iKamper Annex room tent - tested and recommended

[manitou202]

Last weekend my wife and I broke in our iKamper X-Cover on a solo camping trip. This weekend we took our three kids and two dogs and were able to use the iKamper Annex.

For those of you not familiar with the Annex, it's essentially a large covered extension/shelter to the roof top tent. It's a very robust product, with high quality materials. It was a little tricky to setup the first time, but one of the nicest parts is it velcros and zips to the roof top tent to create a rain proof seal. This inside is bigger than expected and could easily accommodate 8 adults sitting inside during bad weather. We added the optional inner tent which was really easy to setup, and this was used for two of our kids and our dogs. Even with the inner tent setup it still left plenty of room for 6 people inside.

Highly recommended for those looking to add a shelter to your iKamper. If you are looking for a really quick setup, this is not it. But if you are willing to spend 15 minutes setting up the Annex, it a really well built and substantial shelter.

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[HokieBird7980]

Thanks for posting. I have the Mini 2.0 and i'm going on iKamper today to order an annex while it's on sale. Seems like a great fit and I did not know about the extra tent option, so thanks again for posting that.

 

[WattsUp]

What is the brand of the storage system for the clothes? Where do you store that when traveling in the truck? Really cool.

 

[manitou202]

What is the brand of the storage system for the clothes? Where do you store that when traveling in the truck? Really cool.

It's actually a storage system for kitchen gear. You could easily use it for clothes however. We use it to storage all of our dishes, utensils, towels, and cooking accessories. The legs collapse so it easily fits under the tonneau cover.

Here is a link to the product.

https://www.campchef.com/sherpa-camp-table-&-organizer/CC-MSTAB.html

 

[Synapticon]

This thread motivated me to set up my annex today, as a dry run. First I highly recommend a ground cloth. I have a 10X10 CGear, sand-free multimat, which is excellent. Keeps the annex clean as well at preventing tracking into the tent itself. It aids in packing everything away, too. Although the annex is a bit cumbersome to assemble solo, the small features in the right places surprised me (strategic velcro tabs, covered zips, loops for stakes and poles).

I had visited the iKamper HQ in Kent, WA, and the folks there bent over backward to answer questions and help. I had originally ordered the taller version of the annex and they exchanged it and gave me a demonstration and tips on assembly. Since then I got a taller bed rack and was worried about sizing again but, it works fine.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Do you typically just camp out at one site for a weekend or do you pack up to drive to other activities for the day? That's what's stopped me from having extra stuff involved. It's slow enough to pack up without the annex.

 

[Ingo B]

Forgive the possibly dumb question, but was that a group campsite, or are these overlanding areas normally that packed together?

 

[manitou202]

Forgive the possibly dumb question, but was that a group campsite, or are these overlanding areas normally that packed together?

The other vehicles are our friends. We were camping on their property. No one else around.

When camping on public lands or at public camp sites it varies a lot in terms of space between sites. In Colorado we are lucky enough to have plenty of remote areas where you can really space out.

 

[Synapticon]

In Oregon, accessible dispersed camping (FS and BLM land) is very common. To go and set up camp in one spot and for days you could not ride the same mountain bike trail twice. Not to mention hiking, climbing, fishing, SUP... the list goes on. One could camp (primitive) for 14 days, no fees, no permit.

 

[camaroz1985]

It's actually a storage system for kitchen gear. You could easily use it for clothes however. We use it to storage all of our dishes, utensils, towels, and cooking accessories. The legs collapse so it easily fits under the tonneau cover.

Here is a link to the product.

https://www.campchef.com/sherpa-camp-table-&-organizer/CC-MSTAB.html

I have the Sherpa too. I have found the only way it fits in the bed (with the tonneau closed) is to lay it on it's back. Is that what you do as well, or do you have a different place to stash it?

This post has inspired me to try the Annex with our Roofnest. I bought used, and it came with the RTT, but I figured it would be kind of goofy with the lower bed mounting. I'd be interested to see just how goofy it really is.

 

[seinberg]

Last weekend my wife and I broke in our iKamper X-Cover on a solo camping trip. This weekend we took our three kids and two dogs and were able to use the iKamper Annex.

For those of you not familiar with the Annex, it's essentially a large covered extension/shelter to the roof top tent. It's a very robust product, with high quality materials. It was a little tricky to setup the first time, but one of the nicest parts is it velcros and zips to the roof top tent to create a rain proof seal. This inside is bigger than expected and could easily accommodate 8 adults sitting inside during bad weather. We added the optional inner tent which was really easy to setup, and this was used for two of our kids and our dogs. Even with the inner tent setup it still left plenty of room for 6 people inside.

Highly recommended for those looking to add a shelter to your iKamper. If you are looking for a really quick setup, this is not it. But if you are willing to spend 15 minutes setting up the Annex, it a really well built and substantial shelter.

Does the inner tent have a floor such that it's easy for someone to sleep in it? Without needing to buy the separate floor tarp for the Annex? This looks great, and I was also happy to see that you don't need the tent to sit particularly high off the ground for the annex to be useful -- I had worried a bit about that.

 

[EVTrukHog]

I love my annex - and highly recommend getting the floor (ground cloth for it as well). It does take some effort to setup (and then pack up) while solo... my rule is that I only use it if I'm going to be at the same campsite for 2 nights or more. It not only provides shelter but makes a nice changing room if you're camping at a public campground. YMMV.

 

[seinberg]

I love my annex - and highly recommend getting the floor (ground cloth for it as well). It does take some effort to setup (and then pack up) while solo... my rule is that I only use it if I'm going to be at the same campsite for 2 nights or more. It not only provides shelter but makes a nice changing room if you're camping at a public campground. YMMV.

Thanks, looks great! They also sell an accessory inner tent that they market as a tent for sleeping in, but I can't for the life of me find a lot of details or pictures inside it to get a sense for how roomy it is or whether it has the floor integrated (I assume yes, but not clear).

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