Roofnest Condor 2 Air.

The Gavler Review.

Roofnest Condor 2 Air Review: The Soft-Shell That Fits Where Hard-Shells Can't

The Roofnest Condor 2 Air ranks third on our Best Rooftop Tents list with a 9.0, and it earns that spot as Roofnest's volume play — the model the company sells more of than any other, according to its own product framing. At $2,795, it occupies the true midpoint of the soft-shell market, and the case for it is specific: a 65 mm high-density foam mattress that matches the spec in Roofnest's pricier hard-shell hybrid, a closed-profile footprint small enough to fit on crossover SUVs that hard-shells can't handle, and Roofnest's customer-service reputation backing it up. Buy it if you're running a smaller SUV or splitting time between weekend trips and longer overlanding runs. If you need to sleep four, or you camp 100-plus nights a year, the iKamper Skycamp 3.0 at the top of the same list is the upgrade path.

What it actually is

The Condor 2 Air is a traditional fold-out soft-shell rooftop tent — Roofnest's answer to the question of what most overlanders actually need, rather than what looks best on a spec sheet. It uses a proprietary poly-cotton canvas that's heavier than the fabric on comparable Thule models but more weather-resistant over time, wrapped around a 65 mm high-density foam mattress — notably, the identical mattress spec used in Roofnest's own step-up model, the Condor Overland 2 Air. That's a meaningful signal: Roofnest isn't cutting sleep-surface quality to hit this lower price point.

The tent sleeps two adults comfortably with room for a small dog or gear, deploys in 90 seconds, and weighs 120 lbs — noticeably lighter than the 145-lb Condor Overland 2 Air or the 165-lb iKamper Skycamp 3.0. The lower weight and smaller closed footprint are the point: this is the rooftop tent that fits a Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Outback, or RAV4 — vehicles where a bulkier hard-shell's dimensions simply don't work. Roofnest also sells an integrated annex separately for $349, extending the camp footprint without compromising the tent itself.

In use

Reviewers consistently frame the Condor 2 Air around fitment and value rather than headline specs, which tracks with what it's actually built to do. GearJunkie's assessment is direct: "Best mid-tier soft-shell for buyers running smaller SUVs." That's the tent's real differentiator — not that it out-features the premium hard-shells, but that it's sized to fit vehicles the rest of the premium category can't accommodate.

The other factor that shows up in ownership, not just the unboxing, is service. Off Road Tents notes: "Roofnest's customer service is the differentiator at this price tier." At $2,795, the Condor 2 Air competes against a crowded field of soft-shells from Thule, Tepui, and CVT — the tie-breaker for a lot of buyers ends up being what happens when something needs warranty attention two seasons in, and Roofnest's reputation there is a real factor in the community rating.

The trade-offs of a fold-out soft-shell versus a hard-shell are the expected ones: 90 seconds versus 60 for setup, and a 5 to 8 mpg highway penalty versus the 3 to 5 mpg a hard-shell like the Condor Overland 2 Air costs you. The canvas also needs re-waterproofing roughly every 2 to 3 years — a maintenance item hard-shells don't have. None of these are dealbreakers for the buyer this tent is built for; they're the honest cost of the smaller footprint and lower price.

Where it shines

• Fits where hard-shells can't. The smaller closed-profile footprint is the single biggest practical advantage for owners of crossover SUVs — often the largest credible RTT that platform can carry.
• A genuinely premium mattress at a mid-tier price. The 65 mm high-density foam matches the spec in Roofnest's pricier Condor Overland 2 Air — sleep comfort isn't where this tent cuts corners.
• Annex-compatible. The optional $349 integrated annex extends the campsite without needing a separate ground tent, useful for gear storage or a mudroom entry.
• Roofnest's service reputation. Community ratings (91) actually edge out the pricier Condor Overland 2 Air (89) here, driven largely by customer-service satisfaction at this price tier.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

This is the volume soft-shell that earns its sales numbers, not the right tent for every use case, and the honest reasons to look elsewhere are specific:

• You camp 100-plus nights a year. At that usage level, the iKamper Skycamp 3.0's fold-open 4-adult capacity and faster setup are worth the jump in price, per Roofnest's own framing of the upgrade path.
• Highway fuel economy matters to you. The 5 to 8 mpg penalty is the largest in this category comparison — noticeably worse than the aerodynamic Condor Overland 2 Air or a wedge-profile hard-shell like the Thule Basin.
• You want the fastest possible deploy. 90 seconds isn't slow, but it's 30 seconds slower than any hard-shell in the lineup — a real difference if you're setting up camp in the dark or bad weather regularly.
• You'd rather skip canvas maintenance entirely. Re-waterproofing every 2 to 3 years is a modest but recurring task a hard-shell owner never has to think about.

How it compares

The closest comparison is Roofnest's own Condor Overland 2 Air, ranked second on the same list at $3,595. It swaps the fold-out soft-shell for an aluminum hybrid hard-top with ventilated soft-shell side panels — faster 60-second setup, better aerodynamics, and a lighter 145-lb build, at $800 more. Our Roofnest Condor Overland 2 Air review covers that trade-off in depth. The short version: buy the Overland 2 Air for setup speed and mpg, buy the Condor 2 Air for the smaller footprint and lower price.

The category benchmark remains the iKamper Skycamp 3.0, ranked first at $4,395 — a genuinely different tier aimed at 4-adult families and frequent overlanders, covered in our iKamper Skycamp 3.0 review. It's not really a fair fight on price, but it's the tent Roofnest's own product framing points buyers toward once their usage outgrows a 2-person soft-shell.

The Gavler verdict

A 9.0, and the score reflects a tent that wins by being correctly sized for the majority of overlanding rigs on the road, not by chasing the premium spec sheet. The Roofnest Condor 2 Air is the right call for buyers running smaller SUVs, splitting use between weekend camping and longer trips, or simply wanting the mattress quality of a premium tent without the premium hard-shell price. If your vehicle can handle a bigger footprint and your budget stretches another $800, the Condor Overland 2 Air is the faster, more aerodynamic upgrade. But for the broad middle of the overlanding market, this is the tent that fits — literally and financially.

Common Questions

Is the Roofnest Condor 2 Air worth 2,795 dollars?

For buyers running a smaller SUV or splitting use between weekend camping and longer trips, yes. It ranks third on Gavler's Best Rooftop Tents list with a 9.0, and the price buys a 65 mm high-density foam mattress — the same spec as Roofnest's pricier Condor Overland 2 Air — plus Roofnest's customer service reputation and an optional annex to extend the campsite footprint. Buyers who need four sleeping spots should look at the iKamper Skycamp 3.0 instead.

Roofnest Condor 2 Air or Roofnest Condor Overland 2 Air?

Buy the Condor 2 Air if you're running a smaller crossover SUV — a Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Outback, or RAV4 — where the smaller closed-profile footprint matters, and you're fine with a 90-second fold-out setup and a modest highway mpg penalty. Buy the Condor Overland 2 Air if you want the aluminum hard-top's faster 60-second deploy and better aerodynamics, and can absorb the extra 800 dollars.

How long does the Roofnest Condor 2 Air take to set up?

About 90 seconds for the fold-out deployment — slightly slower than a hard-shell's 60-second pop-up, but the trade-off is a much lower closed-profile footprint that fits on smaller SUVs a bulkier hard-shell simply can't accommodate.

Does the Roofnest Condor 2 Air hurt fuel economy?

Yes, more than a hard-shell. Typical estimates put the highway penalty at 5 to 8 mpg versus 3 to 5 mpg for a hard-shell like the Condor Overland 2 Air. It's a real ongoing cost, though for overlanders running 20 to 30 nights a year the trade-off against the lower price and smaller footprint is usually worth it.