tight, durable etc?
http://www.rexmorrow.com/rooftent2.JPG
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
I've been looking at the AutoHome-
http://www.zifer.com/file_gb/index_gb.html
I like the hard case, full size mattress and easy set-up and take-down. But quite pricey!
Dave
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
I wouldn't. Get a stepladder. I made an 11ft tripod from schedule 40 aluminum pipe. I bit more versatile.
autohomeus.com, I'm looking at those too. I've only seen a few on the road and i wouldn't stand on that either.
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
Unless your interested in sleeping in it as well, you can work off a piece of diamond plate mounted to some strong racks. Call a sheet metal shop for prices based on your needed size. A folding ladder will get you up there..
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
If you wish to photograph from it, How soft are the vehicle's springs?
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
The BFT. at full extension.
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
Holy crap Vinny. Big F* Tripod is about right! Now, if you could compose on the stilts the drywallers use, that would be quite something.
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
I usually have a plywood platform on the top of the shell on my pickup. It's probably lighter than diamond plate. That's important, so high from the ground. I rolled one pickup with such a platform, which might not have happened with a lower center of gravity. It's easy to add a few custom features to a home-made platform like tie-downs and a safety ridge around the outside. The platform that Ansel Adams used on several vehicles may have been made from diamond plate, though. It gave him a 12 foot high lens position for photos like Mt. Williams, the Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California. To improve stability, custom cut sticks can be wedged between the frame and the ground. Darius Kinsey http://www.whatcommuseum.org/pages/archives/kinsey.htm used a tall tripod like Vinny's many years ago
Re: Cartop tent as platform for field work?
I think Vinny is on the right track. Ansel's cast iron Travelall was sprung like the truck that it was and was probably much more stable than any lightweight "car" based vehicle of today. Just sit in one while there is a wind blowing and watch how it moves. This movement would be magnified if you were up in the air above it. I have an old Hi-Boy tripod that goes up over 8 feet. I set it up NEXT to the truck and than I stand on the tailgate to use it.