The Perfect Rooftop Tent For Small Cars (my subaru crosstrek): With Some Compromises

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[@reyleondelaselva1789]

Whatever "set up" works for you is the right set up. The important thing is to get out there.

[@BrentHall]

I definitely agree!

[@CheapSushi]

I'm just discovering these even exist. I honestly love the idea. It actually makes me feel a bit more relaxed about camping because I feel a bit safer on-top of the vehicle vs being on the ground.

[@BrentHall]

Oh nice! Yeah, I really love that aspect of it, especially out here in the southwest and rockies, it just feels really good to be off the ground. That's actually what got my wife to start camping with me more, she really likes feeling safer off the ground and says it's like being in a treehouse, lol.

[@auggiways]

@CheapSushi That's awesome! Rooftop tents are a game-changer for camping, right? Being elevated definitely adds a sense of security and comfort. Happy camping adventures ahead! 🏕✨

[@soaringbob]

For you cheapskates out there, do a search for the C6 Outdoor Rev Tent. About half the price, folds to a similar sized package as the Meadowlark, 25 lbs, so-called 4 season, and will work on many rooftop racks, pay extra for the one they can supply, or it will easily set up on the ground or in a pickup bed!

[@alandowney4458]

Thanks for your service. As a disabled vet totally understand a broken body. I have a 2023 Crosstrek which I absolutely love and want to overland in it. I have the Luno sleep system but Im leaning towards a rooftop tent possibly. I've subscribed and look forward to more videos

[@BrentHall]

Hey thanks man, I really appreciate that, and thanks to you as well! Yeah, with the exped mattress in there, this thing is definitely a lot more comfortable.

[@martinr8278]

Love that crosstrek…..so versatile and very capable Great set up

[@BrentHall]

Thanks! It's definitely taken me on a lot of adventures over the last 11 year, and still going strong.

[@brannonmartin9198]

Really looking forward to more camping videos and/or videos that combine camping and photography! I love photography because of the places it takes me, and camping is something I love.

[@BrentHall]

Danger. I love both so much. Just not sure how well those kinds of videos will do on my channel, but I'm gonna try to do more and see what happens.

[@josethevegan8923]

Got a Crosstrek on 8/17... it had 4 mi on it. Today, 9/7 just about 1,500 mi. I only work 5 mi from home... so, ya know I'm loving it! Thank you for your review. I don't want a soft shell, but might end up with the 1 you have. BTW... Canon guy here. 😉 🎉

[@BrentHall]

Oh nice! I'm glad you're liking the crosstrek. This was a pretty great tent for it's price and purpose, but I actually just sold it and got an FSR Aspen Lite. I should have a video about it soon.

[@josethevegan8923]

@@BrentHall Thanks! Sweet... I am looking forward to seeing it. You should have sold it to me ;-). I see it's on sale for about $1K.

[@exrog]

Thanks, I was waiting for this video. Great real life info. Now can you show us the plywood setup in the back of your car ie, the kitchen/ storage space? Nice photos at the end of this post. Hopefully one hundred thousand hits soon. You and Brittany deserve it.

[@BrentHall]

Thanks man, I'm glad you liked it! I talked about the back table thing in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaHGh2aqeZuLeqc&ab_channel=BrentHall around the 9 min mark.

[@lindaklajbor7816]

Thank you for this comprehensive overview. Have a 2022 Crosstrek and am tent shopping. Great content

[@simplesimplehappyhappy]

Just found this channel and I’m looking forward to binge watching it! Love it, thank you for the work you put out there.

[@BrentHall]

Hey thanks, I really appreciate that!

[@dougheizenrader2280]

This looks like a pretty nice setup. One aspect that nobody ever addresses is how quick and easy (or not!) is the tent to store? I am a landscape photographer also, and often need to get up early - and in the dark - to drive to a location for a sunrise shoot. Having to spend a lot of time breaking down a rooftop tent would be a definite deal killer for me.

[@BrentHall]

I thought I did talk about that in the video? Well, in any case, it depends on your definition of "a lot of time." So for me, as someone who came from ground tents, this is definitely faster to set up and tear down; however, from an RTT perspective, as compared to other styles of RTTs, like hardshells and wedge styles, this is definitely slower. The wedge style will be the fastest. I can get this one open and set up in about 2 mins, but then a few more mins for adding bedding and whatnot. As for tearing down, this one takes me just under ~5 mins most times. If that's still too consuming for you, then you'll definitely want to look at something like the sparrow eye 2, which is stupid fast, and you can leave your bedding in there too; albeit at twice the cost of this one...

[@dougheizenrader2280]

Thanks for the quick reply, Brent! 5-10 minutes is not bad.

[@UltraVegito4839]

Awsome video man. But another thing I wanna see you try is the Astro hyperlaspe on tbe S23 Ultra. I've been highly requesting this and I would appreciate it if you could do it

[@weiszgerber]

That was A great Video. Please continue! Thanks a lot.

[@gj0628]

Great size for that rig looks nicev

[@АлексейДудник-г4й]

Хорошая Автопалатка! 🤝

[@painterabc123]

I have a 2019 Impreza. I have contemplated getting a similar tent for the rooftop. Still weighing all options, including trading my car for something beefier.

[@BrentHall]

I feel you. I'd love to have a bigger, better vehicle that's more off-road capable, like a 4runner or Tacoma, but there's no way I could even afford a used one, so I'll be making the most out of this subie for the foreseeable future, lol.

[@seb2549]

Thanks for the review. I have been looking at some roof top tents a while ago, dropped the idea, but now I will be prompted to revisit it. It is good to see more flexible options out there... We are just about to enter NM for a few weeks. Planning to do the Gila (cat walk), visit The Cookie Jar in Deming, get some Hatch Chili wine (friends are hooked on it) and Balloon Fiesta + solar + Bosque del Apache.

[@BrentHall]

Oh wow, that sounds like an awesome trip! But I might be bias, lol.

[@gregorypaulsen1552]

Thanks for the informative video. I've considered a truck mounted tent and really appreciate your perspective.

[@colintraveller]

You should watch 4xoverland when it comes to such tents ...For fitting to 4wd ..

[@MythicRealTrap]

Serious question: what’s the weight limit and is an “activity” inside possible? 😅

[@BrentHall]

Well, the static weight limit for my crosstrek roof is like 600+ lbs or something. I'm 190, and my wife is 95 lbs, so we're not even half that together. Never had any weight issues with this setup, though the tent is really lightweight and in my case, mounted on a small car, so just being in there, regardless of the activity, any normal amount of movement will be felt or noticed.

[@SaltySeabee]

It's probable that those attachment points are for the insulation kit

[@KevinNordstrom]

I have a one side awning on my jeep Cherokee. I thought of a rooftop tent but its winter along the great lakes for 7 months lol. I think im going to add a ground gazebo or tent to pair with my awning. I use cammo netting with clips on the bars for now to add structure to the awning. Works nice mainly for concealment though. I too enjoy the smaller footprint rigs over the flashy overlanding rigs. More personal and simple is better in my opinion for car camping. Great video Brent, and congratulations on your soon to be 100k subs.

[@BrentHall]

Yeah...7 mo of winter is no bueno, lol. I can go camping all year round down here :P

[@KevinNordstrom]

@@BrentHall totally agree. I thought about moving to South Eastern Tennessee near the foothills of the Smoky mountains. More moderate weather year round. Not too humid and not overly bad winter like lake effect snow here. The wife wants to move to Florida but I can't deal with the other extreme their summer and humidity 7-8 months a year lol. I'll take the cold and snow before summers in Florida. I can camp in the winter here as there's like no one at the campgrounds but crazy people like me lol. It's nice cuz I hate being around massive amounts of campers so the off season is perfect. I just have to be smart and pack accordingly in the jeep for car camping in the 20s and 30s and in snow lol. I could see myself moving to the mountains some day though.

[@rotagilla1481]

Great review--thanks!

[@Kaleb833]

About to buy a crosstrek and this will be my next purchase alongside a hardshell kayak i just want to get out there

[@BrentHall]

Oh nice! Have fun with it. :P

[@ab.collage]

Thanks for this review. My brother has a cross trek, and he’s been looking for a tent. And gorgeous photos!

[@BrentHall]

You're welcome, I hope it helps, and thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it!

[@vaq130]

Hey Brent thanks for sharing, great review. stay safe!

[@brendabeard2083]

This was very helpful to us! Thank you!!!❤

[@BrentHall]

You're welcome, I'm glad it helped!

[@btfofffice]

Connections to the roof-rack? Pros and cons wth the foldout mechanism/strenth

[@Super4pitts]

Very helpful ❤

[@donnguyen2421]

Love your set up!

[@BrentHall]

Thank you!

[@Richardisonline]

Awesome review.. and thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas about this 😊

[@BrentHall]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@spidersj12]

Watching this made me wonder what might work on my 2011 Toyota Corolla... I see a Yakima Skyrise rooftop tent that says it will fit 3 people 600 lbs, weights 115 lbs, has the LED light strips, bed sheets... $300 more than you spent. I just doubt the Corolla will be the right vehicle for that setup. It'll just be me using it and I'm not 600lbs lol... I have a roof rack and a sportrack cap on it and have had it on there for 9 years.

[@DanBetty]

Very cool .. more camping vids !!

[@DEBSTAH29]

Only a real man gets a trophy

[@MeghansTube]

Appreciate the super thorough review. Been shopping them for a couple of years, and ended up going with a teardrop, but keep coming back to the RTT. Plan on pulling the trigger this coming season. Question -- the table/platform in the back of the Subaru -- super interested in that but didn't see it on the gear list -- can you share more information about that please?

[@BrentHall]

Thanks, I hope it helped! The platform is just something I made at home.

[@mikelutton2157]

Thank you for the review. I'm curious about the floor of this tent. It looks different than other roof top tents. Is there a solid floor above the aluminum framing? Or does the mattress sit directly on the aluminum framing?

[@cm415]

What brand/model is your pop-up gazebo? Thank you for this thorough review. I am seriously considering the Meadowlark now.

[@BrentHall]

It's this one: amzn.to/3SbpbBf

[@Non-Serviam300]

Really nice review! I wonder if it would be ok to mount this tent on my similar sized Mazda CX-30 since it has a moonroof 🤔 Subscribed 🤘

[@BrentHall]

My car has a moonroof too, and other than not being able to really use it with the tent on, there's no actual impeding or detrimental issues with the tent over it.

[@rcinematic]

Goals

[@davidewise4516]

Thanks for the review. I’m debating between this or a clamshell hardshell one. Are you still happy with the meadowlark? Have you had to pack it up in the rain?

[@BrentHall]

Tough question. It really requires a full video for an answer. Short answer for am I happy with it? Yes and no. I am happy with it in the context of what it is and how it's meant to be used, and the price I paid for it, but I want something better (though my car is the limiting factor here). I still haven't tried it in the rain at all yet. It doesn't really ever rain out here in NM, except for monsoon season, and I definitely won't be going camping in a rooftop tent of any kind in a monsoon. If I had to, I'd just sleep in the car for that vs trying to deal with a tent during a desert monsoon.

[@allgonewrong16]

Do you prefer a RTT over sleeping inside the vehicle? thanks!

[@BrentHall]

For smaller cars like mine, yes. When my wife is with me, yes. If I had a bigger vehicle and was alone, no.

[@GG-bv3lq]

Hello questions. Is there any noise from the tent while driving? Any flapping or wind noise? & how is it holding up after a year of owning?

[@BrentHall]

I haven't ever noticed any more noise than expected while driving. I mean it's like a giant cube up there, and really takes a hit on your mpg, but that's kind of a given. Never had any flapping around. The cover has held up really well and is still solid and tight. The whole tent is still like brand new and is rock solid and has held up incredibly well for me. I sold it to a friend of mine recently, wen I upgraded to a bigger tent, but it had nothing to do with the actual tent quality.

[@TheHandyClan]

Can you fold it up with your sleeping bag and pillow in it still?

[@BrentHall]

Negative.

[@haomin28]

Any detail on the extra pad you put on top of the bed? I got the same tent on top of a Forester, and love it. The only thing I wish s to have a thicker mattress.

[@BrentHall]

I talked about the pad for a couple minutes in the video. It's this one: amzn.to/3RSpDEz

[@haomin28]

@@BrentHall Thanks a lot for the link, end up getting it from REI with 20% off today only. 😀

[@Andy_Thomas]

At 11:00 into the video you talked about the weight rating of the roof bars (160-180lb). How can they hold the weight of the tent _plus_ a couple of people inside?

[@BrentHall]

So there's two kinds of weight ratings. Static and Dynamic. The dynamic weight of the Crosstrek is like 175 lbs, meaning that at speed, while driving, the car's roof rails are designed to be able to withstand holding up to 175 lbs. However, the static rating for the Crosstrek is like 600-700 lbs, meaning that while stationary, the stock rails and roof can handle 600 lbs...my tent plus my wife and I are well under that rating. The ladder gives extra support for distributing the weight out over the full area of the open tent, because P=f/A, i.e. pressure equals force over area.

[@jakewillis7335]

Do you think a 2006 Subaru Legacy station wagon would hold a rooftop tent comfortably? Thanks!

[@BrentHall]

I would think so, but you should double check your roof's weight limits and rack rack requirements.

[@mkostial05]

That is so bad ass!!!!

[@FastTassietravels]

Diamond city radio

[@robertsryarbrough1137]

Do you ever overnight in Walmart or Cracker Barrel in your rooftop tent?

[@BrentHall]

No, I've never done that in the RTT. Out here, there's more blm than towns and Walmarts :P

[@robertsryarbrough1137]

Thank you for you quick response. Continue to enjoy!

[@kp.h403]

👍👍👍

[@davidluppie5311]

Your gas mileage goes from 30mpg to 20mpg with the RTT .... that's 33% penalty 😢. Most videos i saw on KZbin seem to claim a maximum of 5% mileage penalty. Yes, yes the mileage penalty depends on the type of vehicle and the way one drives but .....

[@BrentHall]

Yep. It hurt. A lot. That thing is basically like a giant bowler hat up there, zero aerodynamics. Plus that's mostly highway driving. It does slightly better on slower roads.

[@Tricen_321]

Or you can sleep in the back. The back seat fold down

[@BrentHall]

You sure can. I've slept in the back of that car for the past 11 years. I no longer wish to do that.

[@louisefantini9909]

Just to let you know that your video really helped me to go forward with my project. I finally choose the Meadowlark combined with the Thule Multilift to be able to manage the tent by myself. Thank you very much! If you would like to see the result: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3PSq5RvYsmnsLs

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

These were invented to be used in Africa. They seem pointless in the US.

[@BrentHall]

That's a very weird way of thinking? I've gotten plenty of great use out of mine, so for me personally, definitely not pointless.