Pros and cons of car tents – when to buy one and which type

If you are thinking about taking your everyday car for a camping trip and sleeping in it, there are more ways to do it. This post is about one of the most comfortable ways of camping in any car – a car tent, whether a roof tent, a hatch/tailgate tent or any bigger tent you can fit over your tailgate. Other popular ways of sleeping in your car are a DIY camping conversion, a camping box (what is it?) or just throwing a simple mattress into the boot with folded seats.

What types of car tents are there?

You might come across several variations of an SUV tent/hatchback tent – some attach to the car at the back, some at the side, some stay on the roof, others cover only the boot opening and don’t touch the floor and some are just awnings to give you rain and sun cover. The most frequently used types of car/suv tents are:

Tailgate tents (hatchback/boot tents)

Here you can find either big tents that cover the boot opening + create additional space behind the car (freestanding) – or – smaller boot tents that don’t touch the ground, just extend the boot opening area a bit + protect it against rain or mosquitoes.
Typical price range: 50 – 800 EUR

There are quite a few on offer at Amazon, but I haven’t tested them – most are boot covers only. They work more like a mosquito net rather than a tent and I wouldn’t recommend them. Not much rain cover, additional space or privacy. You are much better off buying a normal family tent that is big enough to cover the entire boot (but not too big to leave too much room between the boot opening). You can then either fit it over the tailgate or even the side door.

Side door tents

Here you can find either big tents that cover the boot opening + create additional space behind the car (freestanding) – or – smaller boot tents that don’t touch the ground, just extend the boot opening area a bit + protect it against rain or mosquitoes.
Typical price range: 50 – 800 EUR

When to buy a tailgate or side door tent?

• when camping for an extended duration, where you need more living room, room for a kitchen or storage
• when sleeping more people
• to store all the camping gear, standup paddle, bicycle etc
• for privacy, especially during longer camping stays, as the car can get too small for everyday tasks

Here are some of the best tailgate tents in terms of what you get for the price:

Awnings

Protecting you from the sun or light rain, these don’t do much for sleeping or additional floor space, just create more shade. They come usually in three versions: rear (boot), side door and 270 degrees (rear & side door)
Typical price range: 30 – 150 EUR (cheaper Amazon ones) or 150 – 2000 EUR bigger and higher quality ones

Car awnings are a good addition if you are staying at a campsite for longer, you can put them up together with a tailgate or a roof tent. The tailgate/roof tent can be used as an additional bedroom or storage space, and the awning will create a “lounge/dining area” type of space – put a table with a lounger underneath and you’ll be very comfy indeed.

When to buy a car awning?

• when camping for an extended duration, where you need more living room
• when protection from the sun and/or rain is needed
• as an addition to your car tent/rooftop tent

Shopping from the UK? Check out Tent and Trail’s selection of Awnings with free UK mainland delivery.

Rooftop tents – tents for car roofs

Move your bedroom to the roof… Handy if you don’t have any sleeping room in the back of your car or you need it for storage, or you want to sleep more than two people in a small car. On the other hand – you need to climb the ladder each time you want something from there. Great for sleeping (higher up, safer, more room, additional features like a solar-powered fan), but more expensive. The cheaper ones are soft-shell, the more expensive ones are hard-shell. They increase the total height of your vehicle, potentially limiting your car park selection options.
Typical price range: 1000 – 4000 EUR

Rooftop tents are becoming increasingly popular – you can pretty much fix one on top of any car with roof bars (rails). They fold down to a flat-packed roof box, some even come with a mattress built-in. All you have to do is erect them once in place and chuck some comfy pillows in.

When to buy a rooftop tent?

• when sleeping more people, very useful for families with children in a small car
• when you need the car for storage (all the camping gear, standup paddle, bicycle etc…)

Check out RoofBunk roof tents