What you need to know about car rooftop tents

Rooftop tents have been on the market in Australia since the mid-1980s but became more popular in the early 2000s as many new brands began to flood the market. There are now more than 20 brands and many models on the market ranging from less than $1000 to more than $5000, with some fully optioned models approaching $10,000.

There are many good reasons to buy a rooftop tent, with a primary one being that it's relatively quick and easy to set up, so you can hop into your already made-up bed in a matter of minutes at the end of the day.

Compared to tent camping, you’re sleeping off the ground so you don’t need to worry about nosy animals or reptiles and spiders, and damp and cold is less of an issue. You also potentially get less sand and dirt in your tent.

Rooftop tents also deliver a nicer, elevated perspective of your surroundings, and are more likely to catch a cool breeze on hot summer nights. Having all your bedding and tent on the roof allows use of cargo space in your vehicle for other camping gear too.

A roof-top tent fitted to a 4WD can also be easier and more convenient than dragging a camper trailer or caravan when on difficult off-road terrain – or even when trying to park when restocking supplies at a regional shopping centre. However, a roof-top tent and a trailer are not mutually exclusive. Due to the roof-top tent’s versatile and lightweight structure, many people and camper-trailer manufacturers have opted to fit one to a suitably fitted-out trailer.

They're also a relatively cheap way to provide extra bedding on camping trips for family members or friends, even when towing a trailer, and allow you to ditch the big caravan and head off-road for a few days without slumming it too much.

It’s not all smooth sailing with a rooftop tent though. One of the main issues to consider is that these are generally bulky, heavy tents that are difficult to fit and remove on a vehicle’s roof racks by one person.

They'll also restrict entry into height-restricted multi-level carparks or even your own garage due to the extra travelling height a roof-top tent adds. The height issue can also become a problem on some bush tracks with low-hanging branches.

When travelling, the increased wind resistance from the often bluff rooftop tent can increase fuel consumption, although probably not quite as much as towing a trailer would.

With typically more than 60kg added to the highest point of the vehicle, a rooftop tent can alter driving dynamics on the road, increasing body roll and, ultimately, the risk of a roll-over. When you’re side-sloping off-road, you need to be conscious of the rooftop tent as it can also increase the risk of a roll-over. However, better-damped (than standard) off-road suspension can help reduce this risk.

Like all vehicle-based camping, you also have to consider the fact that once all set up at camp, you can’t easily move again. If you need to jump into your vehicle to make a quick late-afternoon dash for firewood, or want to leave your base camp to explore nearby tracks, you’ll have to pack up camp each time.

There are different types of roof-top tents to consider: the first and usually more expensive type is the hardshell fibreglass, composite or aluminium design that often has either a scissor-hinge pop-top or is hinged at one end.

The other more popular and usually cheaper type is the hinged-base, fold-over canvas softshell rooftop tent.

The pop-up hardshell type is arguably more durable than the fold-over canvas type. Often it has a lower travelling profile and thus is more aerodynamic (so your vehicle potentially will use less fuel), offers better dust and water protection when folded and requires less maintenance.

Often the hardshell tents have nylon side material that doesn’t need to be treated on a regular basis like the softshell canvas types, and won’t attract damp as easily (although the nylon is not often as breatheable or strong as good cotton canvas).

You can often have more headroom over a larger area with a pop-top hardshell tent and in high winds, the hardshell can be stronger than a softshell type. The hardshell seems to prevail more at the premium end of the market, offering features such as power raising/lowering, solar panels, integrated lighting and so on.

The canvas softshell type tends to offer more bed space – when unfolded for use, they have double the footprint of the folded unit – so if you want sleeping space for a family of four, this is likely the only choice.

With their simpler and presumably less costly to make design, canvas softshell units tend to be a lot cheaper than a hardshell roof top tent too. But they're often a lot more fiddly to set up and pack up, requiring more time and effort.

The fold-out roof-top tents can be fitted for side access or rear access depending on the vehicle they're fitted to – some, for example, have a tailgate that can’t be opened if the tent is oriented for rear opening.

With any rooftop tent, you have to ensure that the maximum roof load (as noted by the vehicle manufacturer) is not exceeded by fitting the rooftop tent you have in mind. This can be as much as 100kg, but some vehicles can have only half that mounted on their roof. (There's also another higher rating for static load, to allow for a couple of people to sleep in the tent when camping.)

Pay close attention to canvas quality – even if the claim is for good 380gsm quality, the canvas can be different – and always check and compare for yourself. The lighter canvas material on some rooftop tents makes it harder to sleep once the sun’s up, as it allows early light in much more easily. Poorer-quality canvas tends not to breathe as well, allowing more moisture to build up in the tent.

Look for how the stitching is done on canvas seams – double-stitched waterproof seams are the ideal scenario – as well as some evidence of the materials used on the tent having UV-stability. A UPF 50-plus rating is also a good idea.

The ladder design can make a big difference too. Wide, flat steps might not fold up as well as thin steps, but they will be a lot easier on bare feet and make it a lot easier to get in and out of the tent. If you’ve got a lifted 4WD make sure that the ladder is going to be long enough to extend to the ground.

Plenty of windows to allow cross-flow ventilation and adequate mesh design for insect screening are just as important on a roof-top tent as any other.

Related: Options for first-time caravan and camping road trip travellers

Related: This Porsche 911 with roof tent is the ultimate sports camper

Related: Five free campgrounds near Melbourne to check out

Related: Five free campgrounds near Sydney to check out