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Overlanding Guide

A beach camping scene with a car and a roof top tent

Make yourself at home in the great outdoors

Overlanding gear from Rack Attack transforms your vehicle into the ultimate adventure companion. Experience the fun and convenience of a rooftop car tent, relax under a shade awning, and enjoy the luxury of an electric cooler without needing ice. Our collection is tailored for those who love to venture into lakes, forests, mountains, or deserts, equipped with everything needed to enjoy the outdoors in comfort. Discover our range of adventure, camping, and overlanding gear, designed to make your outdoor experiences memorable and hassle-free.

Rooftop Tents

Rooftop car tents are one of the most exciting innovations in roof rack accessories, period. If you like to camp or road trip the convenience of having a secure, comfortable, and convenient car tent can’t be overstated. From the speed and ease of setting up and striking your camp (even in the dark), the perks of being elevated from the ground (away from floods and wildlife), to the peace of mind knowing you can sleep comfortably wherever you can park, a car tent is the greatest investment any overlander or adventurer can make.

A campfire and truck with a roof top tent for 4 people

Why sleep up top?

If you like to camp or go on a road trip, the convenience of having a secure, comfortable, and convenient car tent can’t be overstated. Advantages compared to a typical tent:

  • Very quick to set up: no fighting with poles and getting confused when trying to set up camp in the dark.
  • No need for ground cover.
  • Elevated so you won’t get flooded in a downpour
  • Provides some protection from wildlife.
  • Doesn’t take up any storage room inside your vehicle.
  • Some tents can work as rooftop storage boxes during transit
A truck with a hard shell roof top tent

What kind should I get?

Most rooftop tents fit into one of two categories:

Hardshell tents
  • Quickest to setup and tear down
  • Rugged shell protects tent from road dirt and debris
  • More comfortable on a windy night
  • Store bedding inside tent, free up space in your vehicle
Softshell Tents
  • Lighter weight
  • Less expensive
  • More compact when stowed
  • More opening windows and skylights

 

WHAT TYPE OF RACKS ARE NEEDED TO CARRY A ROOFTOP CAR TENT?

By far, the most common question about a rooftop tent is, “Can my car carry one?” While it’s possible to get a tent on most vehicles, there are a few things to know before moving on.

Dynamic Weight: This is the amount of weight your roof rack can carry while the vehicle is moving. Rooftop tents typically weigh between 100 and 200 lbs. If your car comes with a roof rack factory installed, you’re going to want to check the manual and verify what weight your rack is rated for. Most factory roof racks are not capable of carrying this much weight.

3rd party roof racks, such as Thule, Yakima, Rhino-Rack, or Cruz, almost always support higher weight capacities than a factory rack. That being said, all manufacturers agree that clip-style racks (the ones that fit into your door jams) are not suitable for carrying tents.

Static Weight: All roof racks can carry significantly more static weight than they can dynamic. If your rack can hold a tent while your vehicle is moving, then your rack should be just fine to hold the tent, with people in it, while stationary. Just be sure not to over-fill your tent and pack a two-person with six adults, and you should be just fine.

When tents list people, they are considering one person to weigh 200 lbs.

WHAT IF YOUR CAR DOESN’T HAVE A SUITABLE RACK LISTED?

If your vehicle only has options for a clip-style rack, you’re not out of luck quite yet. Rack Attack has a variety of custom roof rack options for nearly any vehicle. By installing mounting points (similar to what manufacturers will do at the factory), we can give your roof the ability to carry a tent. Reach out to us directly for more info.

CAN I GET A CAR TENT INSTALLED BY RACK ATTACK?

Yes, you can! Our expert rack installers will get your roof rack and roof tent installed in no time. Just be sure to call ahead to make sure we have the parts you want in stock. If not, we can always get them in and have you on the road in often just a day or two!

CAN I ORDER A CAR TENT ONLINE?

Yes! But with one big caveat: Rooftop car tents ship on a full pallet skid, meaning we can have it delivered right to your door, but the shipping companies will require someone for the delivery. The process also takes slightly longer than shipping other smaller products, and not all rooftop tents offer that option.

Ready to camp with your tent? Don't forget these important accessories:

 

Awnings

An offroad vehicle with a hard shell tent and 270 degree awning on a beach

Throw shade on your campers

Awnings come in two basic styles, linear, and wrap around.

Linear awnings offer shade on one side of your vehicle. They can be either a bag style or case awning. Case awnings are easier to setup, all you have to do is turn a crank handle and deploy the legs. Bag awnings are lightweight and simply unroll to deploy.

If you're looking for more shade a wrap around or 270° awning, something like the Rhino-Rack Batwing or Roofnest Litewing will give you shade on one side of the vehicle and also over the back, expanding your camp area.

Coolers

A large single-zone 12v powered cooler and a LiFePo4 battery

A refreshing take on camping

You've kept the kids and the dog cool, what about your drinks and food?

The Dometic CFX3 series is one of the most efficient and versatile coolers on the market. Featuring extremely efficient variable-speed compressors and bluetooth control, and even an ice maker in the CFX3-55IM, you're sure to make your fellow campers jealous. Keep your ice-cream frozen in a dual-zone  cooler such as the CFX3-75DZ and CF3-95DZ

Water & Fuel

A usb rechargeable portable water dispenser

Keep yourself and your car fueled

Water is the #1 most important item to bring camping, followed closely by fuel for your vehicle.

Rotopax is the industry standard for carrying fuel and water. The roto-molded construction and versatile mounting solutions will make sure that your supplies make it to camp, and all the way back again.

Dometic hydration jugs and matching usb-rechargeable faucet bring some creature comforts to your second home. Just plug the hose in and tap the faucet.

Camping Furniture

A camping setup with a rooftop tent and camping chairs and tables

Relax in style

Put up your feet with Dometic camp furniture. On offer is a full line of lilghtweight and innovative designs that are sure to make your camp site rival your living room. 

Choose from comfortable folding chairs, compact benches, folding tables, and more.

Bathroom & Shower

A rack mounted camp site shower spraying water

No more cold showers!

Living clean doesn't have to stop at home, you can bring some of the modern conveniences with you into the great outdoors.

The Yakima Roadshower mounts up to your roof rack and takes advantage of the sun to heat up. A handy hose nozzle makes it easy to blast mud off of bikes, or mac & cheese off dishes. Simply attach a bike pump to the valve on top to pressurize the tank.

 

More burning questions? Give us a shout or come see us in person!