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The Complete Thule Tepui Buying Guide

Tepui offers five different types of rooftop tents. Here’s what you need to know about them.

tepui tent guideTepui

By Tyler Duffy

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Thule Tepui is one of the biggest names in rooftop tents for cars, trucks and SUVs. Tepui was founded in Santa Cruz, CA in 2010; after the founders saw an array of rooftop camping options while trekking in Venezuela, they decided to bring that to a broader audience in the U.S. and make it accessible. Tepui tents are now an offering from Swedish roof rack manufacturer Thule, after being purchased in 2018.

Thule Tepui mostly sells soft-shelled rooftop tents, which come in three series: Explorer, Ruggedized and Baja. They also offer the low-profile Low-Pro tents, as well as one hard-shell option, the Tepui Hybox. The revolutionary new Tepui Foothill, which boasts a reduced roof rack footprint, goes on sale in February 2021.

Tents cost between $950 and $3,000, and come with a two-year warranty. They can accommodate between two and four sleepers, depending on the tent. They are designed to work with Thule roof racks, though they are compatible with many other racks that have a sufficient weight capacity.

Thule Tepui also sells accessories, such as bedding, with which to outfit their tents. The company also offers installation at their Soquel, California warehouse, though it’ll run you $80.

Explorer Series

These are Thule Tepui’s standard tents, designed for year-round use. They use a high-quality cotton blend canopy and feature openings on every panel for better airflow and panoramic views. These tents are priced between $1,200 and $1,600.

Ruggedized Series

These are Thule Tepui’s most durable tents, designed for off-roaders and 4×4 trailers. They boast a reinforced construction, with a welded aluminum base and a heavy-duty internal frame. They are more expensive than most other models, with prices ranging from around $2,300 to $2,800.

Baja Series

These are Thule Tepui’s lightest tents designed for spring-to-fall use. They feature interchangeable canopies that you can swap easily using Thule Tepui’s “Zipper Gimp” technology, depending on weather conditions. There are $950 two-person and $1,600 four-person versions. Unlike the other types, Baja Series tents are only sold on tepui.com.

Low-Pro

This lightweight and low-profile tent was our choice for the best all-around rooftop tent of 2020. It pairs well with smaller crossovers and wagons and reduce the tent’s effect on fuel efficiency, allowing you just to keep the tent on the roof if desired. There are $1,500 two-person and $1,850 three-person versions.

Hybox

The Hybox is Thule Tepui’s hard-shell hybrid rooftop system, which can serve as either a sturdy, easy-to-access gear container with 23 cubic feet of storage or a pop-up tent when you zip on the canopy. It’s the lone hard-shell tent in the Thule Tepui lineup. It’s also Thule Tepui’s most expensive tent, costing about $3,000.

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