Which rooftop tent should I get?

Three tents get compared more than any others, and the difference between them is the shape of the roof rather than the size of the bed. Here is the whole thing in one place.

Wedge, flat fold or hard shell, what the shapes mean

Nearly every rooftop tent argument comes down to the shape it folds into, and there are three worth knowing.

• Wedge, sometimes called a clamshell or a single hinge. One end lifts and the roof slopes down to the other, so you get good height where your head goes and less at your feet. Quickest to open, lowest closed height
• Flat fold, sometimes called a box or a Z fold. The roof stays parallel to the floor, so the height is the same at both ends. Heavier, and more usable room for the same footprint
• Side opening hard shell. Opens across the vehicle rather than off the back, which suits a short tub rack and keeps the packed length down

All three of ours are hard shell. A hard shell opens and closes in under a minute and carries its own weather protection, where a soft shell folds out of a cover and takes longer. We do not sell soft shell tents.

Side by side

The 1.4X, if you are mostly sleeping in it

It is a wedge. 150cm of height at the head end, tapering down towards your feet, so it is roomy where you sit up and tighter at the other end. It is the cheapest of the three and 10kg lighter than the Z, which matters if your rack is close to its limit.

The 1.4Z, if you are living in it

It is a box rather than a wedge. 120cm of height the whole way through, so you can sit up at the foot of the bed as easily as at the head. The peak number is lower than the X, but you get that height everywhere instead of in one spot.

If you get claustrophobic, or you are camping several nights in one place rather than moving every day, this is the one. The 10kg and $260 over the X is the price of that headroom.

The 1.5 Pro, if clearance matters

It packs to 155cm long rather than 225cm, which is short enough to sit on a low profile ute tub rack instead of across your roof. On that setup it finishes below the cab, so your ute is the same height with it on as it is with it off, and car parks and drive throughs carry on as normal.

It is also the widest bed of the three at 155cm, and the lightest at 95kg.

One thing that catches people out

If you want a 270 degree awning on quick release brackets, go with the 1.4X or the 1.4Z. Those open to the rear. The 1.5 Pro opens to the side, and the bracket for side opening tents is not in production yet.

The question that usually settles it

How much time are you going to spend in it, not sleeping?

If you are crashing at night and gone in the morning, the wedge is plenty and you may as well keep the $260. If you are sitting in there of an afternoon, working, eating, or waiting out weather, the Z earns it back the first trip.

Whichever one you pick

All three come with the gear other brands sell separately. A 2.3m telescopic ladder that stows inside, load bars across the roof of the tent so an awning or Max Trax bolts straight to it, winter insulation, an anti-condensation pad, an upgraded mattress, interior LED, 12V power and USB, and a 24 month Australian warranty handled in Queensland.

They all fold down with your bedding still inside, so you make the bed once.

The canvas is 350gsm ripstop poly-cotton and it is water resistant.

Still not sure

Tell us what you drive and what is on it now, whether that is bars, a tub rack, a canopy or nothing yet, and we will tell you straight which ones work.

See all the tents