If you have been following along on our journey, you know that our family of four has an iKamper SkyCamp 2.0 that we have been using for the past year. It has been great for our family of four and we go into a lot of detail on why in this post. But today, we are going to dive into some modifications that have made our rooftop tent even more comfortable and adaptable for our family.
We will talk about the best rooftop tent modifications for comfort, off grid camping, weather proofing and longevity. We also try to give different options to fit different budgets because hey you already bought the rooftop tent and spending more on top of that can sometimes be the last thing you want to do.
Table of Contents
Why modify your rooftop tent?
If you are like me, a bigger guy (I weigh roughly 260 lbs) the sleeping pad is far too thin. There can always be improvements on things, why not take advantage of them and have a little fun doing it. For me the journey is the fun. I love learning how something works.
Rooftop Tent Acessories
Before we dive into modifications we are going to talk about accessories that your rooftop tent company may offer. A lot of them are worth the money but some of them have DIY hacks that are just as good. This is a great place to start as the price point is lower. Since we are familiar with the iKamper we will touch on their accessories here, but know that your rooftop tent brand probably carries a similar arsenal of add-ons and the DIY methods will still probably apply.
- Awning $349
In our opinion, having an awning to pair with your rooftop tent is an absolute must. Shade does wonders on those hot days. - Annex $589 The annex is great for this rainy days or the cold nights. If you are need of a little more sleeping space get some cots and sleep “downstairs”
- Storage Rack $70 Because who wants to roll with their tent on year round?
- Shoe Rack $70 Keep that inside clean! It is where you sleep after all. A show rack or bag is one of the least expensive ways to help keep your tent clean and lasting forever. Is this a must? No, you can definitely DIY.
- Wind Deflector $150 If your tent is just on some cross bars this could make a world of difference in wind noise going down the road. Depending on the style of tent you have some are less aerodynamic than others.
- Kitchen $500
iKamper offers a kitchen that is nice and compact. The great thing about finding a all in one kitchen system is you won’t be hunting for all your necessities. It’s nice to be able to grab one box or bin and throw it in the car and go knowing that you have everything you need. Ultimately find the system that works best for you. - Insulation Tent $269 If you plan to use your tent in the frigid cold, this will almost be a must have. I’m looking at you elk hunters.
- Rain Canopy $69 Most tents don’t necessarily need this, but it could be a very good add on for those of you in extra rainy environments.
- Lighting Kit $150 This is a game changer inside the tent. If you have a metal surface to mount them to you can get the LED tape and run it along the metal rods. If not you can get a Goal Zero crush lantern to hang from the ceiling. You can even rig them up outside the tent to light the night. We suggest going the DIY option instead of purchasing a more expensive kit from your rooftop tent brand. These aren’t hard to put together.
- Upgraded Roof Rack $1000 If you plan to use your tent enough I highly recommend upgrading you roof rack system from the factory crossbars. Aftermarket roof racks can hold a lot more weight, and will be much more stable going down the road. This way your tent won’t be flopping back and forth like those cheap cargo boxes you see on the top of every Subaru.
Rooftop Tent Mods for Comfort
One of the first areas you should start to dive into if you are looking to upgrade your rooftop tent is the mattress. Rooftop tents are awesome for off roading because you don’t have another trailer you need to haul behind you, BUT sleeping on the roof of a car can be uncomfortable even if your rooftop tent company gives you some sort of mattress.
Carpet Tiles
We opted for peel and stick carpet tiles from Lowe’s. They were $1.55 a square foot or about $90 for the box. This will help keep things from sliding all over the place. The biggest thing that it helps though is blocking the cold from the aluminum base through the mattress. It also helps with condensation in the tent from huffing and puffing all night. We all know how fast kids can fog up the backseat of a car, now just think about that all night long in a tent.
Upgraded Mattress
So the iKamper mattress leaves a little to be desired. Actually it full blown sucks! We went with an Exped MegaMat. The duo and the regular fit sideways perfectly in the iKamper. I can’t tell you how big of an upgrade this is. Litterally the best upgrade to date. The best part is you can deflate them and actually fit some of your bedding in the tent while closed. (This was actually kind of a problem with the iKamper).
Interior Lights
If you are like us and have 2 small kids, they like being able to see things at night. Wheather you opt for your tents interior light kit or you use a couple Goal Zero Crush Lanterns, this can put the kids at ease. I like lights that can change colors as you can change everything to red when its time for sleep and it won’t affect your eyes as much. The Goal Zero crush lanterns can be charged by solar too which saves on your batteries for other more important things like having cold beer in your fridge.
Best Rooftop Tent Mods for Weather Proofing
The next area we considered when upgrading our rooftop tent was weather proofing. In Colorado, some of our camping nights can get really cold especially considering our kids refuse to stay zipped up in a sleeping bag throughout the night. Anyone else have starfish sleepers? The last thing we wanted to deal with as cold kids, because then everyone is miserable.
Heater
We researched several heating options for the tent, and I think we have landed on a diesel heater. After researching several options, what I like about a diesel heater is you don’t have to have some sort of burner inside the tent. You can have the heater itself sitting outside the tent, with a tube like dryer vent tubing running into the tent. These are very quiet, and can run all night with just a couple gallons of fuel. I know you think diesel and you think loud. These sound NOTHING like that semi chugging down the highway. Often times all you can hear is the fuel pump clicking.
The Mr. Buddy heater was my second choice, but again having a burner inside the tent with a 2 and a 3 year old just seemed too problematic to me. You know kids love touching things that glow. While most have a tip over sensor in them, I still get worried that it will get kicked over and not shut off.
Insulation
If you plan to be out in the cold plan ahead and get the insulation for your tent. This will help keep the warm in by adding another layer. Often times this is like a quilted blanket to add more insulation. Look if you are a hunter and are using this in the Rocky Mountains in November, this is a must have.
Annex
The iKamper has a really ingenious design where the annex (or awning for that matter) zip into the top of the entry of the tent. This gives you a fully covered entry way. On those cold trips with the annex you are able to set up your kitchen inside and do all your cooking. (Just don’t burn your food or you tent will stink for days. Ask me how I know). You can run your heater inside the annex to keep it warm while you have your cup of coffee in the morning. Another great idea I have seen is setting your heater on the floor of the annex for bedtime so that the heat rises into the tent. I haven’t tried this, but might on an upcoming guys winter camping trip.
Our Favorite Rooftop Tent Mods for Off Grid Camping
If you are planning on going anywhere outside of the traditional campgrounds (which isn’t that the point?) for a longer chunk of time you are going to want to look into some modifications for off grid camping. They will ensure your family is safe and also comfortable when you don’t have access to all the usual creature comforts of home.
SolarHawk Roof Top Tent Solar Panel
The SolarHawk is perfect for the iKamper because it was designed for the iKamper. It will run the length of the tent right down the middle like a Mohawk. This thing puts out 100 watts of charging power at 22.88 Volts. The panels are made by Merlin right here in the USA and are held on by the 3M VHB tape. This will even work on the Rocky Black Edition of the iKamper.
Wiring the SolarHawk is all done for you and terminates into a grey Anderson connector SB50. This will not however work with a battery pack that has a built in non-MPPT controller. That means all you with the Dometic PLB40 like us are out of luck. Goal Zero users are also out of luck. I haven’t looked into it much, but it can’t be that hard to build your own power pack that will work with this. This solar panel would be great for keeping those starting batteries topped off though.
Road Shower
Yes I know this isn’t an actual tent mod, but it is a must have if you are out long enough. I like the Yakima RoadShower. It uses the suns power to heat up the water so you don’t have to take those miserable cold showers. You are also able to pressurize it up to 65 psi with either a schrader valve, or a hand pump. This way you can power wash those dishes after a yummy meal (or as I like to do the next morning because I’m lazy LOL). All you guys out there this will entice your wife to go on those longer trips with you. That is unless you are trying to get away LOL. Avoid those wet wipe showers and get one of these.
Rooftop Tent Mods for Longevity
Tent Storage
In reality your tent will more than likely be out in some pretty harsh conditions. If you leave it on your vehicle during the summer, the UV rays from the sun can do some work on those covers. If you have the chance to take it off easily, do it. One great tent mod should be the ability to take it off and put it on easily. We wrote an entire article on what we did to solve this problem.
Security Locks
After all you won’t need to worry about the longevity of your tent if someone comes and swipes it. iKamper makes locks for their 2.0 mounting system. I’m not sure how this mounting system compares to other tent manufacturers, but it basically just covers the bolts with a lock. One thing to think about though is if you are mounted on easily removable crossbars. You can have your tent locked to your crossbars all day, but if you can take your crossbars off with a bold then its probably not really worth putting the locks on. I know the Gobi rack can be undone with a 9/16 wrench at each corner, thus I didn’t bother with the locks on the tent mount.
Seam Sealer
Over time you may see the seams of your tent start to seap moisture a little bit. No big deal! They make products for that. Just basically wipe it on the seams and you should be good to go. I like this one found at REI. It’s easy to apply and usually works for a long time.
Carpet Floors
Part of our carpet project was done to help prevent damage to the floor of the tent. If you crawl around on your knees too much without the mattress down, you could dent the floor. The carpet just helps put another layer of protection down there. This will also make it fairly easy to vacuum the inside of your tent when it comes that time. There are other benefits to it too, like being a thermal barrier.
Shoe Rack
In reality one of the best and simplest ways to make your tent last is to keep as much dirt and grime out as possible. This is where the shoe rack or bag comes in handy. climb to the top of the ladder, sit down, take your shoes off, and put them in the bag hanging there.
Battery Powered Vacuum
Since I have Dewalt drills and yard tools, I decided to get a Dewalt battery powered shop vac. While this doesn’t have the power of a big one, it is perfect for cleaning out the tent. It is about the size of a car battery and runs on the Dewalt 20 volt batteries. Easy to throw into the tent at the end of a trip and clean it all out.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are a weekend warrior, a hunter, or a big time Overlander, these mods should get you started. Everyone needs to find out what works best for them. What works for us in the relatively dry Rocky Mountains of Colorado, won’t necessarily work for someone in a wet environment. You may want a different tent setup all together if you live in a super hot climate.
Having things set up to make it as easy as possible to get off the grid is key. Some of these mods will keep you out longer before needing to restock or recharge, while other mods will help you enjoy your tent for years to come. In our opinion a lot of these mods are a must have. Besides who doesn’t love fixing something up to make it their own? As much as my wife hates me modding the 4Runner, she likes to mod the house. We meet in the middle on the tent setup.
See you out on the trail
Nick