DARCHE Panorama 2 RoofTop Tent  – The Panorama 2 is the ultimate touring roof top tent. Uniquely featuring a zippered sunroof for star gazing and enhanced air flow, its low profile pack down design aids vehicle handling whilst creating less drag. Aluminium checker plate base, frame lugs and compact centre pivoting yoke, provide exceptional strength whilst reducing weight.

There are a number of reasons why roof top tents have started to become more popular in recent years. The main ones being that you can set them up quickly, they keep you off the ground and for further convenience they can be folded up with all your sleeping gear inside i.e. sleeping bag and pillow. More and more people throughout Europe are now discovering the  benefits of using roof top tents as more of us are looking to get out of our towns and cities and off the beaten track away from it all more often.

With tents like the DARCHE Panorama 2 you can stargaze while lying in bed by simply unzipping the sky window in the roof of the tent giving you views of the night time sky.
As a follow-on from our introduction to the Darche Panorama 2 in Issue 7 of the magazine we now have a more detailed look at this top quality roof top tent.

The Panorama 2 is one of the more higher end roof top tents on the market and it comes with an annex.   If you buy one of these you are paying for a high quality touring roof top tent that offers the superior build that is associated with all Darche products.

One of the unique selling points of this rooftop tent is that it features a zippered sunroof for stargazing. We have used this feature a lot during the recent hot spell this summer and we love the idea of being able to unzip the roof to study the milky way with the kids before sleep, not to mention it allows for additional cooling on those hot balmy nights.

Canvas

The tents 340 GSM proofed Poly Cotton Ripstop canvas is hard wearing and is guaranteed to keep you dry in wet conditions. We have yet to use the tent in colder wintry conditions but we will be reporting on this in the winter edition of the magazine.

Frame

The aluminium checker plate base, frame lugs and compact centre pivoting yoke, provides exceptional strength and this is another feature that sets this tent apart from others on the market. Also, the re-engineered baseboard incorporates a new honeycomb filling reducing condensation build up under mattress, it’s insulating and energy absorbing and has a high strength to weight ratio and it’s all developed to be durable, non-delaminating and non-corrosive.

Low Profile

The Panorama 2 is ergonomically designed and has one of the lowest profiles of any rooftop tent on the market at just 250mm – reducing wind drag when driving. This shortness in height will save you on fuel costs on those big journeys and will reduce the overall height of your vehicle allowing you to get under obstacles easier and giving you a better center of gravity when hitting the trails.The compromise here is that the mattress is not as thick as other tents on the market but this can be overcome by using the Darche self inflatable mattress.

Annex

The  Annex comes with a strong 550gsm PVC zip off bucket floor that can be quick attached to the annex with the high quality zips. The annex also packs up very easily into the provided bag. The annex provides a number of entry options/windows that also give excellent ventilation for those hot nights. With the option of using the DARCHE telescopic poles you can open the annex windows using various combinations. The Annex dimensions are 2500mm long and 2000mm wide offering plenty of room for shelter and storage.

Mounting Kit

Universal mounting kit included

Cover

600gsm PVC cover.

The Darche Panorama 2 Rooftop Tent with Annex has a simple set up procedure and can be erected by one person (see video). The 5 minute setup simply involves releasing a couple of straps and using the telescoping ladder as a lever to pull the tent down. Guide ropes are utilised to secure it in place.

Darche does not compromise when it comes to quality. As a company Darche is dedicated to building and supplying high quality products and coupled with its ongoing R&D and the development of  innovative designs this dedication has seen it successfully win the contract to supply in Australia the fit out of rooftop tents on some of  the Britz recreational touring vehicles, notably the Britz Safari LandCruisers. For those of you who have used recreation hire vehicles like Britz with rooftop tents attached you will be well aware of the use and often abuse these products often receive. They need to be built tough in order to be able to withstand the number of recreational travellers who use these rooftop tents in all types of weather and conditions.


Prior to choosing Darche as the supplier of rooftop tents for the Safari LandCruisers,  Britz conducted comparison tests on many brands of well-known rooftop tents in Australia and after careful consideration, chose Darche to partner with.

In 2017, Darche also designed and successfully tested with Britz a new 4 person canvas Safari ground tent to be used in conjunction with the Britz Outback Toyota Hilux. As a result, a large number of new Britz Safari Hilux SR models are fitted out with Darche safari tents. Darche is very proud of its partnership with the Britz Brand and works closely with key Britz personnel, receiving real time feedback that assist it to continuously improve on the products performance.