Evaluations in Periodicals

If you have any questions, please e-mail us: HGsTopBunk@aol.com

"High Gear Car-Mounted Tent"
in Outdoor Photographer, Sept. 1995, page 96

"Tired of sleeping on the ground? Or wasting time setting up a tent or pop-up camper on the road in the dark? High Gear's Top Bunk is an aerodynamic car top camper that attaches to the top of your vehicle, then pops open quickly, ready to sleep two adults comfortably on a large (54x92-inch) Comfort Plus mattress. The fiberglass shell closes and locks securely in a minute, with the beds made and ready to go. Three tent openings may be partially unzipped, providing windows with "no-see-um" netting. The unit includes a collapsible ladder with storage bag. Children can sleep in an optional fold-down bed (Wee Bunk, 21x49-inches, or Wee Two, 30x40-inches).

"You can store a variety of gear in the locked shell for added security while away from camp and for additional storage space when traveling. And when you aren't using the shell for camping, you can zip out the tent and remove the mattress to make a car-top carrier with more than 30 cubic feet of storage space. The shell can also be purchased without the mattress or tent."

"Happy as Clams"
in Car And Driver, May 1996, page 149

"When it came time to go camping with our eccentric and pricey Land Rover Discovery, a plain old tent just wouldn't do. So we located an equally eccentric and pricey tent... Top Bunk from High Gear of Columbia, Missouri.

"The pop-up tent's two-piece shell, which looks heavy, is built of fiberglass and weighs 78 pounds. The whole thing is mounted on a rack (an added $300) that is attached to the rain gutters and is thus suspended over the Discovery's roof.

"Setting up home is simple. Turn the latch handle at the rear of the unit to release the top shell from the bottom one. Give the top shell a push upward. Two gas struts then raise the shell into place and hold it there while you install two rigid prop rods. As woodsman Markus observed, 'It can be set up and struck within minutes, once you've learned the procedure.'

"Top Bunk comes with a collapsible ladder for easy access to its spacious interior (4.5 feet by 7.7 feet by 5.0 feet at the peak). There's a comfy mattress inside. Our Top Bunk EX model came with a dome light and two power outlets for plugging in the fan and mattress-pad heater.

"The tent material is a breathable, fire-resistant, urethane-coated fabric with no-see-um netting on the three soft sides. After weathering a thunderstorm in the Tetons, one camper wrote, 'This is great -- high and dry. No more sleeping on rocky, muddy ground.'

"If you like to camp in comfort with a minimal amount of fuss, check out the Top Bunk. It's pricey but impressive. --Andre Idzikowski"



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