When it announced its official US debut earlier this year, German rooftop tent innovator Roof Space mentioned it would soon add a four-person model to the lineup. It didn't drag its feet in fulfilling that promise, introducing the Roof Space 4 just a few weeks later. The new rooftop tent features the same 30-second quick-pitching hardshell design as the two-man, but upsizes the build around a four-person super-king mattress and two open-air decks. So no matter where the best views are, you can pop the tent open and soak them in.
As its name makes clear, the Roof Space 4 doubles the occupancy of the original Roof Space 2 to sleep a total of four people. That broadens the German startup's range to compete with popular fold-out hardshells like the iKamper Skycamp range and Roofnest Condor 2 XL. Three- to four-person builds are really where fold-out hardshell designs excel, so launching the 4-person is a natural move for Roof Space.
Roof Space's estimate of sleeping up to six people is a bit overly optimistic, as is its claim of offering the most sleeping area on the market. In fact, without even expanding the search past the two tents we mentioned, we know the iKamper Skycamp 3.0 edges it out ever-so-slightly with 44.3 square feet (4.1 sq m) of sleeping area to the Roof Space 4's 44.1 square feet – negligible but worth mentioning since Roof Space is the one making the "market's most" claim.
More specifically, the Roof Space 4's mattress measures just under 81 x 79 in (206 x 201 cm), exceeding both a standard American king and a California king in terms of overall sleeping area. And while it's slightly less than the Skycamp 3.0, it's more than the 42-sq-ft (3.9-sq-m) Condor 2 XL. Long story short, the Roof Space 4 will sleep a family of four quite comfortably ... right up until one or both kids hit that accelerated preteen/teenage growth spurt; then all bets are off.
What separates the Roof Space 4 from older expandable hardshell designs like the iKamper and Roofnest is its alternative structure. Instead of relying on a hardshell lid covering over a fold-out floor expansion, Roof Space's setup uses the floor panel as the roof, sandwiching the fabric tent with the second hard floor panel that's mounted to the vehicle. A slim cover secures over the hinged edge during transit to complete the full weather protection package without the need for a larger cover, like the fabric wrap iKamper uses on its similar-but-different X-Cover.
Roof Space's design offers a number of advantages, but weight savings is not one of them. That's a little surprising since the design eliminates the separate fold-out floor, but the Roof Space 4 flicks the scale needle to a hefty 198 lb (90 kg), well more than the 165-lb (75-kg) Skycamp 3.0 or 180-lb (82-kg) Condor 2 XL. As such, the Roof Space 4 is aimed at larger vehicle roofs and pickup bed racks or caps with appropriate dynamic load ratings.
On the other hand, the lack of an extra floor panel does help keep the Roof Space 4 rather svelte when packed. The closed aluminum case measures in at just under 9.5 inches (24 cm) tall compared to over 13 inches (33 cm) for the other two aforementioned tent models.
Another big advantage the Roof Space construction offers is a fuller dome tent stretching from end to end without a lean-to-style hard lid. That results in a 51.2-in (130-cm) peak height that offers a tad more headroom than the 48-in (122-cm) Skycamp 3.0 or 50-in (127-cm) Condor 2 XL.
That dome shape also allows for a symmetrical design that Roof Space uses to double up on its unique cabana feature. Campers can unzip both sides of the tent to create two separate open-air decks. So no matter how you parked, you will be able to situate yourself on the deck that offers the best 270-degree views. At particularly open, obstruction-free campgrounds, you could even park in such a way as to have one deck for sunrises and one for sunsets.
As part of the new launch, the Roof Space 4 is currently up for preorder at a 10% discount. Early birds can lock their four-person Roof Space in for US$4,140 before the tent goes back up to its MSRP of $4,600. The tent comes with a 102-in (259-cm) telescoping ladder, foam mattress, anti-condensation mat and mounting hardware. Deliveries are planned to begin in April.
It's worth noting that as Roof Space expands to new markets, the competition has already heated up. Just prior to Roof Space's US debut announcement, US overland supplier Freespirit Recreation introduced the 2-/3-person Nova with the same style of opening but a different pitched form. And since we last covered Roof Space in February, we've also seen a similar (but larger and air-framed) rooftop tent design topping the Australian-market Hardkorr Xplorer 2.3 Family trailer. We suspect other similar designs, perhaps with open-air decks of their own, won't be far off.
Source: Roof Space USA