The 7 Best Rooftop Tents o for cars, SUVs and trucks [2024 update] (2024)

Even the most ardent campers can admit that despite their vast benefits, traditional tents have some drawbacks, too.

Ever had a critter crawl its way into your tent? Or maybe at night, you feel a single, sharp twig stabbing into your spine when you lay down for the night?

Whether you’ve personally experienced a camping catastrophe or you’re simply eager to avoid one, a rooftop tent might be the solution.

Plus, a rooftop tent is way more nimble than any RV or campervan, allowing you to explore the backcountry with ease.

If you’re ready to get into a rooftop tent, we’ve rounded up the best ones for an awesome camping adventure.

Our top picks for the best rooftop tent

Keep in mind that due to high demand, some of these tents are back-ordered or out of stock. However, if you get on the waitlist, you’ll up your chances of scoring one of the best rooftop tents.

Here’s our comparison chart for a quick overview of the best rooftop tents. Keep scrolling to read in-depth information about each tent.

Image	Product	Features	Price
	Skycamp Mini	Sets up in 60 seconds Sleeps 2 Can fit on any car	Check Price
	Roofnest Sparrow XL	3 large doors and windows Memory foam mattress Low profile	Check Price
	Roofnest Sparrow Eye	Incredibly sky view Smaller than XL Waterproof walls	Check Price
	Cascadia Mt. Rainier	Mini mudroom California King bed Poly rip-stop canvas	Check Price
	GFC Rooftop Tent	Permanent Platform 6″ high when closed Optional roof rack	Check Price
	Smittybilt Overlander Tent	Cheapest tent Sunroof flaps Foam mattress	Check Price
	Skycamp 2X Roof Top Tent	Sets up in 60 seconds 4 person interior Aerodynamic	Check Price

Detailed Breakdown of The Best Rooftop Tents

The Skycamp 2X rooftop tent bumps us up a few price ranges but comes with some added features and luxuries.

The biggest draw is the 60-second setup time, which lands this tent on our list of best rooftop tents.

Imagine driving 12+ hours and finally pulling up to your campsite close to midnight, exhausted and probably more than a little cranky. You put the car in park, get out, and in less than one minute you have a pretty dang comfortable bed waiting for you to fall into.

The aerodynamic design of this best hard-shell rooftop tent, huge 4-person interior, and inclusion of creature comforts like a thick memory foam mattress make this rooftop tent feel more like an oasis.

We also love the hard shell locks, the breathable, poly-cotton canvas, and aerodynamic lightweight design.

If the price tag doesn’t scare you too much, the iCamper Skycamp is an awesome option.

The Skycamp Mini makes it onto our list of best rooftop tents because it can truly fit on any car. You can stick this rooftop tent on anything from a Mini Cooper to a short bed pickup truck.

Sink into the comfortable memory foam mattress after a long day on the road or on the trails. The interior of this hard shell roof top tent is lined with quilted insulation to beat condensation and Skycamp’s signature world map.

The hard shell is made of fiber-reinforced plastic with build-in air insulation, making it soundproof and condensation resistent.

Just like its bigger cousin, the Skycamp mini rooftop tent takes only 60 seconds to set up, which is a huge selling point.

The Roofnest Sparrow XL Rooftop Tent is a reimagining of the Roofnest Eagle, with 4″ more of headroom, three larger doors and windows and windows with ladder mouts on three sides.

This hard-shell rooftop tent goes straight up and down, which allows for a flatter profile when closed. This means a more aerodynamic drive, better fuel efficiency, and easier handling in transit.

It also comes with a 3” foam mattress, easily accessible overhead netting, and removable shoe pockets to help keep the mud and sand out of your bed. You’ll also find space to mount solar panels.

You’ll enjoy the anti-condensation mat to keep moisture out of your mattress and bedding.

The Sparrow Eye Roofnest model is very similar to her XL cousin, just at a smaller scale. This best rooftop tent includes many of the conveniences of the XL, like the 3” mattress, detachable shoe pockets, and anti-condensation mat.

This amazing little tent is Roofnest’s easiest to use.

It opens from the side and you’ll see an incredible view of the sky from the top window. This rooftop tent tent comes with stainless steel gas struts, an impermeable ABS-fiberglass top and waterproof canvas walls so you’ll stay warm and dry even in the worst weather.

The only real difference between this best rooftop tent and the XL are the size and weight, so if you don’t need the extra sleeping space or elbow room, this model is the perfect option.

Cascadia’s Mt Rainier line of tents offer an option for just about every type of camper. The extended vs. standard model are actually the same sleeping size and capacity. The difference is that the extended covers the ladder access as well.

This makes for a mini mudroom at the front of your tent, perfect for dirty shoes, bags, or anything you don’t want to bring to bed with you.

The amazing thing about this rooftop tent is that the bed size is a California King! You’ll feel like you’re nestled in the lap of luxury while you fall asleep listening to the wind rustling through the trees.

This rooftop tent fits on most trucks and trailers.

See on Cascadia.

GFC Rooftop Camper Tent

Price: $4,198
Sleeps: 2
Weight: 150 lbs

The GFC Platform Rooftop Tent is for serious campers and adventurers. This innovative tent stands apart from the rest with its 6″ height when the tent is closed. Then, when you pop this rooftop tent open, it towers at 4′ of living space.

The metal and composite construction makes this tent light at just 150 pounds without sacrificing durability.

You won’t have to mess with taking this tent off and on as the platform melds seamlessly with your vehicle. You can even still park it in your garage and use your vehicle as a daily driver.

On top, you can add an optional roof rack – the tent still pops up with 75 pounds on top.

We also love that this best rooftop tent pops up in just 5 seconds flat, saving you time and effort when you’re ready to crash after that long hike.

Smittybilt Overlander Tent

The Smittybilt Overlander Tent is the absolute best bang for your buck we’ve found, and for that reason, it sits comfortably at the top of our list for the best rooftop tents. Despite its reasonable price, this rooftop tent is high quality.

It includes many of the best features from other models, like sunroof flaps for stargazing or ventilation and interior LED strips. This best rooftop tent comes with a high-density foam mattress and built-in mosquito netting on all windows.

There’s an even larger 3-4 person XL size available, and you can also purchase an annex room and ladder extension, making this tent truly just about everything you want it to be.

While this tent makes for a pretty incredible budget-friendly rooftop tent option, this probably won’t be quite as durable or long-lasting as other models.

So, if you’re planning to use this more than the frequent camper, you might want to upgrade to a more dependable model.

How does a rooftop tent work?

The most labor involved with the best rooftop tents takes place during installation.

But once the unit is securely attached to your roof, using the tent is as easy as pie.

Some models boast setup times of under 60 seconds, something that can be extremely handy if you’re setting up at night or after a long day of hiking.

Installation means actually attaching the tent to the rooftop of your vehicle.

This is almost certainly a two-person job, due to the weight of most rooftop tents and the awkwardness of getting all that weight on top of your cab.

Different models have various installation instructions, so make sure you’re following the guide for your exact unit. Luckily, they’re typically rather simple to install other than the cumbersome task of getting the tent in place.

Still not sure if you should get a rooftop tent?

Here’s a quick breakdown of the pluses and minuses of the best rooftop tents on the market.

Here are the pros of getting a rooftop tent for your SUV, truck or car:

As mentioned, actually installing the rooftop tent onto the top of your car takes a bit of time and effort. Once you get that out of the way, setting up these tents for use is an absolute breeze.

Just pull up to your site, unfold or pop-up, set up your ladder, and…that’s about it. Even your mattress (and usually bedding, too) is ready to go.

There’s a couple of benefits to camping in the best rooftop tent 7 feet off the ground. Sleeping on a raised platform means avoiding a lot of the ground critters and creepy crawlies that bite in the night. You’re also not going to wake up with rain trickling into your tent.

On a less practical side, a raised bed makes for a better vantage point and usually better views, though if you’re in a campground, this might just mean better views of other campers.

Aside from the comfort of not being waterlogged, the best rooftop tents typically offer a much more comfortable bed than a ground tent.

Almost all rooftop tents come with a mattress that’s usually surprisingly comfortable, sometimes even made out of thick memory foam, and lay flat on a sturdy, stick-free platform.

This combination ends up feeling much closer to an RV or small hotel room than a ground tent.

The best rooftop tents are pretty much self-contained. There’s space for a mattress and usually some bedding inside the closed-up tent, meaning you don’t have to pack your tent and sleeping bags in your vehicle.

That can actually save up a ton of space, and if you’re camping out of your car, a little extra space can go a long way.

Sleeping on the ground is a rather vulnerable position, not just from animals and bugs, but from people, too. Camping on top of your vehicle puts you further out of harm’s reach.

Even if you’re not worried about intruders, the extra elevation puts you out of sight, too.

And if you’re like me and live for a good breeze and wide-open windows, not being so exposed and in eyesight of other campers offers a surprising and welcome amount of privacy.

Regular ground tents are built to be lightweight and portable, two things that rooftop tents don’t have to factor in quite as much.

That means they can be made out of much more sturdy framing and materials.

You’ll see that extra craftsmanship factored into the higher cost, but the investment of a good rooftop tent can last you a lifetime.

The best rooftop tents are much more expensive than a traditional tent, and that extra cost might seem overindulgent. But most campers find that a rooftop tent is more aptly compared to an RV.

With your sleeping situation permanently atop your vehicle, the back can be dedicated to cooking, storage, or other work spaces.

This type of setup isn’t too far off from a small RV or campervan. So, if you’re comparing a rooftop tent to one of those, it’s much, much cheaper.

The cons of pop up roof tents:

When your tent is attached to your car, you can only camp where your car can go. That eliminates any type of backroads or backcountry camping. Though if you have a 4×4 like a Jeep camper, you might find that doesn’t limit you all that much.

Another limitation is that you can’t just drive away from your camp for a quick errand.

Since these tents are pretty easy to close up, this might not be a huge issue, but if you’re planning to camp at one location for awhile, this inconvenience could turn into a major headache.

We’ve already mentioned this point a few times, but installing a rooftop tent can be a challenge. It’s not really due to the complication of installation, but just the awkwardness of maneuvering such a large, heavy unit.

If you’ve got a friend (or two) handy, this won’t be too much of an issue, but attempting this solo might end up with a dented vehicle and/or ego.

Attaching a tent to your roof will rather obviously raise the overall height of your vehicle. For the most part, these things fold up pretty thin, so you’re not gaining a ton of height, but if you already struggle with clearance, a rooftop tent might push you above being able to access certain areas.

Because of the added structural requirements of the best rooftop tents, they tend to fall well above the price points of traditional tents. That price tag is usually reflected in the quality of the overall product, but for some campers, the added investment just isn’t worth it.

FAQ about the best rooftop tents

Conclusion on the best rooftop tents for adventurous camping

Hopefully, this article has helped you make sense of the world of rooftop tents. If you’re finding yourself annoyed with the aggravations that come with ground tents, a rooftop tent might take your camping game up a notch.

If you take our advice and factor in your usage, how many people you’ll need, what season you’ll be using it during, and what convenient features you might desire, picking out the perfect rooftop tent can be easy and fun.

It might feel like a pretty steep investment, but the benefits will pay their weight ten times over.

Happy camping!

Other stories to check out:

• How to Turn Your SUV into a Camper
• These Jeep Campers Will Get You Off-Grid
• The 13 Best Vans to Live In