We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: car camping is the easiest, most convenient way to get out there and explore the great outdoors. In an ideal world, that would mean climbing aboard your very own overlanding rig to off-road across the countryside, or hopping into your perfectly-organized camper van for a long, meandering road trip from coast to coast. But how many of us live in that perfect world, where we have both the time to duck away for weeks on end and the disposable income to spec out a six-figure overlanding rig.
No, for most of us, car camping is liable to be a weekend affair, conducted out of whatever car we already own. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to go lacking the proper gear. A Subaru Outback or Kia Telluride works fine as both weekday commuter car and basic base camp. Compact camp cook spaces like the Nomad Kitchen slide into almost any SUV or hatchback. And if you need a better place to rest your head than the cold ground, the good folks over at iKamper have a solution — the Skycamp Mini.
As the company’s website proudly proclaims, this compact roof tent can fit onto any vehicle (appropriately enough, many of their pics show it mounted atop a Mini) — yet once opened, it provides a roomy, safe sleeping compartment for two people. Better yet, it springs to life in just one minute, so you don’t have to struggle to erect your tent after a long day on the road.
It’s also cozier than a regular tent, with durable, insulated honeycomb aluminum panels and double-layered FRP that offers one full inch of air insulation. If you get too hot, well, you can turn the windows into canopies. And it even comes with iKamper’s own quick-tightening mounting brackets for easy installation. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the car camping water, this rooftop rig is your ticket into the pool.
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