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Take your car camping experience to new heights with a rooftop tent (RTT). We got one for our family, thanks to a gift from a good friend, and have never looked back. We love it so much. I didn’t know about the #rttlife or why I would want an RTT for my family until I got one. Now, I am convinced that it is the way to go.
I hope to answer some of your top questions in this blog and bring you into the RTT club. Here is what I’ve learned from owning an iKamper Skycamp for four years:
What is a rooftop tent (RTT)?
A RTT is a camping tent that sits on the roof of your car. The tent must be supported by your car’s roof racks with a cross bar to support the weight of the tent.
How does a RTT work?
Most RTT have either a hard shell or a soft, tent-like top with a cover for protection from the elements. Both tent types fold open, allowing the floor to extend beyond the footprint of the car, supported by a sturdy ladder. The ladder is the main access point for the RTT.
Each tent interior is designed differently, but they usually have tent basics like mesh windows, a zipper entry mesh door, and a mattress, all of which collapse and fold into the tent for storage on top of your car.
What type of car will support a RTT?
Most RTT will work on any car with the proper roof rack set-up. Read the iKamper FAQs here for more details. The tent is heavy, though, so consider the impact it may have on your car’s shocks.
We had our RTT atop a Subaru Impreza for a few years and have seen noticeable effects on our car’s shocks.
Now, our RTT is on top of a Subaru Ascent, a larger SUV that feels more suited to carry the extra weight.
Why Should You Get a RTT?
There are many reasons to get a RTT. Here are my top 5:
1. It takes 5 minutes to set up
I am not kidding. It takes five minutes to set up our RTT. Steps include unlocking the tent, unfolding the tent, adjusting the ladder to the proper height, propping up the window and door poles, and finally deciding to keep or roll-up the rain-fly. Five minutes, max.
2. It is one less thing to pack
Since the tent is located on top of your roof, you do not need to find space in your gear-packed car to transport it. You can also store the mattress in the tent when not in use.
Save space in your trunk for more fun camping gear and keep your tent on your roof!
3. The tent material is thick
If you camp, you know how it feels to be sleeping soundly until the early morning sun rays heat up the tent, waking you and your kids in the wee hours of the morning.
If our windows are zipped closed, the thick tent material prevents light from entering our RTT, allowing my family to sleep in just a little longer.
Priceless.
4. It has plenty of space
RTTs come in all sizes, from a 1-person-sized tent to a 4-person-sized tent.
We have the 4-person tent from iKamper, which has plenty of room for our family of two adults (one 6’2” tall), and two kids.
When we’re all snuggled inside, I feel like we have more room than we do in our king-size bed at home.
5. It is better than sleeping on the ground
Many people sleep uncomfortably while camping—the ground is hard and cold, and the cold seeps in through your sleeping pads or mattresses unless you invest a lot of money on expensive, high-quality gear.
The RTT allows you to sleep above the ground on the roof of your car. That means that the cold temperatures of the ground will not be an issue!
Most RTT come with a stock mattress that fills the size of the tent floor. In our regular camping, non-roof top tent, we have one sleeping pad per person, which means four pads on the floor that shift all night and end up leaving a wide gap that somehow mama always ends up in. Since the RTT only has one mattress for all to share, I no longer worry about finding ways to keep my squirming kids from sliding off their mattresses.
We decided to upgrade our iKamper stock mattress with the RTT Comfort series as pictured in the image above for the Skycamp. This upgrade was pricey ($548) but added a level of comfort and warmth to our camping experience that I really wanted.
Things to Consider
There are 5 things I recommend you take into consideration before purchasing a RTT:
1. Safety for little kids relies on you paying attention
Falling out of the tent is a big concern for me and a constant worry.
Small kids can fall out of the windows, the tent door, or down the ladder.
We have put in place many rules to prevent this, such as no jumping or unzipping anything while they are inside, but it still makes me nervous. As kids get older, this becomes less of an issue.
2. RTTs are still a novelty
Sometimes the tent makes us very popular campers, meaning strangers walk up to our tent and peek in, asking to check it out, even when I’m inside and changing.
Also, all kids want to play inside our “tree house.” No one can resist the RTT.
We have let the kids hang out and play upstairs but have to constantly be aware of who is going up and down the ladder, and provide rules (see #1 above) for their safety.
3. A RTT takes up roof space
Your entire roof is occupied by a RTT. This means there is zero space for other roof storage that you may have wanted for your bikes or a cargo box.
You gain real estate in the trunk but lose it on the roof.
4.There is noticeable impact on your gas mileage
The added drag and weight from the RTT decreases your car’s miles per gallon (MPG). If you’re going long distances, the decrease in your MPG can really add up!
According to my husband, there seems to be a bigger decrease in MPGs for smaller cars than larger cars. He calculated that the RTT reduces the MPG by five mpg on his Subaru Impreza but by only two mpg on the Subaru Ascent.
5. Storage of the RTT can be a challenge
The RTT is large and requires storage space when not in use.
Many RTT owners have space to remove their RTT and store it when they are not camping.
We don’t have a garage, so our RTT stays on our car year-round. While this means we are always ready for an adventure, it also means we are always taking a hit on our MPGs (see #4).
My family of four camps in the iKamper Skycamp every year. Read here for a review of our favorite roof top tent and why you should consider getting one to get your kids outside this year.
We really love our RTT and would highly recommend that families with young kids consider getting one. The ease in setting up and packing saves you time and stress and allows more time to enjoy the outdoors with your kids and space in your car to bring all of the fun kid activities you should pack to keep your kids happy at the campsite.
Honestly, I really just want more sleep, and the RTT provides that in so many ways! One day, when we get more adventurous, I want to try Overlanding. Maybe in another post … next year?
Have you tried a RTT? Share in the comments below.
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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