The short answer. Work through it in this order: your vehicle's roof rating, how many people are sleeping, internal height, packed size against your garage, setup mechanism, canvas weight, mattress, ladder, ventilation, power and lighting, what an awning can mount to, who you call when something breaks, and the delivered price. Getting the order right matters, because the first item can rule out most of the market for your vehicle and there is no point falling in love with a tent you cannot legally carry.
One thing worth deciding early. A tent that arrives pre-wired, insulated, with load bars on the roof and ready to take an awning is a finished camp. A tent that arrives as canvas and a frame is a project you will still be buying parts for next summer. Both are valid, and knowing which you are shopping for makes every question below easier.
1. Your vehicle's roof rating comes first
Every other decision is downstream of this one. You need your vehicle's dynamic roof load, which applies while driving, and your rack's rated capacity. Your limit is the lower of the two, minus the weight of the rack itself.
Hard shell rooftop tents generally start around 60kg and run past 120kg. Ours span 80kg to 120kg. If your remaining allowance after the rack is under 80kg, you are looking at a soft shell or a ground setup. Work through the arithmetic in roof load limits explained before you go further.
2. How many people, honestly
Two adults need about 140cm of width to sleep without contact. A tent sold as sleeping three is often two adults and a small child, and a tent sold for four assumes everyone is comfortable being close.
Our 1.4, 1.4X, 1.4Z and 1.5 Pro are two adult tents at 140cm to 155cm wide. The 1.9 is 190cm wide and takes three to four people. If there is any chance of a third person joining you within the life of the tent, size for that now, because the cost of getting it wrong is buying twice.
3. Internal height, and the distinction nobody explains
Two tents can both claim 150cm and give you completely different experiences. Ask whether the figure is a peak height or a height throughout.
A wedge tent is tall at the head end and tapers towards your feet. Our 1.4 and 1.4X have a 150cm peak in that shape. A flat fold or box profile gives you a consistent ceiling: the 1.4Z is 120cm throughout and the 1.9 is 110cm throughout.
If you sit up to read, get changed inside, or have someone who dislikes enclosed spaces, height throughout is worth more than a tall point above your pillow. This is the single most common thing buyers tell us they did not understand before their first tent.
4. Packed size, measured against your garage
A hard shell lives on your roof permanently, so its packed height is added to your vehicle's height every day of the year, not just on trips.
Measure your garage door, your carport and any drive-through you use regularly. Then add your vehicle height, your rack height and the tent's packed depth. Ours pack between 21cm and 31cm deep.
Length matters too, especially on a tub rack or a short wheelbase wagon. Most of our range is around 225cm long, while the 1.5 Pro packs to 155 x 127 x 29cm, which is a much shorter footprint. Where length is tight, that is the one to look at.
5. Setup mechanism
Ask how long setup takes and whether one person can do it. Our tents open on gas struts in 30 to 60 seconds and are designed to be handled solo.
The follow up question is what happens in the wet. A tent that needs poles threaded and guy ropes pegged has more steps to complete in the rain. Fewer moving parts also means fewer things to fail three hundred kilometres from a phone signal.
6. Canvas weight
Canvas is quoted in grams per square metre. A large part of the market sits at 260gsm. Ours is 350gsm ripstop poly-cotton.
Heavier canvas is warmer on cold nights, quieter in wind, and holds up longer against Australian UV, which is what finishes most tents. The trade is weight and drying time. Ripstop matters as well, since it stops a small tear becoming a large one.
7. The mattress
Ask the thickness and the density, and treat a thin mattress as a real cost rather than a detail. Replacing one is awkward because rooftop tent mattresses are cut to the shell, so an off the shelf replacement rarely fits properly. Check that the cover can be removed and washed, because it will need it.
8. The ladder
Check the length, the type and the rating. Ours is a 2.3m telescopic ladder. Length has to suit your vehicle height, and a ladder that is too short for a lifted ute is both awkward and unsafe.
Telescopic ladders pack shorter than sliding ladders. Whichever type you get, check that it locks positively at each stage and that you are comfortable on it at night, in the rain, in bare feet.
9. Ventilation
Condensation is the most common complaint about rooftop tents and it is largely a ventilation problem. Look for windows on more than one side so you can get airflow across the tent rather than into a dead end, mesh on every opening, and some way to ventilate while it is raining.
Airflow under the mattress matters just as much as airflow above it, because that is where moisture collects and where mould starts. Ask whether the mattress sits on a slatted or vented base rather than straight onto the floor panel.
10. Power and lighting, or the lack of it
Ask whether the tent arrives wired. Camp lighting and phone charging are things you will want on the first night, and solving them afterwards means a battery box, a light bar strapped to the rack and cables run through a door seal.
Every tent we make includes interior LED lighting, 12V and USB points, and a pre-wired Anderson plug. The Anderson plug matters more than it sounds, because it is what lets other gear draw from the same supply. Our 270 degree awning has LED lighting built into its arms, so it plugs into the tent and lights the camp with nothing extra to buy.
11. What an awning can actually mount to
If you expect to run an awning, ask what it bolts to before you buy the tent. This is the question people ask last and regret asking last.
Our shells carry channel nuts down both sides. An awning bolts on in minutes with no brackets to fabricate and no drilling. You can run a 270 degree awning on one side for living space and a shower awning on the other. A tent with no mounting provision leaves you buying brackets, or mounting to the rack and losing the geometry.
Check what is fitted on top of the tent as well. Ours come with load bars across the roof, so an awning, Max Trax or a board rack bolts straight to the tent. On a tent without them you are buying and fitting that yourself. This is separate from the bars or rack on your vehicle, which you need either way.
12. Warranty, parts and who answers the phone
Ask three questions. What is the warranty period, what does it actually cover, and can you buy a replacement strut, catch, ladder or cover in two years' time.
Gas struts and zips are the parts that wear. A tent from a brand with no Australian parts supply can become unusable over a component worth forty dollars. Ask who you speak to when something goes wrong, and how long they have been trading here.
Ours carry a 24 month Australian warranty and claims are handled here in Queensland. When you are comparing, ask where a claim actually goes.
13. Freight, and the part most people forget
A rooftop tent is heavy and bulky, so freight is a real number rather than a rounding error, and it varies enormously by destination. A metropolitan delivery and a delivery to a remote town are different propositions.
Get the delivered price before you compare brands. A tent that looks cheaper can end up costing more once it is at your door, and a quoted price that excludes freight on an item of this size is not a complete price.
The checklist
- Dynamic roof rating, rack rating, rack weight, all written down
- Number of sleepers, sized for the future rather than today
- Internal height, and whether it is peak or throughout
- Packed depth and length, checked against your garage and your vehicle
- Setup time, and whether one person can manage it
- Canvas weight in gsm, and whether it is ripstop
- Mattress thickness, and whether the cover comes off
- Ladder length, type and rating
- Windows on multiple sides, mesh, and under mattress airflow
- Interior lighting, 12V and USB, and whether it arrives wired
- Mounting points for an awning, and whether load bars are fitted on the roof
- Warranty terms, length, and where a claim is handled
- Delivered price to your address
Run that list against any tent you are considering, ours included. Where a listing goes quiet on lighting, wiring, load bars or mounting points, the usual reason is that they are not included, and each one is a cost that lands later.
Where to start
If you have your roof numbers and you know how many people are sleeping, the quickest way in is by use case: tents for couples, family tents, or solo touring. If you would rather compare the whole range side by side, the hard shell collection lists all five with their weights and dimensions.
Still deciding between types, start with hard shell versus soft shell. And if you want the numbers checked against your specific vehicle and rack before you spend anything, send them through and we will work through it with you.
Common questions
What should you look for when buying a rooftop tent?
Start with your vehicle, not the tent. Check the dynamic load rating of your roof rack, tub rack or canopy, which is what it can carry while you are driving and is always lower than the static rating. Then look at internal height, packed size against your carport, what the canvas is, and what is actually included rather than sold separately. On The Horizon hard shell rooftop tents run from 80kg for the 1.4 to 120kg for the 1.9 Penthouse, and every one includes the load bars, insulation, mattress, lighting, 12V power and a 2.3m telescopic ladder in the price.
How much should you spend on a rooftop tent in Australia?
Enough that it comes complete, because a cheap shell plus the parts it is missing usually costs more than a tent that arrived finished. On The Horizon tents are $3,290 for the 1.4, $3,490 for the 1.4X, $3,690 for the 1.5 Pro, $3,750 for the 1.4Z and $3,990 for the 1.9 Penthouse. Most tents at that price arrive as a shell and a mattress with the insulation, lighting, power and ladder extra.
What size rooftop tent do I need?
Measure the sleeping width against a real mattress rather than trusting a label. The On The Horizon 1.4 opens 145cm wide, between a double and a queen, and sleeps two adults. The 1.5 Pro is 155cm, just over a queen. The 1.9 Penthouse is 190cm, wider than a king, and sleeps three to four. Packed footprint matters too, because that is what has to fit your rack.
Does a rooftop tent come with everything you need?
It depends on the brand, and this is where the real price difference hides. Every On The Horizon rooftop tent includes load bars across the roof of the tent, winter insulation, an anti-condensation pad, a moisture barrier, an upgraded mattress, interior LED lighting, 12V and USB power, a pre-wired Anderson plug and a 2.3m telescopic ladder, plus a 24 month Australian warranty handled in Queensland.
Related guides
What to Look for in a Rooftop Tent
The short answer. Work through it in this order: your vehicle's roof rating, how many people are sleeping, internal height, packed size against your garage, setup mechanism, canvas weight, mattress, ladder, ventilation, power and lighting, what an awning can mount to, who you call when something breaks, and the delivered price. Getting the order right matters, because the first item can rule out most of the market for your vehicle and there is no point falling in love with a tent you cannot legally carry.
One thing worth deciding early. A tent that arrives pre-wired, insulated, with load bars on the roof and ready to take an awning is a finished camp. A tent that arrives as canvas and a frame is a project you will still be buying parts for next summer. Both are valid, and knowing which you are shopping for makes every question below easier.
1. Your vehicle's roof rating comes first
Every other decision is downstream of this one. You need your vehicle's dynamic roof load, which applies while driving, and your rack's rated capacity. Your limit is the lower of the two, minus the weight of the rack itself.
Hard shell rooftop tents generally start around 60kg and run past 120kg. Ours span 80kg to 120kg. If your remaining allowance after the rack is under 80kg, you are looking at a soft shell or a ground setup. Work through the arithmetic in roof load limits explained before you go further.
2. How many people, honestly
Two adults need about 140cm of width to sleep without contact. A tent sold as sleeping three is often two adults and a small child, and a tent sold for four assumes everyone is comfortable being close.
Our 1.4, 1.4X, 1.4Z and 1.5 Pro are two adult tents at 140cm to 155cm wide. The 1.9 is 190cm wide and takes three to four people. If there is any chance of a third person joining you within the life of the tent, size for that now, because the cost of getting it wrong is buying twice.
3. Internal height, and the distinction nobody explains
Two tents can both claim 150cm and give you completely different experiences. Ask whether the figure is a peak height or a height throughout.
A wedge tent is tall at the head end and tapers towards your feet. Our 1.4 and 1.4X have a 150cm peak in that shape. A flat fold or box profile gives you a consistent ceiling: the 1.4Z is 120cm throughout and the 1.9 is 110cm throughout.
If you sit up to read, get changed inside, or have someone who dislikes enclosed spaces, height throughout is worth more than a tall point above your pillow. This is the single most common thing buyers tell us they did not understand before their first tent.
4. Packed size, measured against your garage
A hard shell lives on your roof permanently, so its packed height is added to your vehicle's height every day of the year, not just on trips.
Measure your garage door, your carport and any drive-through you use regularly. Then add your vehicle height, your rack height and the tent's packed depth. Ours pack between 21cm and 31cm deep.
Length matters too, especially on a tub rack or a short wheelbase wagon. Most of our range is around 225cm long, while the 1.5 Pro packs to 155 x 127 x 29cm, which is a much shorter footprint. Where length is tight, that is the one to look at.
5. Setup mechanism
Ask how long setup takes and whether one person can do it. Our tents open on gas struts in 30 to 60 seconds and are designed to be handled solo.
The follow up question is what happens in the wet. A tent that needs poles threaded and guy ropes pegged has more steps to complete in the rain. Fewer moving parts also means fewer things to fail three hundred kilometres from a phone signal.
6. Canvas weight
Canvas is quoted in grams per square metre. A large part of the market sits at 260gsm. Ours is 350gsm ripstop poly-cotton.
Heavier canvas is warmer on cold nights, quieter in wind, and holds up longer against Australian UV, which is what finishes most tents. The trade is weight and drying time. Ripstop matters as well, since it stops a small tear becoming a large one.
7. The mattress
Ask the thickness and the density, and treat a thin mattress as a real cost rather than a detail. Replacing one is awkward because rooftop tent mattresses are cut to the shell, so an off the shelf replacement rarely fits properly. Check that the cover can be removed and washed, because it will need it.
8. The ladder
Check the length, the type and the rating. Ours is a 2.3m telescopic ladder. Length has to suit your vehicle height, and a ladder that is too short for a lifted ute is both awkward and unsafe.
Telescopic ladders pack shorter than sliding ladders. Whichever type you get, check that it locks positively at each stage and that you are comfortable on it at night, in the rain, in bare feet.
9. Ventilation
Condensation is the most common complaint about rooftop tents and it is largely a ventilation problem. Look for windows on more than one side so you can get airflow across the tent rather than into a dead end, mesh on every opening, and some way to ventilate while it is raining.
Airflow under the mattress matters just as much as airflow above it, because that is where moisture collects and where mould starts. Ask whether the mattress sits on a slatted or vented base rather than straight onto the floor panel.
10. Power and lighting, or the lack of it
Ask whether the tent arrives wired. Camp lighting and phone charging are things you will want on the first night, and solving them afterwards means a battery box, a light bar strapped to the rack and cables run through a door seal.
Every tent we make includes interior LED lighting, 12V and USB points, and a pre-wired Anderson plug. The Anderson plug matters more than it sounds, because it is what lets other gear draw from the same supply. Our 270 degree awning has LED lighting built into its arms, so it plugs into the tent and lights the camp with nothing extra to buy.
11. What an awning can actually mount to
If you expect to run an awning, ask what it bolts to before you buy the tent. This is the question people ask last and regret asking last.
Our shells carry channel nuts down both sides. An awning bolts on in minutes with no brackets to fabricate and no drilling. You can run a 270 degree awning on one side for living space and a shower awning on the other. A tent with no mounting provision leaves you buying brackets, or mounting to the rack and losing the geometry.
Check what is fitted on top of the tent as well. Ours come with load bars across the roof, so an awning, Max Trax or a board rack bolts straight to the tent. On a tent without them you are buying and fitting that yourself. This is separate from the bars or rack on your vehicle, which you need either way.
12. Warranty, parts and who answers the phone
Ask three questions. What is the warranty period, what does it actually cover, and can you buy a replacement strut, catch, ladder or cover in two years' time.
Gas struts and zips are the parts that wear. A tent from a brand with no Australian parts supply can become unusable over a component worth forty dollars. Ask who you speak to when something goes wrong, and how long they have been trading here.
Ours carry a 24 month Australian warranty and claims are handled here in Queensland. When you are comparing, ask where a claim actually goes.
13. Freight, and the part most people forget
A rooftop tent is heavy and bulky, so freight is a real number rather than a rounding error, and it varies enormously by destination. A metropolitan delivery and a delivery to a remote town are different propositions.
Get the delivered price before you compare brands. A tent that looks cheaper can end up costing more once it is at your door, and a quoted price that excludes freight on an item of this size is not a complete price.
The checklist
Run that list against any tent you are considering, ours included. Where a listing goes quiet on lighting, wiring, load bars or mounting points, the usual reason is that they are not included, and each one is a cost that lands later.
Where to start
If you have your roof numbers and you know how many people are sleeping, the quickest way in is by use case: tents for couples, family tents, or solo touring. If you would rather compare the whole range side by side, the hard shell collection lists all five with their weights and dimensions.
Still deciding between types, start with hard shell versus soft shell. And if you want the numbers checked against your specific vehicle and rack before you spend anything, send them through and we will work through it with you.
Common questions
What should you look for when buying a rooftop tent?
Start with your vehicle, not the tent. Check the dynamic load rating of your roof rack, tub rack or canopy, which is what it can carry while you are driving and is always lower than the static rating. Then look at internal height, packed size against your carport, what the canvas is, and what is actually included rather than sold separately. On The Horizon hard shell rooftop tents run from 80kg for the 1.4 to 120kg for the 1.9 Penthouse, and every one includes the load bars, insulation, mattress, lighting, 12V power and a 2.3m telescopic ladder in the price.
How much should you spend on a rooftop tent in Australia?
Enough that it comes complete, because a cheap shell plus the parts it is missing usually costs more than a tent that arrived finished. On The Horizon tents are $3,290 for the 1.4, $3,490 for the 1.4X, $3,690 for the 1.5 Pro, $3,750 for the 1.4Z and $3,990 for the 1.9 Penthouse. Most tents at that price arrive as a shell and a mattress with the insulation, lighting, power and ladder extra.
What size rooftop tent do I need?
Measure the sleeping width against a real mattress rather than trusting a label. The On The Horizon 1.4 opens 145cm wide, between a double and a queen, and sleeps two adults. The 1.5 Pro is 155cm, just over a queen. The 1.9 Penthouse is 190cm, wider than a king, and sleeps three to four. Packed footprint matters too, because that is what has to fit your rack.
Does a rooftop tent come with everything you need?
It depends on the brand, and this is where the real price difference hides. Every On The Horizon rooftop tent includes load bars across the roof of the tent, winter insulation, an anti-condensation pad, a moisture barrier, an upgraded mattress, interior LED lighting, 12V and USB power, a pre-wired Anderson plug and a 2.3m telescopic ladder, plus a 24 month Australian warranty handled in Queensland.
Related guides