How Long Does It Take to Set Up and Take Down a Rooftop Tent?

Roof top tents are a sort of instant setup tents. So how long does it take to set up and take down a rooftop tent? The answer will surprise you, so keep reading.

How long does it take to open and close a rooftop tent?

Setup and take down time depends on the type of a roof top tent. With hard-shell tents this is usually quicker.

In the video below you have two excellent rooftop tents from iKamper presented in detail. One of them, the iKamper Skycamp 3.0 Mini, is shown in the top picture above. But you can skip this if you are interested only in setup and take down time. If so, jump to 6:15 into the video:

Note two things here. i) These are extendable clamshell type roof top tents, so they actually need some extra steps that you do not have in pop-up tents. This means to unfold the platform and to have it supported with the ladder. ii) These guys in the video are doing this for demonstration on a relatively low platform.

So this is not a true height of a car, and in reality you will need a bit more time. But make it twice longer, and you will still be very fast.

With a soft shell type and positioned high on a tall vehicle, you will need some extra time. See that Smittybilt Overlander Tent in the picture below. Note that here you also have to add rods for the awnings on all the sides.

For such a tent, to set it up, think about 5 minutes or more. But this about the awnings you can do when you are already in the tent, and it is not compulsory to do this in general.

Now, when you have to close such a tent, you fold it inside, normally with the ladder, and then have to go around and tighten all the straps and claps to reduce its size. Then you add its cover which is usually very tight, and you put all straps in place. With such a high vehicle, you will need more time, so be ready for 10 minutes or so.

How about bedding?

Good question. Hard shell roof top tents usually allow for keeping bedding inside (this is not so with soft shell roof top tents). In other words, you have you a mattress, blankets, and pillows inside, so when you open the tent it is completely ready for sleeping.

Now compare this with any of instant ground camping tents. They can also be ready in a minute or two, but this is only about the  tent, having bedding ready is extra.

What if the roof top tent is not installed on the vehicle? 

This is a different situation. Some people may prefer to remove the rooftop tent from the car and to keep it stored, to save on fuel. Then when the season for outdoor adventures comes, they install the tent box on the car.

Well, this may take some time, and you will need a partner to lift the box on the car. Some details are explained in my separate text on how roof top tents attach to a car.

Here, I have added the following video, it shows a soft shell type roof top tent. You will see that after you lift the box on the car, the rest is a really simple work:

Final thoughts

In summary, it is very easy to set up and to take down a rooftop tent. The actual time will depend on the type of the tent, and on the height and accessibility regarding your car. It is usually faster to set it up.

In any case, this is about a couple of minutes, and up to 5-6 minutes or so to set the tent up. With most of hard shell roof top tents this also means that you have all your bedding ready inside. To take it down and have ready for the road, plan double the time needed for the job.

Ordinary ground instant tents can also have a setup time of 60 seconds. But this is only to raise the structure from the ground. After that you will have to stake it to the ground, and for most of them to add a fly as well. This is also fast, but I am sure with roof top tents this is faster.

Let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. Please share your experience and let us know what you think. Bookmark this site and keep as a reference. You will always have new texts added here. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.