5 Reasons You Need a Rooftop Tent

Featuring the Yakima x Poler SkyRise

The Freewaters Trifecta:

A Different Kind of Sandal

POSTED BY DAVID BOLLER | JULY, 31 2018

Rooftop Tents. There is a chance you have probably heard of them. There is an even better chance that you have seen someone showing one off in your Instagram feed.

There is reason for that. They are really cool. We were recently sent a Yakima x Poler SkyRise rooftop tent to test, and we had more than a few passersby pointing in amazement when we set it up. They are cool, and you are cooler for having one. It's that simple.

That being said, a good rooftop tent like the SkyRise is an investment. You will probably need to be able to justify your decision when your significant other gets a peek at the price tag. Don’t worry, we got you.

Here are our top 5 reasons you should buy a rooftop tent:

1. Ease of use

I have been camping for a long time. Something north of 20 years now. In that time, I haven’t found a tent that is easy to set up. Sure, they continue to get better, and you get pretty good at it if you have done it enough times. Still, it’s not exactly a fun process. The poles are always finicky, the stakes bend half of the time, and when you are done camping, you have to figure out how to get it all back into the compression sack.

With rooftop tents, set up and tear down is a breeze. Simply unfold it, lock the ladder in place, and secure your rain fly. Reverse the process when done. No stakes. No stuffing. Trust me, it’s just better.

2. Comfort

Over my many years of camping, I have done very little “glamping.” For a long time, my kit consisted of a tarp, ground pad, and sleeping bag. The Tarp was either cover from the rain, or a ground cloth with a perfect view of the stars. Luxury was not exactly on the menu.

The truth is, most camping isn’t back country camping. That means my spartan kit isn’t really necessary for the vast majority of camp sites you will be visiting. If you are going to have your car with you anyway (and you probably will), there is no more comfortable way to sleep. You get a flat, even sleeping surface every time. Plus you can’t forget about that wall-to-wall foam mattress. It’s a game changer.

3. Protection from the elements

Being outside is a pretty basic part of camping. Outside is not using clean in the way we tend to think about it. Dirt, grass, leaves, and sand are all very normal and even healthy parts of camping. That being said, I prefer to not sleep in dirt or sand when I don’t have to. Whenever I use a tent, it’s usually part sandbox by the end of the trip.

Being that your rooftop tent it going to be about 6 feet off the ground, its significantly easier to keep the outside, outside of your tent. Not to mention that rooftop tents are usually built with heftier materials, since they don’t have to fit into a compression sack. Pair that with the fact that you are literally bolted to a couple thousand pounds of metal, and the wind and rain seems a little less frightening.

4. You can camp in more places

This may seem a little counter intuitive, but stay with me. Yes, tents can technically go a lot more places than your car. I haven’t ever seen an SUV on the top of Mount Rainier. That being said, let’s go back to the premise we have been working on so far. If you are already going to be camping somewhere where you have car access, there are going to be a lot of places in those camp sites that you won’t want to put a tent. Uneven ground, mud, rocks, tree roots. These are all spots that you wouldn’t put a tent, but could easily park a car. With a rooftop tent, you can sleep wherever you can fit your car.

5. They are really, really cool

Ok, I know I said we were going to give you reasons beyond them being cool. I didn’t say that it wouldn’t be one of them.

Let’s face it, most of us love gadgets. Lightweight backpacks, crazy camp stoves, solar phone chargers. Yes they are useful, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about how cool something was. That’s not a bad thing either. Camping is a community activity. It’s also, for most of us, purely voluntary. You don’t need a rooftop tent, but you also don’t need to camp at all. So why not sit around the fire with your friends and bond over the ultimate camp gadget? You could even form a club if you want. The point is, camping is about the experience, and rooftop tents make the experience better.

5 Reasons You Need a Roof Top Tent

Featuring the Yakima x Polar SkyRise

5 Reasons You Need a Rooftop Tent

Featuring the Yakima x Poler SkyRise

POSTED BY DAVID BOLLER | JULY, 31 2018

Rooftop Tents. There is a chance you have probably heard of them. There is an even better chance that you have seen someone showing one off in your Instagram feed.

There is reason for that. They are really cool. We were recently sent a Yakima x Poler SkyRise rooftop tent to test, and we had more than a few passersby pointing in amazement when we set it up. They are cool, and you are cooler for having one. It's that simple.

That being said, a good rooftop tent like the SkyRise is an investment. You will probably need to be able to justify your decision when your significant other gets a peek at the price tag. Don’t worry, we got you.

Here are our top 5 reasons you should buy a rooftop tent:

1. Ease of use

I have been camping for a long time. Something north of 20 years now. In that time, I haven’t found a tent that easy to set up. Sure, they continue to get better, and you get pretty good at it if you have done it enough times. Still, it’s not exactly a fun process. The poles are always finicky, the stakes bend half of the time, and when you are done camping, you have to figure out how to get it all back into the compression sack.

With rooftop tents, set up and tear down is a breeze. Simply unfold it, lock the ladder in place, and secure your rain fly. Reverse the process when done. No stakes. No stuffing. Trust me, it’s just better.

2. Comfort

Over my many years of camping, I have done very little “glamping.” For a long time, my kit consisted of a tarp, ground pad, and sleeping bag. The Tarp was either cover from the rain, or a ground cloth with a perfect view of the stars. Luxury was not exactly on the menu.

The truth is, most camping isn’t back country camping. That means my spartan kit isn’t really necessary for the vast majority of camp sites you will be visiting. If you are going to have your car with you anyway (and you probably will), there is no more comfortable way to sleep. You get a flat, even sleeping surface every time. Plus you can’t forget about that wall-to-wall foam mattress. It’s a game changer.

3. Protection from the elements

Being outside is a pretty basic part of camping. Outside is not using clean in the way we tend to think about it. Dirt, grass, leaves, are sand all very normal and even healthy parts of camping. That being said, I prefer to not sleep in dirt or sand when I don’t have to. Whenever I use a tent, it’s usually part sandbox by the end of the trip.

Being that your rooftop tent it going to be about 6 feet off the ground, its significantly easier to keep the outside, outside of your tent. Not to mention that rooftop tents are usually built with heftier materials, since they don’t have to fit into a compression sack. Pair that with the fact that you are literally bolted to a couple thousand pounds of metal, and the wind and rain seems a little less frightening.

4. You can camp in more places

This may seem a little counter intuitive, but stay with me. Yes, tents can technically go a lot more places than your car. I haven’t ever seen an SUV on the top of Mount Rainier. That being said, let’s go back to the premise we have been working on so far. If you are already going to be camping somewhere where you have car access, there are going to be a lot of places in those camp sites that you won’t want to put a tent. Uneven ground, mud, rocks, tree roots. These are all spots that you wouldn’t put a tent, but could easily park a car. With a rooftop tent, you can sleep wherever you can fit your car.

5. They are really, really cool

Ok, I know I said we were going to give you reasons beyond them being cool. I didn’t say that it wouldn’t be one of them.

Let’s face it, most of us love gadgets. Lightweight backpacks, crazy camp stoves, solar phone chargers. Yes they are useful, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about how cool something was. That’s not a bad thing either. Camping is a community activity. It’s also, for most of us, purely voluntary. You don’t need a rooftop tent, but you also don’t need to camp at all. So why not sit around the fire with your friends and bond over the ultimate camp gadget? You could even form a club if you want. The point is, camping is about the experience, and rooftop tents make the experience better.