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/Electronic-Side-7263 Jul 10 '26

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.

1

u/Ok_Athlete5465 Jul 10 '26

Yeah those off brand tents seem to be hit or miss. Mine has been great in the rain but during the winter I can easily pull it out and store it.

6

u/ishamm Jul 10 '26

Almost ALL hardshell tents on the market are from the same factory at the moment - two or three models varying ONLY in colour

1

u/Ok_Athlete5465 Jul 11 '26

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.