Buying a roof tent for the car – how to find the right one

Buy roof tent ( hard shell ) car Ragna GT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Here you can buy your tent for the car roof

Which roof tent should you choose?

Most people are familiar with the models. But there are differences between the types of roof tents. These are a few basic points to consider before purchasing your new rooftop tent.

What equipment do you need?

A good type of roof tent should have a high durability so that it works long enough. It is by no means necessary to buy a new roof tent for the car every year. Instead, you should always go a few steps further and make sure that your roof tent type is currently the best. This is how you use your roof tent over a long period of time and sustainably.

How much money do you want to invest?

Most people don't like spending money. But if you buy a good roof tent for the car, it can quickly become a success. Here you will find a great deal of information that can help you figure out what type of rooftop tent you need.

You should know this before buying your roof tent for the car

A roof tent on the car offers you several advantages compared to buying a mobile home. With a car roof tent you are more flexible on the road than with a mobile home. You can mount a car tent on the roof of a Bulli or van. Do you need a roof tent in the hard shell or a roof tent for 3 people? Here you can find it.

Advantages that a car tent has

• You can easily spend the night with a car roof tent in any car park, as long as you don't set up camping chairs and your roof tent doesn't increase the dimensions of the vehicle. A roof tent in the hard shell is perfect for this. If you sleep in the roof tent, this serves to restore your ability to drive. After the night you should drive on. Multi-day stays are similar to the Caravan not allowed in Germany.
• While an RV doesn't fit under every bridge because of its height, you don't have this problem with a rooftop tent. Hard-shell roof tents in particular are packed so compactly that they do not cause any problems.
• In cities you are more flexible with a car with a roof tent. You can find parking spaces wherever cars are allowed to park. With a mobile home this is difficult. You are often dependent on parking spaces and parking spaces outside the city center. Long walks into the city are not uncommon.
• Another advantage of a roof tent is that you sleep above the ground. This avoids sleeping on uneven ground. Stones, bugs and dirt do not affect your sleep. If it rains, no water gets into the tent.

What is the best rooftop tent for the car?

The magazine ComputerBild carried out a test of roof tents in 2022.

• That was the test winner Prime Tech hard shell car tent Nevada*
• That took 2nd place Prime Tech hard shell car roof tent Delta*
• That landed in 3rd place qeedo Freedom Slim hard shell roof tent for 2 people*

All three roof tents received the rating very good.

If you purchase via a link marked *, we receive a commission, which we use to run this blog.

A roof tent for the car is cheap

A big difference to the mobile home is the price. Buying an RV is a big investment. If you want to buy a roof tent for the car, you can get it - depending on the size and equipment - at prices between 1000 and 6500 euros. Particularly good car roof tents cost up to 8000 euros. You can even buy a roof tent for pickups, which you set up on the loading area of ​​the vehicle, for less than 200 euros. Whether cheap roof tents are worthwhile, however, must be considered carefully. The cheapest models are not automatically the best.

Roof structures car - what you need to know

There are a few things you need to know about car roof structures. Here you can find them in detail:

For which car is a roof tent suitable?

A roof tent can be mounted on almost any car. It is a misconception that this is only possible with SUVs or vans. The roof load of the vehicle is decisive for the construction of a roof tent.

Roof load on a car for a car roof tent

The permissible roof load must be observed. The information can be found in the manufacturer's manual for the vehicle. It's not on the vehicle registration document. Depending on the vehicle, this is between 50 and 75 kilograms, sometimes even higher. This means the load weight that may be transported during the journey. In the case of a car roof tent, this load is the weight of the closed tent. Tent and roof rack should not exceed the specified roof load.

If the car is stationary, it can withstand a higher weight. Tent manufacturers state the maximum load of the roof when stationary at around 200 kilograms. The lower the weight of the roof tent and the user, the more people can sleep in it. Here you should make sure that Tent, the roof rack, the people and the luggage under the total mass of the vehicle lie.

Roof rack for car roof tent

When it comes to car roof structures, there are a few things you have to consider. It is important that the roof rack can withstand the weight of the roof tent including people. Roof rack with a load capacity of 200 kg * are best suited for this. You should also make sure that the luggage rack fits your own car, e.g. for one citroen*, a Volkswagen* , or renault*. There's a selection for different car brands, for example VDP*. In addition, roof racks must match your vehicle type. Some cars already have a railing or mounting points to which you can attach the cross members. The TÜV advises only buying tested luggage racks. Although there are no legal regulations, there is the DIN 75302 standard, which specifies the requirements and test methods for luggage racks. It therefore makes sense to use tested luggage racks. The best thing to do is to ask your car manufacturer about suitable roof racks. Then you can't go wrong.

If you purchase via a link marked *, we receive a commission, which we use to run this blog.

Is a car roof tent waterproof?

The fabric of a rooftop tent is usually waterproof. However, weak points are seams, fly screens, windows, zippers and places where the fabric overlaps.

Where can I stay overnight with a car roof tent?

• At campsites
• Scandinavia allows wild camping (see "Everyman's Right"). This does not apply to mobile homes.
• In Scotland you can camp wild.
• In Germany in nature where it is not forbidden (fines are rare)

It is forbidden to stay overnight in a roof tent

• In nature, wildlife and water protection areas
• In public squares and streets
• In the wilderness, especially in southern Europe (there are often high penalties)
• On private property (be sure to ask in advance!)

Questions and answers about buying a roof tent for a car

What do you need for camping in the car?

You should also have these camping accessories with you:

• Sleeping bag*
• water canister*
• folding chairs*
• garbage bag*
• sleeping pad*
• Petrol-* or gas cooker*
• cooling box
• a mosquito net*

If you purchase via a link marked *, we receive a commission, which we use to run this blog.

Do you know this?

• Camping Gear: What You Really Need
• Guide to Camping Accessories: RV, Tent and Outdoor
• camping lamps
• Dutch Oven Sizes – Which One Fits Me?
• You can also find Dutch oven accessories
• E-bike folding bike for camping
• packing list for campers
• Motorhome holidays - How to avoid rookie mistakes
• In the houseboat on the Saone in Franche Comté
• Suitcase, trolley or backpack?
• Level 8 suitcase test: practical experiences on our Croatia road trip
• Twillingate Newfoundland
• Camping accessories store
• The ultimate camping gear list for your Slovenia trip

Source Buying a roof tent for the car: own research. In any case, our opinion remains our own.

Text Buying a roof tent for the car: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos : © Copyright Wikimedia (see caption) and Amazon product photos