Guana Equipment Wanaka Rooftop Tent Review

Rooftop tents are extremely popular in the overlanding and offroading scene since they offer the luxury of being able to have a tent on top of your rig, out of and above the elements while still being able to enjoy the fun of being outdoors and exploring with your vehicle. Today, we are going to be looking at a rooftop tent company by the name of Guana Equipment.

This article will serve as the step-by-step installation guide and setup for the Guana Equipment Wanaka 55″ RTT as well as the XL annex room. It’ll be a guide from unboxing, installing, and mounting your RTT & annex as well as our initial thoughts on the tent. In the not-so-distant future, I will be doing a full in-depth overall review of this tent after testing it over multiple nights in several environments.

Find It Online

• Guana Equipment Wanaka RTT with Annex: Check Price

Unboxing

There is nothing like opening a box to a new part for your Tacoma!

The box is tightly packed ensuring no movement or damage would occur during transport and shipping.

Opening the box unveils that the tent is all closed up.

Remove the velcro holding the four tie-downs on the side of the tent.

Doing that will allow you to open up the tent.

With the tent unfolded, unzip one of the windows and crawl inside and get the contents out from the tent.

What’s Included (left to right)

• Adjustable Ladder
• Transportation Cover
• Two Shoe Bags
• LED Light Strip With Travel Case (Alligator Clips + 12V)
• Tan Canvas Bag With Mounting Hardware & Tie Downs + Stakes
• Cargo Net
• (6) Annex Poles
• (6) Window Poles
• Mounting Rails

Hardware

Provided in the tan canvas bag includes all the necessary hardware and tools to get your tent set up and ready for adventure. Guana provides the tools you need to help you set up your tent. No need to purchase any extra tools.

Provided Hardware (top to bottom)

• Stakes For Tie Downs
• Ladder Mounts
• (8) Slotted Mounting Hardware
• (4) Mounting Plates
• (4) Allen Head Mounting Rail Bolts
• 12 and 13mm Open End Wrench
• 14 and 15mm Open End Wrench
• 4mm Allen Head Wrench

It is nice that Guana provided all the necessary hardware and tools to have your tent set up right out of the box.

Step 1. Tent Rails

There are black stickers that cover the mounting holes for the rails on both the inside and outside of the tent. Removing these will reveal the holes where you can insert the Allen head bolts to mount the rails.

There are two sets of holes for you to chose from depending on the mounting bar distance you want to use for mounting the tent to your bed rack or roof rack.

Locate your two mounting rails and your 4 Allen head bolts with the included washer and nut.

Start by removing the end caps from the rails. After that, grab two bolts and unscrew the attached nuts.

With the end caps removed, go ahead and insert two nuts into the rail.

There is only one way they can go in.

Grab one of your bolts and slide the nuts down until they are each over their designated cutout in the rail.

For this next step, it will be helpful to have another set of hands to aid in the process.

Fold one side of the tent base back up to 90 degrees and have someone hold it. Unzip the door and screen and fold back the mattress and condensation mat. This will reveal the diamond plate and the holes previously covered up by the black stickers. If you haven’t already, remove them.

Feed one of the bolts through and catch it when it pops out on the other side. Repeat the same step on the other side.

Due to the particular bed rack that I’m running, I drilled an extra hole to make sure the tent lined up perfectly. Just a heads up to anyone who might notice an extra hole in the image above.

Grab the rail with the nuts in the slot and line them up with the bolt. Go ahead and start to tighten the bolt down with your Allen wrench from the inside of the tent. Make sure the tent has an even space showing on both ends of the rail and edge of the tent. Tighten the bolts down.

Repeat step on other rails.

Step 2. Mounting Hardware

Depending on the mounting system of your tent to your rack, you may need four, six, or all eight of the slotted mounting plates.

Insert as many as needed into the top slots on the mounting rails placing them roughly where they will be. And once that step has been completed, the tent can be flipped over to install the ladder and cargo net.

Step 3. Install Ladder & Cargo Net

Moving right along to the ladder.

Locate your ladder as well as the two ladder mounts that are shaped like a house.

The ladder mounting holes also have those black stickers covering them, go ahead and remove them if you haven’t already.

Separate the nut and bolt and insert the two bolts through the holes.

Install the nut on the other side and tighten down till snug.

The ladder attaches onto the shark fin-like piece extending up from the mounting plate. Loosen the nut and inset the ladder holes onto the bolt. The orientation is as seen above.

There is a plastic whitewashed piece that you need to ensure is in between the ladder mount and the ladder itself. Tighten the nuts and bolts and make sure they freely move.

Locate your cargo net and unfold it. There will be a long end and a short end with clips on the corners.

There are four loops; attach the cargo net clips to those loops on all four corners. Go ahead and set the ladder down on top and strap it in place with the associated velcro strap at the end of the tent.

The tent should look like this with the cargo net and ladder all properly installed.

Go around the tent and velcro down the four straps on the sides of the tent-making sure all the fabric is tucked in.

Step 4. Install Cover

The last step before the tent is ready to get mounted up on the roof is to install the protective cover.

On the weatherproof transportation cover, there will be a zipper with a 2-inch flap. Unzip the whole flap from the cover. This portion is going to get slotted into the tent.

There is a “C” channel along the base of the tent.

Start at one end and feed the proper end into the channel.

Get the flap started into the channel making sure it doesn’t get caught on anything.

When you come to the corner, pull slack out and then feed it into the channel continuing down the length of the tent. Make sure it sits flush in the corner.

Work the zipper all the way around the following corner and to the end. Pull the slack through the channel; there should be roughly 1-inch of slack extending out from both the start and finish of the channel.

On the open side of the tent where the other portion of the zipper is not installed, there is another open C-channel. This channel will be for the actual cover itself.

You will find a similar tubular canvas piece on the side without the zippers on the cover. Replicate the same process by sliding it through the channel. Make sure the cover is installed evenly.

With the cover and zipper flap in place, it is time to start zipping the cover and zipper together. Find the zipper itself and get it started on one of the ends. Go around the whole tent zipping it all shut. Make sure it doesn’t get caught on any fabric.

If you are having a hard time zipping it, try applying pressure onto the top of the tent to close it more which will provide slack making it easier to zip up. Still having trouble, make sure there is an even amount of slack on both the zipper and the cover.

After successfully zipping the cover all the way around, locate the black straps that will be on the base of the tent.

There should be eight total, 2 on each side. Attach those straps to the clips on each side of the cover. Pull slack out of the strap making sure they are all tight. And after that’s all said and done, the tent is ready to get mounted to your vehicle.

Step 5. Mount To Bed Rack

Mounting the tent can vary depending on what brand of rack you have, and if it is going to be mounted onto a bed rack or roof rack. For the sake of mounting the tent to my rack system, I am using the provided hardware and the slots on my rack to secure it. I used spacers to have the tent rest above the rack just a bit.

This is the step where having a second or even third set of hands would help since the tent weighs 139 pounds. Get into a position that makes it easy to lift it up onto the rack.

With the slots on the rack, the bolts were inserted followed by a washer and bolt.

Once you have your tent on the roof and bolts in place (before you secure them down), walk around your truck and ensure it is centered on your bed rack/bed. A good reference point is the Guana logo. After finding its final resting place, tighten down the bolts until there is no more play in the tent on the rack.

Tent Set Up

Once the tent is successfully mounted on your rack of choice, we are going to dive into a step-by-step process of opening up the tent.

The process takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes and it can be helpful at times to have an extra set of hands to assist. Make sure when you are setting up your tent it is on level ground. If not, using rocks or find a way to level the truck and tent.

Step 1. Remove Cover

The tent has 2 clips on each side of the tent.

Start by walking around the tent and unbuckling all clips.

Two of the corners on the tent have velcro edges.

Undo them to gain access to the zipper pull tab.

Locate your zipper pull tab. I added an extended piece of paracord for a larger pulling surface.

Depending on your tent orientation and mounting position, the zipper may be in a different location. Mine is on the back rear passenger side. Walk the zipper around the tent and lift up the cover around the edges as you work your way around the tent. When you reached the cab side of the tent, push it as far into the middle as you can then walk around to the other side and unzip the rest.

After unzipping the cover, you can remove it from the tent.

Pull up on the corners of the cover and set them on top of the tent base. From there, stand on the tailgate for the best leverage and pull the cover over the tent.

Step 2. Undo Straps

Remove the four velcro straps securing the tent.

Remove velcro straps holding the ladder.

Step 3. Open Tent

Slide the ladder out next.

This will give you leverage to unfold the tent.

Grab the lowest leg on the ladder and apply downward pressure to the ground while walking away from the truck.

Once the tent reaches the 90-degree point, it’ll open the rest of the way from the weight of the ten. Be sure to hold onto the ladder through the whole process.

Take the ladder and adjust it until your tent is flat.

Step 4. Set Up Entrance

With the tent unfolded, we are going to focus on opening up the doors and windows.

The U-shaped metal bar (included with the tent) mounts in place to hold up the entrance overhang.

The corners of the tent have two inserts for the bar which fold in for storage purposes.

If they aren’t already, go ahead and fold them out. These inserts are what the pole ends will slide into.

This step can be a bit tedious and takes time to get down.

Walk up the ladder with the pole in hand. Push the end of the pole up into the corners of the tent at a 45-degree angle. Lift the open ends of the pole into the pegs. Insert pole end straight and make sure it is completely seated.

The corners of the pole fall into the corners of the tent overhang.

If they aren’t in their proper place, walk outside the tent and pull the corners down until they are properly set.

Finished shot.

Step 5. Open Doors & Windows

All doors and windows are held together with a hook and loop system.

Pulling slack and bending the hook will allow you to feed it through the loop.

Go ahead and undo them at the base of the door. Unzip the zippers to the top and roll the door up.

At the top of the tent, there is the same loop and hook system to hold the door up and out of the way.

All doors and windows are held up with this system.

All window poles insert into the base of the tent hidden behind canvas.

They stick out at an angle from the tent. The hook part should be orientated as above.

Bend the pole upward while pulling the eyelet to the hook part of the pole.

Repeat this step on the other window.

On the rainfly side of the tent, remove the hook and loops on the rain fly.

The rainfly and poles go together in the same way as the previous ones.

Repeat the same process on all windows and doors of your choosing.

Once you have your tent open, you are ready to go inside!

You will notice 4 bungee cords that help pull the canvas inward. Remove them and store them away for safekeeping.

Depending on your needs, you may want to open all the doors and windows or only a few. The tent featuring 2 skylights, 2 windows, and 2 entrances – offering plenty of options when out camping. Interior windows both on the side and skylight are held together with the hook and loop system common through the tent.

The setup process isn’t all that difficult. It does take some time and doing it over and over will help with the familiarity of how the tent works. For folding up of the tent, the process is similar but the steps are repeated in the opposite order.

Step 6. Shoe Bags

If you haven’t installed your shoe bags yet, go ahead and grab both of them.

Use the C-channel to slide your shoe bag in. Slide both of them in and position them where you so choose and repeat on the other side.

Unboxing XL Annex

In the other included box is the extra-large annex. Before you start assembling the annex room, take a look at the contents in the bag.

What’s Included

• XL Annex Walls
• XL Annex Floor
• Stakes + Tie Down Rope
• Provided Carrying Bag

Setting Up Annex

The annex has a large footprint coming in at 10ft x 10ft, so having an extra set of hands to assist during this portion will help it go smoother!

Start by putting down the annex floor; it is the black piece of canvas material with a zipper around the edge. Lift the ladder and lay the floor underneath it, roughly where the annex will fall. Make sure to have the start and end of the zipper facing outwards away from the truck.

Then locate the second piece of included canvas which will be the actual annex walls.

Orient the annex where the zipper tab is on the outside, facing away from the truck.

If your annex is installed after the side windows are opened, then the outermost poles will have to be removed temporarily to zip the top of the annex onto the tent.

There are two designated cutouts for the poles to go through.

Along the base of the tent and overhang, there will be a zipper that runs along the edge, hidden underneath the flap. Locate the zipper pull tab and start by the rear passenger side door. This is where having another set of hands will come in handy. The annex walls weigh quite a bit and having someone hold them while you lift the zipper and get it started will make the process easier.

Get the zipper started and assist the annex walls up closer to the base of the tent so the zipper can flow smoothly. Continue zipping all the way around to the rear side of the tent. Upon reaching the other side, go ahead and reinstall the window poles if haven’t already.

To install the floor piece is a similar process. The zipper for the floor starts on the outer passenger side of the truck. Zipping the floor can be done from either the inside or the outside of the annex. Get the zipper started and work your way all the way around the truck back to where you started. Shifting of the floor may have to be done to bring it in a little closer to the truck.

After getting the floor on, you have successfully installed your annex. Depending on your wants and needs, the doors can be unzipped and opened for fresh air and multiple entrances. This annex provided by Guana is a killer addition to the tent, expanding the room off the tent and making space more readily available.

In our in-depth review, we will be taking a closer look at this annex and all the features.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the installation is pretty straightforward. If you follow along with the guide, you shouldn’t have any issues. Guana does a great job of providing all the necessary hardware and tools to get your tent up on your rack and ready for adventure.

After having the tent for a bit, my initial impressions left me nothing but eager to put it through its paces and see what else it has to offer. This tent is jammed packed with features to suit every overlanding and camping need.

Our complete in-depth review of this tent will cover the tent in-depth. We will be taking this bad boy on some adventures all over the West Coast to see what it has to offer out in its natural habitat. I’m stoked to be spending more time out in nature in this tent and to see what this rooftop tent is all about. Let the adventures begin!

Additional Photos