7 Best Roof Top Tents for 2024 [Review]

Hard Shell vs. Soft Shell Roof Top Tents

We think all roof top tents are great. Hard shell roof top tents and soft shell roof top tents both serve their purpose, and if your mind is already made up, check out our more specific guides on the best hard shell roof top tents and the best soft shell roof top tents. 

The biggest differences you'll hear are that hard shell tents are more durable, more aerodynamic, and easier to set up, while soft shell tents are lighter and more affordable.

We generally agree, but we like to dive deeper than that, so let's dig in:

• The Cover – This is what the names are referring to.
• Hard shell roof top tents have a hard shell - a plastic or aluminum cover that looks like the Thule cargo cases you're used to seeing on top of cars.
• Soft shell tents have a canvas (think thick tarp) cover.
• Durability – The cover is really the difference maker here.
• Plastic or metal covers will simply hold up longer than canvas ones. Canvas ones sometimes rip or fray with time, exposing the tent to potential further damage.
• Plastic and metal ones get dinged up with time, but rarely in a way that puts the tent itself at risk.
• Significant damage to either is rare, so this isn't the first (or second or third) thing we'd worry about. But it's a difference.
• Let's call that a half point for hard shell.
• Aerodynamics – This again comes back to cover.
• Hard shell tents have the advantage that the shell can be styled to be aerodynamic, whereas the soft shell tents always form a sort of square, which needs to be strapped down carefully to minimize drag and noise on the road.
• Hard shell tents are often - but not always - lower profile as well. This means that they might be 8-12 inches above the top of your car, whereas soft shell tents are more like 10-14 inches.
• All of this means that the soft shell tents cause more drag, which reduces your MPG. If you're doing a cross country road trip, you'll notice the difference (probably 2-3 MPG difference which adds up over thousands of miles). If you're going camping a few hours away a few times a year, you probably won't. 
• We'll call this a point for the hard shell, so hard shell is up 1.5.
• Setup and Takedown – Most hard shell tents use gas struts, which enable the tent to pop up or out in seconds. You basically release the straps, give the edges a little push, and your tent is open.
• Soft shell tents, on the other hand, require releasing the straps and then some sweat equity - often extending the ladder and leveraging it to pull the tent open.
• On average, you're talking about one minute to fully set up a hard shell tent, and 3-5 to fully set up a soft shell tent. While both are faster than a ground tent, any work when it's on the roof of your car can pose challenges (a lot of tiptoe reaching!).
• So, we give a full point to the hard shell here, for a 2.5 point lead. 
• Comfort – Many used to argue that hard shell tents were also more comfortable. We think this is outdated. At this point, all of the highest quality soft shell and hard shell tents use comparable tent and rainfly fabrics, comparable mattress thickness, and comparable venting and bases.
• We call comfort a draw. Hard shell still up 2.5 points.
• Crossbars– The final clear advantage for hard shell tents is their ability to take crossbars on top.
• Many (but not all) hard shell tents allow you to mount crossbars to the top of your tent (similar to the ones on top of your car that you're mounting the tent itself to).
• This allows you to put things on top of your tent that you might otherwise have put on your roof if the tent hadn't been there. Things like kayaks, bikes, or other gear. On long trips with a full car and a desire to bring other gear, this is a game changer.
• In reality, though, most of our customers don't use these. The optional crossbars sit unbought in our warehouse. 
• So we'll call this a half point advantage as well. Hard shell tents +3.
• Weight – On average, soft shell tents are lighter than hard shell tents.
• It's pretty simple: what's lighter, a 4' x 6' piece of canvas or a 4' x 6' piece of metal. Obviously the canvas, and thus the weight difference.
• The first time you'll notice this is on installation. Everything about installation is easier with a soft shell tent because you're managing less weight.
• If you're thinking you might want to take the tent off in the winter, or when you need to haul your Christmas tree or pop the Thule on top, weight again matters.
• Having a lighter tent also means less gradual wear and tear on the roof rack, roof of the car, and car itself.
• Finally, many roof racks simply can't handle the weight of a heavier, hard shell tent. Most roof racks can handle most soft shell tents. But if you want to go hard shell, you may be looking at buying a new roof rack or cross bars too.
• This one is therefore a full point for team soft shell, reducing the hard shell lead to +2. 
• Cost – Which brings us to the final - and for many people, the most important - element...cost.
• Up to this point, hard shell tents hold a 2 point advantage. If money is no object on your roof top tent purchase, we recommend hard shell without reservation.
• But the cost of roof top tents is real! Some run 10x the cost of high quality ground tents. For many people, this is the biggest purchase they'll make after the vehicle they're putting it on and the house it's temporarily replacing.
• And a lot of the hard shell advantages are small - ones that would only add up with time. You probably won't notice a 1 minute set up vs. 3 minutes on your weekend camping trip. But if you're doing it every night for 6 months, you might. Likewise, a ~2MPG difference isn't so big a deal on a couple hour weekend getaway. But on a cross-country road trip, it adds up.
• We usually tell folks: If you plan to use this tent A LOT, getting lots of great trips over many years, then a hard shell is worth the investment if you can afford it. The 2 point lead holds up.
• But if you're thinking a few family camping trips each summer for a couple days each, then cost becomes the most important consideration in our opinion, evaporating the hard shell advantage. And we think, in that case, you will have no regrets going with a high quality soft shell roof top tent. 

As we said at the top: We think all roof top tents are great. Pick the one that's right for your adventures, and you won't look back. There are great options for all sizes whether you prefer hard shell or soft shell.