My Roofnest Condor 2 rooftop tent has transformed my Can-Am side-by-side. While never intended for anything outside a rack with some external lights, I've created a far more useful machine, one crafted to get me deep into the woods and comfortable enough to stay multiple nights without issue. It's been my base camp for my trek into the elk woods this year, and I couldn't ask for a better companion—although I have one issue I'll be solving in the near future.
But as with all rooftop tents, it has a fundamental flaw in its design, one that's hard to overcome and that's the initial setup and later tear down. What's the problem? It's damned difficult to do.
Rooftop tents are heavy things, especially hard-shell ones like my Roof Nest. They're also ungainly and awkward, as you can't just grab a handle and heave the thing up onto your roof. Even with my shorter-than-average roof height on the Can-Am, it's a pain in the ass to do. For someone with a full-size truck or SUV like Toyota's new Land Cruiser, you're hauling that thing up real high. And that leads to a few options, one being installing it once and never touching it again. But you lose fuel economy and storage, and depending on your vehicle, it could get loud for long hauls. Likewise, you could install a pulley system in your garage to help you take it on or off. But that requires high enough ceilings.
Thule, however, just came up with a brilliant solution that's pitch-perfect for side-by-sides. How's a Thule-produced hitch-mounted tent sound?
Thule's new Outset was originally launched in Europe, which makes sense a lot of sense, as while rooftop tents are popular here in the States, Europeans tend to use their hitches far more frequently on their smaller vehicles. You're not going to put a rooftop tent on something like a Volkswagen Polo, right?
But the basic idea is pretty much the same as any other rooftop tent around, as it's a tent you don't have to laboriously set up while the light is fading and you're attempting to screw one pole here, push in one stake there, and try your damndest to unroll your sleeping bag while the fire burns down. Instead, like other rooftop tents, the Outset just unfolds like origami into the perfect 3-person sleeping area.
According to Thule, the Outset attaches to any 2-inch hitch receiver and weighs a grand total of just 163 pounds. That's about normal for most rooftop tents, but instead of hoisting it over your head and attaching it to a roof rack, you're just picking it up and setting it into the hitch receiver, which is far more doable in my experience. There are also lower-mounted wheels to make it even easier to cart around on solid ground. That said, I'd have given it a bit more rugged wheels if we're talking about the places I like to camp.
As mentioned, it then unfolds to a sleeping area that sleeps a total of three people, or in my case, most likely me, my wife, and our three rugrats. We might also be able to squeeze the dog in, too. You also get three doors—two on each side, and one out front—which gives you options for sleeping arrangements or when I have to pee in the middle of the night and don't want to disturb anyone.
Yet, most importantly of all, unlike conventional tents, you're elevated off the cold, hard ground, which is honestly the worst. Thule also made it so that you can detach it from your vehicle, leave camp, and then come back. No need to pack up everything just to go on an adventure or scout a new spot. And that's why I think that this makes for the perfect addition for any side-by-side adventurer.
Nearly all the new utility and adventure side-by-sides have a 2-inch hitch receiver, including the all-new Can-Am Defender HD11, which is likely going to be my follow-up to my Maverick X3. But that swap has been bugging me, as I'll lose my Roofnest capability. Yes, the Defender can get a roof rack, but it's already taller and more top-heavy than my Maverick X3, and adding another 160 pounds up there would be bad. This, however, would keep weight lower, keep the tailgate open for gear and snacks and coolers, and keep my capability of going off on long-term adventures in the woods.
It's the perfect addition to the adventure mobile I've designed in my head. There is one slight issue, and that's price.
Thule wants a whopping $4,700 for the hitch-mounted tent, and that's just straight-up a lot of cash right now. Hell, that's a lot of cash at any time. But the comfort and convenience are ones you can't discount, as most of the really great rooftop tents start around $3,500 and only increase from there. Like I hinted at in my intro, I'm also making a big change to my Roofnest that'll see an extra $600 to its already $3,800 starting price. So we're nearly there.
But what say you? Are you ready to pull the trigger on this Thule and get to camping more sound with your side-by-side? I'm already dreaming of big adventures myself.
