One of the biggest downsides to a roof top tent is the expensive entry cost. Not everyone has a few thousand dollars ready to spend on a luxury tent! This begs the question, aren’t there some affordable options and which roof top tent is actually the cheapest?
The answer might not be as obvious as you may think. There is a couple of very cost-effective RTTs on the market, even so, there are far more creative ways to get a RTT even cheaper!
The cheapest roof top tents that are worth your money are the Smittybilt Overlander, the TJM Yulara, and the Tuff Stuff Delta Overland.
Each of these respective roof top tents (RTTs) hovers around that entry-level $1,000 mark. Now, you might have been hoping for even cheaper options and I have just the thing for you.
We will go over how to decrease the cost of a RTT while it still being worth every buck! Before we get into those helpful tips, I will quickly go over each of the RTTs I mentioned before and give you my recommendation for each.
Cheapest Roof Top Tents:
Smittybilt Overlander
| Price | Sleeps | Dimensions Open |
| $900 | 2.5 | 95″ W x 56″ L x 51″ H |
This is one of the most popular entry-level RTTs on the market. It is built by a highly reputable manufacturer and comes in at a very low price point. Smittybilt has been making Jeep accessories for over 50 years and extending its product offering to RTTs made perfect sense.
You will find this RTT priced at $931.49 at the manufacturers’ website. But I bought mine for $899.99 on Amazon with free shipping included! You just can’t beat that.
The Smittybilt Overlander offers everything you could want in a base model tent but most importantly it is made from a quality manufacturer. The tent has a 2.5″ thick mattress, 600D polyester ripstop fabric, LED lighting, and sliding aluminum ladder that can hold 260 pounds.
For more information on this model, check out an article detailing all of the features and specs in the Smittybilt Overlander Gen 1 and the upgraded Smittybilt Overlander Gen 2!
Having owned this RTT, I can say with confidence it is a great product and it gets the job done! This tent has soared in popularity due to its bang for the buck! When buying a RTT at a low price point, you won’t be wowed by any features.
However, the most important thing is that you’re not paying for a pile of crap and throwing your money away. I love this RTT and would highly recommend it to a friend or family member debating the purchase.
TJM Yulara
| Price | Sleeps | Dimensions Open |
| $989 | 2 | 55″ W x 126″ L x 51″ H |
The TJM Yulara is yet another entry-level RTT. Priced at just $989, there are some clear pros and cons that come with this tent.
The mattress is a respectable 2.5″ thick and the fabric is made of 280-gram ripstop material. The fabric is plenty good for three-season camping but won’t allow for winter use.
Another really nice feature on the Yulara is the overhang covering the ladder. This provides a shaded area and better protection from harsh weather! The tent is fitted with YKK zippers, which just means they are heavy-duty and shouldn’t break on you anytime soon.
It has a standard 1000D PVC cover to help protect the tent when it is folded up and not in use. Overall, this is a very solid entry-level tent. I lean slightly towards the Smittybilt Overlander because of their one year warranty and extra included features.
However, if the durable zipper and overhang covering the ladder really sell you on this model it is a great tent to start out with too.
Tuff Stuff Delta Overlander
| Price | Sleeps | Dimensions Open |
| $1,093.49 | 2 | 96″ W x 56″ L x 52″ H |
Tuff Stuff is an up and coming RTT brand that has gained popularity with their awesome products and fair prices.
One of their models, the Delta Overlander, is their entry-level tent which costs just $1,093.49. The Delta is fitted with an aluminum sliding ladder and has the same 280-gram fabric showcased on the Yulara.
To be honest, the specs really don’t very much at all from the Yulara. There are hardly any noticeable features that are different. A similar fabric, zippers, and dimensions are all shared. The biggest difference is the overhang on the Yulara.
However, the factor that carries the most weight is which tent offers the best quality and durability long term. So, let’s talk a bit more about that!
Related Content: Choosing A Roof Top Tent: Ultimate Buyer’s Guide
Which “cheap” roof top tent do you choose?
If a close friend were to ask me which RTT they should spend their $1,000 or so dollars on, I would lean towards the Smittybilt. This is due to a couple of reasons.
First, the Smittybilt has been a long-established vehicle accessory manufacturer and backs the RTT with a one year warranty. Also, the added features such as the shoe bag, LED lighting, and USB-port extension push me over the top. The one downside is the not so heavy-duty zippers. I haven’t had any problems with them, but that is a complaint I have heard.
Since each of these models are so close in terms of specs and features, it is those really small add-ons that differentiate these two tents. I do really like that the Yulara has the overhang by the entrance. If you were to buy an annex, you could enclose the entire ladder area and access the tent from the annex.
If you’re more inclined to one of these brands, I don’t think that you will be missing much by choosing one over the other. The biggest thing I care about is the quality of the tent and how long it will last me.
Maybe, you don’t want to spend $1,000 on an entry-level RTT. Let’s talk about some other ways you can get better models at an even lower cost!
Buy A Used Roof Top Tent
The best way to get a high-quality RTT is if you buy it used! This is a common practice and there are many avenues you can do this from which will make it a very easy process.
There is a Facebook group called “Used Roof Top Tents Bought & Sold” that you can join. Obviously, you can buy RTTs here, but more importantly, it will give you a huge wealth of knowledge for knowing what a used RTT is actually worth!
Now, buying more locally can be better utilized through Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and other online marketplace websites.
I was curiously perusing around online and came across a used Tepui Kukenam 3. This tent brand new is roughly $1,700. The listing was for a two-year-old tent that had hardly been used and was on clearance for $850! It also came with a weather cover ($200 value) and he made it “ruggedized” by adding diamond plate sheets to the base of the tent.
As long as you take your time looking at the tent and are very thorough, I think this is your best bet for landing a cheap RTT! I would examine the fabric and cover to make sure there are no signs of wear and tear. Open and close the tent, use the ladder, and try ALL of the zippers!
More times than not, the person selling the tent hardly got enough use out of it and they are simply looking to regain some of that “wasted” money!
DIY Roof Top Tent
Making your own RTT isn’t a rare practice. Many people love taking on these kinds of projects. If you already have the tools necessary to complete the build, you could save yourself hundreds of dollars in the process!
I would recommend simply searching “DIY roof top tent” into Google or Youtube to find good examples and how to’s on this topic. I personally am not the type of person to take on a project of this magnitude, but for people that are more crafty than I am, it is totally doable!
Spring Sales
You can snag a RTT much cheaper if you simply buy it during the right time of the year. Many tent manufacturers will have massive sales during the Spring season and this is a way to save hundreds of dollars. You can get high-quality tents for the price of an entry-level one.
One awesome sale in particular is for Tepui. This manufacturer makes RTTs that are just a step above all of these models in terms of comfort, durability, and quality materials.
Tepui runs its Spring Sale at 20% off all RTT models, which will allow you to save hundreds of dollars. If you’re more interested in other RTT brands, the same rule often applies. Since this is when all brands and manufacturers are competing for the summer rush, many will discount their tents significantly.
If you can be patient and time a sale properly, you can get an expensive tent for a cheap price!
Wrapping up
At the end of the day, there isn’t really a “cheap” RTT you can buy. I think the cheapest possible way to have one is by simply building it yourself!
That said, there are many creative ways you can cut down the costs to a fraction of what they would be. The entry-level RTTs are all solid choices and will work fine for 3-season camping. It will lend all of the features you need to get the full experience of a RTT.
Personally, I love my RTT and find that the comfort and security it brings to be well worth the cost. Some may disagree with me and that is completely understandable. However, if you are on the fence about it, consider buying at a discount and minimizing your “risk” when buying your first RTT!