Before anything else: your vehicle has a dynamic roof load limit, and that is the number that decides which tent you can buy. It is the limit while you are driving, and it covers the tent plus the rack plus anything else on the roof.
Most cars and SUVs sit somewhere between 50 and 100 kg. Most hard shell roof top tents weigh 50 to 90 kg before you add a rack. That is why so many people get halfway through a purchase and stop.
Pick your make below. Where we have confirmed a figure against a published source, we print it and link the source. Where we have not, we say so rather than guess — a wrong roof load on a tent that sits above your head at 110 km/h is not a rounding error.
| Vehicle | Years | Roof | Dynamic roof load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler JL | 2018–2026 | Hardtop | 45.4 kg (100 lb)Includes the rack - subtract your bars before you size the tent.sourceManual text quoted consistently across several owner threads: load carried on the roof with a luggage rack must not exceed 100 lb (45 kg), INCLUDING the weight of the crossbars. Cited as the Roof Luggage Rack section, p.98 of the 2018 JL/JLU manual. Not read from the PDF. |
| Toyota 4Runner | 2010–2024 | Factory roof rails | 54.4 kg (120 lb)source120 lb (54 kg) quoted from the 2021 manual around p.190 and from the 2006 manual for the factory rack; owners report Toyota's Customer Experience Center confirming 120 lb as the figure Toyota will stand behind. Higher numbers in circulation (135 lb, 165 lb) trace to forum opinion or rack makers, not Toyota. Not read from the PDF. |
| Subaru Outback | 2014–2019 | Factory raised rails | 74.8 kg (165 lb)sourceManual text reproduced verbatim: total roof load 176 lb (80 kg); the factory roof rack set itself is rated 165 lb (75 kg), so 75 kg governs. Same wording in the 2017 Outback manual p.458. |
| Subaru Outback | 2020–2024 | Factory raised rails | 68 kg (150 lb)Lower-confidence figure - check your own manual before loading to it.source150 lb (68 kg) is the figure most consistently reported for this generation. An 88 lb figure also circulates but owners trace it to a Legacy sedan with a crossbar kit, not the Outback. Erring to the lower well-supported number. Not read from the PDF. |
| Subaru Crosstrek | 2016–2026 | Factory raised rails | 68 kg (150 lb)Includes the rack - subtract your bars before you size the tent.source2016 manual quoted: the roof rail system is designed to carry loads (cargo, crossbars and carrying attachment) of no more than 150 lb (68 kg) - so the figure INCLUDES the crossbars. Not read from the PDF. |
| Subaru Forester | 2010–2021 | Factory raised rails | 68 kg (150 lb)Lower-confidence figure - check your own manual before loading to it.sourceThe manual contradicts itself: an owner reports one page giving 150 lb (68 kg) and the next giving 176 lb (80 kg) for cargo plus crossbars plus attachments. Publishing the LOWER of the two. Confirm against your own manual before loading to 80 kg. |
| Subaru Outback Wilderness | 2022–2026 | Factory raised rails | Not published yetWe have not been able to confirm this one against the manufacturer. We will not print a number we cannot cite. |
| Ford F-150 | 2015–2026 | Cab roof (bare) | The maker does not publish oneThis is not us failing to look. The manual for this vehicle states no roof load at all, so the dynamic rating of your RACK is the limit that governs.source |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2016–2023 | Cab roof (bare) | The maker does not publish oneThis is not us failing to look. The manual for this vehicle states no roof load at all, so the dynamic rating of your RACK is the limit that governs.source |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2024–2026 | Cab roof (bare) | Not published yetWe have not been able to confirm this one against the manufacturer. We will not print a number we cannot cite. |
| Jeep Gladiator | 2020–2026 | Hardtop | Not published yetWe have not been able to confirm this one against the manufacturer. We will not print a number we cannot cite. |
| Ford Ranger | 2019–2026 | Cab roof (bare) | Not published yetWe have not been able to confirm this one against the manufacturer. We will not print a number we cannot cite. |
| Chevrolet Colorado | 2015–2026 | Cab roof (bare) | Not published yetWe have not been able to confirm this one against the manufacturer. We will not print a number we cannot cite. |
| Ford Bronco | 2021–2026 | Hardtop | 49.9 kg (110 lb)Parked, the same roof is rated 204.1 kg (450 lb) - which is why two adults asleep up there is not the problem people assume.sourceOwner manual Load Carrying section cited consistently across several sources and a Bronco forum thread: 110 lb (49.9 kg) dynamic and 450 lb (204 kg) static, evenly distributed. Owners note the hardtop is a structural member and visibly bows under load. Not read from the PDF. |
| Toyota RAV4 | 2024–2026 | Factory raised rails | 80 kg (176 lb)sourceOwner quotes the 2024 manual p.180: do not exceed 176.4 lb (80 kg) on the roof luggage carrier. Not read from the PDF. |
| Toyota RAV4 | 2019–2023 | Factory raised rails | Not published yetWe have not been able to confirm this one against the manufacturer. We will not print a number we cannot cite. |
| Honda CR-V | 2017–2026 | Factory raised rails | Not published yetWe have not been able to confirm this one against the manufacturer. We will not print a number we cannot cite. |
8 of 17 entries here carry a figure we can cite. The rest are listed so you can see what we are still working through.
Finding your own figure takes about 30 seconds
- Open your owner's manual (the PDF on the manufacturer's site works) and search for "roof load" or "roof luggage".
- The number you want is the DYNAMIC limit - the one that applies while driving.
- Check your rack's own rating too. The lower of the two is your real limit.
- Subtract the rack weight. What is left is what the tent can weigh. Leave 10-20% spare.
The part that panics most people: your car is rated far lower than the tent plus two adults. That is fine. Dynamic load applies while driving. Once you are parked, the static limit applies, and it is three to five times higher. The people sleeping up there are not the constraint - the drive is.
Send us your year, model and roof type and we will confirm it against the manual and add it here.