Tepui is building upon its versatile roof-top tent (RTT) lineup with the all-new HyBox, a transforming vehicle tent that will support adventures of all kinds at all times of year. Camp up on top of your vehicle, or peel the tent canvas off to create a roomy cargo box eager to swallow sports gear, clothes, tools and other essentials. One roof topper meets two of the essential needs virtually every outdoor explorer is likely to have.
If you're having a bit of déjà vu reading about a dual-purpose Tepui tent that doubles as a roof-top cargo box, you're not alone. "Isn't that a big part of what the Tepui White Lightning (now the Lightning) did when it hit the market two years ago," we pondered aloud when first reading about the HyBox.
Indeed it did, and it continues to do so. In fact, the US$3,800 Lightning remains the company's hardshell flagship, complete with fiberglass composite casing and integrated roof bars.
The HyBox sits downmarket, but it does offer some functionality that the Lightning does not. Tepui explains that the HyBox offers 13 inches (33 cm) of internal height, while the Lightning offers only 4 in (10 cm). So as a cargo box, the latter is only capable of carrying slender items like skis, while the HyBox can handle snowboards, luggage, tools and other bulky items. Tepui intends for it to serve the role of a legit cargo box, like those from Thule or Yakima, as well as that of a roof-top tent. The Lightning, on the other hand, is more an RTT with some cargo-hauling capability.
Like the Lightning, the HyBox relies on Tepui's ZipperGimp system to quickly transform between its two modes. Zip the fabric off, remove your mattress and the high-strength ABS shell is now an empty cargo hauler.
Whichever way you're using the HyBox, gas struts make opening and closing it a breeze, which should prove particularly helpful when the rain is pouring down and you want to jump under a roof or pull something out of the box before getting soaked through to the bone. Latches on either end mean that the top can pop fully open into a roomy tent or halfway open, clamshell-style, for quick gear access.
Tepui showed the HyBox at last month's Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. The new tent will launch this fall (Northern Hemisphere) for $2,800.
Source: Tepui
