Why go camping?

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How about because it&#;s loads of fun? Because you create lifelong memories with people you love over a crackling campfire. Because coffee tastes better outside. Because&#; s&#;mores. Because waking up to the sound of birdsong. Because camping will  save you a bunch of money that you don&#;t shell out for a hotel.

But if you&#;ve not camped much before, the initial investment in gear might be holding you back. I wrote about all the gear you need to go car camping here, and what each item is used for. It&#;s a lot of stuff, but once you invest in good gear it&#;ll last you through many summers sleeping under the stars.

Unless you camp on wheels, a tent is likely to be the most important and expensive piece of camping gear you purchase. And when it comes time to choose, the array of things to consider might make your head spin.

How lightweight do you need it to be? How much space do you want? Do you really need that giant vestibule? Is the rain fly going to keep you dry in a downpour? Are you going to be able to figure out how to assemble the tent in the dark? (Because at some point, that&#;ll happen). And of course, is it worth the price tag?

There&#;s a lot to consider, but it&#;s important to be choosy because a great tent will last you years, possibly decades (that is if your tent is cared for properly&#;here are some tips). It&#;ll keep you dry even when it rains sideways. It&#;ll make you want to go camping. A crappy tent, on the other hand, might have you packing up early and cutting your trip short if you get unexpectedly rained on.

 

Here&#;s How to Choose a Great Tent

Answer these basic questions to narrow your criteria to the perfect tent that will last for years of memorable camping.

1) What kind of camper are you?

The first thing to consider is how you do most of your camping.

Are you more of a backcountry camper or more of a car camper? You can certainly pitch a lightweight, no-frills backcountry tent in a car campground. But you won&#;t want to lug a heavy car camping tent into the backcountry.

Are you a car camper who moves camp every night on a road trip, or who keeps the same base camp for a long weekend or more? You won&#;t want a tent that takes half an hour to assemble if you&#;re cape-hoppin&#; down the coast.

If you can only afford one tent, opt for the kind that best suits your camping style the majority of the time.

2) How many people do you need your tent to hold?

Most tents specify 2-person, 4-person, 6-person, etc. Stick to this system if you are a backcountry camper and shopping for a backcountry tent. Note that a 2-person tent is likely to fit two adults sleeping side by side, and pretty much nothing else. Perhaps some gear, but no room for your big backpacks. If you are a couple with a dog looking for a car camping tent, you&#;ll be more comfortable in a 4-person tent. A family with two kids will likely want a 6-person tent.

Take into consideration what size your family will be five years from now. Are you planning to have kids? Get a dog? Make sure you think about the future when you think about tent size so your new tent can grow with you.

Also consider the amount of gear you might need to store inside the tent in the event of bad weather. This is less of an issue if you&#;re car camping because odds are you&#;ll prefer to just stow gear inside your car, not your tent. But it&#;s something to think about in the backcountry.

3) What weather will you camp in?

Backcountry tents typically advertise as 3-season (spring, summer and autumn) or 4-season (add winter). So what&#;s the diff? A 3-season tent will have more mesh fabric and a 4-season tent will have more solid fabric. Good-quality backcountry tents, if properly treated, will keep you dry in a downpour even if it is raining sideways.

Car camping tents might not be rated according to seasons, in which case you&#;ll have to use other cues to determine how weather-worthy a tent is.

In the Pacific Northwest, be sure to get a tent that can handle rain. Pay attention to the tent&#;s rain fly, which is the waterproof cover designed to fit over the roof of your tent. Some tents have only partial rain flies. Personally, I would stay away from partial rain flies and only buy a tent with a full rain fly, or at least one that offers great coverage. (See the various partial rain flies above and notice how some offer more coverage than others, especially if staked out a bit.)  You can seam seal any tent to make it even more water-resistant, but it&#;s important to try and prevent water from touching the walls of your tent in the first place. That is a rain fly&#;s job. If there is no sign of rain in the forecast, you could leave the fly off entirely for stargazing and ventilation.

If you can, get a tent that has a footprint that&#;s made to go with the tent. It should be the exact same size as the floor of the tent (or ever so slightly smaller). Ideally, the footprint will have gromets that secure it to the tent bottom via the tent poles.  Sure, you can place a tent on top of a random groundcloth or even a blue tarp, and I&#;ve done this in a pinch, but there&#;s a risk in doing so. If it rains, water will collect onto that tarp and start to accumulate around and under your tent. And that would be bad. Also, a footprint takes the fall if there&#;s morning dew; it&#;s much easier to dry out the footprint than the whole tent. A footprint also protects the bottom of your tent from dirt, sharp rocks that could rip it, etc.

4) What tent shape do you want?

Some car campers are more partial to certain tent shapes over others.

Nearly every tent I&#;ve owned thus far has been a freestanding dome tent. (Freestanding just means the tent can be assembled without the use of stakes, which I found to be advantageous when setting up camp atop sandstone in Utah.) Dome tents are nice because their aerodynamic shape is good at shedding wind and rain. They&#;re a cinch to assemble and can be made more solid by staking the corners and/or rain fly to the ground (if you&#;re on ground you can drive a stake into). Many do not offer enough headroom for an adult to stand up in them. (The popular REI Camp Dome is a perfect example of a freestanding dome-style tent).

The hoop or tunnel-shaped tents are popular in weight-conscious backcountry models because they maximize headroom and are made to withstand wind and rain. (The Marmot Midgard 2 is an example of a hoop tent).

Cabin-style tents are popular among family car campers. Some are so spacious they have multiple rooms, and most are tall enough for you to stand up in them. Most modern cabin-style tents are freestanding. Does your family sleep on cots? Then you&#;ll want a cabin tent (check out the new, popular REI Grand Hut 4 or for large families the REI Co-op Kingdom 8 Tent).

4) What extra features do you want? Which ones can you live without?

One of the reasons gear companies are continually debuting new tents is that they keep making them better, sturdier, lighter and prettier to look at. With all the shiny, cool features that tents offer, it&#;s a good idea to figure out which features you actually care about.

I bought my 2-person MSR Hubba Hubba several years ago (the month it debuted), and they made a few big improvements to the following year&#;s model based on user feedback, including a second door. I didn&#;t know how badly I&#;d want that second door until I got married a few years later and was suddenly sharing my tent with someone over 6 feet tall.

When shopping for a new tent that you hope will last for years, think about which features are important to you now, and might become important to you if your camping style or family size evolves in the future.

Doors. This is where you enter and exit a tent. Every tent is going to have one door, and some have two. If you have a smaller tent where floorspace and headroom is at a premium, a second door becomes even more of a benefit because it&#;s a real pain to be crawling over people in order to get out of the tent to use the bathroom. A seemingly minor detail of the door to consider is how it zips to open and close. I once had a tent that zipped open only from the top, meaning I had to essentially unzip it all the way to enter or exit the tent, or even to place an item outside the tent. This was mildly annoying all the time, but it was pure hell in mosquito country! I prefer a tent door that zips open from the bottom.

Vestibule. Aw, vestibule envy. It&#;s a very real affliction among campers who don&#;t own premium tents by manufacturers like Hilleberg and Exped. The vestibule is the covered or even fully-enclosed area just outside the tent itself, usually outside the main door. Vestibules are sheltered by the rain fly when it&#;s staked out. Some tent vestibules are only big enough to store your hiking boots and keep them dry from the rain. Others are big enough to sit in, shelter your backpacks, or even shelter your labrador retriever.  Fortunately, many tent manufacturers are following in the footsteps of Hilleberg. Just check out this REI family-sized car camping tent when joined with a tech garage. Vestibules are a thing.

Pockets and a Gear Loft. Where will you stow your keys, wallet, headlamp and water bottle when in your tent? Internal mesh pockets are key to keeping things handy and organized, and the more the merrier as far as I&#;m concerned. Some tents also come with what&#;s called a &#;gear loft&#; which is this mesh shelf thing that is part of the ceiling, creating a nice flat space to store things that don&#;t fit in the side pockets. Some gear lofts are removable.

Ease of Setup. How long does it take to pitch the tent? Will it need more than one person&#;s involvement? Does it almost require a degree in engineering? If you are the type of person that wants assembly to be very straightforward and simple, these are great questions to settle before you make a purchase.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Camping Tent Factory.

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Height and Head Room. The overall shape of tent you purchase will influence this (see above). But perhaps someone in your family is above average height &#; you&#;ll want to make sure the tent is long enough for that person while they are lying down. If you prefer sleeping on a cot to a pad, you&#;ll need a tent that can accommodate that, like a cabin-style tent. If you want to be able to stand up in your tent, the REI Grand Hut is designed for that.

I hope this article helps you think through some important criteria to consider when choosing a camping tent! Let me know in the comments.

Want more advice on choosing a camping tent? Read this: Outdoor Experts Share Their Favorite Tents.

Looking for a backpacking tent? Check out this comprehensive guide to choosing a backpacking tent by Terry Wood at REI.

 

 

TENTSPIRATION

After trading in my Toyota RAV4 and waiting months for 4Runner availability, last fall my new, SR5 Premium finally arrived. Although this beefy SUV proves less rugged than Toyota&#;s upfitted TRD models, it does the trick for my needs and leaves room for improvement over time. I knew the first piece of gear I wanted to add to my new rig (named ToyHota Kotb) was a rooftop tent. Knowing little about this camping style outside of the many liked images on my Instagram feed&#;extensive research, online forum browsing, and seemingly endless questions were undoubtedly in my future.

In the end, I opted for the Roofnest Condor XL tent to accommodate my wife, me, and our soon-to-be family of three. And with a nearly king-sized sleeping space, this model also provides plenty of room to bring our favorite furry camping companion with us too. While choosing a tent that fit my family and vehicle seemed pretty simple, I quickly found out there was still plenty to be done (and learn) before we were ready to hit the road on our first adventure.

From roof racks to tent installation, setup, and storage, here are a few things I learned while getting started in the adventurous world of rooftop tent camping.

My energetic pup quickly chose his spot inside the tent. | Photo: Samantha Lechlitner-Lewis

Vehicle compatibility

Much to my surprise, rooftop tents can fit a wide variety of vehicles, even sedans and other smaller cars. But just because a tent will fit on your car, doesn&#;t mean it&#;s ideal for every vehicle. Having a tent on top of your roof can create significant wind resistance, subsequently affecting steering capabilities and lowering your fuel economy. You also have to ensure that your roof is equipped to support the added weight of both your tent and those camping inside of it. 

Check your vehicle&#;s owner manual for the roof rack&#;s load capacity information, and when in doubt, reach out to tent manufacturers to inquire about compatibility. Companies like Roofnest, Thule, Front Runner Outfitters, and iKamper (to name a few) are extremely knowledgeable and always willing to offer advice. I relied heavily on product experts at both Thule and Roofnest to ensure my vehicle was equipped and capable of handling my camping gear before making my purchase.

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Roof rack system

On top of your vehicle needing to be compatible with your tent kit, your roof rack system needs to check out too. Owning a Toyota 4Runner with OEM raised rails, I just assumed I could throw this tent on top of my roof, lock it down, and call it a day. I soon learned that not only was I wrong about this assumption&#;this impending purchasing decision would prove to be more stressful than buying the tent itself. As it turns out, most OEM roof rack kits aren&#;t designed to handle the weight of a rooftop tent. This is especially true for heavier tents, like my 160-pound Condor XL. 

Most likely, you&#;ll need to upgrade your roof racks to safely accommodate the added weight on your vehicle. While I opted for Thule&#;s Raised Rail Evo kit and SquareBar Evo crossbars, there are numerous systems out there that will meet your vehicle and tent needs, outside of a simple crossbar upgrade. Many of the online forums I referenced for advice urged me to purchase a more sophisticated rack, like the Front Runner Slimline II. However, this type of system is significantly pricier than a crossbar kit, and unfortunately not in my budget. But for campers who plan to keep their tents mounted and in use throughout the year, a low-profile, steel roofing system can be worth the investment&#;especially if your travels tend to be off-road, as these racks are designed to withstand the wear and tear of adventure. 

My Thule Evo raised rail roof rack kit and SquareBar Evo crossbars. | Photo: Samantha Lechlitner-Lewis

At the end of the day, you&#;ll at least need crossbars that can take on the weight of your tent. If you&#;re like me, that means purchasing additional load carrier feet for your crossbars, to attach to your vehicle&#;s original raised rails. Whether you&#;re mounting your tent on your vehicle, truck bed, or travel trailer, having the right rack system designed for the right amount of support is crucial to protecting your vehicle, tent, and other surfaces from damage. 

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Installation

What started out as a task I was confident my dad and I could handle, turned into a four-person endeavor that called for additional assistance from my father-in-law and brother-in-law. Between the height of my 4Runner and the weight of the Roofnest tent, my dad and I quickly realized we were going to need more muscle when it came to lifting the tent onto my roof racks. Fortunately, Roofnest provides detailed installation instructions on its website, making this project fairly easy, after everything was said and done. 

My family lent a helping hand during the installation process. | Photo: Samantha Lechlitner-Lewis

Keep in mind that most rooftop tent installs will require two or more people if you&#;re planning on lifting your tent manually. With a quick online search, you&#;ll find that rooftop tent owners have concocted all types of ways to help streamline the installation process. The most common being the use of a pulley or hoist system, like those you&#;d use to lift off a Jeep top or roof cargo carrier. If you want to go this route, just make sure you buy (or build) a system that can sufficiently hold the weight of your tent. While these systems alleviate the need to lift, you can easily damage your tent or vehicle if your hoist isn&#;t designed properly for your load capacity.

During installation, you&#;ll also want to consider what type of security system (if any) you want for your tent. Since my vehicle will be parked in my driveway during camping season, I bought Thule locking straps to keep my tent securely locked to my roof. There are also various types of locking bolts, mounts, and keyed systems that might need to be integrated during the initial installation process. Many of these security accessories will depend on the type of tent you have, so check for compatibility before you purchase. I chose straps so I can lock up other pieces of camping gear while I&#;m at my campsite and my tent is being used. 

Tent setup

Once your tent is fully installed and secured to your roof, practice setting it up before taking off on your maiden voyage. This way, you can see what adjustments will need to be made or what additional gear you&#;ll need before arriving at the campground. Plus, this will help you familiarize yourself with your new equipment for smooth operation. Even though Roofnest&#;s setup instructions were clear and easy to follow, I found that I would either need to grow a few inches or purchase a step of sorts to open and close my tent. I bought a car door step that installs inside my door frame. This allows me to reach the top of my tent without hauling around a step ladder or other bulky gear. 

This door step attachment makes it easy to reach the top of my vehicle&#;s roof. | Photo: Samantha Lechlitner-Lewis

It&#;s adjustments like this that you&#;ll want to try and square away early on, so you know you and your camping companions can easily unfold and store your tent while in the great outdoors. While most rooftop tents have straightforward setups, requiring little to no strenuous effort, you don&#;t want to be caught off guard on your first trip. 

Storage

If your tent isn&#;t going to be a permanent staple on your vehicle, you&#;ll need to have a plan for uninstalling and storing your gear during the off-season or in between trips (if you feel like removing it that frequently). Some hoist systems will allow you to store your tent suspended inside your garage or other storage facility. But again, make sure your hoist is designed for holding that type of load, especially for extended periods of time. While most people opt to store their tents inside garages, sheds, or basements, there are a few things to keep in mind before simply setting it on the floor and leaving it.

• Lay the tent on top of some type of platform (wood, foam, etc.) instead of storing it directly on the floor.
• Use a large mattress bag or some other covering to protect it from dirt, dust, and other debris in your storage area.
• If you don&#;t have room to store your tent flat, you can tilt it on its side. Just be sure to use a platform for padding for this type of storage. 
• Keep it away from heat sources that could be damaging to your tent&#;s outer shell.
• Try to avoid heavily-trafficked areas of your storage room to reduce the chances of the tent being damaged.

While uninstalling and storing your tent can be a hassle, proper storage will help increase the longevity of your gear. Since these camping kits aren&#;t cheap, it&#;s worth the extra time to give it a break from the elements. 

Additional beginner tips

Diving head first into rooftop tent camping, I learned a few valuable lessons first-hand. Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when it comes to rooftop tent camping.

Measure your garage entrance. The inside of my garage has exceptionally high ceilings, so I&#;d assumed I&#;d be able to drive my 4Runner inside with my tent installed. However, before we started the install process, we realized that the actual frame of my garage door wasn&#;t going to provide enough clearance. Thankfully we noticed this before installing the tent inside the garage. If you&#;re wanting to keep your vehicle stored inside, make sure you account for your tent height and the additional roof rack height before assuming everything will fit. I bought a Roofnest cover to help protect my tent since it will be spending more time than expected out in the elements. 

Upfront investment. While I knew buying a rooftop tent wasn&#;t going to be cheap, I wasn&#;t planning to spend quite as much on other gear needed to get me going. Make sure to budget for things like roof racks, steps (if needed), security accessories, protective covers, and more. While the roof racks were the most essential items purchased for my tent, the other gear will undoubtedly give me peace of mind and make my camping experience smoother. 

Cargo storage. Roofnest and other manufacturers design tents with cargo racks on top of the tent&#;s shell. And while this was an option for me, I chose the Condor XL due to its larger sleeping capacity. My tradeoff for this tent was sacrificing cargo space&#;meaning I can&#;t haul my kayaks and other gear up top. If you plan on bringing along any type of equipment usually stored on your roof, be sure to shop for tents that come with roof racks or have that option.

While it&#;s easy to get our dog inside the tent, the exit process is a struggle. | Photo: Samantha Lechlitner-Lewis

Pet solutions. If you&#;re like me and plan on bringing your four-legged friend with you, consider coming up with a plan to get them up and down your tent ladder. My 50-pound pup isn&#;t the easiest to pick up and simply set inside the tent. With a little guidance, I can help him get up the steps, but going down is an adventure on its own. I&#;ve seen plenty of DIY ramps online that rooftop tent owners have built to help their dogs. There are even products that fit over your ladder to give them a stable space for going up and down. While some of these products are a little pricey and will take up storage space, if you have a bigger pup, the investment might be worth it in the end.

Is rooftop tent camping right for you?

I was confident rooftop tent camping was my next outdoor adventure, and I stand by that decision. It&#;s less of an investment and commitment than RV ownership, and it&#;s easier to set up camp than a traditional tent&#;once the initial installation has been completed. If you&#;re on the fence about investing in a rooftop tent kit, consider renting one to test before you buy. 

Here are a few ways you can rent rooftop camping equipment:

• Roofnest partners with several rental companies across the U.S. to let campers test out their tents before buying. 
• Rove is a rental service where you can test out small travel trailers and rooftop tents, depending on the type of adventure you&#;re looking for. This company has locations in North Carolina and Oregon. 
• Outdoor Gear 2 Go lets you rent Thule Tepui rooftop tents with an optional annex room attached.  
• Escape Campervans allows you to rent a Jeep with a rooftop tent already installed at select locations across the U.S. This makes it easy to test a tent out, without worrying about installing it on your personal vehicle. 

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