There is a lot of options when it comes to rooftop tent choices. Many different brands, styles, and sizes. Everyone has different needs in a tent. Being a family of 4, it came down to sheer size. Here I will talk about my top three in a couple different categories.
Things to consider when looking at big rooftop tents are, the size of the tent set up, footprint when mounted, and if your roof rack can handle a big tent. If you are like me and store other things on your roof you will need to find a new solution.
My top 3 rooftop tent choices
- iKamper Skykamp 2.0– This is my number 1 and ultimately what we ended up going with. There may be a bigger tent out there, but this one is big with a smaller footprint when closed. The sleeping area is 77″x83″ (a king size bed). The footprint is 85″x55″ when closed and only stand 13″ tall. The tent body is constructed of 300G poly cotton canvas. The tent body can be fully removed if down the line you need to replace the tent body. The sleeping mattress is a 1.6″ poly foam with an R value of 6.4. When opened the outside dimensions are 101″Wx48″T. The tent weight is 160 lbs. On my Toyota 4Runner this takes up my entire roof rack. This being a hard shell tent set up is very fast and easy. After a couple times setting it up you will be able to do it in roughly 60 seconds. Setup time is a big deal for me with 2 kids running around. I can’t spend 20 minutes setting a tent up and let my kids fend for themselves. A lot of times my wife doesn’t camp with us due to work schedule.
- Cascadia Tents Mt Denali–Sleeping footprint is 87×96 inches. This tent has dual ladders and can be decided into 2 rooms. The footprint on the vehicle closed is 87″ x 48″ x 15″. Max height inside when set up is 50″. This tent weighs in at 200-225 lbs. The body of the tent is a 280G poly Rip Stop material making it very durable. The sleeping mattress is a 3″ high density foam. The cover for the tent when closed is a 600G PVC lined zip on cover. Cascadia tents recommends 3 crossbars spaced 25″ apart to mount this tent.
- 23Zero Walkabout 87–The 23Zero tent boasts the same size sleeping platform as the Cascadia tents Mt Denali at 87×96. This one advertises the capability of sleeping 5+ people and includes light suppression technology. Size when closed 87 inches (W) X 48 inches (L) X 14 inches (H). Size when opened 87 inches (H) X 122 inches (L) X 49 inches (H). Tent body material is Waterproof 280GSM Ripstop poly cotton fabric with Light suppression technology®. This has dual ladders that when the tent is open are covered. The tent weighs in at 198 LBS. The cover for the tent is Heavy Duty UV Stabilized 600GSM PVC.
The sheer size of a tent can make a big difference. The biggest difference for me was the size closed. While the Cascadia tent and the 23Zero tents are amazing tents, when closed they are a square on top of your vehicle. This may not matter to someone with a truck that can mount it above the bed, but still behind the cab a bit. The iKamper being a clamshell does not have that square front to act like a sail going down the highway. Obviously this is just my opinion and has zero scientific evidence to back it up.
Best 2 Person Rooftop Tents
Im going to break this section into 2 parts as I think there are 2 very different styles of 2 person rooftop tents. There are clamshell style tents and traditional style flip open tents.
Best Clamshell 2 Person Tents
- Alu-cab– This tent is by far one of my favorite tents out on the market. If I din’t need a bigger sleeping space this would be the one I would have gotten. This clamshell style tent pops open from the back with the release of a couple buckles. Gas struts do the bulk of the work. dimensions are as follows. (This is an Australian company so dimensions will be Metric).
- LENGTH: External 2 300 mm / internal 2 100 mm
- WIDTH: External 1 400 mm / internal 1 300 mm (@ shoulders)
- HEIGHT (exterior, closed): Front 210 mm / Rear 280 mm
- HEIGHT (exterior, open): 2 000 mm
- HEIGHT (interior, open): 1 600 mm
- Weight: Approximately 88kg
- My favorite part about this tent is the ability to mount crossbars on top of the tent so you don’t lose all your roof space. While other clamshell companies have followed this design, I like the original.
- Area BFE–These tents are similar to the All-cab tents in that they are a hardshell with cross bars on top to mount things too. The large comes in at 85x60x6.3 foot print with a sleeping dimension of 81.5x57x3″. These tents are very low profile when closed and look great with with different graphics available on top. You gan get camo, or a topographical map printed on top. Setup is as easy as 2 latches and pushing a handle up. The 2 gas struts do the rest of the work. There is no weight listed for this tent, but I would guess its right in that 175-225 lbs range. Pretty standard for rooftop tents these days.
- James Baroud Tents– This company offers a couple different styles of hard shell campers. One is a clamshell that opens on one side and the other all four corners pop straight up. These tents are very nice and come in bigger sizes considering they have no foldout. This is the specs on the Grand Raid XXL tent.
| Length | 89.5″ |
| Width | 64.5″ |
| Height Closed | 13.5″ |
| Height Open | 41.1″ |
| Storage Tray | 48″ x 36″ |
In my opinion the one thing that sets this tent apart from any of the others I have listed above is that it has solar powered ventilation for harsh environments. Then body utilizes a proprietary aluminized polyester with acrylic coating that is 100% waterproof, breathable, UV-resistant, no-perishable, and solar-reflective. All windows are covered with quality insect-proof netting. The sleeping pad is a 3″ high density foam pad.
Traditional 2 Person Tents
These are your tents that fold in half and are covered by a tarp. Basically the small versions of some of the tents listed above. I do like some of the other brands out there and I will discuss this here.
- Tepui– Was purchase a few years ago by Thule. With this purchase they now have a big backing. Their tents have always been top notch, and they have come out with a couple new models that have peaked my interests a little. I like the Low Pro 3. The description says it will sleep 3, but I’m a big dude so that is a hard pass for me.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Sleeping Capacity | 3 |
| Seasons | 4 season |
| Size (Closed) | 48 in x 56 in x 7-10 in (LxWxH) |
| Size (Open) | 95 in x 56 in x 49 in (LxWxH) |
| Sleeping Footprint | 95 in x 56 in (LxW) |
| Canopy Fabric | 3000WP breathable ripstop polyester, UV and mildew resistant; flame retardant |
| Mosquito screens | “No-See-Um” mesh |
| Rainfly Fabric | 3000WP polyester, PU coated |
| Mattress | 2″ 40D hard density foam |
| Annex Material | Annex not included |
| Annex Area | Annex not included |
| Travel Cover Material | 5000WP Polyester woven Cordura, UV resistant |
| Weight | 120 lbs |
| Internal Frame | 5/8″ wrapped aluminum |
| Base Construction | Tepui Tec (cellulized thermoplastic honeycomb fiberglass) |
| Ladder Construction | 8ft-6in Telescoping Aluminum Ladder |
- Smittybilt– Now Smittybilt may not be know for their high end products, but they make a good tent for the price point. It is hard to argue when you can get into a roof top tent in the $600 range. For some this could mean the difference in getting a tent or sleeping in a ground tent. Listed below is their newest offering compared to the Gen1 and the competition.
| Compare -> | GEN2 STD TENT | GEN1 STD TENT | COMPETITOR TENT |
| Map Price | $1,149.99 | $1,034.99 | $1,699.95 |
| Price Difference | ($115.00) | NA | $549.96 |
| Sleeps | 2-3 person | 2-3 person | 2-3 person |
| Bed Size | Full | Full | NA |
| Open Size | 95″W x 56″L x 51″H | 95″W x 56″L x 51″H | 56″W x 96″L x 52″H |
| Closed Size | 47″W x 55″L x 11.5″ | 47″W x 55″L x 11.5″ | 56″W x 48″L x 12″H |
| Packing Size | 58″ x 49″ x 13″ | 58″ x 49″ x 13″ | NA |
| Gross Weight | 132 lbs / 59.8 kgs | 132 lbs / 59.8 kgs | 130 lbs |
| Load Capacity | 661 lbs / 300 kgs | 661 lbs / 300 kgs | 600 lbs |
| Ladder | Telescopic Anodized Aluminum | Anodized Aluminum Retractable | Telescoping Ladder |
| Ladder Length | Extended Length Up To 93″ | Extends to 6.5′ / Opt extention | Extends up to 8′ 6″ |
| Ladder Cap. | 300 lbs / 136 kgs / 150 kgs | 265 lbs / 120 kgs | 350 lbs |
| Mattress | 92″ x 55″ Full | 92″ x 55″ Full | 96″ x 56″ |
| Mattress Thickness | 60mm high density foam w removable cover | 60mm high density foam w removable cover | 2.5″ high density foam |
| Warranty | 2 Year | 1 Year | 2 year |
Final Thoughts
All in all there are several options for rooftop tents out there. We didn’t even to begin to scratch the surface, these were just a few of the ones I researched in the hunt for what would work best for our family. Depending on your needs you can go for size or not, mild to wild. If you are looking to maintain some roof storage I recommend the clamshell style with the ability to mount cross bars. I really wish there was a big tent option out there that allowed this feature. If the iKamper had this I don’t think there would be anything out there that would beat it. In my opinion it is the nicest all around tent. Others have nice features, but most just aren’t big enough for our family.