One of the first choices people have to make when buying a roof tent is which type to get; a soft shell or a hard shell? We get this question asked to us all the time, so we thought we'd try and summarise the main strengths and weaknesses of both into one easy to read article!

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Soft Shell Roof Top Tent Advantages:

1. Cheaper

Soft top roof tents tend to be cheaper than their hard shell counterparts by a fair margin. For a soft shell design you’ll be looking at paying between £850 - £2,000 ($900 - $2,500 or €900 - €2,200) depending on the quality and size. Whereas for a hard shell version it will cost you between £1,600 - £3,300 ($1,850 - $4,000 or €1,750 - €3,500).

2. Sky Views

Some soft top roof tents have a zippable window on the roof, allowing you to have sky or star views at night. Whereas the design of hard shell roof top tents restricts them from having this feature.

3. Larger Sizes

The soft shell designs come in both small and larger sizes such as 4 or 5 man tents, so they’re more suitable for those with larger families. Hard shell roof tents in contrast are restricted in how large they can be because of their design becoming too large and heavy when they get to a certain size.

4. Lighter

Soft shell roof tents tend to be lighter, which makes them easier to lift on your car. Some hard shell versions aren’t as heavy and bulky as others though. Our RoofBunk hard shell roof tent for example is one of the lightest on the market for its size, which helps to reduce the lifting issue. It is still heavier than the vast majority of soft shells though, so it's definitely something to keep in mind!

Hard Shell Roof Top Tent Advantages:

1. Stronger Structure

Hard shell roof top tents have a stronger, more stable structure to them making them handle storms better than their soft shell counterparts. This is why they tend to have higher wind ratings as their structure means they don’t move around as much.

2. Quieter

Hard shell tents are quieter in strong stormy winds because of there being less rustling of the canvas due to their solid design. Hard shell roof designs that are insulated on the inside of the roof also make rain less noisy, as it absorbs the sound of the droplets coming down better too. This is especially helpful when you’re trying to sleep in it at night during less than ideal weather conditions!

3. Warmer

They’re warmer due to losing heat slower through the ABS/fibreglass hard shell roof top and some models are insulated at the roof too, which can be a particular advantage when camping on cold, wet and windy nights!

4. Faster To Unpack/Pack Up

It’s faster and easier to unpack/pack up hard shell roof tents, so can move onto your next destination straight away without having to spend the time and effort unpacking and packing it up each time. This is especially useful if you’re expecting to be moving around a lot during your travels or are planning on doing activities such as driving to walking routes or restaurants/pubs regularly. As a reference, hard shell roof tents take around 30 seconds to set up and 1 minute to put away, compared to it taking more like 5 minutes for soft top roof tents each time, which can add up if you’re moving around a lot on your trips as we said earlier.

5. More Aerodynamic

The more aerodynamic design of hard shell roof top tents when down means they’re more fuel efficient compared to a soft shell tent, even if the soft shells are slightly lighter. The aerodynamic design also makes them quieter when driving due to the shell not whistling in the wind as much as with soft shell models.

6. Pack Tent Down With Bedding Inside

You can pack down hard shell versions with lots of bedding still inside, unlike some soft shell designs that need to fold in on themselves when putting the tent down. This means with some soft top models you have the inconvenience of either taking your bedding out each time or using a thinner, less comfortable mattress to sleep on in order to make extra space!

7. Easier To Clean

If you’re planning on using your roof tent to go overlanding in the mountains or you're just a particularly messy camper, then you’ll find that cleaning hard shell roof top tents is way faster and easier than soft shells. This is because the dirt generally just comes off the shell material on top easier and due to there not being as many difficult areas to reach on the fabric of hard shells designs.

Conclusion:

Overall we would say that if you have a large family that you’ll be camping with, then you’re best off picking a soft top roof tent despite their drawbacks compared to hard shell designs. However, if there’s only 2 or 3 of you and you expect to be driving to places regularly on your trip, then getting a hard shell roof top tent will probably be the best option for you, as the time and effort you save on packing and unpacking it each time should be worth the extra money!

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Roof Top Tent Or Ground Tent? - A Side By Side Comparison

In the world of rooftop tents, nothing divides the community more than the topic of what materials should be used to create your rooftop home. Fibreglass is the more traditional roof tent material, however in recent years many of the more established manufacturers have moved towards ABS.

Here at TentBox, we use ABS plastic to manufacture our Classic model, as it’s by far the more hardy solution for all your overland adventures. We switched from Fibreglass to ABS for the many benefits. However, in the interest of not being biased, we wanted to take a look at the pros and cons of both to weigh up which roof tent will be ideal for you.

Fibreglass vs ABS – which weighs more?

When comparing ABS and fibreglass, it’s natural to consider which material is going to weigh more on top of your car. A lighter rooftop tent will be much more fuel efficient, and will be easier to get onto the roof of your car in the first place.

When it comes to which material weighs more – ABS or fibreglass – ABS is the lighter by far. For the average roof tent, ABS will weigh in at around 60kg, whereas a fibreglass tent of the same size will weigh around 90kgs.

This means that ABS rooftop tents are much more compatible with smaller and larger cars alike. If you’re wondering whether our roof tent will be right for your car, it’s worth considering that the TentBox Classic TentBox weighs 64.5kgs and the TentBox Lite weighs in at 50kg, so they are compatible with most vehicles.

Is ABS better for the environment than Fibreglass?

Fibreglass is plastic that is reinforced with glass fibre, so in terms of it’s environmental friendliness, its creation process much harsher to the environment. It releases toxins in the manufacturing process, which is not only harmful to the people working with it, but also the wider atmosphere.

ABS on the other hand is much safer to form and is easily recyclable since it is a thermoplastic material. Fibreglass is impossible to recycle and ends up filling up landfills.

Which rooftop tent material has better impact resistance?

The UK is full of some amazing, rugged natural landscapes. If you’re planning on going on some off-grid microadventures on rocky terrain here in the UK, there is a chance that your rooftop tent will endure some impact here and there. This isn’t a problem with a sturdy rooftop tent, however it’s important to know which material will be right for the kinds of adventures you plan on going on.

ABS is a far more sturdy and impact resistant material than fibreglass, which can have a tendency to crack under impact. It is plastic-based and was created for the purpose of impact resistance and toughness, so it makes sense that it is a lot more impact resistant.

Which material ages better – Fibreglass or ABS?

Fibreglass was accidentally created back in , and hasn’t evolved that much since it’s conception. Fibreglass can and does suffer from age. Whilst the deterioration sometimes feels minor, with microscopic cracks in the formed fibreglass plastic, overtime these cracks get bigger and separate the fibres and resin that hold them together.

In contrast, ABS is a more modern material that has been especially created to withstand more impact and damage. In this sense, ABS is able to withstand the vibration of the road and remain unscathed by adventuring for longer. You’ll be less likely to have to get your ABS rooftop tent repaired or replaced, compared to a fibreglass roof tent. We also use an anti-UV agent in our ABS, which helps reduce the effects of sun damage.

Why did TentBox choose ABS?

TentBox now uses ABS instead of fibreglass, due to the many benefits listed above. The ABS thermoplastic that we now use can be moulded into much more unique forms, is better for the environment and is much stronger than it’s fibreglass counterpart.

Our rooftop tents have an added UV treatment and a high gloss finish to help reduce the effects of sun damage.

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