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

Took it out for the first time this week on a 3 day camping trip. Took a while to set up but once I get more used to it, set up will go much faster. Help up in the wind just fine and all the material, stakes and poles are made really well. Pounded the stakes in with a large rock into hard dirt and they took the beating without bending.

I’ve done extensive research on SUV awning/tarp setups for camping and although I was initially apprehensive about this, I’ve come to LOVE my roadhouse tarp. After field testing this a few times I honestly don’t know why you would ever pay $300-$1000 for those roof rack mounted awnings. Looks and convenience aren’t enough to justify that price tag. After all, I’m in it for the shade coverage and versatility, not to try to make my truck look cool. This thing is HUGE. There’s only a slight learning curve in setting it up, but it’s totally doable by yourself. Just anchor it on your truck first, take your time setting up one pole at a time, and get the guy line nice and taut to secure it down. I like that the guy line is easily adjustable with the plastic tooth clamps. The poles are extremely tall, but given the angle at which it makes the tarp stand, it provides excellent shade coverage. I deployed my tarp while my friend was setting up his ARB awning, and he only finished a couple of minutes before me. I haven’t tried other setup configurations yet, but I’m sure I will when I have less than ideal campsites in the future. All in all, 100% worth it. Yes sure it’s not as convenient as having it already mounted to your roof, and yeah you can’t show it off on your rig like the broverlanders do, but it provides way better shade coverage and costs a fraction of the price of some of the more expensive options out there. This will be my go to rain or shine.

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.

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!

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.”

Look, if you’re an overland enthusiast with a million dollars worth of stuff dangling around your car, you probably won’t like this. Or won’t need this. Well, I’m not one of them and this tarp fits the bill. I’m more of a camping enthusiast and I don’t mind setting things up manually. I like to take time with things and do things slow. Why are you even camping if you’re in a hurry, after all? Having said that, it really isn’t that hard to set up nor takes much time setting up. You don’t need to know all kinds of fancy knots to tie things up neither, thanks to the buckle system. This tarp is huge and gives you enough space to do things under shade. I probably wouldn’t run and try to set this up if it’s already pouring outside, even though it looks like it can hold some rain as long as they’re gentle. For me, it’s more useful for shades and the cozy vibe it gives. Also, I like the color of this tarp and I’m glad they didn’t go with stupid bright florescent multi-colors. Like the stuff you’d get from REI. No offense. I like REI. One concern: my car is a Wrangler and when I leave the back window (cargo window) open, it creates stress points on where those pointy tips meet the tarp. Nothing crazy but we’ll see how it holds up over time. For now, it’s a vibe.

I bought this tarp before taking a bird hunting trip to northern NH with my GSP pup. I was going to be sleeping in my truck and didn't want to be stuck inside the truck if we ended up getting heavy rain. Given that, I thought it would be worth buying the tarp before my trip "just in case." Turns out we got pretty good rain for 2 solid days in our trip, this tarp was a game changer. I was able to set it up the first time in heavy winds with minimal drama. Probably took 10 minutes. Once set up, I had a table and chair underneath and was able to cook, eat and write in my journal in total dry bliss. Complete game changer. It provided a huge amount of space and proved to be totally waterproof. Very happy with this tarp. Also appreciate how it can be used as a stand-alone (via A frame setup). Excellent item, study, easy to set up, roomy and reasonably priced.

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!