“Seriously though, these things are kind of ridiculous, right? Is it really that much better than sleeping on the ground?”
This was me. I honestly said this to a Yakima rep at Outdoor Retailer a few years ago, standing in front of a rooftop tent (RTT) mounted to a pickup, festooned with overlanding accessories, parked next to a delightful pretend camp setup. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember his response, other than a bemused chuckle. Something about “don’t knock it ’til you try it.” I was convinced RTTs were too fussy, difficult to put on and take off a roof, and way, way too expensive to possibly be worth having.
I was wrong. At least about the first two points, we’ll get to the last one in a bit.
Not terribly long after that awkward moment with the Yakima rep, I was camping with a friend in Big Sur, and my mind started to shift. I had set up my ground tent, and was sitting in it, contemplating the trees, when I saw a woman pull up to a nearby spot with a RTT on her wagon. She got out of her car and dropped a leveling block on the ground, drove up onto it, then got out of the car again, nodded with satisfaction. 30 seconds or so later, she’d unzipped the RTT cover and rolled it to one side. She deftly stepped onto the car’s floor, reached up for the RTT’s ladder, stepped down, walked back ten or so feet, and the tent unfolded triumphantly, ready to go. She locked the rungs into place, and was done. Within 5 minutes, she was sitting feet dangling, six feet off the ground, cold beer in her hand.
That looked easy, I thought. The next morning, as I shook out my groundcloth, turned my tent upside down to shake the dirt little sticks out of it, I watched her pack the tent up just as easy and drive off. It dawned on me then: Oh, I get it. RTTs just make any car into a pop-top camper. Suddenly, the whole thing made sense and I wanted one.
The author’s favorite RTT, the Thule Tepui Low Pro 3.
In the years since, I’ve tried two now, one from Yakima and one from Thule (Thule bought Tepui tents a couple years ago, and their RTT division is now Thule Tepui, confusingly). The Yakima Skyrise HD, which is an insulated tent meant for use in very cold conditions as well as balmy weather, and the Thule Tepui Low-Pro, a much lighter tent, with a thinner profile when folded for less wind resistance while driving. Both have been wonderful tents, and I’ve been converted to a RTT camper. I don’t think you can go wrong with either, but I do have a preference, which I’ll get to in a moment.
Functionally, they’re nearly identical. In fact, if I was blindfolded and setting them up, I wouldn’t be able to tell a difference at all from the inside. Both tents use the ladder as the unfolding mechanism and once the ladder is positioned, the tents are effectively erected. Both have ample windows that can be closed via a hook and loop system, awnings that use a similar method of setup, and a rain fly that attaches from the inside, quite easily in just a few minutes.
A weatherproof cover wraps the whole tent when closed up for driving, and both the Yakima and Thule covers work the same way, a zipper and velcro system. It seems when you first install the tent that getting it back in the cover will be difficult, but it’s easy peasy every time.
The Yakima Skyrise HD 3.
Both tents have foam pads that are always in the tent, they fold up with the tent when the system is closed, so no need to fuss with the pad each time you set the tent up. The Yakima’s is slightly thicker, at 2.5 inches compared with the Thule’s 2-inch pad. Both feel impossibly luxurious, as compared with a standard sleeping pad for ground camping.
And that’s really what you’re getting with a RTT. Luxury. You just can’t beat the comfort factor of one of these RTTs when compared with ground camping. The foam pad feels like your mattress at home and doesn’t move around, covering the entire floor of the tent. Provided you leave your shoes off, you don’t track dirt into the tent, which feels terrific after a few days of camping. Not having to stoop and bend to get and out of the tent, as you do on the ground, does wonders for your back and knees.
These poles are what support the roof. They erect themselves when tent is unfolded.
I leave my sleeping bag or blankets in the RTT if I’m gonna travel around a little bit and they fold right up with the tent when it’s closed. (If it’s warm, I’m in the Zenbivy Bed 23; cooler to cold, or with my wife, I’m in the Sierra Designs Frontcountry Duo.
Plus, campsite availability changes dramatically. You can’t level the earth beneath you while camping on the ground, but you can in your vehicle by bringing along leveling blocks. If your vehicle fits on a patch of ground, boom, you have a lovely campsite, regardless of it being rocky, not level, or swarming with bugs.
With a RTT, if you can park, you have a campsite.
There’s just something too about sitting way up off the ground, your legs swinging free, with a RTT. Can’t beat it.
Now then, there are downsides. In my experience, they follow this order.
1. They’re heavy and require two people to put on and take off. The Yakima Skyrise HD weighs about 115 pounds, and the Thule is 120 pounds. If you live alone and don’t have the capacity to install some kind of pulley system in a garage to lift it off from above, be prepared to have the RTT mounted almost all the time.
2. You need somewhere to store the tent when not in use. I don’t keep mine mounted unless I’m camping, which means a big area in my storage shed is devoted to my RTT most of the time.
3. They can wreak havoc on your gas mileage. In my 2016 Subaru Outback, I notice at least a 4mpg hit when a RTT is mounted, depending on wind, elevation, etc.
4. They’re expensive. Figure between $1,500 and $2,500 for most good RTTs out there, depending on style. Plus, if you don’t already have heavy duty roof racks, that can run you another $300-500.
5. If you like to set up a tent, then drive off somewhere leaving your tent at a campsite, a RTT isn’t quite conducive to that. I can set mine up in less than 10 minutes, and collapse it in about five minutes, but it’s something to think about.
To me, however, that expense is worth it for the ease, comfort, and sheer enjoyment of a RTT. I have space to store one when not in use, and a partner who can help me take it on and off. Those two factors are crucial. I’m not sure I’d recommend a RTT to someone without the same situation. Also, it’s a must that you determine whether or not your car can safely support a RTT.
So who are these for? Well, judging by the looks of mountain towns across the west, they’re for anyone with a Tacoma or a 4Runner, as part of the “off-road look” accessory package. But you increasingly see RTTs on wagons, small SUVs, even Priuses, occasionally. That, I think makes sense. I imagine these tents were originally meant for hardcore overland use, where people are driving way, way out into the desert and couldn’t predict ground surface conditions. They work great for that. If you spend lots of time driving deep into BLM land, well, you probably already have one. But that they can turn even suburban commuter wagons into little adventure rigs is pretty cool.
Oh, right, my favorite.
I run the Thule Tepui Low-Pro 3. It has a whopping 95 x 58 inches of floorspace, more than enough for me and my wife, (both of us are over six feet tall), and our two-year-old daughter. The ceiling height is 3.5 feet, which is excellent. When packed closed the max height is 10 inches, tapering down to about 7 inches on the non-hinged side. (The Yakima is a 16.5 inches tall, further reducing mpg performance). The tent can support 600 pounds of weight, which, when paired with a heavy duty crossbar system, is safe and stable. Even in a heavy wind, you feel solid as a rock up there.
You get unmatched visibility with a RTT.
The Thule does require using nuts and bolts to attach it to crossbars, which is a little more of a pain than the Yakima system, which clamps on with no tools required, but that’s the only place where the Yakima stands out over the Thule in terms of ease.
There are of course, hard-sided RTTs out there too, but they lack the roominess of the fabric RTTs I’ve tried, and they’re not for me.
Other than using a fancy cot and a massive 4-person standup tent, I can’t imagine ground camping ever feeling even remotely as comfortable as RTT camping does. I never imagined I’d fall in love with RTTs, and now I can’t imagine going back.
BUY • Thule Tepui Low-Pro 3
• Yakima Skyrise HD 3
Other RTTs and accessories
The Smittybuilt Overlander 2 can be found for as little as $1,200 and has a solid reputation, if fewer frills than the Yakima or Thule.
The Roofnest Sparrow EYE is a hard-sided clam shell tent. It’s durable, can have solar panels mounted to it, but it’s also $3,000.
For shoe storage, the Yakima Sidekick attaches to the rail of a RTT, both Thule and Yakima use the same attachment system, so this should work for both.
Thule makes fitted sheets for its RTTs and they’re great for keeping your mattress clean.
Like that propane fire pit in the photo? Well, that model is sold out, but the Camp Chef Portable Fire Ring same thing, without the metal ring for a footrest. And it’s available. $85
How do they hold up in wind/weather? I see the Yakima one is rated 4-season. Is that legit, and have you had any experience with that?
Great article! I’m a roof nest and I love it
“Even in a heavy wind, you feel solid as a rock up there.”
Missed that the first time through.
Rooftop tents are the cherry on the “I have an ‘overlanding rig’ with all the bells and whistles, yeah it drops my MPGs on the way into the office by 5 gallons and I cant park in the garage anymore, but I am sure outdoorsy” sunday.
They certainly can be that, but if you use them properly, and by that I mean, taking it off when you’re not camping, they don’t have to just be for show.
I agree, I was being an a$$hat about it. I think they have their place but in my area we have a LOT of people who spend more time on websites talking about being outside than actually being outside. I do think if you are car camping it would be cool to be self contained like that and be able to just pull up to your spot and be set up so quick, off the ground, etc. My main issue when I car camp is that once I set up camp, I usually drive off multiple times a day for excursions so just dropping a decent two person tent on the ground works best. Good article.
Their intended purpose is to keep you away from poisonous snakes and spiders in the Aussie Outback. Not gonna lie, your description of who owns these things is SPOT on. They like the idea of going outside so they buy a bunch of expensive toys they use once a year to look the part.
I have a Smittybuilt RTT on my Tacoma 4×4 and absolutely LOVE it. I’m a hard core road warrior and have put mine through all sorts of conditions. From Arizona Monsoon season to the rainy days of the Oregon Coastline, this baby rocks! I just wish I could figure how to add A.C. for those 100+ degree days here in the Sonora Desert. My RTT has saved me thousands in hotel expenses and it’s been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. So yes indeed…RTT’s are sure to please!
These things seem really cool to me. When I first saw them I thought I had to have one… Then I thought a bit more and realized I don’t car camp that much, I usually drive my car to a trailhead.
Then again maybe I would car camp more if I had one. Then again I don’t like camping around other people I like being out in the wilderness.
I guess if I had unlimited resources I would buy one and use it a few times a year but I don’t and the practical side of me says if you don’t want to sleep on uneven ground bring your hammock
I think these really shine in areas like BLM or Forest Service land where you can camp wherever you want. They’re still worlds better than a ground tent while camping in a campground, but, yeah, these are meant for car camping way off the beaten path, as far as I’m concerned.
I was also thinking one of these tents would be great for a cross country trip. I live in the east and usually fly over to the west coast because the 4+ days of driving and motels doesn’t appeal to me.
The reduced gas mileage of the rooftop tent would easily be offset by not having to stay in motels/hotels and as you pointed out there’s so much BLM land and US forest land out west; getting away from crowds would be as simple as taking a dirt road off the highway for a few miles.
anyone ever consider taking a standard roof box, add a clear acrylic “window” to the top for light, and use it as a rigid bivy?
Ha! I can’t tell if you’re being serious but this is genius
Hey Justin… wasn’t initially but my industrial designer’s mind now has me thinking…
It’d be incredibly hot. I put the sensor in mine for my van’s indoor outdoor thermometer and can only leave it in there in the winter months because there can be a 10-20 degree difference. Maybe a white one.
I actually laid down in my jumbo sized Thule cargo box and thought about that. An insulite pad and some stick on velcro attached to no see um netting could easily be rigged in the box. It did kind of look like an open coffin which is a bit unsettling 🙂
For storage when not in use, you can get pulley system than mounts to the ceiling in your garage, makes it easy to both store and mount the RTT yourself. They are usually marketed for Jeep hard top removal but work perfectly for an RTT.
We spend many if our vacations exploring remote parts of the western states and couldn’t imagine doing it with a ground tent. Sure, what we “save” in hotels we spend in fuel, but there aren’t really hotels in many if the places we love to visit.
I don’t see an RTT as a great solution for the occasional camper, but for a real outdoor enthusiast it can can be a game changer.
My only experience was helping someone put one away after doing some volunteer trail work early season. Her model involved having to use a burly zipper to secure the tent once it was down (two person job) and she said at home she had to set it back up to dry out. Is that a thing for either of the tents you reviewed? Basically – do these work well in the PNW or are they better suited for the drier mountain west?
Good question – yeah, you need to erect the tent to dry it out – the material is fixed to the frame. But stowing when wet hasn’t been a problem. You can take the mattress out if the tent walls are saturated to keep that nice and dry. They also make weather hoods, basically a rain shell for the tent, that can touch the tent walls without letting water pass through at all. If I lived in the PNW, I’d absolutely get the weather hood. I imagine you can stow it with that still over the tent and it would keep the inside dry.
If you get an RTT wet, you need to dry it out when you get home or you run the risk of mold and mildew – too much of that will destroy the RTT.
Same as any other tent on earth….they all need to be dried out.
I have always thought that these are pretty cool. At one time I lusted for one. But now they have lost their attraction. I am “of an age” where climbing down the ladder several time a night to relieve myself does not appeal.
That 3 am descent down the ladder didn’t seem appealing. So, I just sleep in the back of the truck like I have for the past 20 years
Vehicles roofs have (up to) three load ratings.
The first, and most easily found, is the dynamic rating – or the maximum load you can carry while driving. This can be as little as 100 lbs on smaller vehicles.
The second, which should be easily found, but often isn’t, is the static load while parked. This is the limiting factor for how many people can sleep in an RTT. Theoretically, given that vehicle roofs are designed to not crush you in a roll-over, this could be quite high. But I often see the figure for the static load limit of up to about 750 lbs.
The third, which is very difficult to find, is the off-road load rating. This seems to vary by vehicle and roof rack manufacturer. For some brands of roof racks, this is 66% of the dynamic load limit.
So, do your homework to find out what your vehicle supports. Keep in mind that your roof load rating must include the weight of anything you put up there, including the roof rack. If you’re storing your sleeping bags and pillows in your tent, add that to the equation. Make sure you’re not overloading your roof!
Good article. I’ve never tried one, but they have always seemed gimmicky, expensive, heavy, and primarily for show, but I’m sure they are nice to use. I’m blown away by some of the vehicles I’ve seen driving around Bend with a RTT mounted – the most ridiculous was a Porsche 911. Seriously WTF? I wish I had been able take a picture.
https://www.overlandkitted.com/four-wheel-drive/2020/1/22/a-porsche-with-a-roof-top-tent
Ha ha, too funny, I’m sure that is the one I saw at 10-Barrel. I recognize some Central Oregon backgrounds in the pictures.
…And Oregon plates!
Van.
I question how seriously storm-worthy these tents are, especially because they have a lot of room underneath for wind to try to turn them into umbrellas. I mean, how do they compare to a black label Hilleberg?
I would not use one in an environment in which I was also considering a Hilleberg. I’ve had mine open in some sustained winds of 20mph, with gusts well over that and it was fine, but I also wonder about the wind’s ability to lift them from below.
Ours made it through many stormy nights just fine, including a night with 50 mph gusts near Tehachapi, CA. The truck rocked but the tent felt solid. My only complaint is that in high winds, the RTT is very noisy… I have to sleep with earplugs in.
But you are still inside a tent. And it is unfair to compare the mattress with “a standard camping pad” because there are a plethora of comfortable camping beds under $300. These are only truly better when afraid of camping on the ground or when the terrain cannot support a ground tent. Cant compare these with the comforts of a camper. Theyre just tents.
I’ve used pretty much every possible camping bed out there, and the mattresses in these tents are more comfortable. That they cover the entire floor and don’t move is critical.
That’s interesting because I raised an eyebrow at the 2″ thickness of these RTT mattresses as compared my 4″ from Megamat.
Believe me, I know. I love Megamats, and I adore my 4-inch Sea to Summit pad. I wonder if there isn’t also a little give in the floor of the tent that contributes to the comfort.
Few are “hard sided”. Rather, some have a single hard side (usually the roof that tilts up to become a “side”). But for volume and convenience, you might add iKamper to your list. Many listed are basically design knock-off’s of one another. I’ve had 3 now, and the Skycamp is the best of the bunch.
did I miss the photo of the inside?
nah, I’d left them out, but adding them now.
Boring because you’ve seen the inside! some of us never have. thanks!
Having to break down camp every time you want to drive somewhere is the deal-breaker for this setup. My ideal car-camping setup (budget notwithstanding), would be one of the many lightweight, off-road camping trailers available with a RTT and built-in cook setup paired with a 4×4. Just tow it to the middle of nowhere, unhook, and be off on your daily adventures. Many of the smaller/lighter versions could probably be towed by the Outback pictured above, but that wouldn’t get you quite as far off the beaten path. Admittedly that’s nowhere near the same cost as just plopping a RTT on your daily-driver, and assumes you have a vehicle that can tow it.
Back in the reality where I have nowhere near the budget for a 4×4 and an expensive camping trailer to tow behind it, I can see how one of these would be great for a road-trip where you weren’t camping anywhere for more than a night or two, and we’ve been tempted to get one for that reason. Still might actually. Just not sure if our current car’s roof can support one that’s large enough for all 4 of us (me, my wife 5yo and 3yo boys) to sleep in.
We’ve done a number of camping trips with our family-sized Big Agnes tent and all the sleeping gear that goes along with that setup. Setting up/breaking down gets pretty tiresome rather quickly when you’re on the road for a week or more and not spending more than a night or two in the same spot. Doubly so with very young children, ’cause the bulk of that labor is assigned to a single person while the other is kept busy wrangling the littles. I think that’s where a RTT would really shine.
For single destination camping or multi-destination trips where you are staying in one place for longer, I think a regular tent is still just fine.
We have a micro camper/RTT setup and it’s amazing. Wife and I sleep in the camper (taxa tigermoth) and kids or friends sleep in the RTT. If just us, we leave the camper set up as table (dining room) and sleep upstairs in the tent. Love the views from up high.
Another downside you miss is if you use your roof to carry other gear, bikes, canoe, kayak, etc. And having that kind of weight that high up on can make for some scary vehicle dynamics off roading or during emergency maneuvers on road.
Definitely not for me….
The only place these make sense to me is Kenya, IMO. To keep the lions from a fresh meal.
Everyone definitely has their own opinion about this, and, like most things outdoors-related, this is no different. I personally prefer my memory foam roll-up mats (what a great investment) and my 4-person tent (we now roll in a 9-person sometimes), as we often drive to trailheads for day-hiking around national and state parks during the day, leaving our camp set up while we explore.
My personal opinion, having stayed one night in a RTT during a cold and windy night (of course brands and models make a different):
– Did not like climbing down the icy metal ladder barefoot in the middle of the night (no shoes in the tent!) to relieve myself. It was freezing, but also harder on the feed than I thought it would be. It downright hurt without shoes. The creek had frozen, so that’s a tip on how cold it was.
– Felt exposed and noisy in the wind, and ended up being pretty cold, even in my 15F bag. I was surprised by this.
– Did not like the drop in MPG and the added driving noise during the entire trip while driving.
– Did not like not being able to stand up in a tent while car camping.
– On the way there, I worried about whether or not there would be flat parking spaces in our reserved campsite. It was fine, but one never knows what options your car will have.
– Closing it and securing it all around before driving away was awkward climbing all over the car, finding places to step. We left our sleeping bags and pillows in, making it even more challenging to secure properly.
It *did* feel secure and nice being high above the ground. I could definitely see the draw, but I like the flexibility of putting up a tent almost anywhere (taking wind and slope into account) and getting quiet, optimal gas mileage along the way.
YMMV
As a frequent night urinater, these things scare the hell out of me.
Davo,
With much experience, an empty one gallon plastic Arrowhead Water bottle with a screw on cap works great as a solution for your concern. A handy way to pee instead of heading for a tree.
I just use analogene empty water bottle in the tent with me so I don’t have to get out of the tent or even completely out of my sleeping bag to pee. I live in camp a lot in the mountains of Colorado where it’s freaking cold at night or early morning. Then I just emptied out when I get up.
The only reason I don’t have a RTT is because you lose the roofrack if you want to transport firewood to the campsite. Who wants to carry bug infested firewood in their vehicle.
If you have a pickup, buy a Kamp Rite cot-tent. Put in the bed sideways, and now all of a sudden you’re overlanding!