Decathlon Quechua MH 900 roof top tent – 12 ½ roof top tents in direct comparison

Decathlon’s in-house brand Quechua stands for good quality and well thought-out features. The Quechua MH 900 is an inflatable, lightweight roof top tent with compact pack size. At € 1,499, it’s also the second cheapest in this test. How did Decathlon’s roof top tent fare against the competition, which is up to three times more expensive?

We tested 12 ½ of the most exciting roof top tents in a direct comparison and took along 20 roof tent newbies and experts, 2 small kids, 2 dogs and 1 giant teddy bear on an epic road trip – here for our buying advice, and an overview of all the roof tents we tested.

When someone says Quechua, you’ll most likely think about their practical pop-up tents. So is Decathlon’s roof top tent a kind of pop-up tent for your car roof? The first thing you’ll notice is the small pack size. Although it’s not quite as narrow as the Thule Foothill, it’s slightly shorter. Alongside the Quechua tent, you can carry your sports equipment or other luggage on the roof, although you should bear in mind that the tent folds out twice, leaving no room on the roof when it’s fully open, so you’ll have to remove everything else from the roof before you can open the tent. When set up, the Quechua is even more spacious than the Thule Foothill.

Decathlon roof top tent: prepping and assembly

Before you can start your trip, you have to pre-assemble the Decathlon roof tent: simply remove the protective film, and bolt on the ladder hinges. This can be done quickly and easily by two people. Thanks to the low system weight, the assembly itself can also be sorted by just two people. To start with, you’ll have to secure the U- brackets to the roof bars. Unlike many of the more expensive tents, this step is very easy as Decathlon supply eight knurled screws that can be tightened by hand, rather than relying on locking nuts which can be very fiddly and time-consuming to install. However, you should check the knurled screws from time to time while travelling to make sure they’re still tight. Once you’ve completed the pre-assembly, the Decathlon is way faster to install on the roof than many other tent models in this test, which is mainly due to the practical knurled screws.

Decathlon roof top tent: Assembly and disassembly

Although the Decathlon roof tent takes a bit longer to set up than their popular pop-up tent, it only takes five minutes to get ready: just open the two buckles, remove the protective cover, fold down the first side of the roof tent using the ladder as a handle, then open the tent to the other side of the car. Now the hand pump (which isn’t included with the tent) comes into play: connect it to the valve and inflate it in less than a minute: as if by magic, the tent’s up, all at once. Top! No poles, no fiddling – nothing. The outer and inner tents are connected with clip fasteners, and can be easily separated.

Tuning tip: Buy a pump, Decathlon have one for under € 30

Dismantling the tent is just as quick and easy: open the valve, deflate, retract the ladder and use it as a lever to fold up the tent. Make sure that the tent fabric is nicely tucked away on the inside, then secure it with the 2 clip fasteners, pull the cover over it and you’re done! What we liked: the cover is not secured with a zip, but with adjustable straps, which is a great advantage if the tent isn’t folded up perfectly. With the Thule Foothill, on the other hand, everything needs to be accurately tucked into place, otherwise you’ll really struggle to close the zip. However, you’ll have to remove the bedding from the Quechua tent first, or you won’t be able to stretch the cover all the way over the folded tent. The ladder, on the other hand, is permanently attached to the top of the tent and stays there even while travelling.

The Decathlon roof tent in action.

With an interior height of around a metre, there’s enough room inside the Decathlon tent to sit upright. The mattress is just under 140 cm wide, meaning that there’s enough space for two people to sleep comfortably. There’s no window in the rear wall, so you don’t get a 360º view. However, there are two windows at the side, and all of the openings are protected by fly screens. Although the mosquito net on the two side windows can’t be opened, it still provides good ventilation, especially in combination with the generously sized entrance. If you remove the rain cover, you have an additional window in the roof, which provides more light and better ventilation. A plus point for dark sleepers: the Fresh & Black fabric reliably darkens the tent. Speaking of sleep: for our testers, the 5 cm mattress was too thin and rather uncomfortable – it feels as if you’re lying on the floor. We recommend carrying a spare mattress topper inside the roof tent if you aren’t used to sleeping on hard mattresses. A mesh mattress to prevent moisture build-up is also recommended.

The organisation options you find on the inside of the Decathlon tent are impressive: there are two pockets on each long side, with additional organisers on the back of the tent, meaning that all your belongings are at hand at all times. Plus, there are countless tabs on the inside that allow you to insert or attach additional small items. A bag for two pairs of shoes is also included in the box.

A clearly defined hierarchy: Pablo Escobear and Filo the dog spend the night in the car, while Theresa gets a room with a view!

Living out of your car: thank goodness, there’s more room in the tent than in a Mercedes CLK!

Who should take a closer look at the Decathlon roof top tent?

Decathlon’s roof tent is the ideal choice for roof tent newbies who want to find out whether this way of camping is their thing. Pre-assembly and installation can be done quickly and easily by two people, and the tent itself can be set up and inflated by just one person while travelling – the ideal choice for improvised escapades. However, this doesn’t mean that the Quechua tent isn’t a fun option for experienced campers. With its compact dimensions, the Decathlon roof tent is even suitable for short cars, and the weight doesn’t set any limitations for vehicles with a dynamic roof load of 75 kg either.

It’s perfect for anyone who isn’t a seasoned camping veteran and is looking for an affordable tent.

Our conclusions about the Decathlon Quechua_MH900 roof top tent

Easy setup, excellent details and an attractive price point – the Quechua MH 900 secures our coveted Best Buy Tip. At just under € 1,500, it’s an interesting option not only for roof tent newbies, but also for seasoned camping veterans, and it delivers a solid overnight package. You’ll only have to compromise slightly on comfort and luxury: the standard Decathlon mattress is too thin and you won’t get a 360° view – but there’s still plenty of room on the roof for additional luggage.

Tops

• Excellent price/performance ratio
• Small pack size leaves plenty of room on the roof rack
• Inflatable, quick to set up, few installation steps

Flops

• Hand pump has to be bought separately
• Thin mattress, no anti-condensation mesh liner

For more info, visit decathlon.com

The test field

Click here for our big comparison test – 12 ½ roof top tents in direct comparison

All roof tents in test: Front Runner Feather Lite (Click here) | Decathlon MH 900 | Vickywood Cumaru Light 127 ECO (Click here) | Yakima SkyRise HD Tent MD (Click here) | Qeedo Freedom Air 2 (Click here) | Thule Foothill (Click here) | Gentle Tent Sky Loft (Click here) | Arcta Vento (Click here) | Thule Approach M (Click here) | Intrepid Geo 3.0 (Click here) | Naturbummler Alu-Kraftkiste (Click here) | Thule Outset (Click here) | Naturbummler Flitzer I L (Zum Test)

Words: Susanne Feddersen, Julian Schwede Photos: Mike Hunger, Robin Schmitt