Thule Approach Medium Rooftop Tent for Camping and Adventure

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1. Mark Verified Buyer – 27 July 2024

   At first, I was skeptical of purchasing such a large roof tent, but this roof tent is awesome! It is about the width of a king size bed, and even longer than a king size bed. There was ample room for my husband, daughter and me. We were even able to store items, like clothing, at our feet without the tent feeling cramped. Although the roof tent is large, it’s easy to set up. It takes about 5-8 minutes for my husband to set up the tent, and about the same amount of time to break it down. When we went camping, we took advantage of the zippered flaps, and opened them to view the night sky. I highly recommend this roof tent, especially if you are camping with your family.

   

2. melissa Verified Buyer – 14 February 2025

   Having a roof top tent has amplified my camping adventures. It’s my favorite piece of equipment for so many reasons, but the fact that it is always with me is a huge benefit for someone who loves to just pick up and go. Pros: Easy set up/take down, exceptionally durable/high quality material, and installation is super simple. Cons: Condensation build up, Visually – the product is pretty bulky, not hard cased. Ratings: -Quality: (4) – Features: (4) – Fit: (5) – Durability: (5) – Eco-Friendly (5) I was lucky to be able to put the Thule Approach tent to the test this spring and my oh my was I stoked! This tent is absolutely amazing for any type of car camping adventure. I am big on last minute adventures and I always dread pulling all my gear and getting it ready to go. Having a tent already attached to the roof of my car is what I call a dream, mostly because I hate setup/takedowns, ha. But doesn’t everyone? The Thule Approach tent made all of that so simple and easy for me to do on my own (Bad weather, great weather, night time, etc it only took me a few minutes to set up!). Living in Montana you really have to be prepared for all types of weather conditions, which makes this tent so complimentary to the conditions I have endured. I wanted to put this tent to the test, so I mostly adventured into the backcountry (as far as the road would take me)t. I showed up in the dark a few times, I woke up in the middle of a windstorm one night/morning (thought I was going to blow away), and once I camped in the rain. I was lucky enough to avoid the snow, but I don’t have a doubt in my mind that this tent could uphold conditions especially with the rain fly feature. Fit/Comfort : I am about 5’8” and had more than enough room. I also had another friend who was 6’1” in the tent along with two full size dogs (Belgian Malinois and a Lab/Shepherd mix). We all fit with plenty of room. I definitely recommend adding a cover to the mattress if you are going to throw pups up in the tent with you (muddy paws, long nails, hair, etc. Just helps keep it cleaner). Look/Style: The Thule Approach tent comes built out of an aluminum body and then you have a cover to zip everything up and keep the tent together during travel. I personally think the tent is a little bulky and would prefer something slimmer, however I was really surprised how it did not affect my mileage at all. I drive a 4runner SR5 and it was a big concern of mine that my mileage would suffer, but when applying the correct Thule crossbars with the tent I didn’t see a change. Features: The Approach came with a rain fly, surprisingly comfy mattress, ladder to get in and out, and window vents that open up so you can see the stars at night. It was absolutely magical to watch the star constellations in the mountains. There were also built in pockets on each side to store items you wanted to keep handy. The only recommendation I would add is that you would want to get a mat that helps with condensation depending on how much or little you keep air flow going. – Also two mouth breathing dogs can add to that 🙂 Function/Performance: The set up is super simple. Once you park level, you just unzip the cover, unlatch the ladder and pull it towards you. The tent will pop open and then you can pull the ladder down to the ground. Make sure to lock the ladder into place before stepping on it or it will continue to move on you. It never took more than 5 minutes to have everything set up and ready. Durability/Construction: I put the Thule Approach tent to the test in as many conditions as I could. Rain and wind were the big ones. I was really impressed with how the tent handled the conditions especially while being on top of a car. One take away from camping in the rain, you want to make sure that you air your tent out when you get home so that it can dry up and breathe. You can tell how much thought went into the design of the tent, with the built in support underneath, mattress comfort, zippers to keep everything sealed while traveling, breathability options, etc. It really is the most ideal tent with high quality materials that can withstand just about anything. The Thule Approach tent has replaced all of my camping tent needs (except for backpacking for obvious reasons). It’s the perfect tent for a night getaway or a week-long camping trip. My favorite feature about the tent is that it’s ready to go and doesn’t take up any room inside my car. Especially traveling with doggos, gear, etc. room is so valuable. One upgrade I will be adding to my tent is another layer for the mattress and some sort of condensation pad to help with moisture. Other than that, I’m stoked!!

   

3. Ann H Verified Buyer – 2 March 2025

   I purchased this tent (Approach M) directly from Thule rather than whatcampingtent.com because of special sale. I also purchased the annex. My wife and I are very pleased with this tent. The construction is very high quality (I’ve been sleeping in various tents for over 45 years) and the design is a newer design as it resembles a dome tent rather than a traditional A-frame tent such as Smittybilt soft-side tents. We really like the big windows in this tent. We mounted it on Thule Wingbar racks on our 2021 Toyota Hybrid Rav4. Our highway mileage dropped by 3 mpg from 36 mpg to 33 mpg. We added some solar fairly lights (“BHCLIGHT Solar String Lights Outdoor”) to the interior and an air mattress (“Padama Double Sleeping Pad for Camping Extra Thick 3.75″ Sleeping Mat”) to the stock foam sleeping pad which raised the comfort level to almost that of a hotel mattress. We couldn’t be happier with this roof-top tent and find it incredibly convenient and versatile. We give this tent our highest recommendation if you are in the market for a soft-side roof-top tent.