The question I've been asked the most since we've been using the RTT is "is the RTT safe for small children?" I believe I can give a good answer to that question because we've been using it since the youngest was 1.5 years old, the little one was 4, and the oldest was 6. What worried us before we started were questions like: will we know how to set it up correctly, is it strong enough for the 5 of us, can the children fall out the window while they're sleeping? In this blog, I'll bring you the answers to these and other questions I've been asked.
Vehicle and tent stability
Using the RTT is safe when it is properly mounted on the car and set up at the location. Before purchasing a tent, it is important to check the load capacity of the car roof and roof racks and that the racks are in good condition. When the tent is set up, i.e. unfolded, part of the load is carried by the roof, and the rest is taken up by the ladder. It is important that the ladder is placed at the right angle and secured. When everything is set up properly, the tent is stable and safe to use. You should also pay attention to the position of the car when parking. If the car is on a slope, it may not be possible to set up the tent correctly and/or the slope will be strongly felt when sleeping, which will not be a comfortable experience.
Climb in/out for small children
A big concern for parents of young children is how their child will climb up and down from the tent. If your child can climb up the slide at the park using a ladder, they will quickly master climbing into the tent. Our experience is that they can get in and out of the tent on their own, after we have supervised them the first few times. It is important for them to understand that ladders are not toys because they hold a lot of weight and that only one person is on them at any one time. We encourage the children to climb up and down on their own, but one of us is always with them just in case.
Sleeping in the RTT with small children
Our tent is mounted on the roof of the van, which means we climb up and sleep at a height of about 2.10m. My biggest concern was how we would do it in the summer, when it gets hot and we want to have the windows open. What if I don't hear the child move closer to the window and accidentally peek out? Our tactic is to have the side windows open, which have support bars so there are smaller holes. Again, the little ones can easily squeeze through them. RTT has a solution for that too! There is mosquito mesh on those windows too, so we use them as protection against accidental exits.
As for the rest of the interior, the mattress is comfortable and there are no sharp or hard edges that could pose a potential injury hazard. Of course, we don't let them jump in the tent like they sometimes do on the bed.
Temperature and ventilation
Our cheerful group always finds it comfortable to sleep in a tent because it is easy to regulate the flow of fresh air by opening the windows as needed. The material the tent is made of is waterproof, as we saw on our last trip during which it rained heavily. At low temperatures, condensation can form on the tent material itself after several hours of continuous stay, which is to be expected when the five of us are comfortably accommodated in it, but this is easily solved by opening the windows and ventilating it a bit. The tent heats up quickly when we are inside, so even at temperatures of 7C we slept with two opposite windows slightly open to allow better air circulation. It didn't cool the space down significantly, and fresh air is the most comfortable way to sleep. All windows have their own small awnings, so you don't have to worry about rain getting in through the window and the space inside the tent remains dry and comfortable.
Protection from insects and animals
The main star of our RTT, apart from the large mattress, are the mosquito mesh on all windows! You only discover how valuable this is when you sleep next to the lake in Buško Blato when a billion flies attack every, even the smallest, light source at night, or when you sleep in Baranja next to a pond in early autumn. Not a single insect entered our tent after we settled in! The 2-3 mosquitoes that entered while we were all climbing didn't survive long. It's great that the window opens from the inside of the mesh, so we can open/close it without touching the mesh. On the outside of the mesh, you can close the "awning" as desired, even before folding it.
Safety in the camp and around the car
We have camped wild and in campsites, but at no time did we feel threatened. When wildcamping, it is important to make sure that the part of the tent that protrudes from the car is far enough away from the road and that you do not take up the entire rest area if you stop there. You should avoid parking on uneven terrain and slopes to make it easier to safely set up the tent. If rain is forecast or there is already mud, pay attention to the ground around the ladder so that it is not too slippery, especially if it gets wet. As for setting up the tent itself and safety during that period, it depends on where we set it up. If we are in a camp or far from a road, water, etc., the children are next to us or playing on the side. If we are near a road or some other potentially tricky situation, they stay sitting in the car for those 10 minutes and look at us through the window. So far, this has never been a problem for them.
The biggest advantage of RTT for toddlers?
I think it’s more fun for kids to sleep anywhere but in their bed. In the RTT, they have the comfort of a bed, and the experience of a tree house. Every child love to sleep and snuggle with their parents, which is natural to us as mammals, and if they don’t sleep with you in bed at home, they’ll be thrilled with the tent because they know there’s no going back to their bed. This is a special level of bonding. Fresh air helps them tire out faster and fall asleep easier, and no one likes it when it takes 3 hours to get them to sleep.
Conclusion: RTT is safe if used correctly
When the tent is installed correctly and some small details are taken into account when using it with children, the RTT is completely safe for even the youngest. The basic instructions will be quickly accepted and followed by them, because they will be very excited about the tent. If you have been worried about how you will get into a tent with a small child, I hope I have helped you and inspired you to try it! Once you try it, prepare yourself for questions from little mouths: "when are we sleeping in a tent again?"
A big thank you to our blog writer Marija for sharing her honest and detailed family experience with the 220XL. Her real-life insights truly show what traveling with a rooftop tent is like as a family. Make sure to follow her adventures on Instagram @croactive for more inspiration, tips and beautiful family travel moments.
Used product: 220XL
