These Australian Rooftop Tents Need To Come Stateside ASAP

Bushwakka's new and updated rooftop tents are the stuff we dream of adding to our side-by-sides. One even has a skylight for dark-sky perfection. If only they'd come to the United States.

Photo by: Bushwakka

By: Jonathon Klein

May 1, at 8:47am ET

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I'm a big fan of rooftop tents. I know that many see them as trendy pieces of adventure kit that never get used by the vast majority out and about, but I use mine. And I've used it a ton since I installed it on my Can-Am Maverick X3 a number of years ago.

Yet, while there have been a few adopters in the side-by-side space, rooftop tents are still only few and far between. So while you can get one on Polaris' Xpedition, I haven't seen too many with them. And Can-Am's latest foray with MeatEater and S3 Power Sports is purely a one-off, or so I'm told. That's led me to wonder why, though I think I can guess.

You're removing wanted space for other gear.

See, most rooftop tents are pretty large, and a side-by-side's roof rack isn't as big as say, one on an SUV, or as adaptable as what you'd get with a rooftop tent on a pickup, ala GoFastCampers setup. But this Australian company might have the perfect setup for side-by-sides that I've seen. At least if you're off-road adventuring alone. How does a single-person rooftop tent sound?

Bushwakka Dog House 2.0 Rooftop Tent

Photos by: Bushwakka

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The company is called Bushwakka, and I'll be honest, I got served up some of their Reels on Instagram where I scroll through far too much outdoors gear. Hello, my name is Jonathon, and I have a problem. And I immediately fell for the marketing, but also the footprint of the rooftop tent that the brand has affectionately called the Dog House 2.0, i.e., whoever's sleeping in it by themselves is in the dog house.

What's different about the Dog House 2.0 is that it doesn't spread across the entirety of your roof rack, and makes space for further adventure gear and/or roofboxes. And for someone like myself who wishes he had more space on his roof rack during hunting season, but doesn't want to compromise by sleeping on the cold, hard ground, hot damn does this look awesome.

The rooftop tent itself, however, doesn't skimp on the necessities, as you get a built-in awning system to expel any rain, three large openings for better airflow, an integrated ladder so you don't fall on your face when you go to pee in the middle of the night, a shoe storage pouch, integrated lighting, a memory foam mattress that goes atop a condensation layer mat, and a pillow. Likewise, you get crossbars if you want to hook up solar panels to the roof of the rooftop tent's outer shell.

Moreover, it weighs just 114 pounds, making it one of the lightest rooftop tents on the market. Price, you ask? Well, at present, Bushwakka is strictly an Aussie company, so it'll set you back $2,499.00 AUD. That roughly translates to about $1,795 if you use the current conversion. Obviously, it'd likely see a steep increase due to idiotic tariffs and shipping, but that's still a pretty solid price point for what you're getting. And it would work oh-so-well for side-by-side owners and hunters like myself, I'd gladly pay for one.

But Bushwakka isn't done. Though the company has a host of other products available, including awnings, campers, and more, the first thing I was shown from the company wasn't actually the single-person rooftop tent. No, it was its rooftop tent, complete with a damn skylight, and between the two, I'd be hard-pressed to pick one over the other.

Called the Stellar—rad—the rooftop tent has a completely transparent roof, which makes those days sitting under it while it's raining, and/or watching the stars and heavens light up at night, all the better. It is a two-person tent, so it's not as compact as the Dog House 2.0, but come on, how freakin' awesome would this be during an adventure just gazing up at the night's sky? Please, Bushwakka, come stateside! I need these tents in my life.