This spring, my husband and I decided to invest in a rooftop tent for our Outback Nessie. We have always wanted to go camping but didn’t want to ground camp or keep wasting money on AirBnbs whenever we visited new cities. We did some research and it was actually my husband who first found out about TentBox, which is a UK-based company. Their motto is to be able to “turn any car into a camper” with their line of rooftop tents, which are all lighter than the competing brands.
We went with the Lite XL as we wanted room to stretch out and be comfortable in, but also because it was the biggest rooftop tent that TentBox offered without overloading our static load limit on the OEM rails of Nessie. It is extremely well-built and exceeded our expectations. Even the mattress pad that came with the tent was quite comfortable, and we were both able to sleep pretty well in it.
Our RTT arrived just in time for our first road trip of 2024. I have long been fascinated by the Eastern Sierra Nevadas along US-395, and decided that it was overdue for a camping trip to visit all the landmarks (and of course delicious eats) of this beautiful area of California. We spent just over a week exploring everything the Eastern Sierras had to offer, and even then it still didn’t feel like enough time. I’d like to revisit during the fall to see all the trees change colors and experience the splendor in person.
Dispersed camping is way more fun than I thought it would be and I am hooked. I seriously can’t wait for our next camping trip!
One of my favorite spots that we visited was Alabama Hills, which is famous for the westerns and other movies that were shot there starting in the 1920s. I had been envisioning a shot of Newt waving in front of Nessie with the rock formations and majestic White Mountains in the background. The photo came out as I pictured it in my mind’s eye and I captured it in one take, which is uncommon as I am picky with the way that Newt executes his wave trick.
I decided to upload that photo and another photo I captured at one of our dispersed camping spots (below) to the TentBox community Facebook page because I was super proud of them and still riding high from our trip. To my surprise, TentBox contacted me asking for permission to share my photos on their social media accounts. I am so honored that TentBox decided to feature my photography. I have a deep passion for my work and it brings me joy that others love these photos as much as I do. Here are the links for their Instagram post as well as their Facebook post!
Toplines & Talons Photography 