Something people often want to know — but may be afraid to ask — is: "What makes a good Roof Top Tent?"
Over the years we've seen some varied answers, often about poor quality products, so we decided to answer a few common questions and put together this Roof Tent Buying Guide. It may even help you avoid an expensive mistake when buying your new roof tent.
What Style of Roof Tent Suits You?
Roof top tents can be divided into two distinct types: soft-top fold-over models or the more modern hard shell roof tents. Each has its own distinct pros and cons, so it's worth taking a moment to think about what matters most to you:
- Space inside the tent
- Speed and ease of setup
- Weight on your vehicle
- Roof space required
Soft-Top Roof Tents
The original roof tent style — invented in the 1930s — soft-top tents tend to be less expensive to buy and offer more interior space than hard shell models. Ideal for longer stays (more than one night per location), they suit couples and families well, though they do take longer to set up and pack away.
Soft-top roof tents also need relatively fit owners who can climb around to tuck them away and fit the elasticated travel covers. They feature large overhangs above each window, held up by steel rods, which allows excellent ventilation and protects the interior from sun and rain — giving the tent a very open, airy feel.
Most models include a separate fly sheet made from tough, weather-resistant material, and many come with a lower annex room — ideal for UK and European weather. The annex can be used for sitting out in bad weather, getting dressed, storage, or even as extra sleeping space for kids or guests. It doesn't need to be used all the time and can be fitted when needed.
Summary: Soft-top tents offer significantly more living space and a more airy feel — but take longer to open and close.
Hard Shell Roof Tents
Hard shell tents are very popular with serious travellers thanks to their quick and easy setup. This is especially useful when moving from site to site every day — the convenience of a fast-deploying hard top is hard to beat.
They are better suited to solo travellers and couples, as the sleeping space is generally limited to the bed area inside the tent. Whilst ideal for serious travellers, they are not well suited to families.
Hard shell tents take up more roof space than conventional soft-top models — worth considering if you need your roof rack for jerry cans or other storage. They also tend to weigh more. That said, they open straight upwards rather than over the side or back, meaning they fit into smaller camping pitches and are easier to open at home or on the street.
Hard shell tents are typically made from GRP (glass fibre reinforced plastic), ABS plastic, or — in specialist cases like the OVERLAND Series — aluminium. Most use gas struts to assist opening and closing.
Hard shell tents come in two main styles:
Fully Opening: both front and back lift up fully, usually with gas struts. Models like the James Baroud Evasion or BunduTop Electric offer a light, airy feel with great views and ventilation all round.
Clamshell / Wedge: front-opening, shaped like a wedge. Clamshells are typically the quickest to open or close of all hard shell styles (the exception being the remarkable BunduTop at 18 seconds). With only one fixed hinge and less area exposed to the elements, they perform best in bad weather.
Summary: Hard shell roof tents are quick and easy to deploy — ideal for singles or couples moving location every day.
Check the Fabric First
The single most important factor in any roof tent purchase? The fabric.
Make sure it's a breathable fabric — not cheaper polyester, which simply cannot breathe. Polyester-based materials may be marketed as Poly Oxford Canvas, Oxford, Sail Cloth, 420D, or 610D — none of these are breathable.
- Breathable fabrics are cotton, polycotton blends, or premium modern materials like TENCATE (used in James Baroud hard shell tents)
- The best fabrics tend to be polycotton blends — combining polyester's low weight and abrasion resistance with cotton's natural insulation and breathability
Why does breathability matter so much? It controls condensation. A cheap polyester fabric results in a damp, sweaty interior — cold in winter, hot in summer. A quality polycotton canvas will be far more comfortable year-round.
Summary: Avoid polyester tents — stick with polycotton canvas for comfort in all conditions.
Fabric Weight: The Myth
Modern polycotton canvas doesn't need to be heavy to perform well — unlike the old-fashioned army or scout canvas many of us remember. Too heavy a weight simply means it won't dry quickly, which is especially problematic in European climates.
For context: 420D or 600D polyester/nylon oxford is thick but completely unbreathable — like an old plastic anorak. It's perfectly suited to a fly sheet or annex room, but entirely unsuitable as the main sleeping fabric of a roof tent.
- Good canvas should be light enough to dry quickly and heavy enough to last
- From our experience, 280–320g is ideal for European conditions
- South African-made 380g canvas is excellent for Africa and hot climates, but takes longer to dry in UK conditions
Tuff-Trek soft-top tents use 280g or 320g breathable ripstop polycotton canvas. Our OVERLAND Series and Africa Series use 380g — so we have an option for wherever you plan to explore.
Summary: Check the fabric weight and technical specifications before you buy.
Fabric Treatment
Water should bead off the canvas cleanly, without needing to block the pore space with heavy or toxic waterproofing treatments. Some cheap tent fabrics are treated with harmful chemicals — worth checking before you buy.
You won't need to treat a new Tuff-Trek tent. All quality tents are made from pre-treated canvas, ready to use straight from the box. The only thing to be aware of is that real canvas tents need to be weathered — simply let them get wet and dry a few times. This allows the stitched seams to swell and fill any needle holes, improving waterproofing naturally.
Looking After Your Roof Tent
Don't pack your roof tent away wet and leave it for an extended period. Like any tent, you'll need to open it up and let it dry out — either before your trip ends or shortly after returning home. Packing away damp and leaving it can lead to mould, which is both unsightly and a health concern.
Over winter, consider removing your roof tent from the vehicle if it won't be used, and storing it safely indoors (tip: watch out for mice). If you leave it on all winter, check it regularly — condensation can still build up inside, and you may want to remove and store the mattress separately.
Fire Retardancy
Tuff-Trek use fire-retardant polyester for fly sheets and annexes. This doesn't make them fireproof, but they won't ignite like a roman candle if exposed to a flame. We don't apply fire-retardant treatment to the polycotton canvas on the main body, as this would block the pores and compromise breathability.
Always check whether your seller's fabric is fire retardant. And regardless of tent type — never use open flames (candles, lanterns, cookers, or wood stoves) inside any tent or awning. Toxic gases are invisible, odourless, and can build up quickly. Keep tents a safe distance from open fires and watch for stray embers.
Materials and Build Quality
Many roof tents look similar from the outside, but the quality of materials varies enormously. When comparing tents, check:
- Thickness, strength, and overall quality of the aluminium poles
- The feel of components like bases, hinges, and ladders — these can vary hugely even when they look identical at first glance
- The fabric — is it ripstop? Polycotton or thin polyester oxford?
- Does it breathe, or does it have a thick plastic coating blocking the pores?
- Stitching — is it uniform and precise? Are the seams taped?
- Compare with similar products from other brands to get a feel for quality differences
Remember: cheap tents are usually cheap for a reason — and often leak or fail mid-trip when you're out with your family. Take the time to compare brands carefully before committing.
Who Are You Really Buying From?
There are a lot of cheap, poor-quality roof tents on the market — many are simply rebranded imports with no real support behind them. Make sure whoever you're buying from is a real company that genuinely understands what they sell. Ask them some questions.
If something goes wrong, you want a company with real after-sales support, stock of vital spare parts, and ideally product liability insurance.
- Will they still be around in 6 months? 12 months?
- How many tents have they actually sold?
- How long have their products been on the market? Our oldest roof tents are now over 8 years old and still going strong.
It can be very hard to tell the difference from photos alone — we always recommend viewing a range of tents in person before buying. Consider attending a show like the Adventure Overland Show (held in September and April) where you can see and compare many products side by side.