For those new to hard shell roof top tents, their beauty lies in the ease. Pop a couple of latches, watch the shell rise, and hey presto – your tent is ready, bedding and all.
iKamper launched onto the market with their enormously successful Skycamp 4X model which we featured last year. The Skycamp 2X is the smaller sibling in the range, and we recently bolted one on to see how it works.
The 2X has a telescopic ladder which connects in place with two pins. The generously cut entrance shelter is held in place with two steel rods. It’s a simple system that works exceptionally well, the design has been used in rooftop tents for many years. In this case the base of the rod slots into a hole at the top of the ladder. The rod is then bent upwards and it’s hooked end slots into an eyelet in the awning.
The inside of the 2X is surprisingly roomy. We did a number of trips last year in the larger 4X and thought it might be tough downsizing for this trip. Don’t get me wrong this is a smaller tent, but we still found there was plenty of roomy for two.
Externally the Skycamp 2X is 218cm long and 138cm wide. The mattress is a comfortable memory foam and measures 193cm long, 130cm and 5cm thick.
Vertically there’s 110cm of sitting height which runs full width made possible by the internal alloy hoops. With the shell hinging outwards there’s also almost 30cm of extra elbow/gear room in that space.
In really windy conditions it’s worth positioning the shell toward the wind. iKamper also supply alloy sleeves that clip onto the arm of the gas strut to stop the shell closing in strong gusts.
Like the 4X model, the Skycamp 2X has ventilation windows with mesh on three sides and in the roof too.
The main tent is sewn from 300gsm poly-cotton canvas, with the fully waterproof rain cover in place for extra protection.
The iKamper Skycamp 2X opens to the driver side here in Australia. While it’s likely a design feature for left hand drive markets, it’s possibly an accidental bonus. With many of us already travelling with a passenger side or 270 degree awning the iKamper fits in perfectly with that.
iKamper have a range of unique accessories including wind deflectors, awnings and shoe racks. Our favourite though is the Annex Room. In fact on this trip it was a saviour as March flies descended upon our seaside paradise to inflict their unique style of pain.
The Annex Room zips on and creates a refuge from wind, sun, rain and bugs. We’ll have a closer look at it soon.
One of our favourite features of this tent is what iKamper call the Skyview. Fall asleep gazing at the stars, all in relative rooftop luxury!
The shell is insulated and built from dual layers of Fibre Reinforced Plastic, and is available in gloss or matte finish. The floor is a sturdy honeycomb aluminium.
At 55kg the iKamper Skycamp 2X is one of the lightest rooftop tents on the market. Less weight up high on a vehicle is always sensible. It also makes this tent an easy two person lift to remove between trips.
If you are a small family or love space, the 4X is the obvious iKamper of choice. For one or two travellers though, the 2X still has plenty of space, and the weight savings may make it the better option.