San Hima Jervis Pro Side-Opening Aluminium Hardshell Rooftop Tent with Ladder

Pull over, unclip the latches and you're sleeping off the ground in about a minute. The San Hima Jervis Pro is a side-opening, aluminium hard-shell rooftop tent for people who'd rather spend the evening at the fire than fighting with poles and guy ropes. Whether it's a weekend in the Cederberg or three weeks through Botswana, it turns wherever you park into camp.

Both the shell and the base are aluminium, with a honeycomb panel floor that stays stiff and flat. Unlike plastic shells that can go chalky and brittle after a few seasons in the African sun, aluminium takes the UV, the corrugations and the odd branch on a tight two-track in its stride. The lid also comes with crossbars rated for 50 kg, so your roof still earns its keep — a solar panel, recovery tracks or a spare bag can ride on top of the tent.

Open it up and you get a 2 m by 1.45 m floor with 115 cm of headroom — room for two adults to sit up and change, or two plus a little one. The walls are 420D Oxford with a 280G poly-cotton inner, rated to 5,000 mm and UV 50+, and a silver lining cuts the early-morning glare so sunrise doesn't decide when you wake up.

You sleep on a 4 cm cloud-foam mattress with an anti-condensation mat underneath to keep things dry. There are meshed windows on every side, a stargazer panel in the roof, a three-mode LED strip (white, warm, and amber to keep the mozzies away), plus pockets, a shoe bag and hanging rails for your kit. Strut covers stop the lid from dropping unexpectedly, and the 2.3 m telescopic aluminium ladder packs away neatly when it's time to hit the road.