Outdoors

$2,000 IO carbon fiber rooftop tent is as light and slim as they come

$2,000 IO carbon fiber rooftop tent is as light and slim as they come
Inspired Overland's Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT offers plenty of ventilation when needed
Inspired Overland's Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT offers plenty of ventilation when needed
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Inspired Overland's all-new Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT
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Inspired Overland's all-new Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT
That carbon fiber weave looks pretty wherever it goes
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That carbon fiber weave looks pretty wherever it goes
IO adds T track in the alu frame for easy mounting
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IO adds T track in the alu frame for easy mounting
Inspired Overland's Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT offers plenty of ventilation when needed
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Inspired Overland's Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT offers plenty of ventilation when needed
Included organizer
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Included organizer
Two ducts allow for easy climate control, making for a more comfortable RTT camping experience
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Two ducts allow for easy climate control, making for a more comfortable RTT camping experience
The Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT ducks under the 5-inch mark to make it one of the slimmest available
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The Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber RTT ducks under the 5-inch mark to make it one of the slimmest available
Inspired Overland rooftop tents are as light and slim as anything out there, making them a good option for EVs
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Inspired Overland rooftop tents are as light and slim as anything out there, making them a good option for EVs
Inspired Overland's original Lightweight Rooftop Tent out in the wild
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Inspired Overland's original Lightweight Rooftop Tent out in the wild
IO replaces the soft PVC with rigid carbon fiber
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IO replaces the soft PVC with rigid carbon fiber
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A year ago, California's Inspired Overland (IO) was busy celebrating a SEMA Global Media award for its Lightweight Rooftop Tent, to our knowledge the lightest non-inflatable clamshell RTT in the US, if not the world. Now it's celebrating a consecutive SEMA win for its latest product, the Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber Rooftop Tent. The new tent brings a more rigid construction to Inspired's lineup while still riding high as one of the lightest, thinnest RTTs available.

Inspired Overland's original Lightweight Rooftop Tent out in the wild
Inspired Overland's original Lightweight Rooftop Tent out in the wild

Inspired Overland bills the original Lightweight Rooftop Tent the lightest tent in the world, and at 76 lb (34 kg), it undercuts the Go Fast Campers Superlite by a few pounds as the lightest we've ever seen, not counting inflatables or multipurpose roof/ground designs. But it also uses a PVC softshell roof, which might not appeal to all car-top camping enthusiasts.

That carbon fiber weave looks pretty wherever it goes
That carbon fiber weave looks pretty wherever it goes

To offer that same level of ultra-lightweight construction with a more rigid roof and overall shell, Inspired turned to the carbon fiber that's long offered an optimal best blend of low weight and high rigidity in some of the most demanding applications across (and beyond) the globe. Carbon fiber has a limited history in RTT design, finding use occasionally, in products like the US$25K Redtail Overland hard-sided roof hut and Airhome Maggiolina Carbon Fiber RTT, neither of which ranks among the market's lightest.

IO has gone for broke, massaging its carbon fiber into a thin hardshell framed out in aluminum. The lid clamps down to create a slim travel package that measures just 4.75 inches (12 cm) high when closed. The tent weighs in at 80 lb (36 kg), making it quite similar in overall size to the 80-lb 5-in-thick Superlite. The only RTT we can think of that's slimmer is the 3-in-tall (7.6-cm) Badass Packout, a soft-roofed design that weighs around 100 lb (45 kg).

Two ducts allow for easy climate control, making for a more comfortable RTT camping experience
Two ducts allow for easy climate control, making for a more comfortable RTT camping experience

Inside, the Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber tent offers 84 x 50 in (213 x 127 cm) of sleeping area with an included air mattress and anti-condensation mat. All three waterproof 2,000-D polyester fabric walls include zippable mesh windows, and a pole-supported awning provides coverage over the main rear entryway. Two integrated ducts down near the front corners let owners run both vented heat and A/C into the tent for comfortable four-season climate control. T-slot around the frame provides a place to easily mount crossbars and accessories.

IO replaces the soft PVC with rigid carbon fiber
IO replaces the soft PVC with rigid carbon fiber

IO is offering the Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber Rooftop Tent for special preorder pricing until Sunday, Nov. 19. Those who put a $200 refundable reservation deposit down before then will lock in special prices starting at $1,599 for local pickup at Inspired's California, Texas and Maryland dealerships, or $1,895 shipped. After that, $1,999/$2,199 regular MSRPs will apply. The first deliveries are currently planned for spring 2024.

Source: Inspired Overland

View gallery - 10 images
5 comments
5 comments
InspiredOverland
Thank you for featuring our carbon fiber rooftop tent, Chris! We really appreciate your focus on the lightweight design and affordability.

Feel free to reach out to us at support@inspiredoverland.com for any questions!
AWF69
За такую пародию 2000?🤣
AWF69
У меня нормальная палатка на два человека весит три фунта!
Uncle Anonymous
What a great rooftop tent. Compared to others I've looked at, the price is very reasonable, and it appears to be well-made. While at my age the thought of doing a ladder from a car rood isn't an option, I may just get one of these to mount on top of my 4'x8' utility trailer where it would act as a cover for the gear I take camping. The other plus would be the ease in getting in or out and not sleeping in a tent on the ground.

Seriously, thanks for posting this.
MQ
Thickness of hardshell RTTs is more a mattress and tent packing thing (function), an A frame tent has less fabric than a vertical poptop (less space at the lower end too).

Using self inflating matteess (pump deflate) gets the bulk down.. "Carbon fibre", is mostly "bling for the yuppies" (bragging point to justify a high cost, where proper material use and selection could be a similar size and weight insulated "composite" sandwich), cheers for the laughs - low head height is really useful to avoid vines ripping the tent off the roof..