Considering a roof-top tent purchase? One of the most important steps of this process is figuring out what tents can fit in your vehicle! There’s a few steps in this process, between figuring out the weight load on your vehicle, picking the best roof rack, and the perfect tent! Here’s our guide for a first-time tent buyer
Dynamic weight load
Dynamic weight load is the weight your vehicle’s roof can safely support while it’s moving. You can find your dynamic weight load in your vehicle’s user manual. To safely support a rooftop tent, your car will need to have a dynamic weight load of 165 lbs (75 kg) for larger tents/four person tents, or 125 lbs (57kg) for smaller tents, typically two-person tents.
Pickup trucks
Pickup trucks offer the most options for your rooftop tent experience. You can attach the tent on the cab, a truck cap, or the box. Here’s a breakdown of each option
- Cab: This setup is ideal if you want to consistently carry bikes, kayaks, or other equipment in your truck bed. The weight-bearing capacity of the cab isn’t as strong, so it’ll be best if you’re only looking to carry 2-person rooftop-tents.
- Cab Racks
- Yakima Lock and Load
- Yakima Skyline
- Canopy: This is how we set up our vehicles for our sister rental company, FarOut Wilderness. Ensure that the canopy you’ve purchased can handle the weight load - we recommend Hornby Canopy to see their options. This is the most expensive set up, but it allows for full/locked box access, frees up the rear of your vehicle to carry other equipment, and it can hold any tent
- Canopy Racks
- Yakima Skyline
- Box attachment: The main consideration will be how much box access you’re looking for. There’s a few different racks, some offering high profile access, and some low access
- High Profile Box Racks
- Yakima Overhaul HD System
- Yakima Overhaul HD Tonneau
- Low Profile Box Racks
- Yakima Bedrock HD
- Yakima Outpost HD
SUVs
Make sure to double check your vehicle’s dynamic weight load, but SUVs are typically good to go for 2 or 4 person tents. Here are a few key considerations:
- Your local Yakima dealer MUST verify which rack will safely attach to your vehicle.
- There's typically only one or two racks that end up working for each vehicle.
- Some vehicles have a track system, and some have a raised siderail system.
- Track System racks
- Yakima Locknload
- Yakima Skyline
- Raised Siderail racks
- Yakima Timberline
Sedans
Sedans are a challenge, but they can also work for a rooftop tent. The most important piece is checking your car’s dynamic weight load. A four-person tent will almost certainly be too large, and it’s probably 50/50 that your sedan can take on a two-person tent.
Your best bet with a sedan is to reach out to local experts. We’ll help you with the roof top tent piece, and your local rack dealers can also guide you
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