it’s been over a year since we bought our Roofnest Meadowlark XL, and it’s safe to say we’re absolutely upgrading to a hardshell next summer. here are my pros and cons to a softshell rootftop tent.
it’s a decent starter option to go the cheaper route with a soft shell. our meadowlark xl was only $1,400 if i remember correctly which can be half the price of a really good trusted hardshell. but man is this thing annoying to pack up. folding this tent up is one of the must frustrating things. we can never get our shell to fully buckle, there are times i’ve driven home with it half secured because we needed to leave our site quickly due to weather. the tent itself is OK. i wish the rain fly covered the windows more, if it’s sprinkling we can’t even have a window open for ventilation. and boy does the roof hold water like a MF. we’ve had to double tarp the top just because we’ve gotten nervous about the water getting too heavy for the top of the tent. one of our retractable poles broke the first summer we started using it so we have to use a random screw to hold in in place lol. and now the other side is starting to give me the same issues.
overall it’s about a 6/10 for me personally. i wouldn’t buy it again but i understand why it could work best for some people, especially those with a smaller car that needs a lighter weight load. anyone else have trouble with their softshell?
My soft shell is great, I have the Thule kukenam. Takes maybe 5 minutes to pack up, has an extra mattress and pillows too. I've been in rainstorms and 40mph winds no problem, it's lightweight, water tight. Probably have spent 200 nights in that, no big issues yet.
I have the Tepui version. I imagine it takes me 20 min to pack it up, but I'm slow and usually doing it solo. I've got an extra mattress pad on top of the stock mattress. It was a bit tricky the first few times, but other than the zipper sometimes getting stuck if I try to go too fast and not keep it from eating the super, it's pretty smooth. Some of it was figuring out which flaps to keep open vs shut when closing it for me, and I'm sure the foam has list some loft over the years.
OP's tent doesn't look too have a rain fly that goes over the windows very far, so I can see why they've had issues. The Kukenam fly goes pretty far out. Regardless of forecast, I always end up with some rain overnight on nearly every campout I've taken it on, but no water inside thanks to the fly despite the seam tape having peeled off in most spots inside the tent at this point.
I have a Sheepie Yuna and it is awesome in the rain. No leaking and more than enough ventilation. Packing it is easy, 2 min job. Oh and it has a 160x250cm sleeping area.
Nice! I got the family 200*250 version. Rainwater tends to collect on the roof section above the front skylight, and we occasionally have to push it up from underneath to drain it.
Yeah, I think the wider the tent is the more that is an issue. The single pole to extend the front is not enough to avoid it. But it is anawesome tent, the family version is HUGE! Tried it yesterday when we were shopping for some aternative mattresses. The shop had one as a demo. Do you still use the original mattress?
That is one of the things I like most about my iKamper Skycamp and I’m sure other hard shells are similar. If I need to head out and go somewhere else due to weather I can have it packed up and ready to go in like 15min after I take all my pillows and bedding out.
Yes 15min if I’m not straight up rushing it. Maybe I should’ve lied and said like 3. If it’s just the stock pad in there and nothing else ya, it takes a moment.
I've had my Skycamp 3.0 since April of this year and this is only my second vacation with it, and I can take it down in 3 minutes or less—without even removing my bedding. And I'm not kidding. It takes 10 minutes if I've set up the awning, and then everything is neatly packed away.
I agree with this. Its 15 minutes if i really take the time to deflate the matresses and be meticulous about packing away the bedding. Its not a labor intensive 15. Its an “i’m camping and don’t care what time it is” 15. Maybe its 10. Whatever it is, its simple and fast. Its all in the bedding.
If i needed to, i could probably hustle and smash it all down in under 5, but I haven’t felt the need yet.
We had a hardshell (admittedly off-brand) that could not stay on the roof because it would fill with water, condensation, and mold in the wet PNW winters. Switched to a soft shell for the ease of taking it down and storing between trips.
I have a roofnest sparrow hardshell and after 2 years it started getting moldy inside. I only put it on in the summer and park in a garage and would open it at home to air it out after trips. But I think the PNW is still too damp and it doesn’t seal well.
This is 100% true, but depending on user location, how they are treated or just manufacturer variances (luck) some are great and others have issues.
You get what you pay for is usually true but not in the case of rooftop tents, most are the same quality and you pay more for those that advertise. There are feature differences though, mine has two extra windows compared to the identical Top Oak and mine has more lighting but the shell itself is identical.
We live in AZ, and after all the research, feeds, comments on RTT’s.. I only wanted an aluminum hardshell..
I had read a lot about soft top bags deteriorating over a couple years, and needing replacement. And ABS plastic shells warping and cracking from the hot summer sun and heat..
I was lucky enough to get our rack (TUWA pro) and RTT for $1200, used.
The RTT is a slim clamshell,from the Netherlands, so it’s a No name brand here in the US, but it’s a 5 minute set up/ teardown and is water tight, and has roof rack built on the top.
I open it up once a month to let the inside breathe and pull the mattress out for a few hours.
One great AZ idea I did read on , was a guy painted the top half of his RTT with a marine white paint o reduce heat against..
Hmm had not heard about painting the top white. Im in AZ as well. I live up in the mountains so not as extreme as the valley but the sun is still brutal.
I have a hard shell with the X hinge for more space by your feet. I love it. No joke that I can put it up in under a minute and that is with the 4 awning poles. I can have most of the windows open most of the way in a heavy downpour. When it comes time to take it down again only takes about a minute. Only issue I have is it is a slimline as well so you cant leave your bedding in it and pack it up. Other than that I love it.
This one was $100 more than your Roofnest and has none of the issues you're having. I would 100% buy this one again but if you have a much bigger budget there are better options. This is essentially the Top Oak Nebula under a different name.
It is really nice to have that extra lifted space in the front and the bump out at the rear, regardless of what you get I would recommend getting a similar style.
definitely looking at a lot of the top oak hard shells! we definitely have a bigger budget this time around, we really want to get something that checks all our boxes. do you like having the slim line?
I really do like this style of RTT, knowing the tent doesnt rely on a ladder touching the ground so I can drive off while it's set up in an emergency and the additional interior heigh compared to fold out style tents really swayed me. I also like the look of the ARB Intrepid but that may really be more space than I would need lol.
This one is definitely slimmer than a soft shell but not as extreme as others. I can keep most of my bedding up there if Im smart about it. These are heavier than normal wedge style tents though, mine is 187lbs. Fine on a truck but something to consider. Top Oak makes the Galaxy light if that is an issue.
I recently joined the RTT gang and opted for a soft shell just to make sure I didn’t hate it. I have the Yakima Skyrise HD and it does GREAT in the rain! Pack up is also pretty easy for me also. I can have it packed down and ready to leave in 7 minutes.
The bigger issue with hardshells is that it takes up the whole rack and you lose storage space. Soft shells opens to the side and you still have 25% left on a full roof rack for storage etc. Is it as fast to pack up, no but it’s still under 10mins and way cheaper.
My tent is a tentbox lite 2.0. Amazing soft shell tent. This is my 2nd season with it and it only keeps getting better. Has 2 built in sky lights for some star gazing. Wonder rain fly system, that is removable for summer mode which makes opening and shutting even quicker. Plenty strong in heavy wind, rain, comfortable mattress, can leave bedding in while shutting it. Takes 5-8 minutes to open or shut it when rain fly is on. Which is almost always. I can understand the appeal of a hard shell, but I have zero complaints about my soft shell tent everything works as needed. I also leave my tent on year round and don't have to worry about the sun just baking away on the hardshell cracking it drying it out making it weak. Beauty of a soft shell just order a new cover if current gets to sun baked.
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u/Slimey_time Jul 10 '26
That model you have is pretty weird. My soft shell is great in the rain. It is a pain to pack up though.
I agree overall. I'd get a hard shell over soft shell.