Tag Archives: rooftop tent

Thule builds a new easy-setup Widesky hardshell rooftop tent for more than just sleeping

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My love for the outdoors rekindles with the fading spring chill, and I hear voices from the woods calling me to come explore. Of course, backpacking is the most viable option, but when I’m planning with my partner, I prefer the rooftop tent. There are two conveniences of the modern hardshell rooftop tents: they’re light on the vehicle – can even transform for ground camping – and are easy to set up and sleep in at the end of the day.

Over the years, these camping solutions have come a long way. We have seen hardshell rooftop tents with their own power stations and those massive enough to sleep an entire family of four. With few options to make a mark, Thule has introduced the Widesky, its first, and probably also the first-ever rooftop tent with a sofa. How’s that for standing out?

Designer: Thule

Thule Widesky is a premium hardshell rooftop tent that’s easy to set up in seconds. It arrives in a lightweight aluminum hardshell body with telescopic poles that lift the tent from its closed position to a full-size wedge-shaped tent upon undoing the four latches used to secure it closed. It’s not the construction but the fancy interior that really sets the Widesky apart.

Unlike many rooftop tents, the primary focus of the Thule Widesky is not sleeping. The two-person tent wants travelers to have a comfortable living space inside. By placing a quilted foam mattress inside that converts into a sofa-like setting with a supportive backrest, Thule has transformed the space from the usual sleeper into a living quarter you’d love to retire into when it’s raining outside, or you want to just relax midway. And sitting back, I’m wondering, if it were this simple, why didn’t anyone think of it earlier?

“Widesky is designed to feel just as inviting during the day as it does at night,” Thule confirms. It weighs only 68 kg on the vehicle’s roof and lifts up to 124 cm at the front for a relaxing space inside. When you’re ready to hit the road, the same tent packs back into a hardshell box measuring just 20 cm high. According to the company, it is compatible with most roof rack systems, and courtesy of its durable recycled fabric walls and an all-weather shell, the tent is suitable for more adventures than those tailored for summer days.

“It’s (Widesky) designed for people who… want a rooftop tent that invites them to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view,” Kajsa Levinsson of Thule informs.

The tent comes with a ladder – mountable on any side of the tent – to climb in. Once comfortably seated/sleeping inside, you can enjoy the vista with the same vividness as you would being outside. To that accord, the Widesky is outfitted with large panoramic doors and mesh panels offering expansive outside views, light, and ventilation. The interior is fashioned with dimmable LED lights to make the space feel warm and welcoming even after sunset. All this goodness is expected to arrive anytime this month, but it will set you back $4,000.   

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Turkish RV maker just dropped ‘most durable and lightest’ full-bodied pickup camper with unfurling rooftop tent

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I don’t always envy adventurers living out of pick-up campers; for some reason though, the Atlas Cabin Box is making me weak in the knees. Designed by Hotomobil, an RV manufacturer from Istanbul, Türkiye, the Atlas is not a typical hardtop truck camper. It is somewhere between a full-bodied option and a rooftop tent that is really impressive to start out with. And the interior, well that’s actually where I find this cabin different from what we have seen in the past.

The combination makes the Atlas different but appealing in two ways. One, the transformative build allows it to maximize the space, and two, it is pretty affordable as opposed to other truck campers. The hard box image of the Atlas Cabin is deceptive of its capability. The low-profile design, sits flush on the truck bed and confines itself well within the side boundaries, minimizing drag and of course packing in a complete camping setup for two. It sets up in a jiffy when the camper’s top is lifted and the tent unfurls.

Designer: Hotomobil

Designed to be spacious and fully-equipped for a user’s camping needs, the Atlas Cabin box, the company claims, is the “most durable and lightest” option in its class. This is made possible with its Monoblock body. The cabin in its absolute versatility can be used as a spacious cargo box and when at the camp, it can transform from the box into and full-size tent pitched above from the ground on a truck bed.

The safe and secure camper is ideal for weekend and even those long road adventures without a reservation. But its insulation can be a concern if you’re planning to take it out in the winter. The tent will require insulation and heating to sustain that kind of camping requirement, but otherwise, there should be no concern in having a comfortable stay in it. Coming to what you get here; the Atlas is a 4-foot-high, 150 kg T-shaped cabin. Of course, that’s not something worth camping in, so the top lid of this box opens full 90-degress to unfurl a tent.

The open tent instantly extends the headroom to 8.5 feet and pitches comfortably from the truck bed down to the ground, opening up space for more than just sleeping and eating. The living unit of the tent is accessible via a telescopic ladder and is provided with a double bed and a dinette with cushioned seats and a table that functions as a work desk when required. Other accessories include a single-burner portable gas stove placed alongside the dinette, a fresh and waste water cans, faucet, space for the power station, and a chest fridge. The Hotomobil Atlas Cabin is available as an empty shell or an Urban Edition that features the above-mentioned amenities. The pricing starts at approximately $11,000 bare bones, and $13,400 for the accessorized Urban Edition.

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Perched on SUV rooftop, HardTent can set up in seconds, keep you warm and dry all year round

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We don’t usually come by rooftop tents with collapsible hard-body exterior. It’s not because manufacturers are not giving it heed – the truth is, we are seeing a few pop up every now and then – it is because the fabric exterior still remains a preferred choice for its wide variety of advantages including construction convenience, lightweight composition, and effortless packing and unpacking.

As iterated, some rooftop tent manufacturers are steadily aligning their allegiance with cleverly engineered materials to deliver hard-walled tents that ride well on top of your SUV. These tents have not found mass adoption yet for two reasons: they tend to add weight to the car’s ride and have a price tag almost twice of what a fabric-walled rooftop tent would cost. Unlike the traditional hard-wall tents, HardSider, is flipping the tide with HardTent: Rooftop tent designed specifically for SUV, which comes with a place to rest inside a robust wall protection offering sound insulation and protection against the elements at a fraction of the cost of any similar RTT in the category.

Designer: HardSider

HardSider, the company focused on ‘reigniting the deep connection between people and the great outdoors,’ has perfected the hard-walled rooftop tent with an origami-inspired pop-up mechanism featuring solid walls on all three sides (owing to its triangular open design). The hard-walled rooftop tent erects in seconds with all the walls lifting off the roof quickly and cleanly as a fabric-walled RTT. Its dual air intake system helps circulate fresh air throughout the interior, while a custom ladder is provided for access into the tent.

These properties are made possible because of its construction. The hard-walls of the HardTent are made from rigid honeycomb composite and provided with laminated waterproof insulation offering an all-season RTT to sit atop any compatible vehicle, preferably an SUV. To that accord, HardTent is sleek on the road and spacious when unfolded. Its interior has a full-size – 52 x 90 in – mattress with enough width to sleep a couple and still have some length for a furry companion to accommodate. And your SUV would barely feel the difference (with this RTT), opening up many new opportunities for you to explore.

Measuring a good 96 inches in length, the HardSider’s rooftop tent is only 7 inches tall when closed. Its low profile makes driving with this 200 lb RTT effortless for the SUV or any compatible vehicle that can handle the weight. And when you decide to change your vehicle, the HardTent rooftop tent can uninstall and move to your new ride. All this for an asking price of only $6,000, which is pricier than the canvas walled counterparts, but conveniently priced otherwise in its own category.

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