Slumberjack SJK Roadhouse Tarp, Hunting Camping & Overland Shelter Protects from Rain & Sun (Khaki)

Ok, so I rarely write reviews but this sun shade has been amazing and I felt obligated to share and help this company. It often times really hard to find high quality camping gear on amazon and you never know what you're gonna get, so hopefully this helps reassure someone considering this shelter. First - the quality. Yes this is manufactured in Vietnam (better than China) but it's an actual Colorado company so you're supporting local with these guys and the quality really shows. One example - the cords are a really high quality, thick chord, not just the cheap parachord but the real deal and it's thick. Stakes are super sturdy too. I had this up in a MASSIVE deluge in Grand Teton and we stayed totally dry under neath. Second is versatility - you can set this up in just about any way you need or want. It works really well off the back of a truck or SUV (I use mine off the back of a tear drop trailer) but it can also stand on it's own without any vehicle. I can't think of any downsides but there's a few things to consider - it's not a super quick popup shelter. It helps to have one other person hold the poles while you stake it down and for sure the first couple of times you set it up it will take a few extra minutes. But I have it down and I can set it up with my son in about 5 minutes. The size can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you are looking for. It's quite large, we were able to cover a full picnic table which was still about 5 feet behind my trailer and sitting at the table we all stayed dry. It's tall too, I think the poles must be close to 7 feet tall?? However, if you're solo camping and just need a small bit of shade, then this might feel a bit overkill. Also, if it's exceptionally hot with intense sunshine then you'll notice this doesn't block the heat quite as good as the really thick blue square sunshades. With intense sun you can feel some heat, but it does at least keep you in the shade. Lastly - it packs down really easily. I'm able to get the poles in and simply stuff the thing into the stuff sack. It's not too heavy but obviously you wouldn't be backpacking with this thing.

Great quality and it can be set up in so many ways. This is a. Example of out recent setup in our teardrop camper when we were expecting rain. And it worked great we stayed dry.

Like some others, I took a chance on this item, as it is priced well below other offerings of similar or smaller size. I am very pleased now that I’ve received it and deployed it. Setup is easier than folks have described, even if it’s just you setting it up. You just need to adjust the guy lines and pole locations a few times to get everything nice and taught. Quality of material is well within the acceptable range. It’s not the thickest nor is it the thinnest. If you’re careful, this should last for many seasons. When tied down securely, the awning is able to withstand more wind than you’d think. It seems to be waterproof, although I can’t testify to how long it will remain so. When I poured some water on it, the water did run off without soaking into it. You may find that you need to reapply some Nikwax waterproof coating once a year, just to be safe. The stakes are as described: beefy. They are not the typical tent pegs you get with a smaller tent. They will not bend out of shape, and can be safely hammered on to drive them in hard ground without fear of deforming any portion of them. The guy lines are not the cheap, thin lines you sometimes get with other tents and tarps. They are a nice bright yellow to help you see them BEFORE you trip over them (hey, it happens to us all). However, the triangular-shaped devices supplied and attached to the guy lines for adjusting the lines are plastic. Not sure how long they will last. But it’s nothing that can’t be replaced with a couple of metal washers. The poles are stout and will indeed last longer than the awning itself. They are made of steel and probably are responsible for most of the weight of this kit. They will not collapse under tension. They are, however, not adjustable. It’s 96 inches or nothing. Then again, those 96” do afford you a huge opening when deployed in the 2-pole configuration. I bought other adjustable poles, so again, no big deal. The attachment points are conveniently located at the one end of the awning, making it very simple and easy to affix to a vehicle or tent or what have you. The stitching is very satisfactory, especially for the price point. Guy line attachment points and grommet areas for the poles are reinforced with extra material. It’s a well thought out design that will shield you and your companions/gear from sun, wind and precipitation. Listen, for the money, the Roadhouse Tarp from Slumberjack SJK is extremely difficult to beat. Overall, it’s a 5-star no-brainer. You might say it can’t be “topped.”

The SKJ roadhouse tarp it pretty awesome , ive used it in all three ways to include tying to trees in the forest to give my son and i some cover from the rain while camping. It has the abillity to attach to a van or suv, ive done it to bolth just fine with ease , its lightweight and where it would attach to the vehicles theres a bit extra layer to prevent wear. not too sure if that was the idea during development but it pays off. The rods are made of steer and super sturdy! The only couple of issues I have had with this product is that when i recived it, it looked like it was a returned item, packing wasnt folded and neat and had 3 to 4 holes in it from what looks to be from a cigarette or something.. i remedied the issue by utilizing medical tape and covering both sides of the holes , which works really well! Issue 2 is the gromets for the poles. typically tarps all use the same size gromets as to be universal when utilizing extension poles, i have two myself which can be used for all tarps but the gromets/holes on this product are to small to allow my extension poles to be utilized. Hopefully this can be addressed later on but overall a extrealy usefull product, for rain and sunshine ! comes with stakes , and lines and i havent had any issues with anything else I put it up and practiced with it prior to utilization so it does help!

We use this with our off road teardrop trailer- which has an external galley as you can see in the pic. It is easy to set up, works like a charm and is solidly made. We used two of the three possible configurations and found they suited different situations very well- the single pole setup gives more of a pitch and a bit more coverage on the sides and the two pole setup gives you a broader area to sit or work under. Made for use with an SUV, the galley door opens up underneath it perfectly. The company I bought the teardrop from recommended this as something others were using and I am very happy with it. I was surprised the quality was so high at that price. I do not think I will trust it to withstand the extreme wind conditions on some of the desert places I camp but it should do fine in most windy situations as the poles are substantial and the tie downs plentiful. I use 12" lag bolts driven into the ground with an impact driver instead of the spikes that come with it, but they are pretty solid too. Great product I would recommend to anyone!

I used this on a recent offroad/camping adventure in the National Forrest. Unfortunately, it POURED the entire trip due to a tropical storm. I affixed the tarp to rack on my Jeep Gladiator. It kept my gear and tent bone dry! I was very impressed with quality of the tarp, from the stitchwork to the taped seems, and HEAVILY reinforced gromets and loops. Once set up and secured with the included poles, stakes, and guy lines, the tarp was sturdy and did not flap around, even with high wind gusts. The storm brought constant rains with heavy downpours. I thought for sure that at some point the water proofing would be overwhelmed by that type of exposure; NOT A DROP penetrated the tarp. It is a relatively compact kit, so storage isn't a problem. Some things to consider: I recommend setting this up at least once prior to your camping trip to be familiar with how to affix it to your vehicle. A 2-person set up is ideal, but you can do it solo. The tarp can be set up in a variety of configurations to suit your needs. I choose an A-frame configuration due to the heavy rains. While not needed, I opted for a center pole (I had one laying around) to prevent pooling. I'm looking forward to using this again in a different configuration. Super impressed. Highly recommended for any car camper/overlander on a budget.

Super great tarp. I have used it on many occasions and it always travels with me in the truck or UTV. The video is a solo setup using telescoping tarp poles. I usually don't use the 8-ft poles that come with the Roadhouse Tarp (I mistakenly said 7 ft in the video). Occasionally for a center pole, but I prefer telescoping poles for the corners and other locations. While the SJK poles are extremely durable and easy to use, they are fixed height only. You could get creative and disconnect a section and zip tie it back onto itself, but this isn't practical. Before I purchased telescoping poles, to lower the height I had to slant the SJK fixed height poles to create a lower height and profile. It just gets in the way of people and equipment and not practical. I bought some adjustable telescoping poles for tarps and they work great and allow you to setup up each pole vertically which optimizes gear placement and mobility under the tarp. Overall the best off grid, overlanding, camping tarp I have used. Lots of applications. Practice at home in the yard before you try and set up in the field. Lots of setup videos out there. I have attached mine to this review.

Just came back from the WBDR (washington backcountry discovery route) with a convoy of 8 rigs, and this thing was awesome super lightweight was compact and didn’t take up any space. The materials it is made out of is thin enough to be light weight but doesn’t feel cheep at all and the provided tent poles are heavy duty with steel cord holding them together. Set up was easy to do with one person but it’s easier with a friend and it provided a very large footprint of shade and rain cover perfect for our camp kitchen, take down was just as easy and it wasn’t a issue fitting it back into the bag with everything. Definitely very happy with this purchase for the intended use and will probably be buying another one to use for extra lounge cover. Definitely worth the money!