Insanely easy to set up and super comfortable to sleep in, the Yakima SkyRise Rooftop Tent is a pretty amazing piece of equipment to get for your next big camping trip.
We decided to purchase a Yakima SkyRise Rooftop Tent before going on a 30 day Road Trip around the United States. We had weighed the option of camping out in a regular tent on the ground, versus going full Van Life and getting ourselves a Sprinter Van, but after reading reviews of rooftop tent users, I was content on meeting in the middle and grabbing a rooftop tent.
After consistently using the tent for about two years now, I couldn't be more satisfied with our decision. Let me explain why.
The Pros Of The Yakima SkyRise Rooftop Tent
Easy to set-up. You can put a lot of toys on top of your car with the proper racks, but some of them are a real pain to set into the racks - looking at you Kayaks. Yakima made it very easy to get the SkyRise Tent on and off of your car. There are four mounts underneath the tent that clip onto your roof racks. All you have to do is tighten the knobs and lock each mount to fasten the tent securely on the roof. As long as you have a helping hand to assist you with getting it on the roof (it is heavy and awkward to carry), it'll take you no more than 10 minutes to secure the tent to your roof.
Ease of use. You can get the tent set up within 5 minutes of arriving at your campsite. No joke. All you have to do is unbuckle a few straps, pull the protective tarp off and hook it in underneath, pull the ladder out and set it on the ground, throw your sleeping gear into the tent, and boom, you're ready to go. No fidgeting around with tent poles or hammering stakes into the ground. Same goes for putting the tent away in the morning. Simply collapse the ladder and fold the tent back onto the roof of your car. You'll be ready to hit the road within minutes of waking up. After you've had your coffee of course. The ease of use of the SkyRise Yakima Rooftop Tent cannot be overstated, especially for those nights when you arrive at the campsite later than planned and don't have to struggle to set up a tent under the cover of darkness.
Safety. We can all feel a little exposed when camping out. After all, we have limited shelter to shield us from whatever lurks outside. While a rooftop tent generally wouldn't help too much against larger animals, it does provide some security from the usual creepy crawlers like bugs, snakes, and spiders that you might find on the ground.
Comfort. Say goodbye to your blow up sleeping pad. The Yakima SkyRise Tent comes with a thick, 2.5” wall-to-wall foam mattress included. The mattress stays in the tent and easily folds up when you're putting the tent away. It also includes a removable cover for easy cleaning. Trust me when I say it is comfy.
Price. Bear with me here. Rooftops tents are by no means cheap, but when you look at how easy they are to use, you can argue that they offer a similar characteristic to that of the Van Life. Sure, they don't offer the same security as sleeping in a van, but in terms of pulling into a campsite and being able to easily be in your sleeping bag within 5 minutes, they are pretty comparable, and a whole lot cheaper than buying a van.
The Cons - Nothing is Perfect, Right?
Storage. The tent is big and bulky. On the roof of the car, it's great. In the corner of your garage, it takes up some space. Before purchasing one, make sure you have a plan as to where you can store the tent when it is not in use. For example, I'm currently living in a city apartment, and storing the tent is costing me a good chunk of change from month to month.
Awkward. Along the storage lines, the tent is very awkward to carry. Whenever you are putting it on or getting it off of your car, you're going to need an extra helping hand.
Roof Racks. In order for the tent to sit properly on top of you car, you need proper cross bars. The standard bars that came with your car will most likely not work. You will need either square or rectangular shaped crossbars so that the tent can properly fasten onto your car.
Final Thoughts
The Yakima SkyRise Rooftop Tent is a super useful tool for long camping trips, or for anyone who doesn't want to go through the hassle of setting up a standard tent. The tent is incredibly easy to fasten onto your car (as long as you have a helping hand), easy to set-up for sleeping, and very comfortable. The ability of the tent to fold up into such a small box that fits on top of your car makes it great for long road trips as you don't have to worry about your tent taking up any valuable room within your vehicle. If you are an avid camper, and you have the budget, I would definitely recommend picking up a rooftop tent. It will elevate your camping game to new heights. Literally...
I hope you found this review on the Yakima SkyRise Rooftop Tent to be helpful and informative. If you have had any experiences with this rooftop tent or another, please let me know if the comments!
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