New gear: Thule rooftop tents

Yet another new range of rooftop tents has arrived in Australia, with the latest models from Swedish outdoor and vehicle storage accessories giant Thule now available down under.

The slick new range includes the Thule Tepui Foothill rooftop tent which unlike most other roof tents, is compact enough when folded up to allow fitment of other items alongside it on the roof like a bike or kayak, or one of Thule's cargo boxes (as shown in the video below).

The compact Thule tent can be mounted either side of the vehicle and folds out to the side, with entry via a telescopic ladder and telescopic internal frame poles for relatively easy setup and breakdown.

A 213 x 119cm double mattress allows sleeping for two people with a 96.5cm maximum interior height, and a panoramic screened rear window, dual skylights and storage pockets other features inside the tent.

The lightweight base is constructed from welded aluminum tube with insulation and an aluminum cap sheet, while the tent is a 600D ripstop 1500WP polyester material. The unit weighs 55.5kg and has a static maximum weight of 181.4kg, and folds up to a compact size of 210.8cm x 61cm x 24cm.

Also available is the larger Thule Tepui Explorer Autana 3 rooftop tent which is more like a conventional side-fold model that takes up most of the vehicle roof space, with closed dimensions of 122cm x 143cm x 31cm. It comes with a removable annexe and is capable of sleeping up to three people with an internal footprint of 244cm x 142 cm, and 132cm peak internal height.

Tare weight for the Thule Tepui Explorer Autana 3 is 69.5kg with a 272kg static maximum weight.

The Thule Tepui Foothill has a RRP of $2999, while the Thule Tepui Explorer Autana 3 is priced at $3999, on the Thule website.