California’s Inspired Overland (IO) has quickly made a name for itself in the crowded US rooftop tent (RTT) market by launching some of the slimmest, lightest rooftop tents the vehicle-top camping world has ever seen. Its Trailpeak tent is still slim and ultralight but offers more living space by flipping to the side to open up a cube-like base camp that maximizes headroom and interior volume. So this tent lives every bit as comfortably as it travels.
Since hitting the scene in 2021, Inspired Overland has specialized almost exclusively in lightweight wedge-style solo and two-sleeper rooftop tents. Its 80-lb (36.2-kg) Ultra-Lightweight Carbon Fiber tent (renamed the Carbonlite) remains one of the very lightest hardshell RTTs out there, while its 76-lb (34.5-kg) Lightweight Tent is among the lightest, period.
With the Stargazer Duo tent, IO started to move away from pure lightness and sleekness as its primary selling points, offering a tent that truly opened things up. Most of that opening came by way of the full-length transparent roof, but some was also handled by a secondary lift system that provided a little extra foot space at the hinged end of the clamshell. The added X-hinge was a simple update but one that marked a move toward promoting more spacious interior layouts and not focusing exclusively on the lightest, most stripped-down construction methods.
Inspired Overland
The new 84-lb (38-kg) Trailpeak takes the next step in space expansion by essentially leveling the roof out to create the added space that comes with a near-vertically walled dwelling. Instead of lifting the top panel straight up, like Autohome’s Maggiolina RTT line has long done and newer offerings from ARB and OzTent also do, IO gives the Trailpeak a side-folding design. The strut-assisted roof panel opens to the side until it’s nearly vertical and the three other walls stand roughly vertically as well, pushing headroom up to just under 4 feet (1.2 m) across the entirety of the tent, not just at a single peak point.
In addition to the evenly spread headroom, the sideways design eliminates the cramped foot box of a typical wedge-style tent, keeping the sleeping floor wide open across its 78-in (198-cm) length. The angle of the open tent top will cut into the 48-in (122-cm) width, affecting the shoulder and elbow room of whoever’s sleeping next to it, but IO compensates by giving the fabric entry-side wall a similar angle. It’ll just be up to the inside sleeper to ensure they lay claim to their fair share of bed width.
Inspired Overland
IO isn’t the first to use a side-opening design for a two-person RTT floor plan that doesn’t extend off the vehicle, but its design is more vertical and far lighter than similar tents like the more diamond-shaped 220-lb (100-kg) OVS Sidewinder or the 158-lb (72-kg) Roverall Denali. Both those larger 2.5-person alternatives use a heavier duty aluminum hardshell construction, in contrast to IO’s vinyl top cover, which will be preferable to some buyers. But if you’re looking for the lightest weight possible in side-opening format, the Trailpeak is the clear winner among that group.
A big downside of the Trailpeak design is that its inner frame is not integrated. The primary structural frame of most hardshell and soft-shell RTTs tends to be built in, setting up automatically as one lifts the roof and/or folds out the extended floor. There are usually a few supports to add manually, most often for the door and window awnings, but the main structure pitches immediately with little extra effort.
With the Trailpeak, campers have to install the frame manually from inside using the integrated fold-up poles at the entry-side corners and the loose telescopic roof-support poles. The poles secure together with integrated pins and clips, and the awning and over-roof rainfly pitch via the usual metal rods. It should only take a few minutes, but it does diminish one of the big advantages RTTs have over ground tents: fast setup without having to snap individual poles together.
Inspired Overland
The Trailpeak comes with a 1.5-in (3.8-cm) foam mattress with anti-condensation mat, a series of organizers on the rear and front interior walls, and a telescopic ladder that clips into two brackets on the tent base upon arrival at camp. The tent walls are made from a waterproof 2000D Oxford fabric, while the side-popping top is crafted from heavy-duty weatherproof vinyl.
Beyond being lightweight, the Trailpeak is also compact, riding at just 7 inches (18 cm) high when packed up and stretching 82 inches (208 cm) long by 51 inches (130 cm) wide.
Inspired Overland
IO launched the Trailpeak last fall and offers it for a price of US$1,399.
Source: Inspired Overland
