California outfitter Inspired Overland already boasts a few of the market's lightest, sleekest rooftop tents. Now it's bringing the road-tripping world a truly unique car top-camping experience. Not only does its new Stargazer limited edition series feature the same style of ultralight construction as past models, it opens up a big view of the sky from below a full-length transparent roof panel. Enjoy a climate-controlled night of sleep after drifting off naturally while staring deeply into the dazzling night sky above.
Many rooftop tent companies talk a big game when it comes to designing lightweight hardware, but Inspired Overland (IO) is one of the brands that truly follows through in making its tents about as lightweight as physically possible. In fact, its 76-lb (34-kg) Lightweight RTT is the lightest two-person hardshell rooftop tent we've seen. It's light enough to be hoisted onto the car by a single strong person, though we'd still recommend the steady balance and weight load distribution of a pair.
The all-new Stargazer series gets close to that level of lightweightedness (not technically a word, but I like it) with an 80-lb (36-kg) base weight, but that's for the solo sleeper. The more conventional roof-width two-person scales in at a still-light 93 lb (42 kg).
IO uses a combination of a composite-reinforced carbon fiber base and an aluminum upper frame to keep weight down, but the real selling point on the Stargazer is the full-size clear acrylic roof panel held in place by that aluminum frame. This gives campers an entire roof's worth of stargazing. Many rooftop tents have come to adopt skylight panels – often rather scrunched, blurry soft panels – but a fully clear hard roof puts the Stargazer in another category.
Acrylic certainly sounds like the weak point in the otherwise aluminum/carbon-composite construction, but Inspired assures us it tested various grades of acrylic sheet and found just the right thickness. It says the panel it chose has slight flex to absorb impact without cracking. And of course, it will still work as a solid hunk of roof to protect precious sleeping heads from the elements.
Of course, there are times when you won't want an all-clear ceiling over your head – like virtually every early morning you ever camp out in nature. Because unless you're a dawn riser, the sun will inevitably dump in and aggressively drench you out of your slumber, hours ahead of schedule.
To prevent that from happening, Inspired installs a rollable headliner that quickly secures in place via Velcro strips. So even if you don't close it before dozing off, you can quickly deploy it in seconds in the early morning and get back to sleep.
In a departure from its older RTT designs, IO installs an X-shaped scissor lift toward the foot of the tent. That mechanism works in conjunction with the central strut in raising the roof, lifting the lower edge up off the base to add a little extra volume around the campers' feet. The Duo's rear carbon fiber support pole and front aluminum support ensure the tent stays open and stable.
An ultralight tent wouldn't be our first choice for winter camping, but IO does keep winter campers in mind with an air heater inlet cut into the sidewall fabric. We suppose you could also pipe in cool air from a portable air conditioning system like the Campstream or Zero Breeze.
Despite the higher lifting wedge roof, Inspired manages to achieve one of the slimmer hardshells on the market. When all closed up, the Stargazer measures just 6 inches (15 cm) high. The included inflatable air/foam hybrid mattress helps maintain that slim profile without giving up any comfort.
IO debuted the Stargazer series as a limited edition design at SEMA 2024 last November, and while the tents are still listed for preorder on its website, the company tells us it's all sold out. Preorder prices ranged from $1,299 to $2,049, depending upon model and whether buyers planned to pick it up themselves or have it shipped.
IO says that the Stargazer launch ultimately drummed up more demand for an X-hinge version of its traditional carbon fiber-roofed RTT, so that's where it's shifted focus for now.
Source: Inspired Overland
