Are Rooftop Tents Actually Worth It? A Guide To Roof Tents

Rooftop tents have gone from niche overlanding kit to the thing every vehicle at the campsite seems to have bolted to the roof. They look brilliant, they photograph even better and there is a certain smugness in setting up camp in minutes while everyone else is still hunting for tent pegs in the dark.

What a rooftop tent actually is

A rooftop tent (RTT) mounts to your roof rack or bars and folds out to give you a raised sleeping platform, usually with a built in mattress. You climb up a ladder, and you are sleeping a good couple of feet off the ground rather than on it.

Fold-out (soft-shell) tents open out over the side of the vehicle, giving you a generous sleeping area for the money and a fast, one-person setup. Hard-shell tents pop straight up into a rigid clamshell, sleeker on the roof, but pricier and usually smaller inside. For most UK enthusiasts, a good fold-out hits the sweet spot. Our guide to roof tent and overland camping in the UK digs into the differences if you want the full picture.

The case for buying one

• You are off the ground. No damp seeping through, no lumpy roots in your back, no unwelcome visitors crawling in overnight. On a wet UK weekend, that alone sells it for a lot of people.
• Setup is genuinely quick. Roll into a spot, pop the tent, throw the ladder down; done in minutes. When you are chasing daylight after a long green lane, that speed matters.
• It is comfortable. A proper foam mattress means you are not fighting a leaky airbed. The sleeping quality is closer to a caravan than a tent on the floor.
• It frees up your boot. No tent taking up load space inside the vehicle means more room for recovery gear, the dog, or the cool box.
• The view. Waking up above the treeline with the sides unzipped is the whole reason half of us got into this in the first place.

The two we would buy: EXPLORER and SHADOW

If you have decided a rooftop tent is for you, our EXPLORER and SHADOW fold-out tents are the ones we point most people towards. They are built for exactly the way UK enthusiasts camp: fast to pitch, comfortable, and sized for real trips.

• Sleeps up to three on a thick, high-density foam mattress, plenty of room to stretch out.
• Up in minutes, by one person. Less faff with poles, more time round the fire.
• Built to last, with rip-stop fabric and a rustproof aluminium frame that shrugs off UV and damp.
• Fits most vehicles, light enough for most roof racks, with an integrated alloy ladder included.

Both are very reasonably priced, so the choice really comes down to the look you want on your rig:

Prefer a darker, stealthier look? Go for the EXPLORER in black and grey. Want something that blends into the treeline? The SHADOW in green and black is the one. Either way you are getting the same tent underneath. 

So who is it actually worth it for?

A rooftop tent earns its keep if you:

• Do frequent weekend trips or longer overlanding runs where you are moving between spots
• Camp in wet, cold or rough-ground conditions where being off the deck is a real advantage
• Value speed and comfort over saving weight and money
• Have a vehicle and rack set-up that can properly handle the load

It is probably not worth it if you pitch up at one campsite for a week and use the vehicle for day trips, or if you only camp a handful of nights a year. In those cases a ground tent or an awning-and-swag set-up will save you money and hassle. Our guide to the ultimate 4x4 camping setup walks through the wider kit list if you are weighing up the whole rig.

The verdict

For enthusiasts who actually get out regularly and cover ground, a rooftop tent is one of the best upgrades you can make to a 4x4 or pickup, the comfort, speed and off-the-ground sleeping genuinely transform how you camp.

Be honest about how you camp, check your roof load ratings, and pick the tent that fits the way you travel. If that sounds like you, the EXPLORER and SHADOW are ready to go, or browse the full Apex4WD rooftop tent range. In stock now.

Frequently asked questions

Are rooftop tents worth the money?

For regular campers and overlanders they usually are, the speed of setup, comfort and off-the-ground sleeping justify the cost. Our EXPLORER and SHADOW fold-out tents sit around the £800 mark and cover most people perfectly.

Can any car take a rooftop tent?

It depends on your vehicle. You will need roof bars or a roof rack, rated for the weight of the tent - and a roof that meets the dynamic load rating. Most 4x4s and large vehicles like the Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi L200, Isuzu D-Max, Nissan Navara and VW Amarok; can handle them comfortably, but always check your vehicle figures first.

What is the difference between the EXPLORER and SHADOW?

Underneath they are the same fold-out three-person tent at the same price. The EXPLORER is black body with a grey roof; the SHADOW is green body with a black roof. Pick on looks.

How long does a fold-out roof tent take to set up?

Minutes, and it can be done by one person, a big part of why fold-out tents are so popular for UK weekend trips.