Falcon 3 EVO Air

I’ve been an avid camper all my life, so naturally saw the opportunity provided by rooftop tents. So far, I’ve done about 60 days in mine under all conditions, other than snow. Highly recommend for both the comfort and convenience. Mine is a nature nest. That would be an off-brand. The quality is top-notch and there’s a good reason for that: all of the rooftop tents, whether expensive or cheap in the US, are made in the same exact factories in China. I work in IP and I’ve seen this firsthand in quite a few areas over the years as I’ve had to deal with the manufacturers in China, on behalf of clients in the US. For reference, I compared mine with the American version “roof nest” model equivalent which my friend owns, and aside from a few more aftermarket latches that I can just pick up should I feel the need, they seemed identical in build quality.

I agree with everything Natural Nectarine says. I still love my Roofnest for my needs: - I really only backcountry camp. Colorado eats tents and sleeping pads, not sure why, guessing rocks and pine needles. And finding an even spot for a tent without being stabbed by a rock is near impossible in the Rocky Mountains. Now I just need to put all four tires on roughly the same plane and I’m gtg. - Setup and teardown takes literally 1 minute 30 seconds. My hammock or bivy setup isn’t even close to that time. I wouldn’t leave my tent/ other gear unattended in a campsite anyways. Good news when dealing with impatient children. - The top of the roofnest is flush with my hardtop (gladiator). Which allows me to haul stacks of sheet goods and 16’ boards/timber no problem. Can hold 500lbs dynamic load - have hauled 16’ 8x8s for a timberframe. - Queen sized sheets fit. Makes cleanup and laundry super easy and quick (again, great for when you have kids) - You’re off the ground - peace of mind for wildlife (especially with youngsters) and different temp control dynamics. - Much thicker fabric and stronger than a ground tent. Which means better isolation from the elements when needed (although if the wind is shaking your jeep, not much you can do besides pretending you’re a boat on stormy oceans) - Being able to spread out on an almost queen sized mattress that took a minute and a half to setup wherever I end up after a long day hunting is heavenly. And gets me well rested for the next day of seeing all the wildlife except what I have a tag for. If it were just me? Hammock. But with a family and a wife that can’t figure out how to sleep in a hammock - the Roofnest works. They’re super expensive for what they are (a tent) and I wouldn’t go cheap. Browse Roofnest or iKamper (or a few others slipping my mind) they’re at the couple thousand range but IMO that’s where you’re going to find the quality materials and design that will last, be more comfortable, and less loud/less mpg impact. For $500 I would suggest looking at your needs and going either ground tent or hammock. You can get a very nice or even 4-season setup (tent or hammock) for that budget.

With site selection and ground prep? Multiple times longer than it takes me to setup the Roofnest. But still not long. And for OPs budget [a bivy is] definitely a better choice IMO.