23Zero Walkabout 72.

The Gavler Review.

23Zero Walkabout 72 Review: The Rooftop Tent for People Who Actually Want to Sleep In

The 23Zero Walkabout 72 ranks number 9 on Gavler's Best Rooftop Tents list with a 7.7, and it earns that ranking on the strength of one specific, genuinely differentiated feature rather than broad all-around excellence. Gavler's own verdict is precise about it: "The blackout-canvas specialty pick. LST fabric genuinely changes the inside-the-tent experience for desert and equatorial use. Right call if blackout matters; sideways to Roofnest or Thule if it doesn't." One owner's account, gathered by Trail4Runner, backs that up directly: the Light Suppression Technology canvas "allows for pitch black conditions inside the tent, even at high noon." Buy it if that quality-of-life difference is worth the trade-offs. Skip it if you're not specifically chasing blackout performance, in which case the Roofnest Condor 2 Air further up this list is the more broadly capable pick.

What it is

23Zero is an Australian rooftop tent maker built around a specific, unglamorous problem the North American overland market tends to underweight: outback conditions. That means 110°F desert noons, equatorial sunrises that hit a tent at 5 a.m., and fine red dust that finds its way through anything less than a genuinely sealed canvas. The Walkabout 72 is the company's North American-distributed flagship, and its headline technology is proprietary Light Suppression Technology (LST) canvas, which blocks approximately 99% of sunlight.

What that actually changes in daily use: in a standard rooftop tent, sunrise floods the interior with light by around 5:30 a.m., regardless of how tired you are or how badly your kids need another hour of sleep. In the Walkabout 72, the tent interior stays dark until the door opens, no matter what the sun outside is doing. At $2,250, it's priced competitively within this category — not the cheapest tent on the list, but not commanding a premium for the LST canvas either. The 2-3 person capacity and 62mm foam mattress are solidly mid-pack specs; the LST canvas is the entire reason to consider this tent over its similarly priced neighbors.

In use

The clearest account of what living with a Walkabout 72 actually feels like comes from an owner featured in Trail4Runner's roundup of soft-shell rooftop tent setups on the Toyota 4Runner. Zachary Diehl, who runs the Walkabout 72 with an added annex for winter camping with three large-breed dogs, told the outlet: "I never felt cramped in the tent. During the winter months, the pups and I hid away in our rooftop bunker without feeling pressed for space. In the summer months, the superior window space allowed for cool breezes to blow through on a hot southern evening." On the canvas specifically, his account is direct: "I also received... the LST (Light Suppression Technology), a major benefit of the 23Zero product line. It allows for pitch black conditions inside the tent, even at high noon. This is perfect if you want everyone to sleep in on Sunday morning."

A second owner in the same Trail4Runner feature, running the larger 87-inch Walkabout with his family, echoed the same conclusion about the fabric: "The Light Suppression Technology (LST) fabric of 23Zero's tent is phenomenal. My wife and I can finally sleep in while camping. It's so dark that my baby can take a nap in the middle of the day inside the tent." That's two independent owners, on two different Walkabout sizes, converging on the same specific praise — which is a stronger signal than a single glowing review, and it's exactly the kind of quality-of-life detail that's easy to dismiss on a spec sheet and hard to overstate once you've actually used it.

The trade-offs are just as real. 23Zero's North American dealer network is smaller than Thule's or Roofnest's, and lead times for replacement parts can stretch four to six weeks — a genuine consideration if you need fast warranty support mid-trip. The heavy-duty canvas seal that keeps outback dust out also means the fabric is built thicker and heavier than some lighter competitors, a reasonable trade for durability but worth knowing going in.

Strengths

• Light Suppression Technology canvas blocks approximately 99% of sunlight, verified independently by two separate owners in Trail4Runner's reporting — a rare case of a manufacturer claim holding up under real, unprompted owner testimony.
• The heavy-duty canvas seal is genuinely built for harsh conditions — 110°F desert heat, blowing dust, and equatorial sun exposure that lighter competitors aren't specifically engineered around.
• Real owners report strong livability beyond the headline feature — good window ventilation in summer, enough interior space to avoid feeling cramped even with extra passengers (kids, dogs) along for the trip.
• Priced competitively at $2,250 without charging a premium specifically for the LST canvas, which functions as a genuine differentiator rather than an upsell.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

• You don't specifically care about blackout canvas. If a normal amount of morning light in the tent doesn't bother you, the LST canvas is solving a problem you don't have, and the Roofnest Condor 2 Air or Thule Approach 2 M are more broadly capable picks at similar or better expert scores.
• You need fast warranty turnaround. 23Zero's smaller North American dealer network means replacement-part lead times of four to six weeks — a real inconvenience if something breaks mid-season.
• You want the highest-scoring tent regardless of feature set. At a 7.7, the Walkabout 72 sits toward the bottom of this list on generalist editorial scoring; its value case is narrow and feature-specific rather than broad.

How it compares

One rank up on this list, the Tepui (Thule) Autana 3 makes the opposite bet — no standout feature, just the deepest install base and parts ecosystem in the category, at a similar $2,500 price point. Further up, the Roofnest Condor 2 Air at $2,795 is the more mainstream, higher-scoring hard-shell alternative for buyers who aren't chasing blackout canvas specifically. The Walkabout 72's position in this list is honest about its own trade-off: it's not competing to be the best all-around tent, it's competing to be the best tent for a specific, real use case — desert overlanders, equatorial travelers, and anyone whose kids (or dogs) actually need to sleep past sunrise.

The Gavler verdict

A 7.7, with a 76 expert consensus and an 82 community rating that reflects genuine enthusiasm from the specific buyers this tent is built for. Gavler's scoreNote captures why the gap exists: "Strong specialty ratings from desert overlanders. Generalist editorial coverage is bounded because the blackout feature is hard to evaluate in non-desert testing." That's a fair read. A reviewer testing gear in a temperate climate for a week won't feel what a family testing it through a Southwestern summer feels every single morning. If blackout canvas and outback-grade construction are real requirements for your trips, the Walkabout 72 earns its spot on this list. If they're not, its narrower feature set means a more generalist pick elsewhere on Gavler's Best Rooftop Tents list will serve you just as well for less compromise.

Common Questions

Is the 23Zero Walkabout 72 worth it in 2026?

Yes, specifically if blackout canvas matters to you. It ranks ninth on Gavler's Best Rooftop Tents list with a 7.7. Gavler's own verdict calls it 'the blackout-canvas specialty pick,' and a 23Zero Walkabout 72 owner told Trail4Runner the Light Suppression Technology canvas 'allows for pitch black conditions inside the tent, even at high noon.' If you're not specifically after that feature, the Roofnest Condor 2 or Thule Approach M are easier default picks.

What does 23Zero's Light Suppression Technology canvas actually do?

It's a proprietary canvas that blocks approximately 99% of sunlight. In a typical rooftop tent, sunrise makes the interior bright by around 5:30 a.m. In the Walkabout 72, the tent stays dark until you open the door, regardless of the time of day outside. One owner described being able to nap a baby inside the tent at high noon because of how effectively it blocks light.

23Zero Walkabout 72 or Roofnest Condor 2?

Buy the Roofnest Condor 2 if you want a more mainstream, higher-scoring hard-shell with a larger North American dealer network. Buy the 23Zero Walkabout 72 if blackout canvas or desert/equatorial-condition durability is a real requirement — 23Zero's outback engineering and LST canvas solve problems the Roofnest doesn't specifically address.

Is 23Zero's dealer network a problem in North America?

It's smaller than Thule's or Roofnest's, and Gavler's research found lead times for replacement parts can stretch four to six weeks. That's a real consideration if you need fast warranty support, though it hasn't stopped the Walkabout 72 from building a loyal following among desert and equatorial overlanders who value the LST canvas enough to accept it.