We Tried the New iKamper Rooftop Tent, and It’s Excellent

In the summer of 2025, I loaded MotorTrend’s yearlong-review Toyota Land Cruiser with provisions and started driving north to find where the road ends. Over the next nine days, I covered nearly 4,000 miles on my way to the northernmost point in North America, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

Sitting atop the Land Cruiser, securely attached to a heavy-duty Prinsu roof rack, was an iKamper Skycamp DLX rooftop tent. This was my home, my sanctuary. At the end of each marathon day of driving, I would deploy the tent, clamber up the ladder, climb into my sleeping bag, and plummet into the depths of sleep only accessible when utterly exhausted.

I had used rooftop tents before, but 18 days spent driving to Alaska and back really made me love them.

At the time, the Skycamp DLX was the pinnacle of iKamper’s lineup. Based on the third-generation Skycamp rooftop tent, the DLX was the largest and, at $5,395, the most expensive tent the company offered. Featuring upscale additions like a cork-lined floor and built-in LED lighting, it turns out the DLX was a vision of things to come.

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Skycamp 4.0

In March 2026, iKamper revealed the Skycamp 4.0. The lightly redesigned and refined fourth-generation Skycamp not only integrated the cork-lined floor and built-in LED lighting of the DLX but also went a step further.

A massaging of the overall geometry and strut support mechanism means greater headroom and an additional 75 square inches of usable space. The window and door openings have also been enlarged to provide better accessibility, airflow, and visibility from inside.

It also has a new centrally located handle between the latch mechanisms to make it easier to push the hard shell up when you deploy the tent. iKamper engineers, my fingertips applaud you!

The most extravagant piece of equipment I brought on my trip was the $1,900 battery-powered Zero Breeze Mark 3 portable air conditioner.

As luxurious as it was to have A/C on the warm northern nights, setting up the intake, exhaust, and condensation drainage ducting meant snaking everything through a partially unzipped window in the tent. Not wanting to turn into a mosquito smorgasbord, I would pack the opening tight with a towel to prevent them from gaining access.

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With the Skycamp 4.0, iKamper has made accommodations by designing front and rear integrated pass-through openings for climate-control ducting and power cords.

Because these features were added across the Skycamp lineup and not exclusive to a luxury version, a DLX-equivalent Skycamp 4.0 Quad can be had for $4,965, $400 less than the tent that I used on my adventure.

A New Size

In addition to these features, iKamper added a new size to its lineup in the form of the Skycamp 4.0 Trio.

Sitting between the Duo and Quad models, the Trio strikes a balance between a more compact size and weight while still providing a generous amount of space for someone like me who is of a larger-than-average stature.

More important than the footprint is the lighter weight. The Trio tips the scales at 145 pounds when equipped with the optional air mattress, as our test tent is. While we opted for an aftermarket roof rack on our long-term 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite, the factory roof rails are rated for 165 pounds and would have been sufficient.

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The Outing

To give the Skycamp 4.0 a proper shakedown, I drove to a favorite campground in Los Padres National Forest. Wooded, with peekaboo views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, and situated 7,300 feet above sea level, it was a perfect place to escape the triple-digit heat of the lowlands.

After arriving near dusk, I set about making camp. Having lots of experience with the Skycamp DLX, I found deploying the Skycamp 4.0 Trio to be a quick, familiar affair.

I can’t stress enough how helpful the new external handle on the clamshell is. Once the clamshell has been raised a few inches, the struts take over and lift it skyward. The ladder then functions as a lever to unfold the hinged floor extensions, and you’re in business. After deploying the awnings, the next step is inflating the Comfort LT air mattress, an $85 option, with the supplied air pump.

The supplied pump is powered by a cord to a 12V outlet, so your vehicle's ignition needs to be turned on. iKamper doesn’t offer a rechargeable or battery-operated unit.

Unlike the two-piece mattress in the Skycamp DLX, the mattress in the more compact Trio is a single piece that fills the tent floor. The two-piece design struck us as a little easier to inflate and deflate because you could stack the smaller pieces during the process to make it easier to do from inside the tent. The one-piece mattress was a little unwieldy, and it was best to inflate or deflate while standing on the ladder. It’s not the biggest deal, but the few times I had to set up in a hurry in the rain, I did everything I could from inside the shelter of the tent.

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I remain impressed by how comfortable the 3-inch mattress is. The combination of foam and inflatable layers means you get the support of the air and the cushiness of the foam without that bouncy-castle feel some air mattresses have.

With camp setup complete, I relaxed in the relative silence of nature before it was time for bed.

Like the Skycamp DLX, the 4.0 Trio features a skylight, and I drifted to sleep with a view of the stars through the silhouetted canopy above.

A hefty gust of wind woke me up in the wee hours of the morning, and after I closed the canvas cover for the skylight, I was treated to a nearly blacked-out environment. The BreathWeave 320gsm blackout canvas does such a good job controlling the light that I had to double-check my phone when the alarm went off, because it was pitch-black inside the tent.

My peaceful night was followed by a hectic morning. Needing to make the three-hour drive into the office for an early meeting, I reversed the setup process to stow the tent—no more a chore than setting up the night before—and reluctantly returned to civilization.

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Still In Love

My night in the woods has only deepened my love for rooftop tents, and the Skycamp 4.0 Trio is a worthy successor to the DLX. Attaching a tent to the roof of your car can come with limitations, but for the person who loves road trips, overlanding, or just a quick jaunt into the mountains to escape the heat, there is nothing better.