The rooftop tent tries to offer the best of both worlds. They offer the ease of camping offered by a ground tent, but without having to deal with flooding or wildlife. Most of them are still like ground tents, too, offering soft walls and vents for windows. Mammoth Overland, the makers of some of the craziest campers on the market, thinks it has something for people who don’t like soft walls. The Mammoth Overland SKL is not so much a tent on a roof, but a riveted all-aluminum pop-top camper that’s on your truck’s roof.
Mammoth Overland is easily one of the craziest RV companies on the planet right now. Back in 2023, the company, which is a subsidiary of rugged plane builder Vashon Aircraft, launched a camper constructed with the very same techniques it uses to make planes to create what’s more or less a rolling fortress. The Mammoth Overland Extinction Level Event, or ELE, remains one of the wildest campers I’ve ever slept in. The crazy trailer has cannons filled with bear spray, an air filtration system, a gun port, a Geiger counter, optional bulletproofing, and submarine-style doors that completely seal the interior off from outside air. That’s just the top-line features!
The folks of Mammoth Overland started strong with that trailer, and yet, somehow, they’ve managed to keep the madness going with subsequent weird campers like the big Tall Boy and the extreme weather-prepped Wooly. Now, Mammoth Overland has something completely different, but still in its comical, yet strangely endearing style. This is the SKL, or Skull, and it’s like bolting plane parts to your truck’s roof.
Built By Plane People
A lot of camper manufacturers like to say that they build their RVs like planes, but Mammoth Overland is one of a few manufacturers that actually makes planes. Vashon Aircraft makes the Ranger R7, a durable utility aircraft meant to be an affordable option for pilots on a budget, flight schools, or anyone else who wants to have fun in the sky.
The people who run Vashon and build its aircraft also love camping, which is why the Ranger R7 has fold-flat seats that turn into beds. I got to tour the Mammoth Overland factory last year and was pleasantly surprised to see that Mammoth Overland’s claims aren’t just marketing speak. The Mammoth Overland people really do build their campers out of the same aluminum and use the same rivets that they use to make planes.
Mammoth Overland’s newest product, the SKL, is no different. It’s made entirely out of huge aluminum panels riveted together like the company’s other campers and the company’s parent’s aircraft.
There’s a sort of newer kind of rooftop “tent” out there, and it’s called the rooftop camper. The idea here is to provide the same mobility and ease of setup advantages of a roof tent, but with the sturdiness and security of a hard-sided camper. There are a few of these sorts of designs out there from firms like Antishanty and Redtail Overland. The rooftop camper from Antishanty is made out of aluminum, while Redtail Overland’s (below) is made out of carbon fiber. Some other concepts I’ve seen are plastic.
The Skull
The Mammoth Overland SKL is really trying to lean into the “camper” part of the term “rooftop camper.” It wasn’t enough for Mammoth Overland to build a rooftop camper from riveted aluminum. The team also decided to fill it out like a basic teardrop camper.
The concept SKL shown here sports R5 insulation, which Mammoth Overland claims is better than the R0 rating of most campers and rooftop tents. From there, the SKL sports built-in interior and exterior trail lighting, a roof fan, and a pair of 104 Ah Renogy Rego solid-state lithium batteries, adding up to 208 Ah of capacity. The build is capped off with a 500-pound capacity roof rack built into the roof of the camper, and it’s also pre-wired for solar panels.
Mammoth Overland says the SKL is 89 inches long and 59 inches wide on the outside, and about 80 inches long and 54 inches wide inside. That’s about the length of a king-size bed, but somewhere between a queen and a full bed in width. There should be more than enough room for two people. Setup should also be pretty easy, as the roof of the camper uses struts to assist in opening it. The walls also fold into place.
No other specifications have been revealed just yet. The biggest question here is going to be about how heavy the whole thing is going to be.
The Renogy batteries weigh 56.4 pounds together, and Mammoth Overland expects you to haul up to 500 pounds on its roof. The closest thing that’s currently in production is the Antishanty RTD-C, which is slightly smaller but is all-aluminum and weighs 290 pounds. However, Antishanty doesn’t have any electrical system. I would expect the Mammoth Overland SKL to be a bit heavier than this unit, but I’m not sure by how much. Either way, the SKL plus heavy cargo on the roof rack is asking for a lot of weight to be held above your vehicle, so keep that in mind.
We also don’t know about any pricing yet. Mammoth Overland says that what you’re looking at is a concept and that you should see the production version and a more filled-out spec sheet later this summer.
Questions Remain
I really hope that Mammoth Overland doesn’t overcook the price, as Redtail Overland arguably did with its carbon fiber Skyloft rooftop camper. How much are we talking here? The “cheap” model was $20,000 while the fancy one with solar panels and such was $31,500. Unsurprisingly, Redtail has since stopped trying to disrupt the rooftop tent market. Instead, now it sells that rooftop camper bolted to the roof of a ridiculously expensive $530,000 camper van.
You should also know that you can get a basic rooftop tent for under $2,000 and a pretty darn good one for under $10,000. Antishanty wants $9,500 for its all-aluminum hard-sided rooftop camper thing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Mammoth Overland lands somewhere around there.
Unknown price and weight aside, I like that Mammoth Overland has kept the madness going here. Can you get by just fine with a traditional rooftop tent? Absolutely. But this thing, much like Mammoth Overland’s camper trailers, is made for the kind of people who might put “Zombie Response Team” stickers on their Jeep rather than just another angry grille. It’s a little silly and a bit overkill, but that’s sort of the point.
Top graphic images: Mammoth Overland
One question. How do you keep the bugs out?
Why put the batteries up there? weird.
There’s a lot I like about this build.
You know what’s stupid? Throwing that much weight on the roof of my GX (or, anything, really) because that will be a disaster to drive. It simply will be. Anyone that disagrees can be ignored for perpetuity because they don’t know anything.
Now, putting one of these on a pickup bed rack? Much more feasible and reasonable. I can totally see that, even if you’ve just compromised some of the bed space.
I’m struggling to understand why a ‘rooftop camper’ whose electrical system is limited to a fan and some LED lights needs 208 Ah of battery. My 19′ trailer with internal/exterior LEDs, power awning/slide, forced air (propane) heat, dual fuel fridge (which still draws battery), and water pump can easily handle 5 days of boondocking with a 100 Ah battery and 100 watt solar panel (with a full/nearly full charge at the end of the trip)
if you see some of the other shit they build, they go big on having to stuff to have it. But I’ll say that I bet that juice can come in handy. Diesel heaters can be rather finicky about power, for instance.
Cool, more Barbie Jeep add-ons for the apocalypse cosplay crowd.
I’ve got a four season canvas tent I can stand up in with a wood stove that weighs less, costs less and takes up less space than that contraption.
Plus you don’t risk spraining an ankle every time you gotta step out to pee in the middle of the night.
This allllll day. I should get one of those fancy tents (Gazelles?) that my friends love that set up in seconds, but a ground tent is super fine, and then your center of gravity isn’t ruined when you go offroad. Assuming that even that isn’t offroad cosplay (Look, mom, I have some dirt on my truck and now must wash it. Look at all the offroading I just did!)
I lose a little respect for someone the instant I see a rooftop tent mounted on their vehicle. For the vast majority of users, they are inferior to a regular ground tent in a multitude of ways.
those GoFast thingies that weighed under 80 pounds were pretty rad. Super light…maybe. But yes.
When they first started getting popular, I thought they were cool. Now I regularly see squeaky clean “overland” builds with all of their kit just driving a regular commute. Do you really need a rooftop tent AND two jerry cans AND 35s AND maxtrax to get to your middle management job in the burbs?
I still think they look interesting when they are actually in use. Also gotta respect a coworker who is in her 60’s, still solo camps regularly, and just bought a rooftop tent for her Corolla.
It’s not about need, it’s about possibility. The idea that you could just spontaneously pick up and go at a moment’s notice. That you could just pass the work exit and keep driving until the highway ends, then keep driving until the road ends, then just keep going into the wilderness, away from the city, from your job, from your mortgage –
Also a big chunk of conspicuous consumption to show off that your commute is short enough and your pockets deep enough that you can burn two gallons per mile while chewing up a $2000 worth of AT tires rather than riding the bus.
If your vehicle can support the weight of a rooftop tent, especially this one, isn’t it probably a truck that you could put a camper shell on or an SUV that you can sleep in anyway? Personally, I would rather store gear on top, the ability to move from bed to drivers seat is priceless.
someone should do a cost analysis with a simple cap and a queen inflatable on a platform with a drawer under it. I bet you’ll save 50k over this beast, as cool as it looks to my 12 year old inner child
Apocalypse chic has the saddest trend possible. I can’t imagine going through life so afraid of everything that your fantasies allow you to be duped into spending $100k on a rolling coffin like the ELE. It’s obvious the impact high levels of lead consumption had on Gen X.
the ELE is just sheer nonsense, but I bet they sold enough to make a profit.
More of a commentary on the insanity of our times than the inherent value of the product or people making it.
My guess is that the ELE didn’t sell enough for a profit. It is like a halo car. It brings attention to the brand and gets people to buy something else.
Especially since every bit of research about any actual disaster basically says the best actual disaster prep is just actually knowing your neighbors. Yes, supplies help, but people coming together is the real deal.
Exactly. The type of people who think a small portable bunker is a viable path are the ones who are most likely to cause the problem in the first place.
Prepper: I’m prepared for when shit hits the fan.
Everyone else: Why are you throwing shit at the fan?
100% this…Instead of ‘prepping’ just put the time/effort into building a close knit and sustainable community. It is the best way to both PREVENT and SURVIVE a societal collapse. You know what’s going to happen to the weirdo hiding in his ELE bunker? We’re going to hitch up and tow him 60 miles away so we don’t have to put up with him while we’re working together to rebuild our community.
As with all specialized (and thus expensive and low volume) if it doesn’t make sense to you, it isn’t for you.
In mil infantry circles you’ll frequently hear the phrase “Mission drives gear” which fits this perfectly. This is not for everyone, or even many people. The use case that comes to mind is where you aren’t really camping, but living outdoors for a week or more, and changing locations every day. There is no camp thus not camping, and you’re on terrain or budget that doesn’t allow for a ruggedized trailer. I have a few buddies out in the southwest that would fit this bill for 3-4 weeks out of the year.
As for me in Michigan, a mattress in the back of my gmt400 Tahoe for 3 days of camping at a camp site per year is plenty.
no ground tent? Serious question.
a] Kind of reminds me of an Aliner camper without the frame and axle and spaciousness, but for the same money.
b] Somebody explain the price of a soft-sided rooftop tent. It looks like a Thule rooftop cargo box with some added fabric, but sells for 3x the price.
I’ve taken my Yakima RTT apart to do some mods, and all I can say is that manufacturing it probably involves a lot of expensive manual labor. Everything is riveted or screwed together and you can see that some of the finishing was “eyeballed” for accuracy.
I’m sure they could get the cost down if volume and automation went up, but the market supports a $2k RTT, so why bother?
yep, people pay it, so the price stays.
There have been and will continue to be lightly used bargains on sale all around me. COVID money and cosplay bought a lot of stuff
I actually have available a spare, unused fabric shell for my RTT that I thought I’d give a go at cost- and weight-reducing. Basically a full tent without the floor. It’s harder than it looks, and certainly not any cheaper. I gave up trying.
I camped (in a normal tent) next to a guy in a 4-door Jeep with a rooftop tent and a telescoping ladder to get into and out of it. You really have to contort yourself to get up and down off that ladder – super awkward. The whole thing was bulky and probably quite expensive and I was wondering where I would store it all the 95% of the time I wasn’t using it. It just seemed like the answer to the question that no one asked. And as far as “wildlife” goes, if a bear wants the food you shouldn’t have in your tent, he/she is not going to let a little thing like your tent being on top of your car serve as an impediment to enjoying a snack.
Personally, I always wanted an old van where I could gut the interior and camp inside of it – long before “van life” became a thing.
And I’m so tired of seeing the term “overhanging” like it’s a thing. It’s not a thing, it’s still just called “camping”.
Yeah, but when you got home and put your tent away, no one knew you were a camper. When that guy got home and left the tent on the roof of his Jeep to drive to Target and work, everyone knew he was a camper.
Go ahead and drop the mic because you’ve summed up the entire roof top tent fad in two sentences.
Even for social signalling purposes, souvenir stickers are cheap and achieve the same goal.
I’ve long thought there was a market for a fake roof tent, just an empty box for skis or similar to get the look at a lower cost. FFS people in Bend have CVT tents on their Subarus.
There’s no fucking way that Chevy Colorado is within its payload rating with the tongue weight of the trailer, the RTT and all the broverland crapola stuck to it.
why would you let tiny things like facts get in your way
Never understood this kind of “tent”. In what situation is this better than a standard $400 (being generous here) amazing, standard ground tent. Are you parking your truck in a lava field?
I get the draw but, as with the vast majority of the RV industry, it only makes sense under fringe use cases. If you’re out there on BLM land every other weekend it makes sense as setup is super easy and you don’t have to worry about drying out after rain but aside from that, it makes absolutely zero sense for the casual camper.
and even then, it doesn’t make sense. If you’re out there to go 4wheeling from a base camp, you’re tearing down your sleeping setup every day to go out and have fun. The stuff in the tent either has to get packed back up to go with you, or get left in your friends regular ass $20 Target tent.
You’re also adding weight up high, which is the last place you want to for any off camber wheeling.
You can close RTTs with the bedding in them still – you might have to grab the pillows out and throw them in the car – if you *really* hate setting up/packing down camp they make alot of sense.
Agree on the weight up high, but that can be mitigated for utes at least by having a tray mount.
When my wife and I travel for hiking / backpacking trips we are in a different spot ever night. We used to do it with a tent but that was a minimum of 30 minutes to set up and tear down – every day. When it rained that meant rolling up a wet tent, putting in the car, and then sleeping in a wet tent the next night. It can also be hard to find a flat spot for tent without roots and rocks. A roof top tent solves all of these problems. Personally I don’t not like the idea of climbing ladders at night when I’m half asleep and need to pee so a roof top tent isn’t for me but I see the appeal.
Our solution was to convert an Astro van to a small campervan. Bonus that we can stealth camp and just park in a trailhead or parking lot, crawl in back and go to sleep. Zero time spent to set up / tear down.
RTT’s make far more sense mounted atop small trailer so you’ve got a heap of space for gear/toys/etc and somewhere to sleep – eg
https://topgalvanisedtrailer.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Roof-top-tent-Bush-cruiser-Trailer.png
https://offroadtents.com/cdn/shop/collections/Smittybilt_Trailer_2.jpg?v=1730390010
https://d2wvcs3smy517k.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/08151752/rustic-mountain-overland-1-e1695396237302.jpg
Mounts like this that lower it into the Ute tray are also good outcomes
https://i.imgur.com/LJihV9d.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/pC9QvvS.jpg
and so you dont have to take it on the trail every day.
It’s wild to me that people will strap this much weight to their roof and drive both on and off-road. I just helped a buddy with his 180 lb hardshell tent and I can’t imagine the extra sway that would induce in a panic situation.
I was hard against the RTT idea until I found one that weighs under 80 lbs that I can add and remove by myself. Bonus, it was well under $1500.
The Red Tail tent was laughed almost out of existence. $20k+ and you can’t even stand up to put your pants on.
Which one did you choose by the way?
Inspired Overland. I’ve talked to the owner a few times and he’s always working on something new. I like the innovation.
Those Renogy batteries are $1500 each retail. Bet this thing is at least $15k.Edit: Didn’t see the pricing was for a 2 pack on the Renogy site, so $1500 for the pair.
I’m not a trailer or camper expert but I have a few questions.
1. Why do they not mention the floor, I want to know what I’m going to be sleeping on.
2. Why are these tents/campers triangular? I assume they fold flat when driving why can’t they be a box?
3. Aren’t all mattresses the same length and it is the width that determines the size?
Good questions!
Fun fact, All mattresses are not the same length. Twins and fulls are shorter than queen and kings. Unless you get the xL varieties then they are the same length.
On point 2, you don’t need as much room for your feet compared to face, and triangular construction means one side is just a hinge to keep things simple/sturdy.
It’s probably triangular because the walls are not load bearing, so the tilted ‘roof’ can be a major part of the structure in a simple design.
Like so many things, this thing is goofy as hell if you don’t fit the use case, and wonderfully functional if you do. If you are planning on doing multi-day off-road trips for hunting / photography / exploration in places with large predators thing thing seems pretty fantastic.
If you are not doing those things, this is a silly bauble that will do a worse job than its $2000 equivalents with the extra downsides of weight, large size and low usable space.