Rooftop tents are more comfortable. No matter what mat you buy for your camp, it will never be as comfortable as a real mattress. When it's time to get some sleep in your Roofnest, you'll enjoy the comfort of a high-density foam mattress integrated into the tent. They are made with materials that are durable, lightweight, and unlikely to develop mold.
They also have built-in mattresses on most occasions, and lift campers off the ground, which can be safer and more comfortable in inclement weather. Many campers report that they sleep more comfortably in rooftop tents than on the ground. One of the reasons is probably the built-in mattress, which is as wide as the tent, creating a comfortable sleeping surface that is much larger than most camping mats. Many tent campers have spent sleepless nights listening to the wind hitting a light tent around them, or even pushing it to the point of hitting them in the face as they try to sleep inside.
RTTs are often constructed of steel or aluminum, and the tarpaulin is much stronger than the lightweight material used in tents. It's also more of a deterrent to people who might be looking to get good camping gear at a five-finger discount, as it will be difficult to remove your ~150 pound rooftop tent from the top of your vehicle, especially without making a lot of noise or hurting yourself. For this reason, professional roof tent companies such as iKamper, Thule and Roofnest will use materials such as aluminum, fiberglass or hard plastics in their roof tent bottom designs. Most roof racks work with an RTT, but check the store manufacturer's specifications to see how wide the bars should be, spacing and weight requirements, etc.
You can find a rental company that offers rooftop tent rentals, or go ahead and pull the trigger on a tent of your own. Opinions about rooftop tents tend to range from “they're really great” to “not my style, but what surprised me the most was the number of people who started buying them during the pandemic. Rooftop tents also have a hard bottom (usually fiberglass, steel, aluminum, or something similar) that is perfectly smooth, unlike the ground. Many people use RTTS in their off-road or 4×4 vehicles, and since the tent goes everywhere the vehicle goes, it can open up a lot of places where car camping wouldn't be practical otherwise.
An apparent benefit of rooftop tents over traditional tents is being off the ground and away from creatures. The unique features of most rigid roof tents allow you to store both the tent and your bedding on top of the vehicle. On the other hand, aluminum roof tent bottoms can be more durable and less expensive than fiberglass and plastic roof tent bottoms. However, below is a guide to some of the popular roof tent brands available on the market and what makes each one so special.
This is a particular feature of rigid RTTs, but many of these tent types have a hard top surface gear mounting system on which you can store about 75 pounds of additional equipment. If you're looking for the style of camping that crowds like best, look no further than camping in a rigid roof top tent. With an RTT you can camp in all types of weather and all types of terrain, just like with an RV, while tents are only comfortable and practical in relatively warm climates and on flat terrain. .
