Transferring all of your gear from your car to your tent can be such a time waster. Instead of doing that at the beginning and end of every camping trip, get yourself a tent that connects to cars.
This way, once the tent is set up, all of your stuff is technically already inside of your tent.
SUV tents for camping also provide a place to keep all of our gear, giving you more space inside of your tent. Some even use the car as a place to sleep another person or more.
Let’s dive in and take a look at the best SUV tents of 2021.
Best SUV Tents – Top 5
#1 Napier Family SUV Tent
The Napier Family Sportz SUV Tent comes in two different sizes and they both come in blue and white.
The tents can be attached to multiple vehicles – SUVs, CUVs, and minivans.
The smaller one is 9 x 9ft and has a peak height of 7ft, making it great for 4-5 people. It only weighs around 15kg, so it is not too heavy to carry around for a little while.
The larger one is for 5-6 people but if you use the boot of your car as a place to sleep too, more people can easily fit. The interior of the tent is 10 x 10ft and over 7ft tall. The major differences between the two is not just the size, but this tent also has a 42 square foot screen room and a 6 x 6ft awning.
I am mainly going to focus on the larger size because the tents have similar features, but the larger size has much more worth mentioning.
The screen room has a 6ft T-door that makes entering and exiting the tent extremely easy, even if more than one person wants to do so at the same time. This room is floorless though, so you need your own footprint if you want one. Although it is easier to keep clean without a floor and it’s less to carry. This room is great for lounging, cooking, eating, storage, and as an extra sleeping space on warm nights.
The entire thing, both the doors and the walls on the sides, are mainly mesh so you will have lots of ventilation coming in and be able to enjoy your surroundings. A tent with a screen room can be a bad thing because it is more space that is often left exposed to the elements – that is not the case with this one since there are zip-up flaps that you can close to cover and protect all of the mesh screens.
It’s impossible for an SUV tent camper of this size to have a super quick set up and takedown, but for sure is worth it in this case. Since this tent isn’t pre-assembled, it takes around 15 minutes to have everything connected and then pitched. It can be done by just one person, but it is easier if there are two.
Once I got the hang of it though set up did get faster and easier.
The tent can be used as a standalone shelter just in case someone needs to use the car. All you need to do is unbuckle the connecting sleeve, roll it up, then zip up that side of the tent. This zip can also provide a means of privacy between the boot of your car and the tent.
Once you return with the car, just re-attach – it’s extremely easy. The sleeve has an airtight seal so that you won’t have any air coming in from where you don’t want it and it is easier to regulate the temperature inside.
The sleeve is outfitted with dual bungee bands; a band on the outside for a snug seal on the outside, and one on the inside for extra protection. Straps and clips connect the tent to the wheel wells, trunk opening, roof rack, and even the hood. You can adjust and tighten the cinch straps as much as necessary.
Just make sure that you pitch your tent before putting the sleeve on and leave that for last. This is so to avoid damaging or tearing the sleeve during setup.
This SUV pop up tent also has gear lofts, a lantern hook to light up your tent, and two storage pockets so that everyone can keep small items organized and in one place.
In total there are three windows that provide lots of fresh air, and if you have the rainfly off you also have a mesh ceiling so that you can stargaze at night.
The expandable carry bag makes repacking easy, and it also takes up little space (30” x 12” x 12”) so that you can store it anywhere in your home.
The tent’s steel and fiberglass poles structure and the included stakes keep it stable, and the floor of the tent is made bath-tub style with polyethylene which is very durable and resilient. Polyethylene is great for ensuring the tent stays dry on the inside, even if the ground is wet.
The stakes that I mentioned are the only thing that don’t seem to be made with great quality. I prefer using more heavy-duty stakes for long-term use and peace of mind.
The rainfly is very water-resistant, as it’s made with a 1200mm PU coating and has taped seams so that rainwater cannot get into your tent. The best feature about the rainfly must be the fact that it can also become an awning and provides shade so that you can relax and enjoy your trip. Alternatively, you could also keep gear and shoes in the shade of the canopy.
What’s great about SUV camping tents is that you can store gear in the boot of your car and there is no need to stay unzipping and exiting every time you want or need something.
It should come as no surprise that this tent is on the pricier side of the spectrum, but it is the absolute best choice for families or groups of friends.
- Great for groups
- Spacious
- Screen room
- Awning
- Durable
- Pricey
#2 Backroadz SUV Tent
Here we have one of the best SUV tents by Napier – it’s available in the color grey and weighs 1kg. With an interior of 10 x 10ft (100 square feet), and a peak height of 7ft, this tent is great for a group of around five people.
The tent is made with lightweight 68D 185T polyester taffeta, with a layer of mesh on the windows and door. The bathtub-style floor has an 800mm polyurethane coating which gives it some extra strength to handle the foot traffic.
The SUV tent attachment is universal, it doesn’t just fit SUVs but also all CUVs and minivans. It has an airtight and bugproof fit as it seamlessly connects, providing space to keep storage or even an additional sleeping space.
If it so happens that you need to take the car and disconnect the SUV attachment, you can easily do so.
I would always forget something in my car and have to walk all the way back to it after having pitched my tent, so for me a tent like this is brilliant. I can keep all my gear inside my trunk until I set up my tent and then everything I need is technically already inside.
This 3-season SUV tent for camping has shock-corded fiberglass poles and a full-coverage rainfly that has taped seams and built-in storm flaps on the 3 windows and large D-style door. Although fiberglass is not the strongest, it is lightweight.
Inside there is a mesh storage pocket to keep small necessities and a lantern hook to light up your tent at night.
It only takes around ten minutes to have this tent set up and it can be done by one person alone without a problem. So for a solo camper this is a great option or even for someone who is looking for an easier set up process.
- Universal sleeve
- Durable
- Good ventilation (3 windows)
- Large door
- Fiberglass poles – Not super high qual;ity
#3 Napier Sportz Dome-To-Go Tent
This tent is a dome-to-go by Napier that can fit 4 people inside, making it ideal for a family camping trip. It comes in blue and white with a touch of bright orange. The dimensions are 8.5 x 8.5ft with a 6.5 center height and weighing 25.15 pounds.
Depending on whether you plan to use the trunk of your car as space for gear or an additional sleeping space another person would be able to fit.
The full-length rainfly completely protects the door and windows from rain and wind, and can be rolled up when the sun comes back out. The best feature about this rainfly though has to be how the flap in front of one of the doors can also become a 6’ x 6’ awning for extra shade or protection from light rain.
In total, there are two large D-style doors and three windows that both have no-see-um mesh so that insects can’t get into your tent, and they also provide plenty of ventilation.
It’s great that there are two doors instead of one, making it even easier when multiple people are trying to get in or out of the tent at the same time.
There is also a ground vent that contributes to air circulation, letting cool air flow in from the bottom.
Set up only takes around ten minutes, and this truck tent is made out of durable taffeta and polyethylene.
It does come with an expandable carry bag for quick and easy storage, and there are two mesh pockets inside of the tent, as well as a gear loft to store small items off the ground.
The frame consists of shock-corded fiberglass poles which ensure stability as well as a quick and easy assembly, and the tent’s bathtub style floor helps a lot with ensuring water does not leak into your tent.
The sleeve of this tent is not as universal as the other tents mentioned, because this model is designed to accommodate all hatchback cars and CUVs,
There are several elastic restraining straps that attach to your car for an airtight and bugproof fit.
You don’t have to rely on your car to keep the tent up, just in case someone needs the car – simply unzip the removable vehicle sleeve and convert the tent into a standalone ground tent.
- Full-length rainfly
- Awning conversion
- Two doors
- Ground vent
- Doesn’t fit all SUV hatchbacks
- CON2
#4 Napier Backroadz SUV Tent
This eye catching green and beige SUV tailgate tent has dimensions of 108 x 108 x 84 inches and can easily fit 5 people inside.
It is made out of weather-resistant polyester, has a center height of 7’, and only weighs 13.2 pounds so you can easily carry this tent for a while if need be.
The sleeve of this SUV tent is universal, and so it can actually fit on all SUVs, CUVs and minivans. It attaches to your vehicle seamlessly, providing extra space for gear, storage, or an additional sleeping space. The two elastic straps ensure an airtight and bugproof seal. By simply unzipping the sleeve you can transform your tent into a standalone ground tent and do not have to rely on your car.
There are 3 windows and a large D-style door that have no-see-um mesh panels, providing plenty of natural light and ventilation whilst not letting any insects in.
The rainfly also has a storm flap over the door for extra weather protection, and the watertight bathtub-style floor stops any rainwater from seeping in.
I only came across two issues with this SUV tent for camping. Firstly, I found it a bit large to set up by myself and struggled, so I definitely recommend two people for assembly otherwise it can take ages and you might even break a sweat.
The other issue can be a deal-breaker for some; without the rainfly on, you have no privacy because the large windows do not have any sort of cover. That’s totally fine if you are camping somewhere where there’s nobody around for miles, but that is not often the case for most campers. Especially if you are camping when it is warm and there’s no need for a rainfly.
- Lightweight
- 3 huge windows
- Tall
- Universal sleeve
- No privacy without rainfly
- Two-person setup
#5 Napier Spotz Full Size Tent
The last minivan tent on our list is this one by Napier that comes in a lovely shade of blue with some white. It has a roomy interior of 9’ x 9’ and can accommodate 4-5 people. It weighs 30 pounds and has a peak height of 7’.
The steel and fiberglass poles that keep the tent stable and quite durable, and the tent itself is made from weather-resistant polyester taffeta. The guy ropes offer extra stability as well, and one person can manage to set this tent up on their own in ten minutes (although it is much easier with two people).
The sleeve is universal and can fit all SUVs, CUVs, and minivans. With two elastic bungee straps, the sleeve attaches well with an airtight and bugproof seal. There’s no need to rely on your car, just because the sleeve is attached does not mean you can’t use your car to go anywhere. The sleeve can easily be removed, and the tent goes from an SUV tent to a standalone ground tent which really makes it a versatile option which I love.
The full-length, tape-seamed rainfly protects the large door and windows from rain, and the flap in front of the door can become a 6’ x 6’ awning for shade or protection from light rain. I love using the shade of the awning as a place to sit and read.
The bathtub-style floor and storm flaps ensure rainwater can’t get into your tent, and the flaps of the rainfly that covers the two windows can be rolled up to reveal the windows when the sun comes back out.
There’s no-see-um mesh on both the windows and the oversized D-style door so that plenty of fresh air can come in without letting bugs along with it.
There are two storage pockets and a gear loft inside the tent to keep small items organized in one place off the floor, and a lantern hook so that you can light up your tent at night which I personally really appreciate.
An expandable carry bag is included for easy storage and transport. This tent has something called ‘Cyclone Venting System’ which is basically a reference to the two skylights that provide lots of ventilation and let you stargaze at night.
This one has the same issue as the previous tent – without the rainfly on there’s no privacy because nothing is covering the windows which may not be practical for some people depending on the situation.
This one has the same issue as the previous tent – without the rainfly on there’s no privacy because nothing is covering the windows which may not be practical for some people depending on the situation.
- Awning
- Huge windows and door
- Full-length rainfly
- Airtight vehicle sleeve
- No privacy without the rainfly
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