Camping in the Jimny. Roof Top Tent and kit tried

The tent looks good, I have been toying with the idea of fitting a rear awning but have yet to decide how. Could you tell me how you got round the problem of the aerial being so close to the back of the roof. I thing to fit an awning I would require a rack to get right to the back of the roof.

Can't figure out how to edit the post :silly:

Thule Roof Bars For Jimny

For easy reference these are the Thule Squarebars and Feet that fit on the Jimny. Hope it's ok to post product links I'm not trying to sell stuff or anything underhanded

www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/roof-rack/roof-ra...---low-_-951000Thule Raingutter Foot - Low. Model number: 951

www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/roof-rack/roof-ra...ar-135-_-712400Thule SquareBar 135cm. Model number: 712400

I also tried the Canyon XT Roof Basket. It's a lovely piece of kit if you're sleeping in the Jimny and need some storage space. Note, the bars on their own with nothing mounted don't whistle when driving but they do introduce a bit of wind noise. Interestingly with the basket on it was lessened to a level that really didn't bother me, so it's a great option imho. Even better with music on

www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/cargo-carrier/roo...yon-xt-_-859002Thule Canyon XT. Model number: 859XT








There's also a nice www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0797P739Cwaterproof bag that fits great into the basket and even has a streamlined profile to match the front of the basket. You can tuck the front under the baskets wind deflector. Shame I had to sell these but they'd have sat in storage. If you want the basket keep an eye on Amazon as they do random discounts, I got it for £240 down from ~£300, then the price went back up.



More experiments with sleeping in the Jimny.

Forgot I also tried a few different sleeping mattresses. Aim for 170-183cm in length. You can tuck in the 183cm under the glove box and steering wheel and the cargo netting helps stop them from sliding out.


These were fine to sleep on but as I'm a side sleeper the thicker mattresses do make for a far better nights sleep.


That's where the MegaMat or any 10cm mattress really comes into it's own. It's also worth noting that you really need to keep the front windows open an inch or two for ventilation so an insulated mattress with a decent R rating is going to make your nights more comfortable. Nothing worse than waking up to a load of condensation pouring down the windows. What I didn't mention trumps about sleeping in the Jimny over sleeping in the Roof Top Tent is noise. The wind noise and yappy birds are drowned out rather well in the Jimny compared to the tent. A nice bonus.

Hope this helps!

Scimike wrote: Actually there is an answer.
I've just looked at my manual (it's a GEN3).

It states under the section "Other Control and Equipment - Roof Rails" (if Equipped) can be used to fit your Suzuki roof rack. The gross capacity of the roof rack plus it's cargo must no exceed 30kg. As it is in the section Roof Rails it's instruction is directed at that item. It is the limit on the plastic roof rails which is 30kg. It also states that gross vehicle weight (fully loaded) Inc driver, passengers, cargo, roof load and trailer must not exceed the GVWR listed in the specifications, that's 1420kg for a G3.

In the section Vehicle Loading and towing no reference is made on roof load other than confirm of the GVWR.

So this 30kg limit is a carry over from the plastic roof rails on the G3. The fact nothing is mentioned in the G4 manual (no plastic rails) confirms the limit was for the rails and is not a vehicle loading requirement. All that is required is not to exceed the GVWR or overload your roof rack of choice. Thule etc are typically rated at 100kg.

Of course common sense needs to come into play as an unstable load or loaded vehicle may contravene UK traffic law, but the 30kg limit that gets quoted has nothing to do with dynamic loading. It's just to stop the plastic rails snapping.

Of course this is just my interpretation of my manual, that's the supplied operating instructions from Suzuki for a 2009 G3.

100% agree and confirms my findings. That's why I asked where the 30kg dynamic load limit came from cos it's certainly not applicable to the g4

Hey mate, the aerial just bends down when the tent is out and easily clears when it’s away. It’s a bit better with the slimline rack than the Thule bars clearance wise. although you could get the longer Thule feet but that would increase the height of the tent.

I’ve got the awning on the other side of the car too but it would be ok on the drivers side if that’s where you wanted it.

I would like to put the awning over the rear door, I have got used to the overhead door opening on my Skoda Yeti and get changed out of my wet weather or dirty clothes under it. I would like to do the same with the Jimny and I would like to sit on a seat at the back under a awning. This is a nice to have scenario and something I can look at in the long term. Maybe some Thule bars with a basket attached, I could remove an area of the basket around the aerial and get the basket to the back of the roof.