Initial Skepticism
I’ll be honest: I was initially skeptical about roof top tents. Why would you want to set up a tent on top of your car when you can just pitch one on the ground? Jason shared this sentiment until an experience at the start of a race changed his mind. Arriving late, he watched a teammate quickly set up a rooftop tent and crawl in while he fumbled with a ground tent for over five minutes while being swarmed by mosquitoes. He came home convinced of the benefits, and our boys were immediately enthusiastic too after hearing his praise. I mean what 4 and 7 year old kid would not want to sleep on top of car!? While I have been dreaming of a sprinter van for its convenience and the ability to carry everything with you, we decided to try a roof top tent due to the significant cost difference: $2,499.95 for a rooftop tent versus $70,000 for a sprinter van is not something to shake a stick at.
Choosing the Thule Approach Rooftop Tent
We chose the Thule Approach for several reasons. First, it fit perfectly on our Subaru. Second, despite being labeled as a three-person tent, we knew it could comfortably accommodate our family of four (it helps that we’re all fairly small), as we have been fitting in small tents for years and years! Thule’s reputation for quality products, from chariots to bike racks to top boxes, also influenced our decision. They are always super well thought out and the quality us un-comparable to other competing brands.
Out of the Box
The tent arrived just in time for our trip, delivered in the early afternoon before we were set to leave that evening. Despite the rush, Jason managed to unbox and mount it on our car in about 90 minutes (in 90 degree temperatures!), with help from our nephew to lift it. The tent fit perfectly and came with a heavy-duty cover to protect it from the elements. It was also less bulky than some other models we had considered. After mounting our Lolo bike rack and 4 bikes, we were off!
The First Night
We didn’t have time to practice with it at home, so we gave it a true test by setting it up in the wilderness with no backup plans. After arriving at our camping spot—a butte with 360-degree views—the boys eagerly watched us set it up. Within two and a half minutes, it was ready. We simply unzipped the cover, unzipped the tent, pulled the ladder down, and voila!
Exploring our new home, I was immediately impressed by the comfortable mattress pad and the four windows that provided amazing views and ventilation. The pad was so comfortable that no additional pads were needed and it was surprisingly roomy. I was expecting it to be a bit cramped, but we could all sit up, and even open up the windows completely to stick our heads out. As evening fell, we zipped up the screens to keep the mosquitos out, but we could still see the beautiful sunset. It was also really special to be able to spend then night there, because the ground was all gravel and so had we only brought our ground tent, we would not be able to set it up there!
Nighttime Experience
After dinner, we climbed into the tent as the stars came out. We all fit comfortably by having two people lay diagonally on one side and the other two with their heads facing the opposite way. This arrangement allowed us all to see the stars and spread out fully. I again, was just so impressed and please with the fact that we didn’t each need our own pad. There was no rustling of pads or slipping off of pads (that happens all through the night with kids!). Instead, we all could snuggle and get as close as we wanted with out having to scooch our pads closer. We all slept 10 hours! It was honestly one of my best camping sleeps ever!
Morning and Packing Up
Waking up to the sunrise was magical. The cool morning air and the panoramic views made for a peaceful moment as I listened to my boys snore. After breakfast, Jason packed up the tent while we prepared to move to our next spot. We left our sleeping gear in the tent, as it was thin enough to allow the tent to fold and zip up, saving space in the car and making setup easier next time.
The zip-up process, though longer on the first attempt, only took about 4 minutes. We folded the ladder, clipped it to the top, zipped up the tent, secured the protective cover and then were off. Honestly coraling the kids and getting them in their seats with snacks and water was way harder!
Overall Experience
For three more nights, we explored areas in Oregon we’d never visited before as we were able to camp in spots that were unsuitable for ground tents. Our boys loved the adventure of sleeping on top of the car. For us parents, the ability to discover more remote places and spend longer periods in the wilderness as a family was a true gift and we are already starting to pack up for our next adventure.
I’ve completely changed my mind about rooftop tents. I love our Thule Approach Roof Top Tent. It’s extremely easy to set up, comfortable, and appears very durable. As to the answer to the question in the title – yes I believe they are amazing for families, but of course I think it’s age dependent (at least 2 years old is a must as they should be able to climb stairs) and depends on your families style. Every families needs are different. For us, it fits perfectly as it’s easy to set up, it’s fun and it’s exciting. Time will tell as we continue to use it, but so far, we all love it!
