How We Choose A Rooftop Tent

A good rooftop tent will last for multiple seasons, so spending a little extra now yields more comfortable experiences for years to come. After all, this is your home away from home we’re talking about. All rooftop tents have quick setups, and many include a built-in mattress, so how do you choose? Here are a couple of specs we consider:

Soft shell tents unfold like a pop-out book. When opened, a tent like you’d pitch on the ground pretty much assembles itself. Setup time takes around 3–5 minutes, depending on if you’re using your rain fly or not. When closed, these tents are generally bulkier than their hard shell brethren, which can impact your vehicle’s aerodynamics or make it difficult to park in a garage. A key selling point for soft shells is their lower price tag.

For hard shell tents, streamlined is the first word that comes to mind. When shut for travel they have an incredibly slim profile compared to soft shell tents. The decreased height has less of an effect on aerodynamics and overhead clearance when it's time to park at home. A durable plastic cover protects the tent when closed and serves as a wind-proof wall when open. Hard shells are generally more expensive, but they are also lightning fast to set up (around 1 minute, depending on the tent).

How We Choose A Rack

Factory mounts on your vehicle may work for your bike, but they just aren’t strong enough to support a rooftop tent (seriously, we’ve learned this the hard way—sorry, 2010 4Runner!).

When choosing a rack, the first step is to make sure it is compatible with your vehicle. If you drive a crossover, for example, a rack designed for pickup truck bed rails will not do.

The second factor is how much cargo it can safely support. Check the weight of your rooftop tent, then add your weight plus any other nighttime residents and daytime accessories like paddle boards. Round up as you add to figure out the minimum weight capacity your rack needs.

Our top pick is designed for pickup trucks (many a Gearhead drive a Tacoma), but that doesn’t mean it’s the only great option. See the runners up section for great racks compatible with other vehicle types.

How We Choose A Sleeping Bag

Bedding choices for overlanding largely come down to personal preference. We still have a few rules of thumb to help us get great sleep in the backcountry. Just like for any camping excursion, pack bedding that will insulate below the forecasted nighttime low.

Regular bed sheets and blankets give you a true home-away-from-home experience, especially when nighttime temperatures are close to room temp. Meanwhile, a standard mummy or double sleeping bag helps you ensure thermal insulation on colder nights.

Remember, a sleeping bag’s temperature rating is not a comfort rating—it’s a keep you alive rating. If the low is in the 30s, we pack a 15- to 20-degree bag that keeps us alive and comfortable.

How We Choose A Sleeping Pad

When you sprawl out in your new rooftop tent for the first time, you may feel utter delight or total discomfort depending on the built-in mattress. If the factory install is causing you to lose sleep—or if you’re packing a traditional tent for your overland adventure—you’ll want to add a sleeping pad to your packing list. Because we have plenty of cargo space in the rig, we don’t mind bringing along a larger, more comfortable sleeping pad. Our picks for overlanding are double-wide for cozier cuddling, self-inflating for easy setup, and extremely insulative for all-weather camping.

How We Choose A Camp Stove

When choosing a stove for far-off overlanding destinations, we like a setup with multiple propane burners for cooking more complex dishes (or multitasking!). We also look for sensitive dials and high-BTU outputs (10k is a great place to start), so we can customize the temperature for a cooking-at-home feel.

How We Choose A Cooler

Over the years, we’ve tried a lot of coolers, from mini mart Styrofoam numbers to trendy hard-shell ice chests. For environmental reasons, we avoid single-use coolers or chests that won’t stand up to a full year of use. When it comes to durable hard-shell options, we’re always on the hunt for a cooler with a secure seal and lengthy insulation duration to keep food fresh longer. Added bonuses include organizing trays, split cooling zones for sorting food from fire-side beverages, and tech innovations (battery-powered, for example) from our wildest dreams.

Organize

Save the feeling of chaos for sitting in traffic on the way home. Get your gear sorted with some clever storage solutions. When there’s a lot of gear to pack, we like having both hard cases and soft storage options.

Power

Is it really overlanding if you don’t bring some extra juice along for the ride?

More Overlanding Essentials

Don’t overlook this crucial overlanding gear.