This innovative rooftop tent is roomy and very lightweight • GentleTent at Overland Expo PNW

[@grahamkearnon6682]

The best outcome for me is all the first adopter crowd now selling their old tents at realistic prices.

[@IronmanV5]

I think that would be great for the beach

[@24Alisonall]

Thanks Donald! Appreciate the info!

[@daneboro6847]

Pretty cool concept👍

[@mixflip]

I sold my side folding tent the other day because I learned that I hated zipping and unzipping the vinyl cover every time. Even on a premium Tepui RRT the zipper eventually started to come apart at the starting point of the zipper. Just a pain in the butt. I now have a hardshell straight up pop up RTT and love it. No vinyl cover, no zipper, pops up in 10 seconds. Closes in maybe 1 minute. Found mine used for $800 on FB.

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice! Hope you are well these days!

[@Tundraoutdoors]

@@softroadingthewest any word on jason from primal outdoors? Is he ok? He hasn’t posted in months thanks brother

[@softroadingthewest]

Jason's fine. He was very busy with a couple of projects for several weeks leading up to Expo PNW. He was there at Expo and I just talked to him again this week. :-)

[@Tundraoutdoors]

@@softroadingthewest thanks brother I appreciate it and keep up the great content 👍🏽👍🏽

[@swidahooverlanding2867]

I remember way back when those trailers came out. I thought it was interesting, but would not last. Years later still out there. Thanks for sharing! George.

[@zackdemundo]

Keep on with the interesting and innovative finds!

[@guitarinjustin]

Man, I look at the cost and complexity of a lot of this roof mounted stuff and start to have a greater appreciation for my old school ground tent. I know, it's not the same... apples and oranges. But at a certain point I begin to wonder if any of this stuff makes camping easier/better or if it's all just toys for showing off. I guess at the end of the day you just got to do whatever makes you happy. To each their own

[@marcomcdowell8861]

Wish them continued success.

[@garyjennyfrost9485]

I like your take on the different equipment as it comes out. I also loved the nod to Casey LaDelle!

[@cramias1]

The contortions and expense that overlanders will go through just to avoid a traditional ground tent never cease to amaze me

[@garretlewis4103]

Before you said it, I was thinking about the Opus. I think they are cool. Pricey for sure.

[@tjkrueger2655]

I don't get rooftop tents. As you said, there are instant pop up tents that are a fraction of the cost and are quicker to set up in some cases. People act like the ground is lava, with ravenous bears ready to rip their tent open mid-sleep. Save your money for something real that actually provides a benefit and convenience, like a camper. Or even truck payments lol

[@romyu8597]

Not if you are in Australia. Every creature is a possible predator

[@tjkrueger2655]

@@romyu8597 With the exception of grizzly bear country in North America, very little need to be elevated, but I get it for Australia

[@cowelk]

Thanks for the review. I like reviews of products that I wouldn't consider buying because I learn something. The inflatable tent is an interesting concept but my REI tent costs a fraction of this tent. I can set my tent up in about 15 minutes. I can stand in it. I can put my lawn chair in it. I can fit a Queen Size inflatable mattress in it. With the rain fly on it I stay dry even in a driving rain (if I put a decent channel around the base of the tent). Plus I can place my portable toilet under the vestibule of my rain fly so I don't have to wander off in the desert or climb down a ladder to relieve myself. I would rather spend my money on camping convenience items but floating down a river on a raft seems interesting. But then again, I live in the desert. Most rivers are dry unless there is a flash flood and I don't really want to float down the river in that situation. But each to his own and again thanks for the review.

[@aimlesslydriven]

I think this is pretty cool. Sure the "cons" are longer set up and tear down and also the traditional ground tent like (non Gazelle or ShiftPod) packing up; but innovative. Cost is quite high when compared to something like and Inspired Overland tent. The only concern is the pressure differences and the effect of it in terms of insulation and rigidity over a 50 degree scale. Thanks for showcasing this!

[@jdp5704]

Cool but way too expensive

[@johndej]

Interesting concept. I appreciate your review.

[@rays3288]

To bright inside. I can see it in Australia, but around the PNW...,wind, rain, and snow. Especially snow. You might wake up to a surprise.

[@Alex_556]

This type of shelters (softwall RTTs) came from Australia where they make a perfect sense. In AU there is no big predators but a lot of nasty crawlers. In the US, except very desert areas, is vice versa.

[@rays3288]

@Alex_556 born there, when back a few years ago.

[@chuckrf1502]

These make me appreciate my over priced ARE topper.

[@jeremyblazek4184]

3500 for a tent with no skylight and built for warm weather only is wild. Good luck.

[@wvadv]

i ---e casey ladelle !

[@softroadingthewest]

Never a dull moment! 🤣

[@JamesSymmonds]

Driving something down the road along a single axis is one thing but I'd be more worried about cross wind. There's a very good reason stronger tents have lots of pole crossings. Also, 10 minutes is a long time for tent set-up. I have a mountaineering tent with 5 poles that I can setup in less time. The upshot I would guess is that if you get a puncture, field repair of this will be easier than most poles.

[@travishudson66]

As an Opus owner, I like seeing more lightweight inflatable items being developed. That inflation time is surprising. My trailer is a couple minutes

[@garretlewis4103]

How are you liking your Opus? We looked hard at them about a year or two ago. Depending upon the model, it didn’t seem like there was much accessible trailer storage when it was folded down. Since it is only 2 of us we were looking at the OP2 and Lite.

[@travishudson66]

@@garretlewis4103 we have gotten a lot of good use out of it over the last 2 years, but agree, the storage is greatly lacking in them

[@slol144]

novel over engineered solution that is labor intensive to manufacture and on par for something from Austria. Perfect for someone if Porsche Taycan Dakar was a thing.

[@jamess662]

Neat product, I’ve always kinda liked the opus trailers. I think these would make a lot of sense depending on application. For my samurai the small tent would be perfect, I have to be more careful about where I’m putting weight. That being said, that price is very steep, I’ll keep my ground tents for that price.

[@Western-Wild]

Appreciate the coverage of a company that is at least trying to be innovative! The focus on weight is great, wish more brands would do that… but the price point and the setup times kinda take it out of consideration. Not much less than a budget wedge camper. Also the suggestion that you could sleep in one of these on a river sounds wildly unsafe.

[@softroadingthewest]

To be fair, I don't _think_ he was suggesting sleeping on the water, just that it can double as a jumbo deluxe floaty for fun during the day. That was my take anyway. 🙂 But yeah I agree, this isn't how I would spend several thousand dollars. 😏

[@garretlewis4103]

At the very least, I think you would have soggy bedding.

[@korkalba8658]

Rooftop tent sales have been down now that 25 to 35mph winds seem to be the new normal....being in a rooftop tent is not fun with winds that high...😕

[@RavensEyeOffroad]

interesting!

[@e.c.8668]

The military had bought and testes some of these and had pretty good results.

[@j.b.708]

... for the defense contractor vendors and their corporate leadership.

[@davidk6668]

How do these hold up in the wind?

[@Kactoily]

Nice update! Are you interested in reviewing our 6-in-1 drinking water tester? It can test bacteria, virus, microplastic, heavy metal, and weed kiiler., etc! We're sure that you'll love it.

[@mikebartoli4755]

$3500 for a blow up tent that turns into a trampoline in a hurricane when the wind blows.

[@sagebrushbob2321]

If it weren't for innovation we would still be camping under canvas and driving oxen. It's always good to see what new ideas pop up out there. (Not that camping under canvas would be the worst thing in the world from my point of view 😁)

[@garretlewis4103]

Yes, innovation can be good for advancement; however, not every innovation is good. I did think these were interesting. The light weight was a good thing. The price was crazy though.

[@chuckrf1502]

Anyone hear from Jason at Primal Outdoors?

[@softroadingthewest]

He's fine. He was busy for a while with a pretty major van project. He was at Expo PNW last week and I just talked to him again earlier today. 👍

[@joanndavis4843]

Everyone knows that as soon as you buy inflatable anything, it's just a matter of time before it starts to leak air somewhere. I would expect that to happen with these tents, too. Spending $3-5 thousand on these tents would just be wasting money. A lot of money.

[@kelsey809]

😎👍

[@brohammer]

very cool concept but I think you paid around the same price for your setup and it covers your whole bed and is much more functional.

[@fishes74]

Way too expensive for a balloon tent....and how durable are they actually? What happens if it gets a leak?

[@kirbyjwhite]

The military uses air beams for a lot of tents nowadays. They are pretty durable. If there is a leak, you can top it off with the pump.

[@metaxaanabeer]

When a significant percentage of the overland look is stuff bolted to the side, like shovels and the like, huge tires, jerry cans, etc this tent doesn't fit that tuff offroader look. It looks a bit like a child's bouncy castle rented for a back yard kids party, eh?

[@MattCookOregon]

First!

[@Western-Wild]

Lol

[@softroadingthewest]

Aww Matt, even if you were 8th or 9th or 10th, you'd still always be first in my book. 😄

[@garretlewis4103]

And Donald didn’t even give you any points. 😂😂

[@MattCookOregon]

@@garretlewis4103 This is an abomination!

[@pleinairbarnettoutdoors]

At that price? Pass. It's still just a tent, a temporary shelter. Not a cabin, camper, topper.

[@darrylk808]

Can you really put 6 people on a roof rack?

[@The4x4WindowCleaner]

I’d prefer them in a terra firma tent…rather than caving through the top of the truck roof 😅

[@softroadingthewest]

Good question. I believe the static weight capacity of roof racks is generally quite a bit higher than the weight rating for moving down the road when the rack has to deal with g-forces (and the tent would have no people in it). I imagine a more likely real-world use of the large tent would be parents and a couple of kids, and I know plenty of people who do that in conventional RTTs that weigh more to begin with. This tent is big, but I would not want to share that space with five other adults. 😄 It does seem worth looking into how much weight one's roof rack can withstand when parked before putting six full grown people up there. 🙂

[@texasal]

And when did 2 queen size beds equal room for 6. Better be really friendly!

[@chuckrf1502]

@@softroadingthewestdepends on who those other five adults are. Hmmmmm. 😂

[@softroadingthewest]

@@chuckrf1502 🤣🤣

[@smmj45]

😂 3500 , next video

[@BWinCO943]

So, when you're at home you sleep 6 people in 2 queen sized beds. Hmm sounds comfy. Come on, be realistic with these tent capacities. Can't stand that. Oh and the price?? Seriously?

[@garretlewis4103]

If you back in history far enough, yes.

[@Avidflyer719]

I hate Casey ladelle

[@geebroni4118]

Why? I've learned alot from him.

[@Avidflyer719]

@@geebroni4118 for the algorithm someone might go watch his videos from that comment and then he will get more money to help people

[@softroadingthewest]

@@geebroni4118 Casey literally sells shirts that say "I Hate Casey Ladelle" - @advidflyer719 is a certainly a fan 😄

[@garretlewis4103]

@@softroadingthewestToo funny.

[@gringo3009]

Thanks for sharing, hard pass for me.

[@TACTICALNOMAD]

@softroadingthewest, Donald, I love inflatable tents, but not rooftop tents. I watch 3 YT Channels from Turkey, @AtikAilesi, @365gündoğadayız, and @ramblesoul. All 3 camp in inflatable tents during all 4 seasons. Watching them, I decided to purchase an inflatable and I cannot wait for it to arrive so I can go out and use it. After watching these channels, an inflatable makes a whole lot of sense. No poles. No storm fly. No fuss, no muss.