When it introduced its official US debut earlier this 12 months, German rooftop tent innovator Roof Area talked about it might quickly add a four-person mannequin to the lineup. It did not drag its toes in fulfilling that promise, introducing the Roof Area 4 just some weeks later. The brand new rooftop tent options the identical 30-second quick-pitching hardshell design because the two-man, however upsizes the construct round a four-person super-king mattress and two open-air cabanas. So regardless of the place one of the best views are, you’ll be able to pop the tent open and soak them in.
As its title makes clear, the Roof Area 4 doubles the occupancy of the unique Roof Area 2 to sleep a complete of 4 individuals. That broadens the German startup’s vary to compete with widespread fold-out hardshells just like the iKamper Skycamp vary and Roofnest Condor 2 XL. Three- to four-person builds are actually the place fold-out hardshell designs excel, so launching the 4-person is a pure transfer for Roof Area.
Roof Area’s estimate of sleeping as much as six individuals is a bit overly optimistic, as is its declare of providing probably the most sleeping space available on the market. In actual fact, with out even increasing the search previous the 2 tents we talked about, we all know the iKamper Skycamp 3.0 edges it out ever-so-slightly with 44.3 sq. toes (4.1 sq m) of sleeping space to the Roof Area 4’s 44.1 sq. toes – negligible however price mentioning since Roof Area is the one making the “market’s most” declare.
Roof Area
Extra particularly, the Roof Area 4’s mattress measures slightly below 81 x 79 in (206 x 201 cm), exceeding each a regular American king and a California king by way of total sleeping space. And whereas it is barely lower than the Skycamp 3.0, it is greater than the 42-sq-ft (3.9-sq-m) Condor 2 XL. Lengthy story quick, the Roof Area 4 will sleep a household of 4 fairly comfortably … proper up till one or each youngsters hit that accelerated preteen/teenage development spurt; then all bets are off.
What separates the Roof Area 4 from older expandable hardshell designs just like the iKamper and Roofnest is its various construction. As an alternative of counting on a hardshell lid masking over a fold-out flooring enlargement, Roof Area’s setup makes use of the ground panel because the roof, sandwiching the material tent with the second arduous flooring panel that is mounted to the car. A slim cowl secures over the hinged edge throughout transit to finish the complete climate safety bundle with out the necessity for a bigger cowl, like the material wrap iKamper makes use of on its similar-but-different X-Cover.
Roof Area’s design provides a number of benefits, however weight financial savings will not be considered one of them. That is slightly shocking because the design eliminates the separate fold-out flooring, however the Roof Area 4 flicks the size needle to a hefty 198 lb (90 kg), nicely greater than the 165-lb (75-kg) Skycamp 3.0 or 180-lb (82-kg) Condor 2 XL. As such, the Roof Area 4 is geared toward bigger car roofs and pickup mattress racks or caps with applicable dynamic load scores.
Roof Area
Alternatively, the dearth of an additional flooring panel does assist maintain the Roof Area 4 somewhat svelte when packed. The closed aluminum case measures in at slightly below 9.5 inches (24 cm) tall in comparison with over 13 inches (33 cm) for the opposite two aforementioned tent fashions.
One other huge benefit the Roof Area development provides is a fuller dome tent stretching from finish to finish with no lean-to-style arduous lid. That ends in a 51.2-in (130-cm) peak peak that provides a tad extra headroom than the 48-in (122-cm) Skycamp 3.0 or 50-in (127-cm) Condor 2 XL.
That dome form additionally permits for a symmetrical design that Roof Area makes use of to double up on its distinctive cabana function. Campers can unzip either side of the tent to create two separate open-air decks. So regardless of the way you parked, it is possible for you to to situate your self on the deck that provides one of the best 270-degree views. At significantly open, obstruction-free campgrounds, you would even park in such a means as to have one deck for sunrises and one for sunsets.
Roof Area
As a part of the brand new launch, the Roof Area 4 is at the moment up for preorder at a ten% low cost. Early birds can lock their four-person Roof Area in for US$4,140 earlier than the tent goes again as much as its MSRP of $4,600. The tent comes with a 102-in (259-cm) telescoping ladder, foam mattress, anti-condensation mat and mounting {hardware}. Deliveries are deliberate to start in April.
It is price noting that as Roof Area expands to new markets, the competitors has already heated up. Simply previous to Roof Area’s US debut announcement, US overland provider Freespirit Recreation launched the 2-/3-person Nova with the identical type of opening however a distinct pitched kind. And since we final coated Roof Area in February, we have additionally seen an analogous (however bigger and air-framed) rooftop tent design topping the Australian-market Hardkorr Xplorer 2.3 Family trailer. We suspect different related designs, maybe with open-air decks of their very own, will not be far off.
Supply: Roof Space USA
