Getting away from home is never easy unless embarking on a camping trip with your pals. But there’s a lot of planning and preparation involved.
With compact tents making their way into the off-roading market, rooftop tents have gained immense popularity. With everything in your truck’s bed, you don’t need a separate tent or a camping rig. Instead, you can add a rooftop tent and hit the trail in a single unit!
There are many tents out there, though, so what should you look for in an ideal tent?
SMRT Tent has a range of premium rooftop tents for your off-roading experiences. One of their best products, the SMRT Softshell Rooftop Tent, is becoming increasingly popular among campers thanks to its amazing build and feature-rich portfolio. I own a SMRT tent, so I can speak from experience!
Let’s have a look at some of the features of this rooftop tent and learn how you can enhance your rooftop tent camping experience with some additional softshell rooftop tent accessories.
Table of Contents
- What is the SMRT Softshell Rooftop Tent?
- Pros and Cons of Rooftop Tents
- Enhancing Your Softshell Rooftop Tent
- Other Recommended Camping Gear
What is the SMRT Softshell Rooftop Tent?
The SMRT Softshell rooftop tent is a sturdy tent that goes atop most SUVs, trucks, and trailers. It has a main frame made of honeycomb aluminum, coated with a 1mm layer of diamond powder for extra strength and sturdiness. The universal mounting tracks fit most vehicles, and you don’t need additional tools or skills to set it up.
It is a compact and smartly designed tent that’s supposed to save you a lot of space and make things easier when camping in the wild. It comfortably houses 4 people and is made of weather-resistant, waterproof 320g ripstop polycotton material, which is perfect for all-season camping.
With the packed dimensions of 64-inches(length), 48-inches(width), 14-inches(height), and just 128 lbs of weight, this tent is perfectly sized for hitting the trail. It comes with one door, mesh-covered windows for breathability, and a telescopic ladder to help you get in and out.
It also features a 2.5” thick ultra-high-density open-cell foam mattress that adapts nicely to your body and relieves you of all your aches and pains. There is a ton of storage space and cubies inside to sort out your daily accessories and apparel without requiring any extra gear.
The tent’s dimensions are as follows:
- Total height: 47 inches
- Floor area: 41.1 square feet
- Floor dimensions: 94 inches in length and 63 inches in width
Pros and Cons of Rooftop Tents
Like any kind of gear, softshell rooftop tents come with their advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
These tents fit most vehicles without any alterations or modifications, so they offer great utility and ease of usage.
Rooftop tents save a lot of space, not just while being loaded into the back of your truck or SUV, but also when it sets up on the roof of your vehicle. You don’t have to find a suitable space or bring any extra tools for setup; simply set it up and attach it to your vehicle’s roof rails.
Softshell rooftop tents are quite sturdy and accommodating. As most of these are made of powder-coated aluminum and weather-resistant ripstop and Denier polyester, you can rely on these without worrying about any leaks, rust, damage, or repairs for years to come.
Additionally, these rooftop tents easily accommodate 3-4 people in a compact space, which makes them very desirable yet useful at the same time.
Cons
Although great for space-saving, the utility still isn’t great as a full-fledged tent. You cannot stand up and stretch inside a rooftop tent and have to take washroom breaks outside.
Likewise, you must climb a ladder to get in and out of the tent. This is an obvious disadvantage for people with mobility concerns.
There’s a limitation of only being mountable on a roof, too – these tents aren’t for camping on the ground.
Enhancing Your Softshell Rooftop Tent
If the standard softshell rooftop tent experience isn’t good enough for you, don’t worry! SMRT Tent offers a range of add-on accessories that you can use to modify its Softshell rooftop tent and make it even better.
SMRT 2M Straight Awning
The weather won’t always be hospitable when you go camping and it could really be a thorn in your side if the scorching sun doesn’t let you enjoy it or the rain keeps pouring. Get the SMRT 2M straight awning to protect you from such environmental hazards.
It’s made with 280g ripstop polyester, an aluminum frame, and Nylock nuts that allow easy installation with your Softshell rooftop tent with awning brackets. This awning offers durable protection without any vibration or knocking.
When deployed, it offers a coverage area of 52.6 square feet that keeps the weather, letting you enjoy the outdoor life without any hindrance.
SMRT Annex
If your friends join you on your camping trip at the last moment and your Softshell rooftop tent is full, an annex room will save the day. Simply get this SMRT Annex and add extra living space to your rooftop tent.
Made of 420D Oxford canvas and a 650D Denier floor, this annex room is just as sturdy as your Softshell rooftop tent. Without worrying about the elements outside, get inside the annex and have a great time with your friends. It also comes with universal hooks and attachment points to fit to your Softshell rooftop tent without any modifications.
So, with just a couple of additions, you can make a softshell rooftop tent more functional and roomy. And if you invest in The Softshell from SMRT and its compatible accessories, you’ll have a durable setup that will last you for years to come!
Other Recommended Camping Gear