Popular Mechanics
The Best Rooftop Tents for Overlanding Adventures Near and Far
March 29, 2023
If you frequently go overlanding or camping during long road trips, a rooftop tent is a game-changing upgrade. Popularized by adventurers in the Australian Outback who needed an elevated place to sleep to keep away from predators, it’s now an incredibly convenient, if expensive, camping shelter option for anyone who sets up camp near their car. Just attach a tent to your vehicle’s roof or truck bed rack, and you can deploy it very quickly when you make camp for the evening.
Since you’re high off the ground, you can set up just about anywhere. Is the ground uneven? Or soft and muddy? Is your trailhead parking lot made of large, sharp chunks of gravel? No matter, you can set up just about anywhere and you’ll stay warm and dry with your tent several feet in the air. It’s kind of like being in a tree fort that comes with a soft foam mattress and a watertight roof. It’s a whole new way to camp out.
