Spacious enough for 2 adults to sleep comfortably, the Thule Tepui Foothill roof-top tent folds up compactly to preserve valuable space on your roof for bikes, a kayak or other cargo.
Key Details
Sleeping Capacity
2-person
Packaged Weight
108 pounds
Number of Doors
1 door
Best Use
Camping
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Features
Aerodynamic profile reduces drag when driving and provides a smaller footprint to store in the off-season
Despite a compact travel size, the interior is just as spacious as a traditional 2-person rooftop tent
Features a wide entry, oversized panoramic rear window and dual skylights for maximum airflow and enhanced stargazing
Telescopic internal frame poles allow for easy, one-person setup and breakdown
Low-profile, symmetrical design allows the tent to be mounted on either side of your vehicle
Includes a plush, low-profile 1.6 in. (4 cm) thick foam mattress with removable, machine-washable cover
Internal pockets provide extra space to store items
Exterior attachment points for lamps, storage solutions or other gear help make it a cozy, more personalized camp
Weather-resistant and durable main tent fabric withstands harsh weather conditions and is breathable to reduce condensation build-up inside the tent
Imported.
Designed to fit on most vehicles with roof racks. The general rule of thumb is to make sure that your rack has a Dynamic Weight Capacity of at least the weight of the tent. This is the weight that the rack can physically carry while the vehicle is in motion. However, you should check your manufacturer's roof rack system to ensure it will support the weight of the tent.
30 out of 37 (81%) reviewers recommend this product
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Average Customer Ratings
Setup
Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup
Most Helpful Favorable Review
5 Reviews 5 reviews with an average rating of 5.0 out of 5 stars
Best All Around for 2 People
OverlandDefender
3 years ago
Before this tent, I had the larger 4 person Thule explorer with the annex. Had some issues with water leakage on that tent and also ladder malfunctioning. Then got this Foothill model which is obviously smaller but has been enough space for the 2 of us. We’ve used it for 20+ nights this far and the best feature is that it takes up half the space on your roof. I’ve keep it there for 4 months now, and prob will only remove for winter months. The cover is a new version than the rubber style from before, and it seems to be less durable. A couple holes have already appeared and would like the option to buy a more heavy duty cover. The actual tent itself has been flawless. I like that the ladder is removable and not fixed with bolts. It’s an east mechanism to add and remove, takes just a few seconds and can be done solo. The rain cover works very well. Have already been in some torrential and windy rain storms and haven’t had any issues whatsoever. It would be nice to have a little more of a gap between the rain co we and the main tent as this would allow for some ventilation. Currently the top part of the rain cover is just flush against the main tent. Otherwise, a lot of ventilation all around you and you do have some vents/zip outs on the top which are nice for warmer nights. The 3 telescoping frame poles for the tent work well and is east to put up and down. I would suggest making it a few inches taller, as this would allow you to sit more upright in the tent. Prob just needs 3 more inches all around. Wind noise is almost non existent on the roof since I have the tent sitting further back on the top. Way less noisy then my previous RTT. The mattress is OK. We use an additional memory foam for longer trips. The overall construction seems to be an improvement vs other Thule tents. including the base boards. This one seems stronger than my previous RTT which would get little dents. Overall very pleased and just one request for the ability to purchase a more durable travel cover.
5 Reviews 5 reviews with an average rating of 2.0 out of 5 stars
There’s a lot to be desired here
Andrew Grimm
3 years ago
I was so excited for this purchase …yet ultimately decided to return it.
It’s heavy …and I can deal with heavy. I routinely remove and install my roof basket systems, roof pod, kayak racks, kayaks, bikes, etc., myself without too much trouble. The tent is a beast (weight-wise) and actually does require two people to get it on/off the vehicle. It’s general shape and the fact that the rails are metal which can easily damage or gouge paint/accessories if you’re not careful make it a 2 person mandatory job (without a hoist).
The attachment system is literally ‘the worst’. It’s 8 long carriage bolts [absolutely not] held in place by them fitting into a track while you tighten. When you push up to engage the wrench on the nut to tighten, you push the head of the bolt out of the track (on the sliding system) and routinely turn the whole bolt & head …so doing nothing. The washers are locking so they can’t be hand-tightened then wrenched down; they require a tool for every painstaking quarter turn. If you’re installing this rack on a factory crossbar system; you’ve got about 4” to get you entire arm under the tent to tighten all 8 of these bolts. After about 35 minutes of tightening with my arm out of reach of my eyes; I laughed and started to consider just returning it.
I know I literally just complained about how hard it is to get on/off; so I hear the contradiction here but it’s worth the point. The mounting system doesn’t lock to you car …in any way. Anyone with a wrench & [too much] free time can just go ahead and take it off your car and enjoy it in their own vehicle. It is an expensive piece of ten-bling, after all.
The material is a nicer, thicker material then a typical tent, sure. At $2k price tag, and the weight; it feels super basic. No real hard-hitting complaints here, just my general distain at having held its delivery in such high-hopes and feeling dismayed.
If you switch rack-systems based on activity, this system will drive you crazy (unless you have a truck bed rack system with enough room below to use a deep-socket on on a power tool - but that makes it easy to steal).
If you live in a metropolitan area with metropolitan rates of theft at overnight trail-heads (I.e., the Seattle area), I would be concerned leaving this on your vehicle for extended periods of time.
Very light and streamed lined tent and the slimmest on the market, helps with my mileage and wind resistance it’s like having nothing on my roof which is primarily why I choose to buy it. I have not officially used it yet but plan too soon I am sure it will not disappoint. If it does REI accepts a full year return for any reason another key factor on why I purchased it.
Yes , I recommend this product
Setup
Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup
Helpful?
flskier66
FL
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
Great overall, but a few BIG "Misses on the part o
1 year ago
Overall I am very impressed. The setup is qk and extremely easy and plenty of room for one, maybe two. My three "dings" against it woulbe: 1: the optional locking mounting assembly should be part of the package, like the locking assembly on Yakima Racks are. Especially given the cost of this tent. 2: The mattress, even with the condensation pad, is extremely uncomfortable. Thule should either include, or offer as an option for this exact model, a comfortable blow up air Mattress or self inflatini air mattress. 3: I feel the rain tarp was an afterthought. It is extremely awkward and clumsy to remove and makes packing / closing the tent up, a bit challenging.
Age:55–64
Weight:250–275 lbs.
Height:5'11"
Setup
Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup
Helpful?
Mike
Los Angeles, Ca
Rated 3.0 out of 5 stars
One person tent not worth the $$$
3 years ago
I purchased this tent due to its size and design. But I quickly learned after installing it that was much more difficult to set up the previously thought. You have to climb inside the tent in order to extent the arms that make the tent taut. The tent material is very good quality but the mattress falls short with only 1.5” thick. The size is also concerning as it barley fits 2 average size adults. If you are more on the plus size or have pets, I would not recommend this tent. Additionally the telescoping ladder that is supplied does not seem safe or latch properly.
The rain fly polls are difficult to install all around the tent, especially if you have a tall vehicle. Over all this tent is good for 1 person with a short vehicle and short trip. I wouldn’t recommend this tent for long trips due to its mattress and setup time. In my personal opinion this tent is overpriced.
Age:25–34
Weight:150–175 lbs.
Height:6'0"
No, I do not recommend this product
Setup
Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup
Helpful?
Andertonk
East Bay, CA
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Compact and Convienent
4 years ago
Great tent with lots of flexibility. I’ve used it on a 7-day haul from CA to UT, changing campsites each night. I’ve also used it in a primary location for 2 weeks straight. Both times the tent was awesome. It takes about 15 to pack and zip it up if you’ve got a clear roof beside it, and about 25-30 of you have a secondary item on top like a bike or cargo carrier. The tent comfortably sleeps 2 and the quality is better than expected. Great zippers and mesh. Some wind noise on the canvas, but it disappears when you have the fly on tight and taught.
Yes , I recommend this product
Originally posted on thule-us-ca
Charlotte
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
Good tent with a few drawbacks, 3.5 stars really
4 months ago
Let me start by saying I like this tent, with a few caveats. I’ve driven with it on an Outback from the west coast to the east coast and to Canada and back. I’ve probably used it 100 times, which means I’ve popped up and broken down 100 times, mostly by myself (5'3" female) and I have some notes.
For the pluses:
-Love the smaller design meaning you're able to use the other half of your roof rack, I've had a bike and a small cargo basket next to it
-Easy enough for one person to set up/brake down, not super easy but still very doable
-Feels sturdy and is roomy enough for as compact as it is
-Lightweight, easy to lift onto car with two people
Now for the notes:
-IMO the foam mattress was garbage, became rock hard at temps in the 20s and too bulky to fold inside the tent, especially when used with anti condensation mat, made closing the tent and zipping the cover very difficult. I threw it away and replaced it with two 25 inch wide inflatable sleeping mats from REI and have no regrets
-Pin lock for ladder jiggles itself loose when driving and will come apart and I have almost lost it multiple times when I've taken the cover off and not realized its loose inside the cover, I've resorted to keeping a hex wrench with me in the car as a backup to secure the ladder to the tent
-I agree with the other reviewer that having to store the ladder separately from the tent is annoying
-The rain fly poles should collapse or fold, I do not keep the rainfly on the tent all the time because its black and makes the tent unbelievably hot, instead I keep it in my car in case I need it. However the poles for the fly do not collapse and are 7 feet long which means you can't just keep them in your car, if you choose to keep them on the tent without the fly, they aren't really attached, they just slip into channels and often come loose when you're pitching the tent and you also have to push them back in well in order to close the cover when you're folding up the tent
-One of the pockets is behind a strap, making it less functional, this appears to be because the non-ladder side of the tent has larger door, but why? You can't exit the tent on that side
-Durability concerns
--The waterproof taping is starting to peel back in a few places inside the tent
--I've had multiple ripped stitches on the cover when trying to close it up, the fabric becomes more rigid when cold and it makes it a lot harder to stretch the cover over the tent resulting in ripping stitches
--The tube inside the channel that attaches the zipper to the tent is coming out/has punched through the fabric at both ends of channel, its not really reinforced on the ends
Yes , I recommend this product
Originally posted on thule-us-ca
Response from thule-us-ca
Thule Customer Support
4 months ago
Hello Charlotte,
Thank you for providing your feedback on the Thule Foothill roof top tent. I'm glad to hear about all of the successful trips you have taken with your tent. The Thule Foothill was designed to prioritize a compact footprint to allow for other products to be used on the same roof rack . With that being said, the Thule Foothill can be folded shut with both the mattress and the anti-condensation mat stored inside. As you mentioned, the ladder is not meant to be secured to the tent for transit. Trying to pull the cover on when the ladder is still on the tent can result in a tight fit or damage to the seam.
Although we do our best to make this tent as suited for cold weather as possible there can be a change in the fabric when you get into freezing temperatures. We do offer the Thule-Insulator for the Foothill to increase the tents ability to work in freezing temperatures.
Regarding the durability concerns consistent use will eventually cause breakdown of materials but if you feel this is above and beyond normal wear and tear, please contact our warranty team for assessment.
https://www.thule.com/en-us/about-thule/warranty
Ernest
Los Angeles
Rated 2.0 out of 5 stars
Zippers …. Argh!
1 year ago
I've been using the Foothill for about 6 months now. There have been several issues mostly with the cover and straps. Once set up I actually love the tent. I live in SoCal so I can often sleep with the top open and fall asleep under the stars. Sure it takes a bit more time to set up but once you figure you your system. I can get it set in less than 10 minutes and packed up in about 15. I agree with a lot of the reviews on here though ... the cover and straps and zipper fall apart very quickly. Ive used the tent about 2 dozen times and started having zipper issues by the third time. I started making sure I had bungie cords and ratchet straps with me at all times knowing it was just a matter of time before the zipper would completely fail. I've had to fix it several times but this last trip it completely failed and I had to strap it up to get home safely. I got home and went to the website to order replacement parts and unfortunately on the parts I need there is no description. And you can't call anyone for customer support with questions. My firs being is the zipper upgraded from the original. I have Gen 1 model. Does the zipper come with both sides or just the side attached to the cover. I know that sounds like a silly question but I am not surprised by much these days and I could see that being sold separately. If the zippers is the same as the original from V1 … I will pass and get rid of the tent because I’m certain I will run into the same problem in a few months.
Originally posted on thule-us-ca
PJZLA
Los Angeles
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good tent - can use a few improvements
4 years ago
I have had a few RTTs and was looking for something mainly for myself on Jeep trips. Lighter is better on the roof.
Picked it up for a weekend in Death Valley. Here are my initial thoughts:
*Form factor excellent - allowed me to have my roof box and tent on the roof together - important to carry more bulky items outside of the jeep.
*Weight - also excellent. The lower weight is appreciated. Was able to take it off the roof myself after the trip.
*Materials appear high quality.
*Length is good, at 6'1" I have plenty of room to stretch out. Head touches the roof but its not an issue, always some compromises if you want a smaller tent.
*Mattress - not the greatest. Again, compromises for a smaller tent. Supplemented with a camping pad after the first night.
*Cover zipper should be reversed - part of this is because it is on a tall jeep. Having the zipper go around the inside (center of vehicle roof) of the tent makes it challenging to open. Have to put up the ladder fully, lay across the tent, and unzip, as well as zip when packing. Being off road much of the trip the cover has a lot of dust and that transfers to you. Would be much better to be able to zip to the opening side from the ground, or at least set up the zipper so the user can switch as needed. Doesn't appear that you can do that. If you have nothing else on the roof it is less of an issue.
*Tent poles - one side will not move to the second click, but guessing over time the fabric will stretch enough so likely in the long run this is good. Time will tell.
*Last one :) - but the big one in two parts. the tent doors. The weighted ends do not secure. Heavy winds first night and the tent was sturdy, however, the weighed ends flapped non stop against the tent. Also, you can have a door awning or a door, but not both? If camping in the rain it would be nice to have the flap up as an awning and an actual door flap separate.
Age:45–54
Weight:200–225 lbs.
Height:6'1"
Yes , I recommend this product
Setup
Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup
Helpful?
pnwsurf
Portland, OR
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent - with room for improvement for V2.0
4 years ago
We surf and camp in the Pacific Northwest and this has been a complete game changer for us! Love the overall footprint, ruggedness, and ease of setup overall. I think there are some key design features that could be improved for a version 2.0 (zipper on cover, mattress thickness/quality, cover material - little details throughout. But for the price and considering there is no comparable alternative for toppers that free rack space for boards - we are stoked!
Age:35–44
Weight:175–200 lbs.
Height:5'11"
Yes , I recommend this product
Setup
Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup
Helpful?
OverlandDefender
NYC
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Best All Around for 2 People
3 years ago
Before this tent, I had the larger 4 person Thule explorer with the annex. Had some issues with water leakage on that tent and also ladder malfunctioning. Then got this Foothill model which is obviously smaller but has been enough space for the 2 of us. We’ve used it for 20+ nights this far and the best feature is that it takes up half the space on your roof. I’ve keep it there for 4 months now, and prob will only remove for winter months. The cover is a new version than the rubber style from before, and it seems to be less durable. A couple holes have already appeared and would like the option to buy a more heavy duty cover. The actual tent itself has been flawless. I like that the ladder is removable and not fixed with bolts. It’s an east mechanism to add and remove, takes just a few seconds and can be done solo. The rain cover works very well. Have already been in some torrential and windy rain storms and haven’t had any issues whatsoever. It would be nice to have a little more of a gap between the rain co we and the main tent as this would allow for some ventilation. Currently the top part of the rain cover is just flush against the main tent. Otherwise, a lot of ventilation all around you and you do have some vents/zip outs on the top which are nice for warmer nights. The 3 telescoping frame poles for the tent work well and is east to put up and down. I would suggest making it a few inches taller, as this would allow you to sit more upright in the tent. Prob just needs 3 more inches all around. Wind noise is almost non existent on the roof since I have the tent sitting further back on the top. Way less noisy then my previous RTT. The mattress is OK. We use an additional memory foam for longer trips. The overall construction seems to be an improvement vs other Thule tents. including the base boards. This one seems stronger than my previous RTT which would get little dents. Overall very pleased and just one request for the ability to purchase a more durable travel cover.
Age:25–34
Weight:150–175 lbs.
Height:6'0"
Yes , I recommend this product
Setup
Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup
Helpful?
Seatosummit
Santa Cruz, CA
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost perfect!! Still highly recommend.
4 years ago
I love this thing! I have had it two months and have slept in it around a dozen nights so far, in various conditions ranging from dreamy to VERY strong winds (no rain yet). I have used it with the rain fly and without (pictured below without). It has been a great performer through and through.
It fits me (6’ tall man) and my wife OR me and my two kids perfectly (ages 8 & 9). It leaves room on the rack for other equipment and is beautifully made & simple to use. We like to couple it with our Thule Atlantis pod. It's a good idea to buy a collapsible step stool to make setup even easier. They can be had for $10 and make an easy setup even easier.
Literally the only thing I don’t absolutely love about it is the cover. It started to show noticeable fading after only 3 weeks on my truck and it’s not even sunny or super hot yet.
In my eyes Thule blew it big time by not using the weatherized rubber-feel cover they use on practically every other tent. My only hope is that they make a replacement cover out of the superior rubberized material for when this one inevitably breaks down and falls apart. If they make a better cover option, I will happily change this review to a 5/5.
