T8 Hub Tent

Check out gazelle tents. I have the T3x and the T8. Love both. The T8 is too much for 2 people IMO. I'd take a look at the T4. Not the T4 plus. A bit big, but super easy to put up and take down.

Family of 4, I love my gazelle T8, it's bulky and heavy and expensive but easily one of the best tents I've owned

Gazelle is a good choice and the 6p (the 4p is barely adequate for 1 with a cot and gear because of the lack of straight walls) is probably better but don't know if this meets your budget. Plus, it's folded size is HUGE, You need a truck or sizeable SUV to fit it. It stands at about 5 feet tall when folded down. There have been complaints about ventilation. Their mesh windows are so fine that they don't allow a lot of air flow. As well, the door is oddly positioned and if you have little ones in and out, it could be awkward. You can look at some good Coleman easy up tents that could serve you well.

I've had a rooftop tent, many kinds of ground tents, teardrop camper.... If you're gonna go for a RTT, go hard top and quality. We had an iKamper Skycamp 2.0, they now have a much bigger line up and if you'll always be solo or just two people, the iKamper mini would be just fine and cheaper and easier to wrangle. That being said, the 2.0 pupped up and was ready to go in about 30-40 seconds, I never staked out the side windows just the entry (which is also still optional, technically). The stock mattresses aren't great if you're a side sleeper, but many folks install self inflating sleeping pads instead (we finally did after 3 years... it added another 3-4 minutes to setup and take down, though). The only other step is tossing your bedding inside, since most hard top RTTs (though not all) don't tend to have room to store all the bedding inside. Hard tops are also better on fuel economy. Also, for an upside, a RTT doesn't take up any cargo space. That being said, I sold the RTT since I don't consistently have a ton of folks with me anymore (kids grew up). For guests I do have a Gazelle T3X and T4, as well as some Byer of Maine Quick Cots. Each Gazelle tent takes about 60 seconds to assemble completely. The longest part is putting the stakes in the ground. The cots are 60 seconds a piece as well, they just pop outwards and open. And the bonus is that you have standing room inside for changing clothes, which you will NOT in a RTT. Here is a video for setting up a Gazelle: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uErC8FmqfQ8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uErC8FmqfQ8) I do the rain fly differently (I hook on 2 of the corner poles, then toss the other two across the roof) but don't overthink it. I also have to put my foot on the bottom of the tent to pull out the hubs for more leverage. The T3X is a little shorter and therefore easier (I'm 5ft 5, if you're tall it won't matter as much) but the T3X is also slightly smaller dimensions and I wouldn't put 2 cots in it, it's about perfect for a solo traveler IMO (as a bonus it'll also fit sideways in most cars whereas the T4 in storage bag is... quite long and will need to be stored front to back). For what it's worth, I've also set up a T4+/T8 solo (basically double the size, with 6 hubs to pop out) and it's still just as easy if you prefer a really big tent. I'll say this politely---if you can't set up a Gazelle tent, solo camping is probably not for you. You can't go wrong with either, they both have their pros and cons, but an iKamper Mini 3.0 is $3995 and a Gazelle T4 Overland (upgraded stakes, ground tarp, waterproof bag) is $469... a substantial difference. Another option you may not have considered, and it'll depend on your specific vehicle and how it's set up, is you can also outfit your vehicle and have a self inflating sleeping pad or mattress inside of it, and get mesh screen things for the windows and such. Then you don't have to set up ANY sleeping quarters... just your chair and table/stove.

Only downside with those is the size when taken down. Not sure what kind of car OP has.

A few years ago Academy Sports decided to use that same pop out technology, and now I have 2 *basically* [Gazelle clones](https://i.imgur.com/eiUXlrM.jpeg) that I paid less than $250 total. They are fking amazing tents. The blue one is my favorite. Butttttt Academy being Academy they never actually pushed it even though they are extremely awesome.

I've been considering a roof mount because mine make the bed a little awkward because I need to lay it diagonal.

+1 Gazelle or Clam 4 sided shelter. For a table, I’d splurge and get a Lifetime commercial 4 footer. The ones they use at Costco to fold apparel on. They have a one handed pinch mechanism to raise and lower the legs. No folding, so smooth work surface in the middle and thin profile when stowing.

We have a two Gazelle tents (one one-room and one two-room) and their gazebo. They are a breeze to set up and definitely not a gimmick!

I would suggest two tents then. We have a massive Gazelle tent and it is geared for 4-8 people but if I had to share it, I would only say four people comfortably with our stuff inside the tent too. It sounds like you have a pop up tent too? These will always be long and bulky because of what they are. Our old tent was very compact when packed up but was not a pop up and took longer to set up. My husband hates the size and weight of the Gazelle but it is the trade off of ease of setting up/breaking down that he gets for it. I think your idea to go bigger to fit more people inside a tent is not ideal if you are already worried about the size of your current tent.