Pre-order now. We order in batches of five: your tent arrives about 8 to 10 weeks after your batch closes.
Roof tent open on a 4x4 parked on a hillside track, the ladder down, with a wooded valley behind

Aluminium hard-shell roof tents

Just 12 cm thick, closed

Sleep a family of four above the view. Closed, it is a 12 cm aluminium box on your car's own roof rails: no roof bars, no bulk, and the car still fits where it always did.

Reserve with a £99 deposit, refundable until your batch closes.

The range

One slim design, three sizes

Every size folds flat into the same 12 cm aluminium box. Choose by the size of your family and your roof.

Compare sizes →
Roof tent open on a mid-size grey SUV among green limestone hills, ladder down

Mid

For a couple and a child. Suits a mid-size to large SUV.

£1,799 Pre-order
  • Sleeps 2 adults + 1 child
  • Bed 205 × 150 cm
  • 168 × 123 cm, 12 cm thick closed
  • 50 kg
View the Mid
An owner's roof tent open on a Honda CR-V by the sea at sunset, ladder down

Mini

The compact size, for a small or medium SUV such as a Honda CR-V.

£1,599 Pre-order
  • Sleeps 2 adults
  • Bed 205 × 128 cm
  • 148 × 118 cm, 12 cm thick closed
  • 43 kg
View the Mini

Founding Ten

The first ten tents get a little extra

Same price as everyone after them. Founding buyers also get a numbered tent (1 to 10) and a place in the first batch. We only ask for a few photos and an honest review after your first trip.

Sizes and weights are the maker's figures. Each tent comes with a detachable ladder (5 kg). Secure yours with a refundable deposit by card, or reserve by email.

Looks, thickness, wind

Thinner than the roof tents you know

Closed, every Bryntent is 12 cm thick, and it mounts on your car's own roof rails with thin brackets, so it adds almost no height on top of that. The best-known UK roof-tent brand's current models close at 17 to 45 cm, and sit on cross bars that add their own height.

Closed heights as published on the other brand's own website for its five current models (17, 25, 25, 35 and 45 cm), checked on 31 October 2026. Our closed thickness is 12 to 12.3 cm: the maker's specification sheet gives 12.3 cm, measured by hand, and we round it to 12 cm on this page. Full specifications are on each tent's page.

Side view of the closed roof tent, a flat 12 cm aluminium box on the roof of a yellow 4x4

What goes on your roof

BryntentLeading UK brand
Tent, closed12 cm17 to 45 cm (25 cm for its two most-reviewed models)
How it mountsThin brackets made for your car, fixed in its own roof railsClamped to a pair of cross bars
Cross barsNot needed on cars with roof railsNeeded, bought separately
Extra cost for the mountIncluded in the priceThe brand's own bars cost £149 to £200
Extra height from the mountAlmost noneThe height of the bars, on top of the tent

The other brand's figures are from its own website, checked on 31 October and 1 November 2026. Cars without roof rails need a different mount; we tell you what yours needs before you pay the balance.

On your own roof rails

Thin brackets made for your car fix the tent straight into its roof rails. No cross bars to buy, and almost no height added under the tent, so it puts less into the wind on the motorway.

Compact and smart

A matte black aluminium shell, 12 cm closed, with clean lines. Closed, it reads as part of the car, not a box bolted on top.

Strong and secure

An aluminium shell, bolted to aluminium brackets at four points. More than 1,000 of these tents are in use, on desert crossings and rough tracks, and the maker knows of no safety problems. In the maker's load test, three adults, about 200 kg, sit inside the open tent. Check the bolts are tight before each trip.

Side view of the closed roof tent on a cream 4x4: a flat 12 cm box on the roof rack
Side on: a 12 cm box
Seen from above, the roof tent closed on a 4x4 driving up a rough stone track
On a rough track
Roof tent closed on the roof rails of a white Range Rover
Range Rover
The closed roof tent carrying a hard case and a duffel bag on its lid, on a 4x4 on a hill track
A case and a bag on the lid
See it on more vehicles

Will it fit?

Made for the cars UK families drive

We have mounting brackets made for each car, so it suits most cars with roof rails or a rack that can carry it, from a Land Rover Defender to a family SUV.

Our roof tent closed on the roof rack of a Land Rover Defender
4x4sLand Rover Defender and Discovery, Jeep Wrangler. A tent that stays low keeps the 4x4's lines.
Roof tent open on a white Range Rover
SUVs and estatesFamily SUVs and estate cars with roof rails. The Mid suits a medium roof, the Max a longer one.
Roof tent open on a black Ford Ranger with the ladder down
PickupsFord Ranger and similar. Mount it over the load bay on a bed rack and keep the cab free.
Read the fit guide

Made for your car

Brackets made for your car, adding almost no height

Every car's roof is different, so we do not sell one mount for all. After you order, you send us photos of your roof, and our maker makes thin brackets that fit your car's own roof rails. There are no cross bars, so the tent sits right on the rails.

Almost no extra height

Most roof tents sit on a pair of cross bars, and the bars add their own height under the tent. Our thin brackets sit inside the rails' own profile, so the closed tent adds little more than its 12 cm shell. Lower means less wind drag.

No cross bars to buy

On cars with roof rails, the brackets fix straight to the rails, so you do not need roof bars or a roof rack. Roof bars sold for roof tents often cost £150 to £200 a pair.

Included, in its own package

The brackets are made for your car while your batch is built and come in their own package with your tent, bolts included. If your car needs one-off brackets, £100 of the price is not refundable once they are made; standard brackets we can reuse, such as the Defender's, carry no charge. If your roof has no rails, we tell you what it needs before you pay the balance.

Example: our Land Rover Defender 110

Four thin brackets, no cross bars

Our Defender has roof rails running front to back, with a slot along each rail. The custom mount is four thin brackets, two on each rail, that bolt into those slots. The tent's base has cross rails underneath, and the tent bolts to the four brackets. There is nothing else on the roof.

We fitted our Max by hand, with no special tools and no garage:

  1. Brackets on the rails

    Slide the bolts into the slot in each roof rail and fix the four brackets, two per side. Leave the bolts a little loose, and space the brackets roughly in line with the cross rails under the tent.

  2. Lift the tent on

    Four people lift the tent onto the roof and set it on the brackets. The Max weighs 54 kg, so it is a comfortable lift for four.

  3. Line up and fix

    Slide the tent forward or back until it sits where you want it, line the brackets up with the tent's cross rails, then bolt the tent to the brackets and tighten everything.

In the maker's own video, a workshop hoist lowers the tent with the brackets already bolted to it. Few UK homes have a hoist, so we fit the brackets to the car first and lift the tent on by hand. Watch the maker's Defender fitting video.

A thin custom bracket being fitted into the slot of a Land Rover Defender's roof rail, under the base of the roof tent
A custom bracket going into the slot of a Defender's roof rail, under the tent's base. From the maker's fitting video.

The tent, brackets and anything else on the roof must stay within your car's dynamic roof load and the roof rails' rating. On our Defender 110 the top of the closed tent sits roughly 20 cm above the roof; this is our estimate from photos, and the height on your car depends on its rails. Roof-bar prices: a leading UK roof-tent brand's own roof bars, £149 to £200 on its website, checked 1 November 2026.

How it works

Unlatch, unfold, climb in

  1. Unlatch

    Release the catches on the shell. The tent stays fixed to your car the whole time.

  2. Unfold

    Lift the lid and let the tent open out, then set the telescopic ladder.

  3. Climb in

    The 2.5 cm mattress is already inside, so bedding is all you need to add.

18 secIn the maker's video, one person opens the tent and sets the ladder in 17.8 seconds on a stopwatch. Allow longer the first few times.

On video

Packing away, and a few useful extras

Packing awayFold the canopy in, close the lid and fasten the catches. Shown at double speed.
A bag on the lidThe ladder gets you onto the roof and a bag straps down on the closed lid. Its weight counts towards your roof load.
Rails under the shellSliding grooves under the open tent take hooks for a washing line, a lamp or a speaker.

Videos from our maker. The English voice-overs are our translation, read by a computer voice.

Evenings up high

Park, open, and you are home

No pitch to find, no pegs, no wet groundsheet. The tent opens on the roof in under a minute, the table goes under the wing, and the view is whatever you parked in front of.

Camp table and chairs set under the open roof tent on a yellow 4x4 at golden hour
Dinner under the wing
A man drinking coffee at a small table under the open roof tent
Morning coffee at the ladder
The open roof tent at dusk with a lantern on the ladder and the hills behind
Lights on, hills behind

Photos from our maker, on its own demonstration car.

Built to last

Fabric and fittings, up close

The maker's figures for the tent fabric, and photos of the tent's own fittings.

  • 20,000 mmhydrostatic head, the fabric's waterproof rating
  • 10,800g/m² per 24 hours of breathability
  • UPF 50+UV protection
  • 300 kgweight capacity
Close-up of the silver-coated outer fabric
Outer fabricWaterproof Oxford cloth with a sun-blocking black layer and a silver heat-insulating coating.
Close-up of the inner tent fabric and a taped seam
Inner tentThree-layer anti-condensation fabric, with taped seams.
Close-up of a heavy zip with an orange pull
ZipA heavy-duty SBS zip with a large pull.
Close-up of the mosquito net window
Mosquito netMesh windows let air through and keep insects out.
A hook inside the tent for hanging things
Inner hookFor a lamp or a small bag.
A storage pocket sewn inside the tent
Storage pocketFor a phone, glasses and keys.
A waterproof shoe bag lying on the mattress
Shoe bagsTwo waterproof bags, so wet shoes stay out of the bed.
The fixing point for the insulation layer inside the tent
Insulation fixing pointWhere the insulation layer attaches.

The maker measures by hand and fabric figures can differ a little between batches.

In use

Tested in Wales

Bryntent started with the same tent on our own Land Rover Defender, on family trips around Wales. We liked it enough to bring it in for other families.

Our story
Our roof tent open at a Welsh beach car park Our roof tent closed on the roof rack of a Land Rover Defender

Owners' voices

What owners of this tent say

The same tent, bought from our maker by owners around the world. Their words, translated by us, and their photos, used with permission.

An owner's roof tent open on a black 4x4 in a car park under a big sky
“Very spacious: the medium sleeps three with no problem. The build surprised me, it feels solid, and the waterproof seals look good. Thin, and it looks good.”Medium, September 2026
An owner's roof tent closed on a Honda CR-V on a coast road at dusk
“The shell is nicely finished, and closed it is really low. Far less wind drag. The T-slots on the lid mean a roof box can go on later without drilling.”Medium, August 2026
Inside an owner's roof tent at sunset, looking out over the sea from the bed
“Used it the day after it arrived. Nothing like a ground tent, and nothing like sleeping in the car.”Medium, September 2026

Reviews left with our maker by owners of the same tent, read on 3 November 2026 and translated by us. These owners did not buy from Bryntent. Our own customers' reviews will appear here as the first tents arrive.

Proven on rough roads

Tested by more than 1,000 owners

The same tent and mounting design is already in use on more than 1,000 cars. Owners take it on multi-day desert crossings, over rough tracks and through heat, cold, wind and rain, and the maker knows of no safety problems. In the maker's own load test, three adults, about 200 kg in all, sit inside the open tent.

The closed roof tent on a 4x4 climbing a rough hill track at dusk, mountains behind

Driven closed, over the rough stuff

Most of a roof tent's life is spent closed, on the move. A 12 cm box with four bolts into the car's own rails has less to catch the wind and less to work loose than a tall tent on cross bars. Owners drive these over desert tracks and mountain roads with the tent shut and a bag on the lid.

  • 1,000+tents in use
  • 19 yearsour maker has been in outdoor equipment
  • 200 kgthree adults inside the open tent, in the maker's load test
  • 12 cmclosed, aluminium shell

Tents in use and safety record: the maker's own figures, given to us on 1 November 2026. Load test: the maker's video of 21 July 2026. Desert crossings: owners' own posts, 2026.

Accessories

Make camp feel like home

A shower and changing room, an awning, a family shelter, a swing and more, from the same maker as the tents.

All accessories →

Before you buy

Check your roof load

Every car has a dynamic roof load limit, the weight allowed while driving. It is in your handbook. The tent, its ladder and the bars all count.

Tell it who is sleeping, your car and its roof load, or add a photo of the handbook page, and get a preliminary answer straight away. Or use the quick checker below.

Enter your limit to compare it with the Mini (43 kg), the Mid (50 kg) and the Max (54 kg), each plus the 5 kg ladder.

A guide only. Check your vehicle handbook and your roof bar maker's rating, and ask us if you are unsure.

FAQ

Questions

When will tents arrive?

We order from our maker in batches of five tents. A batch closes when five tents are ordered or on the 15th of the month, whichever comes first. If fewer than three tents are ordered by the 15th, we may move them to the next month's batch; we will tell you, and you can cancel for a full refund. When your batch closes we email you, and your tent arrives about 8 to 10 weeks later by sea.

Do I pay now?

You secure a tent with a refundable £99 deposit by card. We then ask for photos of your roof, so our maker can make the mounting brackets for your car. We email you when your tent is in the UK, and the balance is due then, before we send it out or you collect it. If you would rather talk first, reserve by email and we will confirm the details before any money changes hands.

Is paying online safe?

Card payments are taken on a page run by Stripe, a large payment company. Your card number goes to Stripe and never touches this website or our email. You get a receipt by email straight away.

Will it fit my car?

Most likely. After you order, you send us photos of your roof and our maker makes thin mounting brackets for your car, fixed to its own roof rails. The tent and brackets must stay within your car's dynamic roof load. Use the checker above, or send us your model and we will tell you what we think.

Do I need roof bars?

If your car has roof rails, no. The thin brackets we have made for your car fix the tent straight to the rails, which saves the cost of roof bars and adds almost no height. If your roof has no rails or rack, we tell you what it needs before you pay the balance.

How do I get it?

Collect it free from Cardiff by appointment, or we arrange UK delivery, charged separately and confirmed before you pay the balance. Boxed, a tent weighs 58 to 74 kg, so you will need two people to lift it.

Can I return it?

Yes. You can cancel within 14 days of delivery, and at any time before delivery on a pre-order. If your car needs one-off brackets made just for it, £100 of the price pays for them, and once your batch closes and they are made, that £100 is not refundable if you cancel or return the tent. If your car uses a standard bracket we can reuse, as on the Land Rover Defender, there is no charge. We tell you which applies when you send your roof photos. The £100 is always refunded if the tent or brackets are faulty or not as described, or if we deliver more than 30 days late, and if you cancel before your batch closes you get everything back. If you send a tent back after delivery, the return cost is yours unless it is faulty: drop it off in Cardiff for free, or we arrange a courier (up to £120 from mainland UK). See returns and cancellation.

What about warranty and spares?

Your full UK consumer rights apply. If anything is wrong, contact us and we sort it out from Cardiff, including spare parts from our maker.

Who makes the tent?

A specialist roof-tent maker in Shenzhen, China, with its own factory. We import the tents and look after them in the UK.

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