After deciding that the rooftop tent is the best choice for your camping needs, it is crucial to check if your vehicle can carry your tent in mind.
Get the owner’s manual of your vehicle and check if there is a specific roof rack designed for your car or you need to purchase an aftermarket roof rack. The Raptor Voyager Jeep Rooftop Tent in this list, for instance, is specially made for Jeep owners but Raptor was able to design the tent to fit any SUVs as well.
Your owner’s manual should state the maximum dynamic weight and maximum static weight of the factory rack. Your rack’s dynamic weight refers to the maximum weight it can carry while moving. Static weight is the maximum weight your rack can carry when mounted.
Be sure to compute for the maximum dynamic weight, we would want to avoid a tent projectile while on the highway. Your maximum static weight computation should include all the adults and kids sleeping inside the tent. Let’s say for example, the tent weight is 130 lbs, the racks must have at least 130 lbs listed in their DWC.
For a sedan, the Smittybilt Overlander can be considered. It is the lightest in the list and is a 2-person roof top tent perfect for sedan capacity.
The Thule Tepui Autana is our best bet for use in an SUV. It is a 3-person capacity and the packed size won’t take too much space and the weight is perfect to be hauled in an SUV.
The Overland Systems Nomadic 3 or the Arctic counterpart is a good choice for a pick-up truck. Both tents has a 3-person sleeping capacity and are one of the heaviest in the list making it not suitable for either a sedan or and SUV but won’t be a struggle for a pick-up truck. For anything heavier and sturdier, we recommend the Raptor Voyager specially designed for Jeep trucks.