Zempire Roadiebase Testfired
The Versatile Shelter
Zero poles, strong, UV resistant canvas material, cooler and more breathable (due to the canvas fabric), able to be connected to your tent, AND your truck or campervan. Hey, you could even attach it to your tent, 4WD truck, and campervan all at the same time, while sleeping in the shelter using the inner tent add-on as well! I think you get my point here; this is a seriously versatile shelter and it’s been built tough, with high-quality canvas fabric.
The Roadiebase air shelter has been designed from the ground up by the Zempire team to be the strongest and most versatile shelter they’ve ever made. But, before I get into all the connectivity options, lets back up a step and go over specs:
• Dimensions - 2.9m x 4.2m
• Floor area – 12.2m2
• Max height – 2.6m
• Weight - 20.7kg
• Poles - 0 - it’s a fully inflatable frame!
• Connectivity options - All Zempire canvas tents, Pro TM V2, Evo TM/TS V2 (plus more below)
• Fabric - 220gsm polycotton canvas
Here's the real game changer
Zempire have used the same 220gsm fabric that they use on the walls of their canvas tents for this shelter. This gives you a shelter that is extremely hard to damage or tear, is more breathable, and more resistant to UV damage from the sun.
UV damage is one of the main killers of shelters, essentially eating through the fabric over time and making it thinner and weaker. Canvas fabric resists this UV damage much better than polyester and will last considerably longer.
Canvas is also very breathable. While polyester essentially traps the heat and gets hotter, canvas will breathe and let some of that excess heat escape, making it a cooler shelter to be under when escaping the hot sun.
Lastly, canvas is more waterproof. Yes the “technical” waterproof rating of canvas is actually lower than polyester, however canvas works in a different way to keep you dry. Although it holds a lower water pressure rating than polyester, the thickness of the fabric means it is incredibly waterproof and will get more watertight the more it is used.
Connectivity
This is the other special feature of the Roadiebase air shelter that makes it stand out from the rest. Firstly, we finally have a shelter that can connect to a Zempire canvas tent! Over the last few years more and more customers have been asking for a shelter that can be connected to the front of their Zempire canvas tent like the Aerobase shelters do with the Zempire Pro and Evo tents.
Zempire have listened, and not only will the Roadiebase connect to all of the Zempire canvas tents that use either an Air Elite or Canvaslite sunroom, it will also connect to the Pro TM V2 and Evo TM/TS V2 tents as well – but they didn’t stop there.
In an effort to make this shelter a must have hub for any camping adventure, Zempire have also created connector links that fit to 4WD and SUV vehicles as well as campervans with a height of 1.8 – 2 metres.
Lastly, Zempire have created an internal hanging ‘inner tent’ add-on that connects into the shelter and converts half of the shelter into a waterproof bedroom with zip down windows and a divider curtain.
This gives you a weatherproof sleeping space without the need to put up the shelter’s side walls to camp for the night, as well as the versatility of using it as a sun shelter during the day by simply unclipping the inner bedroom add-on and stowing it away.
The Roadiebase has been designed to be a hub for any outdoor adventure. It’s extremely versatile and can be used as a standalone shelter, a tent (with the optional inner tent add-on) or connected to vehicles or tents to create a larger camping hub. Whether you’re parking up somewhere for the night and just need a bit of extra space, or want a premium, stronger, longer lasting shelter for your campsite, the Roadiebase has you sorted. It’s in stores now and is only $1,499.
Please note that the accessories mentioned are all optional and come at an extra cost. The accessory options available are: roof cover, ground sheet, tent links (various models/sizes available depending on your tent), deluxe walls, camper link, 4WD link, and inner tent. Check out the Hunting & Fishing NZ website for detailed information on all the options.
