iKamper Skycamp DLX Mini Review

Is iKamper’s Skycamp DLX Mini the pinnacle of luxury rooftop tents? We put it to the test.

The best rooftop tent varies based on your specific needs. If you’ve got the real estate and hauling capacity for a large, clamshell-style tent, it’s hard to beat the convenience of such beasts. But if you’re short on space on your vehicle top, or just don’t want to deal with the bulk, iKamper’s Skycamp DLX Mini rooftop tent might be exactly what you’re looking for.

And just because it’s smaller than those big clamshells on the outside, that doesn’t mean you’ll be cramped within. It’s a neat magic trick: while it looks diminutive outside, it’s super spacious inside. 

The Skycamp DLX is iKamper’s premium rooftop tent. It’s an excellent choice for any vehicle, but its smaller footprint is particularly great for smaller vehicles. This Mini version is good for two people with enough room for a small child or a dog as well.

Star Rating

 ⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

Specs

What I like

Super comfy and easy to set up; excellent build quality; clever features make life at basecamp convenient.

What I’d change

The window awning design needs improvement; when inside, the zipper to the door is blocked by the mattress.

My call

iKamper calls the Skycamp DLX Mini the ultimate in rooftop tent luxury. After spending some time in it, I have to agree. The build quality and small details show iKamper is paying attention to what serious overlanders want and need.

Skycamp DLX Mini: What’s Included

The hard shell case is made with a dual layer of fiber-reinforced plastic with a full inch of insulation. The floor consists of insulating honeycomb aluminum panels with a layer of cork for lighter weight and insulation. The cork also helps with interior noise and condensation.

The tent is crafted from breathable 300GSM ripstop blackout canvas with a waterproof polyester 75D ripstop rainfly. The rainfly has an extra eco-friendly DWR coating to really seal out Mother Nature. 

This is a true 4-season tent. In addition to the cork floor, the Skycamp DLX comes equipped with a luxurious, 4-inch-thick open-cell memory foam mattress. This self-inflating mattress is supportive, warm, and supremely comfortable. I’m spoiled now after spending a few nights on it.

Mounting the tent is a quick, pain-free task. Four clamps attach to just about any rack out there. A long (and I mean long) custom wrench screws the clamp’s jaws together to secure it to your vehicle. That long wrench makes this pretty hard to steal off your truck as well. It took two of us 20 minutes to mount it to my rack.

Camping With the Skycamp DLX Mini

One of the advantages of using a rooftop tent is that they are nimble and mobile. With quick setup and takedown, moving from spot to spot every night is simple. So, I took the Skycamp out over a long weekend across Wyoming and Colorado for three nights in different spots to test that out. 

As expected, it’s nice to pull in and know that within five minutes, you can be tucked in if you choose. When closed down, the iKamper has room for your bedding, so there’s no fussing with finding your sleeping bags and setting them up — they’re already up there waiting for you. All you have to do is inflate the mattress. 

The Skycamp includes an inflator that makes quickly inflating and deflating the four-inch-think mattress a breeze. Just out of curiosity, I wondered if I could get away with not fully deflating the mattress to save time. It has to be folded along with the tent, but it is not necessary to go crazy and try to remove every bit of air to pack it. That’s darn nice.

Another key thing to remember about the Skycamp’s insulation is that it doesn’t just keep you warm when it’s cold. The double-layer reinforced fiberglass shell and the insulated walls also help keep sound out. It rained on me one evening and was significantly quieter than a tent wall or metal roof. The beating sun doesn’t heat up the inside either. Though the inside temp is easy to regulate between the skylight and the three large windows. 

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Living with it at camp is pretty convenient. I had it on the roof of my stock Tacoma. With this setup, I had a bit of an overhang while cooking at camp. I appreciated the hooks underneath that made for good organization. The key to camping happiness is having a place for everything. The interior has clever pockets to keep smaller items right where you left them.

The light underneath the overhang was super helpful. I didn’t need an extra lantern when setting up dinner after dark. With a pickup with plenty of cargo, that’s no big deal. But, if you’re putting the iKamper on, say, a Subaru, and you have precious little cargo room, not needing to haul extra gear is a huge plus.

My nits to pick are all small things and in no way dealbreakers for me. First, the window awnings are needlessly complicated, frustrating to deploy, and don’t stay in place. I found myself just rolling up the windows and not dealing with them. 

The X-Cover 3.0: iKamper’s lightest rooftop tent.

The zipper to the main door goes below the top of the mattress, making opening/closing the door harder than it could be. You need the key to open the latches. On the plus side, you’ll never forget to lock them, but there were a couple of times when I needed to get the keys to open it up.

You will certainly notice the Skycamp while driving. On the trip to pick it up, my gas mileage was reading as 22.2 MPG. After the installation, it was 14.7 MPG. That’s quite a difference. This is, of course, a drawback to most rooftop tents, and really anything else you strap to the roof of your vehicle. There is a prominent increase in wind noise as well, though I did have the tent mounted over the cab of the truck. Wind noise may vary depending on where you mount the tent on your vehicle.

Mounting the DLX Mini takes just four bolts, but it’s still 125 pounds and awkward to handle, making it a two-person job. It’s not exactly a quick-release thing where you’re taking it on and off between trips. Still, it’s vastly lighter than some larger clamshell-style rooftop tents we’ve tested, which can tip the scales in excess of 250 pounds. 

Skycamp DLX Mini: Final Word

The iKamper is perfect if you’re looking for a smaller overall form factor but don’t want to compromise on interior space. This thing is built well, and it is built well to provide you with season after season of use. 

Are there less-expensive rooftop tents out there? Of course, but I view the DLX as an investment in quality, durability, and comfort. If you’re in the market for a premium rooftop tent, the iKamper DLX Mini is absolutely worth a look for its spacious interior and four-season capabilities.

Photo Gallery

Editor’s Note: After publishing, iKamper’s eagle eyes spotted a potential issue with my setup. I may have the main door’s poles either incorrectly installed or used the wrong poles. The poles for the main door are longer than the ones used for the side windows. Having the right poles installed correctly makes the awning significantly tighter as seen in the photo from iKamper below. 

The Skycamp’s awning is nice and taut.