Often inflatable rooftop tent open on a Ford Ranger at sunset above a Queensland beach

Rooftop range

Inflatable Rooftop Tents

Rooftop tents that inflate instead of unfolding, so one person is lying down in under five minutes rather than threading poles in the dark. They go on the roof, on the ground, on sand, and they float. Each one arrives in its own bag with the 230 centimetre ladder, the pump, the repair kit and two years of warranty. Here is what they all share, where they differ, and how to work out which one your roof can carry.

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Under 5 min Parked to pitched, solo

4 seasons Rated, every tent in the range

On or off Roof, ground, sand or water

2 years Warranty on every tent

What comes with every Often rooftop tent?

Each one arrives as a single unit in one bag. The base and the tent travel together and inflate on separate valves, and on every tent except the AirCastle that detail is what lets you deflate the tent, leave the base up under its travel cover, and drive to the next site without packing everything down.

Its own carry bag

Three of the four roll on a pull handle; the AirCastle carries a handle instead. All of them fit in a boot for the off season.

230 cm telescopic ladder

Aluminium, and it drops to meet whatever height your rig sits at.

High-volume manual pump

The same pump inflates and deflates. Nothing at camp needs power.

Dimmable interior light

Runs off a portable power bank, which is not included.

Basic repair kit

The columns are separate, so a puncture at camp is a patch, not the end of the trip.

Two-year warranty

On top of your statutory rights under Australian Consumer Law. Free shipping over $150.

Sold out
20% off
Often Outdoors
Often Shelter Inflatable Rooftop Tent

Sale price $1,592.00 Regular price $1,990.00

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20% off
Often Outdoors
Often Amphibious Inflatable Rooftop Tent

Sale price $1,592.00 Regular price $1,990.00

Very low stock (2 units)

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Sold out
20% off
Often Outdoors
Often Alligator Inflatable Rooftop Tent

Sale price $1,592.00 Regular price $1,990.00

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20% off
Often Outdoors
Often AirCastle Inflatable Rooftop Tent

Sale price $1,432.00 Regular price $1,790.00

Low stock (5 units)

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Which rooftop tent fits your vehicle and your trip?

Four tents, and three rows that will not choose for you: they all take the same two to three people, they are all rated for four seasons and they all carry two years of warranty. What actually differs is the weight, what the outer skin is made of, how much floor you get and whether you can drive with the base still inflated.

Read the weight row first. The figure that decides whether a tent is an option for you is your roof rack rating, not the tent.

Which rooftop tent fits your vehicle and your trip?
Model	Shelter $1,592.00 ~~$1,990.00~~Sold out	Amphibious $1,592.00 ~~$1,990.00~~Save $398	Alligator $1,592.00 ~~$1,990.00~~Sold out	AirCastle $1,432.00 ~~$1,790.00~~Save $358
Sleeps	2 to 3, or 4 with two small children	2 to 3, or 4 with two small children	2 to 3, or 4 with two small children	2 to 3, or 4 with two small children
Open size	220 × 160 × 134 cm	220 × 160 × 136 cm	220 × 160 × 136 cm	220 × 180 × 136 cm
Weight	31 kg (everything included)	36 kg (everything included)	36 kg (everything included)	26 kg (everything included)
Travel cover for the base	Included, so the base can stay up	Included, so the base can stay up	Included, so the base can stay up	None, so the base comes down too
Season rating	4-season	4-season	4-season	4-season
Main fabric	210g poly-cotton canvas body + 420D Oxford rainfly	210g poly-cotton canvas + 420D Oxford rainfly	1000D Oxford cover (3000mm+) + 200g poly-cotton body (400mm+ base)	300D Oxford, UV coating, 3000mm+ waterproof; 600D wheeled carry bag
Packed size	89 × 47 × 52 cm	93 × 49 × 54 cm	93 × 49 × 54 cm	89 × 47 × 52 cm
Setup	Inflates in under 5 min (12 cm air columns; manual pump incl.)	Inflates in under 5 min (12 cm air columns; manual pump incl.)	Inflates in under 5 min (12 cm air columns; manual pump incl.)	Inflates in under 5 min (12 cm air columns; manual pump incl.)
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years	2 years
Link	View tent	View tent	View tent	View tent

Swipe the table sideways to see every tent.

One person laying out and inflating an Often rooftop tent on grass with the included pump

One person, the pump, and the tent laid out. Nothing else is needed to pitch it.

Can one person set it up alone?

Yes, and that is the whole point of an air frame. Lay the tent out, connect the pump to the valve, and the structure rises on its own. Nobody has to hold a pole upright while somebody else threads the next one, because there are no poles.

Under five minutes from parked to pitched, on your own, in the dark if the drive ran long.

Inside an Often inflatable rooftop tent, an adult sitting with legs out beside the mesh window

Inside, with the air columns holding the walls at full height. Own photography.

How much room is there up there?

Two adults lie flat with the walls at full height over them, and a third fits across the same floor. Four works when two of them are small children. The air columns run up the corners and along the roof line, where a pole tent pulls its fabric inwards from the top, so the space does not narrow exactly where you sit up.

The AirCastle is the exception on floor: 180 cm wide against 160 on the other three, which is 20 cm you notice with a third person in there. Mesh panels on the sides and overhead give you airflow without insects, which through a Queensland summer is most of the argument for sleeping off the ground in the first place.

Often Amphibious inflatable rooftop tent floating on open water on its sealed inflatable base

The sealed base floats, so the tent pitches on water as well as on a roof.

Where can you pitch one?

On the roof, on the ground, on sand, and on water. The base is a sealed inflatable platform, so it carries the tent level on a surface that is not, and every tent in this range floats: people sleep on them on the water, take them across a river, and fish off them.

For fishing, the Amphibious, the Shelter and the Alligator are the three set up for it, and the Amphibious most of all, for its roof.

That is the case for an inflatable base over a rigid one: a hard platform needs a level site, and the places worth camping are rarely level.

Often inflatable rooftop tent packed in its cover on the roof of a 4WD at the beach

Tent deflated, base still inflated under its cover, ready to drive. Own photography.

Can you drive with the base still inflated?

On three of the four, yes. Deflate the tent, leave the base up, drop the travel cover over it: about a minute of work, and you can move to the next site, or drive home, without packing the whole thing down.

The AirCastle is the one that cannot. There is no cover made for it, and an uncovered base is not something to drive with, so on that tent the base comes down every time. If you move camp most days, that costs you more than the 20 cm of extra width it gives back.

Covered, the base is a closed platform you can load gear onto. How much is governed by what your roof rack, bars or tray are rated for, and that number is almost always lower than what the base itself can take.

Often rooftop tent packed in its wheeled carry bag standing on grass beside a vehicle

The bag rolls on wheels with a pull handle. Check the bag line on each product page.

How does it arrive, and where does it live?

In one bag, with everything in it. The bags run on wheels with a pull handle, because a packed rooftop tent is not something you want to carry across a car park on your shoulder.

It fits in a boot, so it can live inside over winter and go back on the rack for the first trip of the season. That is the question most people forget to ask before they buy a hard shell.

Frequently asked questions

Will an inflatable rooftop tent fit my vehicle?

If your vehicle has roof bars or a rack rated for the tent weight plus the people sleeping in it, it fits. The figure that governs is your rack dynamic and static load rating, published by your rack manufacturer, not by the tent. Check the weight row in the table above against that rating before you order. Our guide to dynamic and static roof load works through both numbers.

Can one person set it up, and how long does it take?

One person is enough, and it takes under five minutes from parked to pitched using the manual pump in the box. There are no poles to thread and no spring mechanism to release. Packing down takes longer than setting up, because the air has to come out and the fabric has to go back in the bag.

Can it really be pitched on water?

The base is a sealed inflatable platform and it floats, which is why the same tent works on a roof, on uneven ground and on water. Treat water as what it is: a surface that moves. Anchor the base, keep your gear dry, and use the same judgement you would use with any small craft.

What happens if an air column is punctured?

Every tent ships with a basic repair kit, and the columns are separate, so one losing pressure does not bring the tent down. You patch it at camp and keep going. Our guide on pumps, valves and punctures covers the repair step by step.

Are rooftop tents legal in Australia?

Yes, in every state and territory, because the law treats a rooftop tent as a load rather than a vehicle modification. What changes by state is the maximum height your loaded vehicle may be. We wrote a state by state breakdown with the official figures and how to measure yours.

Can I leave it on the roof all year?

You can, and the base cover, where the tent ships with one, is made for exactly that. It costs you fuel, because anything on the roof adds drag. If you camp most weekends, leaving it up is worth the trade. If you camp four times a year, pack it into the bag and put it inside. Driving with a rooftop tent covers speed and handling.

Which one should you buy?

Start with your roof rack rating and work backwards. That one number rules out more tents than any preference will, and it is printed on the rack or in its manual. Once you have it, read the weight row in the table. Capacity will not narrow it down, because all four take the same two to three people, and neither will the season rating. What is left is how much floor you want, what the outer skin is made of, and whether you need to drive with the base still up.

Shop the rooftop range

Free shipping on orders over $150 AUD. Two-year warranty on every tent, on top of your statutory rights under Australian Consumer Law.

What else goes in the truck?

The tent takes care of sleeping. Everything here happens on the ground underneath it: something to see by, somewhere to sit, cold food, and a mat for the patch at the bottom of the ladder.