Clamshell Roof Top Tents

A clamshell roof top tent is a hard shell hinged along one long side: release the latches, and gas struts lift the top shell up and over, so the tent opens like a book standing on its spine. No model in this catalogue is documented as a clamshell: the fiberglass CARTT01-3 is recorded only as an automatic, gas-strut model that folds to 210 × 125 × 26 cm, one aluminium hard shell listing is recorded as automatic, and none of them states its hinge geometry — so this page does not assign the format to any of them. It explains the format itself: what the geometry gives you, what it costs, and what to confirm on any clamshell before you order one.

What the format gives you

Speed and profile. The opening is one motion with no pump, no poles and no unfolding of fabric stacks — struts do the work, which is why the format suits rental fleets and campers who move pitch every night. For a profile comparison inside this catalogue, the documented fiberglass shell (the CARTT01-3) closes to 26 cm tall: no folded height is published for the soft shell listings, so request the folded dimensions of the exact soft shell model before comparing profiles — and 26 cm is low enough to matter for garage doors and for fuel consumption on long highway legs. The shell also protects the tent fabric in transit in a way no soft cover matches, and the interior bedding can typically stay inside the closed shell — confirm the closed clearance on the specific model, because that detail is configuration-dependent.

What the format costs

Weight and permanence. The documented fiberglass hard shell in this catalogue is 69 kg net, and a clamshell is designed to live on the roof: removing it for storage is a two-person job with a hoist or a tall friend, not a one-person lift into a cupboard. The sleeping footprint is bounded by the shell — 210 × 125 cm on the CARTT01-3 — so a shell of this size sleeps two adults well and "2–3" optimistically. And the format carries the highest prices among conventional tents in this catalogue. Every one of those costs is the mirror image of an inflatable tent's advantages, which is why our comparison guide puts the two formats on one table of listed figures.

Confirm before you order any clamshell

Ask for: the opening mechanism (gas strut specification), the folded height, the net weight, the load rating, the ladder rating — 150 kg on the CARTT01-3 — and whether bedding clears the closed shell. Then run the two checks that actually decide fit: for driving, tent plus rack and any roof accessories against the vehicle's dynamic rating; parked, tent plus sleepers against the static rating and the tent's own load rating — using the method in the roof load guide. If a seller cannot produce those figures, treat the model as undocumented and price it accordingly.

The clamshell against the other formats in one paragraph

Against a soft shell, the clamshell trades a higher price and weight for a sealed, low, one-motion package. Against an inflatable, it trades the bag, the low weight and the multi-scene flexibility for a structure that is always ready on the roof and needs no pump. There is no format winner — there is a use winner. Touring that moves every day and parks anywhere favours the clamshell's speed; touring that mixes roof nights with ground nights, or a vehicle whose roof rating is modest, favours the inflatable; budget family capacity favours the soft shell. Decide by your calendar and your roof rating, in that order.

Ordering notes

Hard shell minimum order quantities in this catalogue are two pieces. Confirm the full specification, price and lead time for the exact model in writing before payment.

Request Clamshell Pricing