Are Rooftop Tents Worth It? Pros and Cons You Need To Know
Are rooftop tents worth it when a regular ground tent costs a fraction of the price? After owning ours for two years, I’d say yes for the right kind of camper – but there are a few downsides I’d think seriously about before buying one.
We bought our James Baroud rooftop tent secondhand from another couple, and it has made weekend camping much easier for us. Nowadays, we know we’ll have a comfortable place to sleep, setup is quick, and we can bring an unreasonable number of blankets and pillows when it’s cold outside.
However, it definitely isn’t perfect. The main downside is that your tent is attached to your car. That means if you want to drive somewhere after setting up camp, you’ll have to pack everything away first.
Here’s what I actually like about owning a rooftop tent, what gets annoying, and who I think they make the most sense for.
This article uses affiliate links where I make a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
So, are rooftop tents actually worth it?
For us, a rooftop tent has been worth it because we camp often enough that convenience matters. It makes it much easier to say yes to a last-minute weekend trip because we already know our sleeping setup will be comfortable and relatively easy.
I don’t think everyone needs one, though.
| Camping style | Is a rooftop tent worth considering? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Couples who camp often | Yes | Comfortable, fast setup, and easy to keep your sleep setup ready |
| Weekend road trips | Yes | Makes quick overnight stops much easier |
| Dispersed camping | Yes | You don’t have to rearrange the inside of your car every night |
| Cold or windy camping | Yes | A good hardshell feels much more substantial than our old setup |
| Campers who drive away from camp often | Maybe not | You have to close the tent every time you move the vehicle |
| Occasional campers | Probably not | A normal tent is much cheaper and does the same basic job |
For us, the real question isn’t whether a rooftop tent is “better” than a ground tent. It’s whether it makes the kind of camping you already enjoy easier.
What we like about camping with a rooftop tent
Convenience is the main advantage for us, and the reason why we got a rooftop tent.
Setup is really easy with a hardshell
We have a hardshell James Baroud Space, so arriving at camp doesn’t involve pulling out a tent, finding all the poles, clearing a patch of ground, staking everything down, and setting up our bed inside.
Opening the rooftop tent is also pretty simple. That helps a lot, especially when we arrive late to camp, the weather isn’t great, or we’re only staying somewhere for one night. All in all, it makes short weekend camping trips feel more realistic because setting up camp doesn’t take too much time.
It makes cold and windy camping more comfortable
I especially like having a rooftop tent during the offseason when temperatures drop and the weather gets windier. We felt this the most when we went camping in fall in the Eastern Sierra, and in winter in Alabama Hills. Both times, the temperatures were at or below freezing.
Our hardshell feels secure, and because we aren’t worried about carrying everything on our backs, we can bring as many blankets and pillows as we want. Yup, we definitely don’t camp light when we use a rooftop tent.
Our usual setup is a Rumpl Sherpa Fleece Puffy Blanket, a NEMO Fillo pillow, and another fluffy blanket from Target layered on top. When it gets colder, we bring our warmer sleeping bags. Most of the time in summer, we just use the cheap double sleeping bag we bought when we first started camping.
The wedge shape gives us more headroom
If you’re deciding between a pop-up and a wedge, I’d recommend the wedge. One feature I really like about our James Baroud is exactly the wedge shape. One side of the tent opens higher, which gives us enough headroom to sit up comfortably.
It might seem unimportant now, but when you’re in there trying to change or sitting up to watch a movie, having some internal height is great.
The views are amazing through the wide windows
Our tent also has windows around roughly 270 degrees, which is something I didn’t fully appreciate until we started camping with it.
You can lie in bed and still see outside in several directions. At a scenic dispersed campsite, that is pretty hard to beat. On days when I’m too lazy to step out of the tent to watch the sunrise, all I need to do is open up the windows and watch it from the tent.
It works really well for dispersed camping
I think rooftop tents make a lot of sense for dispersed camping, especially as a couple. When we did so for the first time, we saw lots of campers with rooftop tents. It looked really comfortable, even in a place with zero amenities.
Before buying ours, we tried sleeping in the back of our car. While it technically worked, every night involved moving bags and gear around to create enough sleeping space, then rearranging everything again in the morning.
Now that we have a rooftop tent, it gives us a separate sleeping space, so the inside of the car can stay organized. As a couple, it was just much more worth it to have a sleeping space separate from our camping gear.
Cons of a rooftop tent
There are also a few things about rooftop tents that can be annoying, though none of them would stop me from owning ours. Still, it’s worth knowing about the cons before you spend the money.
Personally, most of the downsides come from one basic fact: your campsite and your vehicle are attached to each other.
You have to pack up every time you want to drive somewhere
This is probably the most annoying part of owning a rooftop tent.
Once the tent is open, your car is effectively part of your campsite. If you suddenly want to drive to a trailhead, pick up food, or explore somewhere nearby, you’ll need to close the tent first. With a normal ground tent, you can leave everything behind and drive away.
That’s why I’d say that rooftop tents work better for some trips than others. But you can always tweak your trip style to fit your rooftop tent constraints.
If we’re dispersed camping and mostly hanging around camp, it isn’t much of an issue. However, if we’re staying in one campground and driving to different hikes every day, having to repeatedly pack the tent can get troublesome. But it never felt too bad.
I’d think about how you normally camp before buying one, because if you move your car multiple times a day after setting up, this tradeoff matters.
Putting it on and taking it off is a pain
A rooftop tent may be easy to open at camp, but actually installing or removing one is a different story. Some people take the rooftop tent off between trips, but it takes significant manpower.
Ours is heavy enough that taking it on and off our Subaru Forester isn’t something we casually do on a Sunday afternoon.
When we originally bought ours secondhand, the couple selling it helped us put it onto the car and showed us how everything worked. That was incredibly helpful because figuring out the mounting system while also dealing with a large, heavy tent would have been stressful.
Because removing it is such a big time and effort commitment, we basically leave ours on the car all the time.
Storage can be difficult without a garage
If you plan to remove your rooftop tent between trips, you’ll need somewhere to put it. These tents are big, heavy, and not exactly something you slide underneath the bed. They also don’t recommend propping the tent up on its side to avoid damaging the tent.
It’s often much easier if you own a garage. There are also pulley systems that people use to hang the tent up. That also makes it easy to put the tent back onto the car instead of needing to hoist it up.
If you live in an apartment or don’t have covered storage, you’ll need to decide if you’re happy to keep your rooftop tent on the car for extended periods of time.
For us, leaving the tent mounted has been easier than repeatedly taking it on and off.
It does affect our fuel efficiency
On that note, keeping the rooftop tent mounted also means carrying the extra weight and aerodynamic drag everywhere.
Our 2023 Subaru Forester used to average around 30 mpg in fuel efficiency. Now with the rooftop tent on, we’re closer to 27.2 mpg. When I was doing my research, I read that others were seeing up to a 17% drop in fuel efficiency.
While that isn’t enough of a difference for us to remove it between every camping trip, it definitely counts towards the ongoing cost of keeping a rooftop tent on your vehicle. Thankfully, our fuel efficiency didn’t drop too much. It felt reasonable to pay an extra ~$20 per month (assuming 1000 miles/month and $6/gallon).
Your campsite needs to be fairly level
Most of the time, we can find a reasonably flat parking spot without much trouble, so uneven ground hasn’t been a major inconvenience for us.
Still, because your sleeping platform is literally attached to your vehicle, a sloping campsite becomes a sloping bed. But honestly, you’ll have a similar problem with a ground tent too.
That’s one reason why you might be restricted to certain campsites with a proper and flat-ish parking area for your vehicle.
How much does a rooftop tent really cost?
The tent itself is only part of the cost. You may also need a compatible roof rack, mounting hardware, and potentially help installing it depending on the weight of the tent. If you’re buying a rooftop tent from a physical store, I heard (not personally verified) that the staff might be able to help you with installation.
Here’s roughly what our exact setup costs at today’s prices:
| Part | Price new (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|
| James Baroud Space tent, size M (the one we have) | $4,295 |
| Yakima TimberLine Towers (4-pack) | $275 |
| Yakima CoreBars, 50″ (pair) | $229 |
| Yakima SKS lock cores (4-pack, optional) | $70 |
| Total, all new | about $4,800 to $4,870 |
So brand new, a hardshell setup like ours comes close to $5,000. You could also consider buying used.
The Space also comes in size S ($4,095) and XL ($4,695), and custom colors add $500. Across the whole James Baroud lineup, new tents range from about $2,650 to $5,900. You could probably also find softshell tents from other brands that cost less.
If I were shopping again, I’d personally rather buy a used, high-quality rooftop tent that has held up well.
After two years with our tent, James Baroud is still the brand I’d feel most comfortable buying again. I already know how ours has held up (even though it’s secondhand). That gives me more confidence than buying another rooftop tent brand simply because it’ll be new.
Obviously, I’d still inspect any used tent carefully before buying it. Check the shell, fabric, hinges, seals, mattress, and opening mechanism before completing the sale.
That said, buying new could make sense too, as not everyone will be able to find a good secondhand tent. Buying new also means you get to choose the color and size and compare the different types of tents. Because they’re so well made, these high-quality tents also hold their value really well.
Rooftop tent vs ground tent: which is better?
A rooftop tent and a ground tent ultimately solve the same problem, but the camping experience is pretty different, so I don’t think one is automatically better.
For us, the rooftop tent wins mostly because of setup and comfort. We knew we wanted to get one within 1 year of starting to camp.
| Feature | Rooftop tent | Ground tent |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | Much more expensive | Much cheaper |
| Setup | Very quick with a hardshell | Usually takes longer |
| Sleeping comfort | Mattress stays ready | Depends on sleeping pad or mattress |
| Cold weather comfort | Easy to bring lots of bedding | Still comfortable with the right gear |
| Moving the car | Requires packing the tent | Leave tent at camp |
| Storage | Large and awkward | Easy |
| Vehicle requirements | Needs compatible vehicle and rack | None |
| Dispersed camping | Excellent | Also good |
| Couples | Great | Great |
| Larger groups | Limited by tent size | More flexible |
I’d choose a rooftop tent if convenience and sleeping comfort are your priorities.
I’d choose a ground tent if budget, flexibility, and being able to leave your campsite set up while you drive somewhere are more important.
A rooftop tent is probably worth it if…
Rooftop tents make the most sense when they remove friction from camping rather than create more of it. For us, that means making quick weekend trips easier and giving us a sleeping setup we already know we like.
A rooftop tent is worth considering if you:
- Camp fairly regularly
- Mostly camp as a couple or small group
- Take a lot of weekend road trips
- Like dispersed camping
- Want a comfortable mattress and plenty of bedding
- Camp in colder or windier weather
- Value fast setup
- Have a compatible vehicle and roof rack
- Have somewhere practical to store the tent, or are comfortable leaving it on the car
The best part for us is probably psychological more than anything.
When we’re thinking about going camping for the weekend, we already know where we’re sleeping and that it will be comfortable. There isn’t much setup to think about once we arrive, and that makes it easier to say yes and go.
If you’re not sure where to go once you have the tent, my California Car Camping Guide details campgrounds we keep going back to. It also covers the specific sites I’d book and how to strategize around snagging a reservation when everything looks full.
I’d skip the rooftop tent if…
There are also plenty of situations where I think a regular tent makes more sense. A rooftop tent is expensive equipment, and buying one just because rooftop camping looks fun on Instagram probably isn’t enough reason.
I’d think twice if you:
- Only camp once or twice a year
- Need to drive away from your campsite constantly
- Don’t have somewhere practical to store the tent
- Don’t want the extra weight on your vehicle year-round
- Are already happy with your current tent setup
- Usually camp with a larger group
- Would have to stretch your budget significantly to buy one
For occasional camping, I don’t think you need anything this complicated.
A good ground tent, comfortable sleeping pads, and warm bedding will get you outside for much less money. We backpack a lot, so we definitely feel happy with a ground tent too.
What I’d check before buying a rooftop tent
Before shopping for a specific tent, make sure your vehicle can actually support the setup. The fun part is comparing tents, but figuring out the boring vehicle and storage details first can save you from buying something that doesn’t work for your car or lifestyle.
Things to check:
- Your vehicle’s roof load limits
- Your roof rack’s weight rating
- The weight of the tent
- Whether your crossbars are compatible
- Your total vehicle height with the tent installed
- Whether you’ll still fit inside your garage
- Where you’ll store the tent if you remove it
- How many people can fit in the tent
- Whether you want a hardshell or softshell design
FAQs about rooftop tents
There are a few practical questions I had before buying ours that are worth answering separately. These are also the details to think about before deciding whether the convenience is worth the price for you.
Are rooftop tents worth the money?
They can be if you camp frequently and value quick setup and comfort. If you only camp occasionally, a good ground tent will be much cheaper and probably makes more sense.
I also think buying secondhand is worth considering. That’s how we bought our James Baroud, and I would opt for that again if I had the option to.
Do rooftop tents affect gas mileage?
Yes, most likely.
Our Subaru Forester averaged around 30 mpg fuel efficiency before the rooftop tent. Now with the tent mounted, we’re currently closer to 27.2 mpg.
Your results will depend on your vehicle, tent, driving style, and other factors, but I would expect some difference.
Are rooftop tents comfortable?
Ours is very comfortable for two people, especially because we can bring as many blankets and pillows as we want. The James Baroud Space tent also comes with a thick memory foam mattress that we love.
Are rooftop tents good for cold weather?
I’ve especially liked ours for offseason camping when it’s colder, rainy, or windy. Even in harsh weather, our hardshell rooftop tent made us feel secure. We just piled on blankets and tried to make our sleeping setup as comfortable as possible.
Are rooftop tents good for dispersed camping?
Absolutely! In my view, dispersed camping is one of the best use cases for a rooftop tent.
We previously tried sleeping inside the back of our car, and constantly rearranging our gear to create sleeping space got tiring. The rooftop tent keeps our bed separate from everything stored inside the car. As a couple, that setup has worked really well for us.
Is a rooftop tent better than sleeping in your car?
For us, yes.
Sleeping inside the car was cheaper, but we had to move everything around before bed and put it all back again the next morning.
With a rooftop tent, the car trunk remains as storage space and the tent is where we sleep. That separation was much needed for our overall comfort.
How often do you need to camp for a rooftop tent to be worth it?
I don’t think there is a specific number of nights that suddenly makes one worthwhile. Instead, I’d look at whether the rooftop tent solves an actual problem for you.
In our case, easy setup and a comfortable bed make us more likely to take quick camping trips. That makes the investment more useful than it would be for someone who already loves their ground-tent setup and only camps a couple of times each year.
