I had my first opportunity of using the Slumberjack Roadhouse Tarp on a recent trip to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. It took me several tries to finally be able to purchase the Roadhouse Tarp which was in short supply. View my first impressions of the Roadhouse Tarp on the video below:
Here are some more details regarding the Slumberjack Roadhouse Tarp.
The box finally arrived with the Roadhouse Tarp and I took it out to Mission Bay in San Diego to try it out. I found that trying to set up the Roadhouse Tarp in the wind by yourself is challenging so aborted the effort for an upcoming trip.
One of the more appealing options of the Roadhouse Tarp is the various ways it may be configured. Probably the most useful when it comes to providing adequate shade is the two pole method at the rear of the tarp. Secondly, useful in the rain would be using one pole at the rear of the tarp giving you a steeper pitch. A third option would be standalone with a single pole on each end of the tarp with guy wires securing it without a vehicle.
I was very pleased how compact the Roadhouse Tarp folds down into the included storage sack. The included poles are steel so the package is not lightweight but thats, not an issue for me carrying in the Rover. There is an additional smaller sack for the stakes and guylines.
Pictured above is the Roadhouse Tarp in our camp at Grandview in Inyo County. Note the straps that attach the rear wheels. This is a very attractive feature for me since it’s fast to put up and very secure. There are three additional straps at the top of the Rig that I secure to the roof rack. In other words, all of the attachment points to the vehicle make this an easy setup and very secure. This is particularly useful in the Desert were wind and tie downs can be a challenge.
The quality of the Roadhouse Tarp seems pretty good. It’s certainly a compromise between heavy duty and lightweight usability. I will have to get back with a more long term review once I have multiple trips with the Roadhouse Tarp.
The steel poles break down into sections. The provided steel pegs are heavy duty and the cord is of good quality.
So, in conclusion, I would recommend the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp from my first impressions. I won’t know until using the tarp in real world situations how durable or what problems may come up, but I will update with a longer term review in the future.
- Packaged Weight: 12 lbs 6 oz
- Dimensions: 160″ x 103/192″
- Packed Size: 25″ x 7″ x 7″
- Peak Height: 96″
- # of Poles: 2 steel poles (96″ tall, 5 segments each)
- Fly Material: 68D polyester / 1200mm
If you would like to view the manufactures video review you can find it below: