roof top tent vs ground tent

ROOFTOP TENTS VS GROUND TENTS

Rooftop Tents have become the exciting trend and have gained unbelievable vogue on internet all over the globe. Nature enthusiasts and Campers share their rejoicing stories and the experiences they have had with Rooftop Tents while going around, camping and off-roading through the countryside. The privileges Rooftop Tents offer are so incredible that it becomes impossible for an adventurer to not explore them. Ideally, this blog gives a descriptive and detailed view of Rooftop Tents in comparison with Ground Tents and helps the adventurers comprehend how different is a Rooftop Tent than a Ground Tent.

A Rooftop Tent is a Tent capable to give the facility of staying in it while camping somewhere in the woods, a beautiful place or any picnic spot mountable to the roof rack of the car depending on its compatibility with the car’s roof rack.

A Ground Tent shall be set properly on a flat and appropriate piece of ground near a camping site to stay in it. A Ground Tent is usually heavier and cannot be carried place to place contrary to a Rooftop Tent which mounts feasibly to the Roof Rack of the Car.

A Rooftop Tent easily folds and unfolds. It is light in weight and can be carried anywhere in its box. The folding and unfolding of a Rooftop is an easy task of a couple of minutes which includes doing few screws and it’s all set.

A Rooftop Tent provides the advantage to camp anywhere in the most favorite place without bothering about a camping site. Adventurers with Rooftop Tents just park their cars where they would want to and set the Rooftop Tent on the roof rack of the car. This literally takes a while and the Rooftop Tent gets ready to enter to, stay in it and enjoy the beautiful surrounding.

A Ground Tent can only be set on a proper flat ground especially near a camping site which has the basic facilities and luxuries required for a Ground Tent. Mostly off-roaders who camp in Ground Tents complain about the trouble of finding a regular camping site. This sometimes does not include the unexplored camping sites of incredible beauty.

This is the just the tip of the iceberg. This blog gives descriptive information about the comparison between Rooftop Tents and Ground Tents. Also, this blog provides conclusion of so many experiences and feedbacks the Adventurers have had with Rooftop Tents and Ground Tents while camping. So, keep on reading this blog to have all the answers why you should have a Rooftop Tent and not a Ground Tent.

Rooftop Tents: Pros and Cons

Pros

  1. Lighter in Weight:
  • Rooftop Tents are lighter in weight than Ground Tents. They are simply mounted to the Roof Rack of the Car and hence they can be carried on along the road as long as Adventurers are on the move.
  • The Hard-Shell Rooftop Tents are the lightest Tents which can be mounted even on smaller cars and carried to camping sites.
  • Soft-shell Rooftop Tents are heavier and cannot be mounted on small cars. They are mounted on SUV’s, Jeeps and other bigger cars.
  • Apart from that Rooftop Tents are of different types in terms of capacity and that’s why Rooftop Tents which have smaller capacities such as Tents for a person or two are lighter than all others and Tents for families and large groups are heavier.
  1. Easier to Set up:
  • Rooftop Tents are easier and faster to set up than Ground Tents. They literally take a while. Smaller Rooftop Tents take couple of minutes and bigger ones take a while such as 5-10 minutes.
  • If a person is all alone by himself and is camping, He should have a small Rooftop Tent be it of Hard-shell or Soft-shell which can host one person. Similarly, groups comprising of many people would need a bigger and heavier Rooftop Tent which would require 3-4 persons at a time to set it up.
  1. Safe Camping:
  • Rooftop Tents provide you the facility of safe camping. Safety usually is the most troubling thing for Adventurers as mostly across the countryside there can be wild and fierce animals, irritating insects and bugs which get into the Tent if the Tent is on ground.
  • Rooftop Tents are safer and keep the campers safe from Animals, Insects and Bugs.
  • Also, Rooftop Tents are off the ground and are safe from Flood Water. Sometimes if the camping site is near a river or sea and there is any chance of potential flooding of water then Rooftop Tent is the safest Tent as it is off the ground at height and the campers can sleep peacefully without worrying a bit through the night.
  1. Comfortability and Contentment:
  • Rooftop Tents are highly and astoundingly comfortable. The mattress of Rooftop Tent is very soft and has best material in it which gives all the comfort.
  • Comfort is very necessary to be ensured as the fun in seeing and enjoying beautiful scenery is incomplete if the Tent is not comfortable enough to sit and sleep in it with content and satisfaction.
  • Also, the best thing about Rooftop Tents is that once they are mounted on the Car’s Roof Rack and set up, they can be used for as many days as the Campers want because there is no packing bed and stuff.
  1. Choice of Camping Sites:
  • The most beautiful advantage that comes with Rooftop Tent is the choice of Camping Sites with Campers is so wide and consists of unlimited options. Campers can camp anywhere if they have a Rooftop Tent and not Ground Tent. They wouldn’t need to look for a perfect site in terms of facilities. Rooftop Tents can be set up on car where there is a place of beauty, uniqueness and worth to stay at while exploring an area.
  1. Cleanliness:
  • The cleanliness of a Rooftop Tent is more than a Ground Tent. Since Rooftop Tents are off the ground and have accessories such as Anti-condensation Mat and Boot Bags that’s why they are cleaner and nice to rest in than Ground Tent.
  1. Well-insulated:
  • Rooftop Tents are well-insulated than Ground Tents. They have better insulation and are warmer because of Quilted Heaters, Thick Mattresses on the floor and thick material such as Aluminum and hard Plastic used in the sides and roof of the Tent.
  • People who camp in winter and have a Rooftop Tent, they would not worry about cold weather and can enjoy the weather in their warm Tent.
  1. Better Ventilation:
  • Rooftop Tents have better ventilation than Ground Tents. Rooftop Tents are off the ground at almost 8-10 feet and the air blows into the Tent nicely.
  • Campers who plan trips mostly in summers will enjoy their trip the most if they arrange to have a Rooftop Tent for themselves.
  1. A Dashing Vibe:
  • A Rooftop Tent gives a dashing look when it is mounted on a car en route a beautiful and adventurous road.
  • Instagrammers, Youtubers, Wanderers, Explorers and other social media Influencers photo shoot their tours and that’s why the Rooftop Tent up on the car gives them that extra swaggy and dashing look.
  1. Durable and Resistant:
  • Rooftop Tents are more durable, long lasting and resistant to any sort of physical, chemical and natural deformation causing reactions.
  • Rooftop Tents are made of thick layers of hard plastic and Aluminum in order to be safe and protected.
  • Manufacturers make Rooftop Tents of top quality, thick layers and heavier substance as the weight is carried by the car and not any humans which might turn out to cause trouble.
  • A random Rooftop Tent remains durable and nice till 5 years. Some top quality Rooftop Tents are highly durable and remain new and usable till a decade even.
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Cons

  1. Expensive:
  • Rooftop Tents are relatively more expensive than Ground Tents. Despite the fact that these Tents provide a lot of facilities and privileges still some people prefer economic trips trying to avoid many expenses. In this regard, buying a Rooftop Tent can be a bit challenging for some people.
  1. Compatibility factor:
  • One of the hardest things is picking, selecting and buying the perfect Rooftop Tent for the car. Some Off-roaders complain a lot about finding the quality and perfectly compatible Rooftop Tent for their vehicle. This is not a difficult task for those who have read well about Rooftop Tents and know where they are supposed to buy from.
  1. Fuel Consumption:
  • Rooftop Tents affect the fuel consumption of the vehicles which carry them along the road on the trip.
  • Heavy and big-sized Rooftop Tents slow down the speed of the car and hence the car consumes more fuel.
  • Apart from that, driving becomes difficult when there is a Rooftop Tent on the Rack of the car affecting car’s suspension and braking.
  1. Lesser Capacity and Space:
  • Rooftop Tents have lesser capacity than Ground Tents. They are thick and small because of the material in used to ensure protection. But this results in the space to be lesser than that of Ground Tents.
  1. Expense of Accessories:
  • Rooftop Tent without accessories is almost incomplete. The accessories such as Quilted Heater, Annex, and Anti-condensation Mat are absolutely necessary to be arranged with a Rooftop Tent to have it completed.

Ground Tents: Pros and Cons

Ground Tents are normal and regular Tents used alot around the globe by random and seasonal Campers as per their priorities and preferences. They are manufactured in all sizes and almost come in as lower prices as possible. Though they offer very less privileges still they are used by many who are conscious about the expenditure in the tours across the countryside.

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Pros

  1. Inexpensive:
  • Ground Tents are highly inexpensive and are available in the market in lower prices.
  • Ground Tents are perfect for Campers who go out on a tour very rare and are not fond of unexplored spots but those which are already famous and have basic facilities already for the tourists.
  1. More Space:
  • Ground Tents have more space to offer even in low priced Tents. They can be adjusted for extra use by simply adding extra covers along with the main Tent.
  1. Variety of Sizes:
  • Ground Tents are available in variety of sizes in the Market for almost any type of usage. These range from one person Tents to almost two three groups of people. Extra persons can adjust easily in a single Ground Tent if they are not bothered by comfort.

Cons

  1. Unsafe:
  • Ground Tents are not as safe and protected as Rooftop Tents because they are grounded and is vulnerable to the attack of any type of wild animal. Also, a lot of people of who use Ground Tents complain about the entry of annoying insects and bugs which can cause trouble anytime inside the Tent.
  • In addition to, Ground Tents do not withstand any pressure of howling and noisy winds, incoming flood water or earthquakes and might get destroyed and fallen any moment in a bad weather or around a seaside.
  1. Uncleanliness:
  • Ground Tents are not as clean as Rooftop Tents. They get dirty, dusty, muddy and musty easily. The point that it is intact with the ground and that the shoes getting into the Tent make it dirty the most is so true. There are a lot of other factors such as rainy or windy weather, muddy and sandy ground which lead to the Uncleanliness of a Ground Tent.
  1. Less Comfortable:
  • Ground Tents are less comfortable because the material used in manufacturing Ground Tents is very cheap and lighter in weight. The sheets are normally thin and weak.
  • The Ground Tents are normally manufactured lighter because they are carried by humans on their backs and not vehicles.
  • Plus, Ground Tents are intact with ground and the ups and downs or awkwardness of a bad ground can cause utter discomfort inside the Tent while staying in it.
  1. Poorly Ventilated:
  • Ground Tents are poorly ventilated because of being on the ground. This poor ventilation leads to the warming of the Tent in summers.
  • It also leads to condensation at bad campsites and can cause trouble for the Campers.
  1. Poorly Insulated:
  • Camping in a Ground Tent becomes awfully worse if the tour is planned in winter. It becomes nearly impossible to warm up the Tent with anything as the ground is extremely cold and if it is snowing then it is terribly bad for the Campers in the Ground Tent.
  1. Less Durable:
  • Grounds Tents are astonishingly less durable than Rooftop Tents. Ground Tents are made up of poor material and that’s why they do not last longer.
  • Ground Tents do not stand any petty accident caused by weather, air, water or any sharp thing be it a pebble. This is mainly because there are a number of manufactures who make such Tents to price them extremely low so that they can be afforded by anyone with any budget.
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Round up

The comparison done above between Rooftop Tents and Ground Tents rationally, factually and clearly describes how privileged it is to have a Rooftop Tent and not a Ground Tent while going out on camping around the countryside on adventurous roads. The only essential thing about Rooftop Tents is to know about them, how to buy them perfectly and install them flawlessly. If you have any curiosity regarding these essential instructions and guidelines of what to do and how to do to have a Rooftop Tent then kindly read our blogs about Rooftop Tents on the same site.

Kindly, scroll down to read some frequently asked questions if you have any random and quick questions in your mind regarding the comparison between Rooftop Tents and Ground Tents.

Frequently Asked Questions