Tent Boxes

What a tent box is

A tent box is a hard-shell roof tent. Closed, it is a low box on your roof bars with the tent folded inside, kept out of the rain and road dirt while you drive. At camp you undo it and gas struts or a hydraulic lift push the lid up, which makes it the quickest kind of roof tent to open and close. The aluminium tent box for four here is 19cm deep when closed and 107cm high when open.

Clamshell, pop-up, side opening or triangle

• Clamshell tent boxes hinge at one end, so the lid rises in a wedge: tall at the door, low at the feet. See roof tents for the wedge and soft kinds.
• Pop-up tent boxes lift the whole lid straight up on a hydraulic lift, for the same height from end to end.
• Side-opening tent boxes fold out to the side of the car. The fast-setup one here has 1.4m of headroom at its peak, enough for most adults to sit up, and large openings for a 270° view.
• Triangle tent boxes have a sloping shell. One here has a solar panel built in for charging devices, and another a hole ready for one.

Shell, struts and the weight on your roof

The shells here are aluminium or ABS plastic, and the struts that lift them are gas or hydraulic. Whichever you choose, the rule for any roof tent applies: the tent box and its roof bars together must be inside the car's dynamic roof load, the figure in the handbook for driving, and inside the bars' own rating. See roof tents for how the dynamic and static loads work. A slim shell also catches less wind on the road, and one maker here says its low profile cuts drag and road noise.

What the waterproof rating means on a tent box

The rating in millimetres, the hydrostatic head, is the height of a column of water the fabric holds back before it leaks, tested to BS EN ISO 811. About 1,000mm is the lowest rating usually called waterproof, most lightweight flysheets are 1,500mm to 3,000mm, and more is worth having for long wet trips or a roof tent left up for days. The groundsheet is often rated higher, because you kneel and lie on it. On the tent boxes here the fabrics are rated from 2,000mm to over 3,000mm, and one flysheet to 5,000mm. Taped seams matter as much as the number. Shop by rating: to 2,000mm, to 3,000mm and 5,000mm and over.

Questions people ask about tent boxes

How fast does a tent box open?

The fast-setup side-opening box here pops open on its gas struts in under 60 seconds, and others open by themselves on a hydraulic lift. Before you close it, check that no fabric is caught at the edge of the lid.

Do tent boxes keep insects out?

Look for mesh on the windows and doors. Several here have bug mesh, which lets the air through and keeps insects out. For extra cover at the door, see mosquito nets.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when that tent usually arrives, so check it before ordering for a set date.

More to look at

• Roof tents
• Car awnings
• Truck bed tents
• SUV and tailgate tents
• 4-season tents
• Mosquito nets
• Guide: Roof tents and car awnings