"Much better than at home" – Dean's TentBox sleep story

Dean Standen bought a Lite to stop pitching a ground tent with his son. Since Easter he has found he sleeps better in his roof tent than he does at home. He shares what makes the difference, the bed setup he has built inside and his advice for anyone worried they won't sleep well in a TentBox roof tent.

Dean and his son love camping. They both, however, hate pitching a ground tent in the rain.

"I was absolutely fed up with arriving at campsites, usually tipping it down with rain, and having to set up a huge weekend tent," he says. "Everything getting soaked, and my son losing interest in setting up in the rain very quickly."

So just in time for the Easter holidays, he bought a TentBox Lite in Forest Green. His girlfriend hasn't joined them yet. "She is a hotel kind of a gal!"

He wanted an easier pitch. He also got a better night's sleep than he gets at home. Here's what sleeping in a roof tent looks like for Dean, what he has added to his bed and why he wakes up later than anyone else on the campsite.

"Sleeping off the cold ground"

Dean read up on TentBox before he bought it. The idea of sleeping off the cold ground hooked him first. Then the insulated floor and thicker materials than a normal tent. Then the quick setup.

"You can put the rain fly rods into the TentBox from inside, so you're not getting soaked," he says.

The Lite opens by hand in about 5 minutes. Take off the cover, extend the ladder, fold out the base and slot in the poles. Then you're ready.

He did have one worry before the first night. "I was worried about feeling cold and cramped being so high up," he says. "But we have found the TentBox extremely comfortable and spacious enough."

"Much better than at home"

At home, Dean lives next to a busy road. The places he takes the Lite are much quieter. "A typical night's sleep in my TentBox is much better than at home," he says.

The dark helps too. "The blackout interior of my TentBox creates the perfect environment for me," he says. "Even when I open a couple of the doors and windows up a bit for ventilation, it is still dark enough to sleep well into the late hours of the morning."

The waking up into the late hours does get noticed. "We always get really strange looks from our neighbours on the campsites, waking up so late in the morning," he says. Caravanners give them a look when they first see the tent on the car roof. "Those looks change when they see how we use our setup and how comfy we make our camp."

"The biggest step up from our old ground tent"

Dean chose his Lite with sleep in mind. "When looking for a TentBox, I noticed that the blue and the green ones had a blackout interior, so we looked for one of those," he says. "The blackout interior and the mattress inside is definitely the biggest step up from our old ground tent."

In the ground tent, mornings started early. The sun woke them up. The inflatable mattress had often gone down in the night. The Lite's foam mattress stays inside when it packs away, so the bed is there every time it opens.

"We wake up feeling very refreshed in the mornings," he says. "But be warned - unless you're on a noisy campsite, be prepared to sleep in very late into the morning!"

Fairy lights, films and a heated sheet

Dean finds the TentBox Lite comfortable in every season so far. "The way it is designed allows us to control ventilation very easily, and it's easy to keep warm," he says. The Lite has 4 vents in the fabric plus windows and doors he can open a little or a lot.

He has built the bed setup up from there. On top of the TentBox mattress sits a memory foam topper. Then a duvet and pillows from home and a heated bed sheet. V-shaped back cushions let them sit up to read or watch something.

Bad weather is when it feels best. "There is something very cosy about being up in the TentBox, especially in poor weather or when it's cold outside and starting to go dark," he says. "We put the fairy lights on and set up the projector to watch some films and stand-up comedy shows."

The supermarket on Shell Island

Their first night in the TentBox Lite was in the Lake District. "After cooking our dinner, we went up into the TentBox and I remember how cosy it felt," Dean says. "We had the projector on watching films, eating our snacks and chatting through the night."

Another favourite started with a lie. One afternoon Dean told his son they were driving to the supermarket. His son rolled his eyes and came along anyway. He didn't know the car was already packed for two nights away.

"When we got on the motorway, he looked up from his phone and asked what supermarket we were going to," Dean says. "When I told him the one on Shell Island, and that we would be away for two nights, his face lit up with excitement."

Shell Island, on the north-west coast of Wales, is their usual spot. They love the coast and the mountains close by. The weather there tests any tent. "The TentBox has handled windy weather great," he says.

"Rent one and find out for yourself"

Dean didn't need convincing before he bought. He read the reviews and that was enough. For anyone who is put off because they think they won't sleep well, his advice is simple. "Rent one and find out for yourself before committing to buy one."

You can also lie down in a TentBox Lite at a TentBox showroom before you decide.

His favourite part is the freedom of it. "The ability to just fold out somewhere nice to sleep or chill out whenever you want, and more or less wherever you want."

Cornwall is next for them. So is some winter camping. He has bought a hot tent to use as a living space. A Living Pod and a Lite Thermal Kit are on the list too. "The good thing about a TentBox is that it is a very good roof tent as it is," he says. "Anything else that you add makes it better."

Build your own setup

Want to sleep like Dean? The Lite folds out in about 5 minutes and keeps its mattress inside, so your bed is ready when you are. Add a few of the pieces on his list and you've got the ideal roof tent setup.

• TentBox Lite - the tent Dean and his son sleep in.

• Living Pod - extra space at ground level, and next on Dean's list.

• Lite Thermal Kit - the other upgrade he wants for winter camping.

• BackRest - sit up to read or watch a film in bed.

• TentBox Synthetic Down Blanket - an extra layer for colder nights.