What’s the best rooftop tent, and how much money do you have to spend for a good night’s sleep in the great outdoors? What should you look out for when choosing one, and which model is the right fit for you? How can you avoid making costly mistakes? Find all the answers in our comprehensive rooftop tent test. We tested 12 ½ rooftop tents for cars with various concepts on our legendary DOWNTOWN road trip, day and night. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!
The sound of the waves in your ears; around you, nothing but unspoilt nature. Watching the sun set and spending the night in the most beautiful places in the world – roof top tents promise ultimate freedom, far away from busy roads and polluted cities. In our big DOWNTOWN road trip, we found out for ourselves whether that’s all true, or just a romantic fantasy. Do roof tents really provide the ultimate outdoor experience? On a roof tent holiday, the line between heaven and hell is a thin one.
Times are changing: roof top tents are changing – and so are the people who use them
If you think that the first roof top tent was built some time in the last two decades, you couldn’t be more wrong. Even though travelling with a roof top tent has only become trendy over the past few years, roof top camping has already been a thing for almost 100 years! The first roof top tents, made of wood and canvas, were developed in Italy back in the 1930s, and were soon used for a wide variety of purposes. The advantages of having a sleeping place on the roof of your car were already recognised by a diverse group of users back then, from individual expedition travellers in Africa to adventurers in Europe and mobile military units during World War II. And today? Rudimentary wooden frames have been replaced by innovative, robust constructions, but the idea lives on. Modern roof top tents have become an indicator of the cool lifestyle – whether you’re at a bike park or campsite, at a summer festival or hunting in the wilderness.
The Test Field: All 12 ½ Models in the Rooftop Tent Test
First off, why only 12 ½ tents? Did the thirteenth get struck by lightning, did the top blow off while blasting along the Autobahn? Not quite – the Thule Outset is a trailer-hitch tent, folding out into a platform on stilts behind the car. It might not be a car roof tent, but it’s still a car tent. We included the Thule Outset in this test because the concept is exciting and innovative and – like its competitors – still requires a car.
Speaking of the concept, we invited a wide variety of roof tents into the test field. Three were inflatable soft-shell tents, also known as folding tents: the Quechua MH900, the qeedo Freedom Air 2 and the GentleTent Sky Loft for six people. Five folding soft-shell tents, also known as folding tents: the Thule Foothill, Thule Approach, Front Runner Feather-Lite, Yakima SkyRise HD Tent and Thule Outset. The other five were hard-shell roof tents: the Arcta Vento, Vickywood Cumaru Light, Naturbummler Alu-Kraftkiste, Intrepid GEO 3.0 and Naturbummler Flitzer I L. All models are designed to cover a wide range of sizes and uses: from one to two people in the Thule Foothill, all the way up to six people in the inflatable GentleTent Sky Loft.
There are more than 100 brands and varieties of roof top tents on the market, which made it impossible for us to take them all on our road trip. That’s why we made a selection of the most relevant brands, while at the same time trying to cover as wide a range of concepts as possible. Each concept has its pros and cons, which we’ll discuss in detail later. Before starting your research, you have to ask yourself a few questions: Which vehicle will it go on? How many people should it sleep? Do I need extra room on the roof for sports equipment? Do I want to leave the bedding inside the tent while travelling? Do I need a lot of additional equipment, or do I want to be as minimalistic as possible while travelling? Do I want to be flexible on my travels and camp in a different place every day, or do I want to set up a more permanent home from time to time? How crucial are quick assembly and disassembly for me?
Keen for more: You can find the full test at our sister magazine DOWNTOWN.
Disclaimer: A rooftop tent is not for the faint-hearted! But if you go for it and simply set off on a road trip – with or without a destination – you’ll discover amazing new places and maybe even find out some new things about yourself. So: definitely give it a try!
| Brand | Model | Type | Weight | Closed Dimensions | Open Dimensions | Capacity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcta | Vento | Aluminium Hard-Shell | 85 kg | 217 x 131 x 19 cm | 217 x 131 x 140 cm | 2 | € 2,690 |
| Decathlon | Quechua MH 900 | Inflatable Soft-Shell | 45 kg | 148 x 77 x 35 cm | 145 x 220 x 101 cm | 2 | € 1,499 |
| Front Runner | Feather-Lite | Soft-Shell | 47* kg | 133 x 125 x 33 cm | 244 x 122 x 133 cm | 2 | € 1,199 |
| GentleTent | GT Sky Loft | Inflatable Soft-Shell | 57 kg | 166 x 146 x 16 cm | 340 x 200 x 140 cm | 5-6 | € 4,159 |
| Intrepid | GEO 3.0 | Aluminium Hard-Shell | 85 kg | 225 x 160 x 18 cm | 225 x 160 x 137 cm | 3 | € 4,999 |
| Natur Bummler | Alu-Kraftkiste | Aluminium Hard-Shell | 88 kg | 210 x 130 x 23 cm | 210 x 130 x 145 cm | 2 | € 2,690 |
| Natur Bummler | Flitzer | Hard-Shell | 60 kg | 218 x 130 x 28 cm | 218 x 130 x 105 cm | 2 | € 2,490 |
| qeedo | Freedom Air 2 | Inflatable Soft-Shell | 52 kg | 154 x 108 x 30 cm | 225 x 168 x 148 cm | 2 | € 2,199 |
| Thule | Approach M | Soft-Shell | 61 kg | 124 x 143 x 28 cm | 240 x 143 x 102 cm | 2+1** | € 2,699 |
| Thule | Foothill | Soft-Shell | 55 kg | 210.8 x 61 x 24 cm | 213 x 119 x 93 cm | 2 | € 1,399 |
| Thule | Outset | Towbar-Mounted Soft-Shell | 70 kg | 144 x 74 x 90 cm | 264 x 144 x 178 cm | 2+1** | € 3,999 |
| Vickywood | Cumaru Light 127 ECO | Aluminium Hard-Shell | 75 kg | 223 x 127 x 15 cm | 223 x 127 x 130 cm | 2 | € 2,790 |
| Yakima | SkyRise HD Tent MD | Soft-Shell | 52 kg | 122 x 142 x 41 cm | 243 x 142 x 122 cm | 2+1** | € 2,199 |
* Tent weight with attached ladder
** Adults + child up to approx. 120 cm
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
Words: Susanne Feddersen, Felicia Nastal Photos: Mike Hunger, Robin Schmitt
