Best Overall Rooftop Tent

Along with Roofnest’s pop-up hardshell, the Sparrow, and the fold-out hardshell, the Condor, RTT company Roofnest also has a third design in its Falcon series. This pop-up clamshell tent is built for rugged adventuring and can comfortably accommodate two campers. At $3,495, it’s certainly not a frugal investment, as there are several other hardshell RTTs at slightly lower price points and countless softshell tents at a significantly lower cost. We loved the versatility and build quality of the Falcon, but we still aren’t sure if the price tag is justifiable. Its rugged construction and crossbar compatibility make it a great companion for kayakers and cyclists. However, tamer solo campers may find some of these features to be a tad overkill, given the Falcon’s hefty price tag. To those people, we’d recommend the Sparrow EYE, which has a similar design and a slightly smaller interior for $400 less than the Falcon.

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See Our Best Rooftop Camping Tents Review 2021 HERE!

If you’ve just read our iKamper Skycamp 2.0 review, you may be doing a double-take right now. It’s not déjà vu—it’s the Roofnest Condor XL. At $3,495, the Roofnest Condor XL is a direct competitor to the $3,899 Skycamp 2.0, with an eerily similar design but at a slightly lower price point. This fold-out hardshell RTT has a roomy interior, a lightning-fast deployment system, and an aerodynamic structure, along with a plush integrated mattress and some clever extras that up the appeal. Its attractive features, premium build quality, and competitive price were enough for us to name the Condor XL our Best Overall Rooftop Tent.

Comfort

Roofnest has stated that the Condor XL will accommodate 3-4 adults. While this may be true, we felt that 3 adults (or 2 adults and 2 children) were a more appropriate maximum capacity to avoid feeling too claustrophobic. The passenger-side entryway also acts as a large window with two smaller windows flanking it on either side and a skylight window above. The rear wall has no window, as it is obstructed by the hardshell cover. The covers for each side window can be quickly converted into awnings using the included tension poles, while the deployable rainfly can be converted into an extra-large awning over the entryway using a pair of longer tension poles.

Every Roofnest Tent comes with a built-in 6 cm (2.5”) memory foam mattress with a waterproof cover. Although it won’t replace your bedroom mattress, it’s still rather cozy by camping standards and thicker than what you’ll get from an iKamper. There were also some simpler add-ons that we particularly appreciated, like the detachable storage pockets. One is a shoe bag while the other is a gear bag, and these slide into slots on the outside of the tent below the entryway. The other party piece that caught our eye was the detachable interior LED strip light, which can be powered with a USB battery pack.  

Ease of Conversion

The Condor XL can be completely deployed in just over a minute; the setup process is relatively straightforward and can be carried out by just one person. You’ll first unclip the latches and push up the side of the hardshell, allowing the gas struts to take over and open the remainder. Next, you’ll reach up and pull out the attached ladder, using it to flip open the extension panel, then secure it to the ground at a near 90° angle with the collapsed rungs at the top and the open rungs at the bottom. To deploy the rainfly/awning, you’ll need to climb inside the tent and reach through the skylight to unclip and unroll the fly over the tent, then use the tension poles to elevate it over the doorway. We found the setup process for the Skycamp 2.0 to be slightly more elegant and faster due to the way its rainfly is integrated (no need for unrolling), though we had no significant issues with the Roofnest system.

Teardown of the Condor XL will take just a few seconds more. You’ll want to roll up the rainfly and remove any tension poles, then use the ladder to fold up the extension panel and collapse it on top. There’s a bungee cord that runs from the front to the back that is used to hold in the main tent material, and once this is locked in, you can use the strap at the top of the hardshell to pull it down until the tent is nearly closed. You may find that you’ll need to open your car door to get the leverage needed to reach this strap, as it’s just a bit short. At this point, you’ll stuff in any other fabric so that it’s inside the shell, and then finish closing the shell, locking it in with the external clips. Although you will need to transfer much of your gear out of the Condor XL before teardown, there should still be enough room inside to leave your bedding.

Ease of Installation

Like all Roofnest tents, the Condor XL comes (mostly) fully assembled, so all you’ll need to do is remove the protective plastic and open the shell slightly to pull out the storage bag that holds your ladder and four mounting brackets. These brackets will need to be partially assembled for quicker installation in later steps. Once that’s done, and the shell is re-closed, you’re ready to lift it onto your vehicle’s crossbars and lock it into place. The Condor XL weighs in at 160 lbs, making it the heaviest RTT in our 2021 review, and getting it onto your roof will require at least two people. Ensure that your crossbars are spaced out at least 30” apart; you’ll also need at least 32” of width to accommodate the brackets. Slide the mounting hardware into the mounting tracks on the underside of the tent, so that there is a bolt hanging below either side of the crossbar connected by the mounting plate underneath. Finally, you’ll tighten down these bolts using the included 17mm ratcheting wrench; we recommend you work your way around the vehicle before tightening these completely, making sure that the Condor XL is centered on your vehicle. For a full breakdown of the installation process, check out the Roofnest website.

If you’re not planning to use your Roofnest any time soon, removing it from your vehicle is relatively simple. Loosen each mounting plate so that it’s completely unscrewed from one bolt and hanging off the end of the other. Once you’ve done this for all four brackets, you can lift the shell at all four corners and slide the brackets out of the tracks, then grab a friend to help you lift it off your vehicle. The packed size for the Condor XL is 74″ x 55″ x 13″, which actually makes it just a bit smaller than the Skycamp 2.0; however, you’ll still need a rather large space to store it away until your next camping adventure.

Durability & Weatherproofing

The outer shell on the Condor XL is ABS plastic with an outer layer of ASA plastic, while the canopy and rainfly are made of a PU-coated polyester/cotton blend with a 3000mm waterproof rating. The windows and door have zippable mesh and fabric layers that will keep things comfortable on sunny days and keep out the wet stuff when the weather turns. The skylight window comprises three layers, while the main tent has both a mesh and canvas layer that can each be rolled up, enabling you to open this entirely and pretend you’re in a limo on prom night. With the rainfly deployed, you won’t be able to do this; however, it has a clear plastic viewing window that ensures you can still get some overhead daylight and stargaze at night. The window and door awnings on the Condor XL are significantly more sturdy than those on the Roofnest Sparrow, but we would still recommend you collapse them if the wind starts to pick up.

Although the Roofnest website states that all of their tents have a 650 lb max capacity, one employee has stated that the Condor XL has a maximum load capacity of 800 lbs. We’re inclined to believe this given that the Condor XL has an aluminum honeycomb floor, unlike the fiberglass-reinforced bottoms on models like the Sparrow. Most importantly, we hope that this assertion is correct, as 650 lbs is a bit insufficient for a tent that’s advertised as being large enough to accommodate 4 people. In any case, the iKamper models do have the upper hand on Roofnest here with a rugged 900 lb capacity.

Optional Extras

There are a wide range of additional accessories available for Roofnest tents, but there were three that we found especially helpful. The first two are the Condor Awning ($279) and Condor Annex ($495), which gives campers either an open or closed covered space below the tent that can serve as cooking areas or makeshift lounges. The other cool add-ons available for the Condor XL are the Goal Zero Batteries and Solar Panels, which enable you to feed some free power to your campsite. These flexible solar panels will cost either $250 or $400 depending upon your desired wattage and can be deployed on top of your hardshell and secured with adhesive Velcro. These panels will need to run to the Yeti 200X or 500X power stations, which cost $300 and $700 respectively.

The Bottom Line

Roofnest continues to set a high standard for rooftop camping with the Condor XL, a roomy RTT in a sleek package. Its quick deployment, rugged materials, and clever inclusions have it leading the pack amongst hardshell competitors, all at a noticeably lower price point. If you love the design of the Condor XL but feel like it’s just a bit too much tent, you can always save $200 by opting for the standard-size Condor, which is 10” shorter and 14” narrower, making it a spacious 2-person or “cozier” 3-person option.

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