Best Budget Rooftop Tent

For those interested in venturing into the world of RTTs but don’t want to break the bank with a $3K investment, Smittybilt offers a more budget-conscious option that won’t leave you regretting your choice. At $1,190.99, the Smittybilt Overlander is a 3P fold-out softshell that offers many of the same comforts you’ll find with comparable Tepui models at roughly half the price. Although the Overlander is not without its flaws, it also includes a handful of unique features to up its appeal. Its solid construction makes it more than capable of lasting countless seasons. We loved the Smittybilt Overlander (and its LED light strip) so much that we bestowed it with our Best Budget RTT Award.

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See Our Best Rooftop Camping Tents Review 2021 HERE!

For those interested in venturing into the world of RTTs but don’t want to break the bank with a $3K investment, Smittybilt offers a more budget-conscious option that won’t leave you regretting your choice. At $1,190.99, the Smittybilt Overlander is a 3P fold-out softshell that offers many of the same comforts you’ll find with comparable Tepui models at roughly half the price. Although the Overlander is not without its flaws, it also includes a handful of unique features to up its appeal. Its solid construction makes it more than capable of lasting countless seasons. We loved the Smittybilt Overlander so much that we bestowed it with our Best Budget RTT Award.

Comfort

The Overlander boasts 37.3 sq ft of interior space that stacks up with nearly every 3P tent in our review, with the exception of the aptly named Roofnest Condor XL, which has 47.8 sq ft. Its dimensions are 56″x96″, the same as the Tepui Autana 3 and Kukenam 3, with only 1” less headroom (51”). Like the Tepui tents, the Overlander also has two side windows and two skylight windows, along with large mesh panels at the doorway and the opposite wall. The skylight windows will be obstructed with the detachable rainfly attached.

The interior of the Smittybilt Overlander is not just spacious but also rather well-appointed, especially at its lower price. The integrated mattress is made of 6 cm high-density foam and has a removable cover. Most should be quite comfortable on this mattress. Still, side sleepers may find themselves bottoming out, so we recommend you give this a test run before your first outing to ensure you don’t need any supplemental cushioning. It’s still much thicker than the mattresses in more expensive iKamper models.

There are four storage pockets inside and mesh panels near the top to aid in ventilation; there’s also a handy rubber boot bag stored outside. One feature we found particularly cool was the interior LED light strip, which can be mounted to the inside wall of the tent and powered by either a USB battery or your vehicle’s 12V outlet using the included extension cord. If you’re arriving late at the campsite and need to set up your bedding in the dark, this would be a beneficial inclusion.

Ease of Conversion

The setup process for the Smittybilt Overlander is relatively straightforward and similar to the steps involved with most fold-out RTTs; the total conversion time should be around 3-minutes. You’ll first unfasten the cover straps and remove the cover from the tent. Unlike the covers on the Tepui models, the Overlander cover is not attached on one side to the tent’s base, so it can’t be rolled up and stored away with the same convenience. It also makes it slightly more difficult orienting the cover when you’re ready to hit the road.

After you’ve removed and stashed the travel cover, you’ll then release the Velcro straps on all sides and pull out the attached sliding ladder until it is fully extended. Use the ladder to flip open the extension panel and pop up the tent walls, then collapse the ladder slightly so that it is the appropriate length to support the extension panel (make sure the angle does not exceed 25°). You can then climb inside the tent to remove the internal bungee straps that connect to each side wall; these are intended to help pull the fabric inward when closing the tent, and so they will need to be reinstalled when it’s time to pack things up. Installing the awnings will take just a bit more time, as this requires installing four tension poles for the side windows and four more for the doors.

Ease of Installation

Initial assembly of the Smittybilt Overlander may take a bit more work to assemble than other fold-out RTTs depending upon your vehicle and preferred orientation. The first thing you’ll need to do is install the mounting rails to the underside of the base. There’s no included ratchet set with the Overlander, a notable exclusion but not a total deal-breaker since most camping enthusiasts tend to have a basic tool bag stashed somewhere in their home.

The mounting rails can be attached one of two ways depending upon how you’d prefer to orient it on your vehicle. The “off the back” method is preferred for larger SUVs since it leaves extra roof space for additional storage; however, since this setup aligns the rails with the shorter, 48” long side of the base, the rails will hang out past the base and will need to be trimmed off with a saw. The more common setup for the Overlander is “off the side” and will not require the use of a saw; it’s also preferable for smaller vehicles since it does not block access to the trunk, and it makes the tent more balanced with less wind drag during transit.

Remove the mounting rails and tent cover, lay the tent bottom-up, and align the rails with the pre-drilled holes, then slide your hand between the inside of the base and the mattress to feed the bolts through the holes and rails. Finally, slide the 6mm nuts into the mounting extrusions and tighten the bolts from inside the tent. You’ll then flip the tent back onto these rails to attach the ladder to the extension panel. Bolt each ladder bracket to the tent’s base through the pre-drilled holes, then attach the ladder to the brackets. Be sure not to over-tighten so that the ladder can still rotate smoothly. We did encounter one issue with the ladder: because its telescopic design is not nearly as elegant or adjustable as those we found on other models, you may need to drill additional holes in the ladder for it to fit your vehicle. These holes will need to be incredibly precise, and many campers may be turned off by the idea of using power tools to make aftermarket modifications.

Once your mounting rails and ladder are installed, it’s time to install this on your roof rack or crossbars. Ensure that your crossbars are adequately spaced and centered, then find someone to help you lift the 144 lb Overlander up top. Slide the 8 hanging bolts into the railings so that each pair of bolts is flanking either side of its respective crossbar, then attach the mounting plates to the underside of each crossbar. We recommend you attach these plates loosely at first to allow one final look-over before locking them down completely, just in case the tent has shifted from its centered position.

Durability & Weatherproofing

Smittybilt has developed a well-earned reputation for producing high-quality products. The Overlander is yet another example of this premium craftsmanship. Its floors are made of polyurethane (heavier than fiberglass but just as rugged) reinforced with 1” aluminum. The main canopy is 600D ripstop polyester bolstered by waterproof polyurethane. The rainfly is 420D polyester oxford. Despite our issues with the ladder installation, its 17” width is one of the more substantial we’ve seen.

Optional Extras

Unfortunately, there aren’t many accessories that can be added to the Overlander; however, it does have two that have a notable improvement in comfort. The first is the Tent Awning ($272.99), which comes with a length and width of either 6.5’ or 8.2’. The other optional extra is the Tent Annex ($289.99), which attaches to the extension panel with zippers and even has an included floor. Our only real gripe with the annex is that it does not provide a covered entryway for the ladder, like what you’ll find on the Tepui Autana 3.

The Bottom Line

As an introductory or occasional rooftop camping tent, few products are more appealing than the Smittybilt Overlander. At less than $1,200, it’s hundreds of dollars cheaper than comparable fold-out softshells from Tepui and thousands more affordable than the hardshell offerings from Roofnest and iKamper. Its high-quality materials will stand up to wear and tear. Although the installation process could be a bit simpler, once you’ve overcome that hurdle, it should prove to be a reliable addition to your camping arsenal. It’s for all of these reasons (plus the LED light strip, of course) that we confidently named the Smittybilt Overlander winner of Best Budget RTT.

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