Intrepid Geo 3.0 – 12 ½ roof top tents in direct comparison

The € 4,999 Intrepid Geo 3.0 hard-shell roof tent is all about what’s on the inside: thanks to Intrepid’s patented kink in the upper shell, the Geo roof tent has a much bigger interior volume than conventional hard-shell roof tents. What else is the 85 kg luxury liner for 3 people capable of, and is the heavy system weight an issue?

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.

Retailing at almost € 5,000, the Intrepid Geo 3.0 is the most expensive roof top tent in the entire test field – and also the biggest. American manufacturer Intrepid Camp Gear is named after the former US aircraft carrier that now serves as a museum ship in the Hudson River. Intrepid build high-end roof top tents for people who want a high level of comfort in the great outdoors. The American manufacturer advertises their Geo as the biggest premium hard-shell roof tent available on the market, with 36% more interior space than the competition. As the Geo 3.0 name suggests, it’s designed to accommodate 3 adults, which makes it suitable for families too. With an interior height of 137 cm, the Geo 3.0 is actually one of the tallest roof tents we’ve tested. The patented folding system in the upper shell, the hinged roof, allows the angle to rise steeply when you open the tent – an ingenious idea that creates lots of useful additional space. The roof area that’s been sacrificed for the kink is covered with a tarpaulin that’s stretched from the inside using a pole. But the Intrepid is a small space miracle, and not only on the inside. If you don’t want to leave your beloved bike or other sports equipment behind, you can put a bike rack or roof box on the additional bars – at least in theory. We really pushed the limits during this test!

Intrepid also offer smaller, lighter versions of the GEO, the single-bed GEO SOLO and GEO 2.5, which accommodates between 2 and 3 people. The latter weighs 69 kg, which is comparable to the hard-shell roof tents from Vickywood and Arcta which we tested on this trip.

The Intrepid GEO 3.0 roof tent: preparation and installation

The Intrepid GEO requires no pre-assembly; it’s ready to rock straight out of the box. That is, once you’ve put it on your car. This can be a real strength test – and not only with tall vehicles. It takes 4-5 strong people to lift the 85 kilo luxury liner onto the car roof. Like with most roof tents in this test, securing the mounting system to the roof bars is time-consuming: to install the bolts, you’ll have to lift the heavy roof tent four times before securing them with the nuts, which is a long, finicky procedure. We recommend using a good-quality ratchet and placing a blanket or sheet of cardboard underneath the tent to protect the roof. Unless you have a crane in your garage or your friends are all crossfit instructors, you won’t want to install and remove the Intrepid GEO several times per season, because you’ll end up hurting yourself. You’re better off leaving such a heavy tent on the roof throughout the summer, which will do wonders for your fuel economy on the daily commute! Ingenious: the additional roof bars allow you to put a bike rack or roof box on the Intrepid GEO roof tent, meaning that you can always carry your favourite sports equipment with you when travelling

Assembly and disassembly of the Intrepid GEO 3.0

The GEO 3.0 impresses during setup: once the buckles are released, all it takes is a little nudge to activate the two gas struts, and the roof tent opens up by itself. When the ladder is in place, you just have to hook in the pole and get ready for the night! There are three different anchoring points for the ladder, so you can decide spontaneously which side to use as an entrance. Alternatively, you can also access the tent from the back, depending on the type of vehicle and the spot. Top tip: you can put a bike rack on the roof tent and leave it there throughout the trip.

Dismantling takes a little longer than with a conventional hard-shell roof tent: the pole of the soft fabric section needs to be unhooked and folded in again before the tent can be pulled down and closed. You should also bear in mind that the fabric will get wet in the rain, especially on a windy day – far more than with a conventional hard-shell tent. Both the bedding and ladder can be left inside the tent. If you do so, the buckles need a little convincing to close, and always require a key to be opened and closed. Depending on the size and thickness of your bedding, the rubber lip that’s supposed to cover the opening might not close properly. Since the ladder doesn’t have a bag and is stored inside the tent, you should try to keep it clean or wrap it in a blanket. A bag wouldn’t be a bad thing to have!

Tuning tip: Shorten the mounting bolts and adapt them to the roof rack – it saves time when doing up the nuts

The Intrepid GEO 3.0 in action

Into the wild! The Intrepid GEO is perfect for outback trips. Whether you’re in sunny Australia or the Black Forest, it’s the ideal place to stay. The wide 155 cm mattress accommodates up to 3 people – even with a child. The mesh underlay is included in the price – Intrepid really thought about everything. The interior height of 137 cm provides plenty of room and a good sense of space, which is important for people with claustrophobia. Even with the interior fittings, the American manufacturer leaves nothing to chance, providing the Geo with plenty of hooks for securing objects, organisers and pockets, while a net in the roof lining provides sufficient storage space for multi-tools, clothes etc, so you can stow away anything you need for a trip into the wilderness.

Due to the kink in the hard shell, the tent slides backwards with two slanted roof openings, which creates more space and provides additional light. This gives you the best of both worlds: a protective hard shell, and light from above. The two big windows and generous front opening ensure a bright atmosphere. The windows can be closed completely, either partially with a mosquito net or completely with a Plexi window. High-quality, colour-coded zippers help you to keep an overview. The openings have small rain flaps to prevent water from running in. However, the tent doesn’t have a canopy, so we recommend closing it with wind and rain.

Luxury views and a king-size bed feeling – with the Intrepid Geo 3.0 you are the king of the wilderness, but you also need the right car that matches the wide tent aesthetically! The Land Rover Defender 130 does!

The Intrepid’s aluminium housing is like a gadget multi-tool: awnings, canopies and shoe bags can be hooked onto the tent – the possibilities are endless. Even LED headlights can be integrated into the shell – an important feature if you want to scare off wild animals like lions, wild boars and rabbits, or create a badass expedition look when impressing your mates outside a hip café in the city centre. We would’ve liked an integrated interior light, but this can be retrofitted easily enough.

If you hang out on overlanding forums, you might have read that external gas struts can easily break off if they get snagged on branches. In our opinion, you would have to be extremely unlucky and come across a very stubborn branch for this to happen. And yes, roof tents shouldn’t be stored vertically because they can warp, but sometimes you just don’t have a choice. If you have to lie the roof tent on the gas struts, you’ll have to put something underneath!

According to the manufacturer, the bars on the roof tent can be used to carry a bike, surfboard or other equipment weighing up to 60 kg. This sounds great, at least in theory, because it means that you could open the tent without having to remove the load and leave your bike on the roof for the night, without having to worry about it getting stolen or damaged by wild animals. But beware: while a light gravel bike would have been totally fine, our 22 kg eMTB was too much for the gas struts – we needed 2-3 people to open the Intrepid GEO 3.0, and this made everything feel a little unstable. As soon as there’s a little tension on the tent’s fabric, for example when getting in and out of the tent, the GEO 3.0 pushes down from above – but it still looks pretty good! Make sure you know the total height of your vehicle to avoid getting yourself in trouble with low bridges and underground car parks – a bike on the roof’s pretty high!

Who should take a closer look at the Intrepid GEO 3.0?

The GEO 3.0 is a dream come true for adventurers and glamping fans alike. It provides a great sense of space and has everything a professional camper needs for a trip into the wilderness. It’s the perfect match for big off-road vehicles, while with smaller cars it protrudes a little too much around the sides. It also comes into its own on the loading platform of a pick-up truck. All in all, it’s an excellent option for families and adventurers who need plenty of space. Alternatively, you could get the GEO 2.5, which is still plenty big enough, but fits better on most cars. The GEO 3.0 just about fitted on our Defender, but looked like a flying saucer on a toy car with our Volvo V90. The permissible dynamic roof load is 85 kg (tent weight) + ladder + base carrier weight.

Like a boss! On our three-day trip to Bavaria, Robin had everything you could possibly need for a three-month trip to Alaska. The Landrover Defender 130 is big enough to do just that!

Our conclusions about the Intrepid GEO 3.0

The GEO 3.0 is the undisputed luxury liner among the roof tents in this test, provided you can lift it onto your roof! Compared to other hard-shell tents, the hinge in the roof provides a great feeling of space; it’s easy to use, stable and is built to the highest quality standards. It also features countless attachment points for accessories. The slightly smaller GEO 2.5 still costs around € 4,500. All in all, an eye-watering price point, but first-class travel has never been cheap.

Tops

• Generous interior height: kneeling upright is no problem
• Can be set up and dismantled to suit the spot (can be set up and disassembled from the side and rear)
• Space on the roof tent for additional equipment

Flops

• Installation is heavy and fiddly
• Price

For more info, visit intrepidcampgear.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 (Click here) | 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 | 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