We have seen a pair tents over time constructed to camp atop a automobile roof or on the bottom, however by and enormous tents are made for one or the opposite. The all-new Rev tent from C6 Out of doors does each and in addition jumps right into a truck mattress to triple as a pickup tent. So whether or not your campground is on the smooth sand of a seaside, jagged rock of a high-mountain go or someplace in between, the Rev tent ensures you get the sound sleep you want for the following day’s adventures.
The “C6” branding might need you considering of carbon fiber development, however the California startup explains that the title derives from the best way nature’s fundamental constructing block ties collectively humanity, wildlife and wild areas. With that in thoughts, a extra normal, reasonably priced development of dual-layer material and no-see-um doorways held in place by 12-mm 7001 aluminum poles is what what stands this tent up. At 25 lb (11.3 kg), it is fairly heavy for a floor tent, but it surely’s lighter than air for a rooftop tent (RTT). RTTs are likely to weigh over 100 lb (45 kg) and require a number of folks to elevate up onto the roof, so 25 lb does find yourself wanting “carbon fiber-grade mild” compared.
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Exterior of its dimensions and doorways on all 4 sides, the Rev tent just isn’t actually pickup-specific because it doesn’t embrace the kind of tent-to-truck straps that pickup tents often have. Then again, it is a totally enclosed tent and does not merely safe over the naked mattress.
Campers merely set it up in a 48-in (122-cm)-plus-wide pickup mattress and hop in.
On the bottom, that fundamental setup is complemented by included man traces and stakes. C6 claims it takes roughly three to 5 minutes to arrange in both case, a matter of unzipping the 400D nylon weatherproof cowl, unfolding the tent, assembling the poles, attaching the fly factors, and staking it out if on the bottom.
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In the case of hoisting the Rev on the roof, setup will get a bit extra specific. For the reason that Rev does not have the built-in stable base that almost all RTTs embrace, it requires both an current 48 x 84-in (122 x 213-cm) platform rack from Entrance Runner, Rhino Rack or Yakima or C6’s personal stable, non-rack platform, which comes with a telescopic ladder. The Rev straps down utilizing the rings across the edges and secures in open place to a third-party rack utilizing brand-specific mounting bolts.
The 48-lb (22-kg) C6 platform package provides the Rev extra of a standard RTT type by including a stable aluminum base that folds out off the aspect of the automobile, supported by an extendable ladder. The bottom secures to the roof rack and the Rev tent secures to the bottom.
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On the draw back, the Rev doesn’t fold with the platform to sandwich between the 2 base panels when packed up for transport. It requires the consumer to detach and pack the tent individually, unhook the ladder and put it in its weather-resistant carry bag, fold the naked platform, and strap the tent and ladder on prime (or retailer the tent and ladder within the automobile or pickup mattress).
Wherever you pitch it, the Rev tent features a 4-in (10-cm)-thick quilt-top mattress for a cushty evening of sleep. Mesh doorways on all 4 sides hold the inside ventilated, and quite a lot of gear pockets and hooks hold it organized.
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We like C6’s multifunctional considering and the potential value financial savings of the a la carte packaging, however we’re unsure how a lot of a bonus it actually gives. The Rev is just too heavy to be a floor tent first, and at $799 appears solely vaguely cost-competitive as a floor tent for patrons who plan to make use of the four-season functionality liberally. In any other case, the value is extraordinarily excessive in contrast towards the prevailing two-person three-season tent market, which incorporates innumerable fashions that additionally pack smaller and lighter. A few of that further weight owes to the included Rev mattress, but it surely nonetheless appears very excessive in comparison with different choices. The Rev can also be far more costly than pickup truck tents, together with the rugged all-season canvas choices from Kodiak.
So, primarily based on pricing, we’re left to think about the Rev a rooftop tent that may do some pickup mattress or floor tenting when desired. That is nonetheless a reasonably cool combo, however the issue is, the Rev just isn’t actually designed as a rooftop tent first and does not supply the fold-out/fold-away comfort that makes different RTTs common.
We predict C6 could be sensible to revamp the Rev in order that it operates identical to a standard folding RTT when used with the Rev platform, preserving it removable for floor and pickup tenting, very like Crua Open air did earlier this 12 months, simply with out the marketed pickup truck functionality. That will permit the Rev to do one factor on par with the competitors, with the opposite features thrown in for versatility. It may nonetheless supply the non-base mannequin for individuals who plan to camp atop a third-party platform rack.
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However that is simply us. Individuals have a tendency to like multitools regardless of their imperfections, and possibly there are some campers who commonly need to change issues up between floor, roof and pickup and do not thoughts the Rev structure.
Along with the $799 tent bundle with the duvet, man traces and stakes, C6 sells the platform/ladder for $499 or brand-specific mounting kits for aftermarket platform rack use for beneath $30. So a full rooftop tent setup with arduous base and ladder rings you out just below $1,300, which is a aggressive value for a two-person rooftop tent, as long as you are comfortable buying and selling some rooftop comfort for multifunctional design.
Supply: C6 Out of doors
