More and more bowhunters are using their vehicles as mobile hunting camps, and a rooftop tent is an easy, comfortable way to accomplish that.
May 30, 2023
By Christian Berg
The mashup between backcountry bowhunting and overlanding is a growing trend, particularly among DIY, public-land devotees who are increasingly turning to customized trucks, vans and SUVs as mobile hunting camps. And the new Condor 2 lineup of rooftop tents from Roofnest includes four models that dovetail perfectly with this trend.
Two of the four tents in the lineup — the Condor 2 and Condor 2 XL — feature a new, more durable ABS outer shell reinforced with Line-X coating and the ability to add optional crossbars that can carry up to 160 pounds of additional gear, an industry first for hard-shell, fold-out, ABS-shell roof tents. Meanwhile, the other two new models — the Condor 2 Overland and Condor 2 Overland XL — feature stamped aluminum shells that can accommodate roof bars plus multiple accessory-mounting channels for off-road accessories such as auxiliary lights, shovels, axes, recovery boards and more.
The Condor 2 lineup includes four models to fit a wide variety of vehicles, from full-sized trucks to small SUVs. Other highlights of the new Condor 2 lineup include: internal storage bags to keep bedding stored in the tent and outside your vehicle; integrated HVAC ports for use with portable heaters and air conditioners; integrated in-tent utility pockets; extremely thick 320-GSM tent material with blackout coating for darker sleeping conditions; one-piece, 2-inch-thick memory foam mattresses; and dimmable LED tent lighting.
The all-new Condor Overland 2 XL is the largest aluminum-shell, foldout, roof tent on the market, capable of sleeping up to four people on its queen-sized mattress. But even if your hunting rig is a relatively small vehicle, there are options in the lineup to suit you, such as the Condor 2 that weighs just 155 pounds and measures only 60 inches long by 49 inches wide when closed but can sleep up to three people in its 75-inch long by 53-inch wide interior when set up.
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The Condor 2 Overland and Condor 2 Overland XL feature aluminum shells that can accommodate both crossbars up top and side accessory channels for carrying axes, shovels, auxiliary lighting and more. “Over the last eight years, Roofnest has sold tens of thousands of tents and learned a lot of lessons along the way,” said Roofnest CEO Bob Africa, who noted that the Condor 2 designs and upgrades were done completely in-house based on customer feedback and input. “We invested heavily in the research and development. We can’t wait for campers to experience these exciting new Roofnest tents.”
In addition to enhanced exterior features, the Condor 2 lineup features many interior improvements. For example, the rainfly is now translucent on either side of the entryway, allowing more light into the interior. Doors and windows were redesigned too. Gone are the two-piece, layered doors and windows. They’re now one piece. Bug mesh forms the exterior layer into which tent material zips. In this configuration, campers can fully open the door or either of the two windows in one zipper motion. Outside each of the two side windows are new awnings that can be zipped down over the window for extreme weather protection, rolled up out of the way or propped open with two awning poles. The awning poles are now kept in pole bags integrated beneath each window. When you want a view of the sky, a translucent moonroof can be revealed by unzipping the moonroof cover. Finally, if even more light is required, there are three dimmable LED light strips, two inside the tent and one outside above the door.
Condor 2 tents feature one-piece memory foam mattresses and an integrated gear-storage area to keep essential items handy. Additional gear can be stowed in several pockets throughout the interior. For example, a six-pocket gear grid attaches to the top shell. Two deeper pockets, designed for items such as water bottles, are on either side of the top shell. Finally, two new vertical pockets attach to either the inside or outside of either side of the door. The floor structure is made from honeycomb aluminum, providing rigidity as well as thermal insulation, and features a bottle opener next to the telescoping, aluminum ladder.
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Roofnest is currently offering special, pre-sale pricing on the Condor 2 lineup on its website. The new Condor 2 tents are expected to begin shipping to customers in July.