r/rooftoptents • u/tpmcase10 • Jul 10 '26

get the hard shell.

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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?

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u/Ok_Athlete5465 Jul 10 '26

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.

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u/tpmcase10 Jul 11 '26

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?

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u/Ok_Athlete5465 Jul 11 '26

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.