Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander XL.

The Gavler Review.

Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander XL Review: The Rooftop Tent That Gets You Started

The Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander XL ranks number 10 on Gavler's Best Rooftop Tents list with a 7.5, and it's ranked there deliberately — this is the value floor of the category, not a compromise pick. Gavler's own verdict doesn't dress it up: "The budget entry-point that gets new overlanders out the door. Don't buy this if you camp 50+ nights a year; do buy this if you want to find out whether RTT camping is for you without committing $3,000." Buy it if you're testing whether rooftop tent camping fits how you actually travel. Skip it if you already know the answer is yes and you camp often enough that a 1-year warranty and 50 mm foam will start to show their limits — in which case the Roofnest Condor 2 is the obvious next step up on this same list.

What it is

The Gen2 Overlander XL is a soft-shell rooftop tent built to a single, clear brief: get someone into a rooftop tent for as little money as possible without shipping them a product that doesn't work. At $1,500, it costs roughly half of what a Roofnest Condor 2 runs, and the spec sheet shows exactly where that savings comes from. The mattress is 50 mm foam instead of the 65 mm foam that premium tents use. The canvas is Smittybilt's mid-grade fabric rather than the proprietary weatherproof materials Thule and Roofnest engineer in-house. The warranty is one year, against five years from Thule. None of that is hidden — it's the honest trade-off of a budget product, not a marketing gap.

What buyers get in return is real: a tent that sleeps two adults and a small dog, sets up in 5-6 minutes, ships in 2-3 days rather than the 4-8 week lead times common on cottage and imported brands, and — critically — actually works as advertised. For a category where the entry price has historically been $2,500-plus, that combination is what gets new buyers past the point of just reading about rooftop tents and into actually owning one.

In use

Off Road Tents summed up the Gen2 Overlander XL's role in the market plainly: "The way new overlanders find out if RTT camping is for them." That's not faint praise — it's the correct framing for a product whose entire value proposition is lowering the barrier to trying the category. Expedition Portal's take draws the same line even more directly: "Don't buy this for 100 nights a year — do buy this for the first 10 to find out." Both outlets are pointing at the same trade-off Gavler's own data backs up: a 72 expert consensus that reflects real spec compromises, against an 84 community rating from owners who bought it for exactly what it is and are happy with the result.

The lived reality tracks that split. Setup at 5-6 minutes is competitive with tents costing twice as much — the ladder, poles, and canvas mechanism aren't dumbed down just because the price is lower. Where the compromises show up is over time, not on night one: the canvas needs re-waterproofing every 18-24 months rather than every 2-3 years, and the 50 mm foam compresses noticeably after a first season of regular use. For a couple of trips a month, that's background noise. For someone living out of the tent most weekends of the season, it becomes a real maintenance cost.

Strengths

• The price removes the biggest barrier to entry in the category. At $1,500, it's roughly half the cost of a Roofnest Condor 2 and well under a third of an iKamper Skycamp 3.0 — the gap that has historically kept curious buyers from ever trying a rooftop tent.
• Fast shipping matters more than it sounds. 2-3 days versus the 4-8 week wait common on cottage and imported brands means the tent is on the roof for this season's trips, not next year's.
• The used-market safety net is real. Smittybilt's large install base means resale demand is consistent — buyers who outgrow the Gen2 Overlander XL and move up typically recover $700-900 reselling it, which softens the cost of "starting cheap."
• It sleeps two adults and a small dog without feeling like a compromise on night one. The core camping experience — setup, space, comfort for a weekend — delivers on what a rooftop tent is supposed to do.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

• You already know you'll camp 50-plus nights a year. At that usage level, the 1-year warranty and 50 mm foam are undersized for the wear they'll take. The Roofnest Condor 2 at $2,795, with 65 mm foam and a 5-year warranty, is built for exactly that cadence.
• You want a "buy it once" tent. The canvas re-waterproofing cycle (18-24 months instead of 2-3 years) and first-season foam compression mean this is a tent you maintain more, not a set-and-forget purchase.
• You're comparing on spec sheets alone. Buyers chasing the highest static load rating or the longest warranty on this list should look further up — the Gen2 Overlander XL's whole case is price and access, not table-topping numbers.

How it compares

One rank up on the same list, the 23Zero Walkabout 72 sits at $2,250 with a 7.7 score — a genuine step up in materials and warranty for $750 more, and the natural next look for anyone who wants slightly more durability without jumping all the way to the premium tier. Further up the list, the Roofnest Condor 2 at $2,795 and a 9.0 score represents where most buyers who start with the Gen2 Overlander XL eventually land — better foam, proprietary weatherproofing, and a warranty built for years of regular use rather than a trial season.

The honest way to read this list is as a ladder, not a single best answer. The iKamper Skycamp 3.0 at the top, $4,395 and a 9.5 score, is the tent for buyers who've already decided rooftop camping is a permanent part of how they travel and want the best hardware available. The Gen2 Overlander XL exists at the opposite end of that same ladder, and it does its specific job — getting someone from curious to camping — better than anything else on this list at any price.

The Gavler verdict

A 7.5, with a 72 expert consensus and an 84 community rating — the gap between those two numbers is the whole story. Reviewers score it against the full field of rooftop tents and see real compromises in materials and warranty length. Owners score it against what they actually needed, which was a working rooftop tent they could afford, and they're satisfied. Both are correct readings of the same product. If you're trying to answer whether RTT camping fits your life, the Gen2 Overlander XL is the cheapest honest way to find out — and if the answer is yes, the resale market makes the upgrade to something like the Roofnest Condor 2 less expensive than it looks on paper.

Common Questions

Is the Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander XL worth it in 2026?

Yes, specifically as an entry point. It ranks 10th on Gavler's Best Rooftop Tents list with a 7.5, and Gavler's own verdict frames it as 'the budget entry-point that gets new overlanders out the door' — the tent to buy for your first season of RTT camping, not necessarily your last. At $1,500, roughly half the price of a Roofnest Condor 2, it removes the sticker shock that keeps a lot of would-be buyers out of the category entirely.

Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander XL or Roofnest Condor 2?

Buy the Smittybilt if you're not sure rooftop tent camping is for you and don't want to risk $2,795 finding out. Buy the Roofnest Condor 2 if you already know you'll camp 30-plus nights a year — its 65 mm foam, proprietary materials, and 5-year Thule-backed warranty are built for sustained use in a way the Gen2 Overlander XL's 1-year warranty and 50 mm foam simply aren't.

How long does the Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander XL's canvas actually last?

Expect to re-waterproof the canvas every 18-24 months, versus every 2-3 years on tents using proprietary weatherproof materials like Roofnest or Thule. The foam mattress also compresses noticeably after the first season. Neither is a deal-breaker for occasional weekend use, but both are real maintenance line items for anyone camping most weekends.

Can I resell the Smittybilt Gen2 Overlander XL if I upgrade later?

Realistically, yes. Smittybilt's install base is large enough that used demand is consistent, and buyers who upgrade to a Roofnest, Thule, or Tepui typically recover $700-900 on the used market — meaningfully softening the cost of starting cheap and moving up.