A growing trend in rooftop tents (RTTs) has emerged out of Germany and continues with the new Vickywood Hazel series. This trend sees the tent double as an open-air balcony for al fresco lounging and overnighting. Beyond serving as a 270-degree open-air panorama atop your vehicle, the Hazel tent also offers two separate setup modes for ultra-fast camping exactly how you want it. A slim, lightweight construction and fast, secure setup round out what appears like one of the more versatile, easy-to-use tents on the market.
The Vickywood Hazel features a hardshell design with an ABS case that measures a mere 7.5 inches (19 cm) high when closed up for travel. Its graphene-coated 300D fabric keeps weight down as low as 148 lb (67 kg) on the smaller 52-in-wide (132-cm) Hazel 130 model.
The Hazel's real advantages are realized at base camp. While many rooftop tents operate in seconds when it comes to popping the roof up, they also include windows and awnings that require users to install support poles manually. It's an easy task but does extend setup time from seconds to minutes.
Vickywood streamlines the Hazel series for setup that's fully completed in those initial seconds, eliminating all the poles and awnings so that users need only unlock the shell and push the roof up with help from the internal gas struts.
The company even eliminates the individual external latches featured on many other RTTs, using an internal latching mechanism controlled by a single slider lock. So there's no need to unlock/unlatch multiple pieces of hardware; simply unlock one end and pull the roof shell upward to create a wedge tent. Not only does this make setup quicker and simpler, but it provides a cleaner exterior construction.
To create the fully pitched setup, campers can unlock the second latch and open the other end of the tent for more interior volume behind four walls. Both locks are on the same side of the tent for fast, easy deployment.
The Hazel features a Z-frame design with diagonal central beams, but unlike other tents we've looked at using this construction, it includes a zipper that runs along the lower perimeter of the beams and around the roof and base to create a 270-degree panoramic opening that turns the tent into a breezy balcony. Using a pair of small supports, users can create an awning that juts out off the roof for increased shade.
We have a few reservations about these openable RTT designs, particularly the one about a sudden gust of wind turning our cozy living space into a gritty, uncomfortable sandbox. On the other hand, the idea of being able to quickly unzip some fabric and create an open viewing platform certainly has merits, too. And it's not like you have to drop the walls just because the capability is there.
The Hazel 130 includes a memory foam air mattress with a two-person sleeping area measuring 79 x 43 in (200 x 110 cm). Campers inflate it with the included USB-powered pump. The telescopic ladder travels in its own bag and extends up to 7.5 feet (2.3 m). Two 4.9-ft (1.5-m) multicolor LED light strips line the ceiling for integrated illumination.
The Hazel 130 retails for €2,890 (approx. US$3,400), and the larger Hazel 155 retails for €3,190 ($3,750), both including VAT. The latter measures 62 in (157 in) in total width to support a larger sleeping area of 79 x 53 in (200 x 135 in). It weighs 170 lb (77 kg) with the mattress and no accessories. Both Hazel variants are available for preorder now.
Source: Vickywood
