Bushbuck Armourdillo Rooftop Tent Review 2024: Ollie Craig

Overview

New Zealand spearfisher, hunter and all-round adventurer Ollie Craig reviews the Bushbuck Armourdillo Rooftop Tent. He's been using the Armourdillo hard-shell tent for a few months now and a lot of people were asking questions about it after seeing it in his YouTube videos and social media posts. Ollie decided to film this in-depth video review, which covers all of the key features of the Armourdillo Rooftop Tent.

Next level camping

The Bushbuck Armourdillo Rooftop Tent is an awesome bit of kit and I absolutely love it. I've been using it for a few months now since last summer for camping missions and even crashing the night at people's houses. It's so easy to put up, easy to use, good quality and just an all-round great product. Rooftop tents are just awesome. They open up a whole world of possibility. You can just pull up anywhere you can get your vehicle, flick the tent up and you're ready to go. The Armourdillo Rooftop Tent from Bushbuck really just takes camping to the next level.

I love camping the traditional way in a tent on the ground, but having the ability to drive around and pop-up the roof tent in two minutes is so practical and convenient. I fully recommend the Armourdillo Rooftop Tent for anyone looking for a great-quality, feature-packed roof tent. Learn more about the Armourdillo Rooftop Tent here.

Hard shell the way to go

There are many different types of rooftop tents on the market, but I definitely think a hard shell roof tent is the way to go. The Bushbuck Armourdillo is made from 3mm ultra-durable aluminium and it's tough as anything. Unlike softshell PVC rooftop tents, the Armourdillo's shell is robust enough to accessorise and equip. You can screw roof racks or storage boxes on top of it for taking additional items such as surfboards, kayaks, mountain bikes, or extra hunting and fishing gear. There's no mucking around with putting a canvas cover on or anything like that, it's just up in two minutes, down in two minutes - easy peasy. The hard-shell is also more durable and robust than PVC, which should mean it goes harder and lasts longer. It also just looks really sleek.

Favourite features

After using the Armourdillo for a while now, there are some stand-out features that I think are worth mentioning.

Compatible with most vehicles

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I've been using my Armourdillo on my Subaru station wagon and, as you can see, it fits like a glove. Ideally, you'd want to have this on a SUV or big 4WD as it weighs around 70kg. But as long as you're not doing some crazy off-roading, it will be fine on a wagon or larger car with two crossbars. This sets it apart from most other rooftop tents, which require three crossbars. Bear in mind, there are two sizes available so make sure you check which will fit on your vehicle.

Easy set-up

It literally takes less than two minutes to set-up. All you have to do is undo a couple of clips, pull the handle to engage the gas struts which open the tent up, extend the telescopic ladder and secure the latches again. There are a couple of poles for the entrance and windows, too. So simple.

LED light strips

One little feature I love on this tent is the LED light strips under the base, which also doubles as a shelter in wet weather. There are two light strips on each side of the base. So if you're cooking or organising your gear at night, it's awesome to have these built-in lights. You've just got to plug them in to a USB power bank and you're good to go. There's also an LED light strip on the inside of the tent on the main support bar, which can also be powered by a power bank. There's even a light switch with a dimmer to adjust the brightness.

Skylight window

The skylight window is another awesome feature. When you're laying on your back on the comfortable built-in mattress inside the tent, you can unzip the skylight window. It has a mesh cover to keep the mosquitos out. At night when the stars are out, it's just amazing.

I could go on and on about the Armourdillo Rooftop Tent. But if you want to learn more about it, check out the video above. It's gotta be one of the best rooftop tents on the market and I look forward to getting heaps of use out of it in the months and years ahead.