In that sense, Thule’s Approach M easily ticks all the boxes. And it is indeed a very good rooftop tent.
But there are other criteria that make the best rooftop tent for you. Before you plunk down any cash, you need to know what additional features you’ll need from your tent. Ample storage inside? An easily deployed rainfly? A heavy-duty ladder? A small footprint on your roof? The additional features that can make or break your overlanding experience also weigh heavily on the best rooftop tents out there.
Thule’s Approach M offers a lot of those conveniences, but misses on a few others. Ultimately, it’s an excellent rooftop tent that could use a few extra features to make it top-notch.
Rating
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆
Specs
- $2,500
- Weight: 128 pounds
- Open dimensions: 95 x 56 x 40 in
- Closed dimensions: 49 x 56 x 11 in
- Sleeping footprint: 95 x 51 in
- Peak internal height: 40.2 inches
- Capacity: two adults and one child
What I like
Spacious interior; smart roof rack attachment design; great windows and venting; comfy mattress
What I’d change
Ladder connection to base feels flimsy and bent; rain fly isn’t intuitive
My call
The Approach M is ideal for overlanders looking to save real estate on top of their vehicle’s roof, but who aren’t willing to sacrifice comfort and sleeping space. It’s a good tent just a few short steps away from excellent.
Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent review: price and availability
The Approach M is available now for $2,500. You can purchase the tent through Thule’s website directly and get free shipping. There’s a 30-day return policy, too.
You can also purchase the Approach M through local dealers. Thule has a dealer locator on its website if you’d prefer to purchase in person.
Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent review: Design and construction
Tent material[/caption]The Approach M Rooftop Tent sleeps three people. It has a static weight capacity of 600 pounds, and the sleeping footprint measures 95 x 51 inches. The entire unit weighs 128 pounds, which is light enough for two people to hoist on top of your vehicle.
The canopy is made from breathable, water-resistant 600D ripstop polyester, and mosquito screens over openings. The base is welded aluminum tube with insulation, and aluminum cap sheet.
Mounting the Approach M to your vehicle requires load bars, of course. Our test unit was attached to Thule load bars, and the installation process is very quick and easy. Even better, the mounts come with locks so you can secure the tent at its connection points to prevent theft.
Once installed, the Approach M unfolds quickly to reveal the sleeping area. The frame on which the canopy rests is exposed within the tent itself.
When the Approach M is folded up and ready for transport, everything gets enclosed within a protective cover that will take the brunt of the weather, sun, and tree branch attacks.
Almost everything about the Approach M feels stout, well built, and solid. When you’re in the tent and ready to sleep, there’s no sway or creaking to speak of.
Camping with the Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent
We mounted the Approach rooftop tent to Russell’s 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro, which is a tall vehicle to start with. The Thule crossbars added even more height. All told, the Approach M was mounted seven feet above the ground when mounted on the Syncro.
That’s important to note, since a lot of overland vehicles will situate the tent much lower to the ground. As it was, testing on the Vanagon made for some difficulties when deploying and stowing the tent.
As a process, the setup for the Approach tent is quite simple. Remove the cover, grab the ladder to unfold the tent itself, deploy the ladder to the ground, and you’re basically done.
If your vehicle is low enough to the ground, you won’t have issues deploying the tent. But if it’s quite high off the ground, even reaching the ladder will be difficult. This is a common system for rooftop tents that deploy this way and is not exclusive to Thule, however.
Once deployed, the ladder supports the edge of the tent and even creates a small awning beneath, which came in handy during short but intense rain squalls here in Colorado.
Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent platform[/caption]The interior is spacious and has more than enough room to sleep two adults comfortably. And the included dual-layer foam mattress is supportive and comfortable, and adds a bit of warmth on cool nights.
The tent structure feels stout and well made. The screens also feel high quality and keep the bugs at bay. Over those screens, the flaps keep weather out, not to mention just about all light so you can sleep in even after the sun comes up. But if you want to peep the stars at night, the Approach M has strategically placed panoramic windows for that, too.
Overall, the Approach M feels stable and solid, and it doesn’t groan or creak as you move around within the tent. The frame, however, is positioned on the inside of the tent, and one of our testers found himself repeatedly whacking his knees on the supports during the night.
Another small but important complaint about the interior: there are a couple of stowage pockets, but they’re small and limited in number. It would be easy enough to add more pockets, and more spacious pockets, making it much easier to keep gear and clothing out of the way to maximize sleeping and relaxing space.
We found the rainfly to be difficult to deal with. Mounting it and adjusting it doesn’t feel quick and intuitive, and more often than not, we left it out of the tent structure entirely. It’s held in place using poles that we found finicky to deal with. Since rainstorms can creep up quickly, we’d love to see a simpler system here.
It was difficult to close the tent after camping, but again, the height of the test vehicle may have more to do with that than any design flaw. Still, pushing up on the ladder to pivot the base resulted in bent mounting tabs where the ladder meets the base.
Is the Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent worth the money?
Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent[/caption]Overall, Thule’s Approach M Rooftop Tent feels like a solid investment if you’re after a softshell rooftop tent that feels well-built and comfortable. It’s spacious inside, though it’s most comfortable with one or two campers. It can get tight with a third camper inside.
We have some nitpicks about the Approach M, like the small number of internal pockets and the finicky rain fly. And the ladder attachment point could stand to be stouter.
But overall, the Approach M offers a comfortable and spacious place to call home in the woods. It’s a quick deployment, too, as long as your vehicle’s roof height isn’t too high. The locking mounting brackets are among the best mounting executions we’ve seen, and installation was therefore quick and easy.
While there are a few areas where the Approach could be more camper-friendly, it is overall a solidly built rooftop tent worthy of the investment.
