OLC Adventure Ultra Light Roof Tent Review – Light, Low, Affordable, the Best?

At 38 kg, lightweight construction meets serious robustness: in our shootout, the OLC Ultra Light 130 proves that a fully fledged aluminium hardtop need not be heavy or expensive. A record-low profile of just 13 cm clears most underground car parks, and the tent is ready to use in under a minute. The new benchmark for those who refuse to compromise in everyday life?

This article is part of our lightweight roof tent comparison test. You’ll find our roof tent buying guide and an overview of 15½ other models in our big DOWNTOWN roof tent review.

Table of Contents

1. OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130 Review: How Much Effort Do Prep and Roof Tent Installation Take?
2. How Does Setup and Pack-Down Work?
3. How Does the Ultra Light 130 Perform in Action?
4. Who Should Take a Closer Look at the OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130 Roof Tent?
5. Our Conclusion on the OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130

Like its lightweight group rivals, the TentBox GO and the Groenberg WEEKEND, the OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130 challenges the assumption that a hardtop roof tent must be heavy. At 38 kg without the ladder and priced at €1,300, it operates in a different category to the aluminium hardtop market average, where 75 kg or more is commonplace. How does a manufacturer from Hartenholm in Germany’s far north achieve this, and what is the ultralight, low-profile result actually like?

The Ultra Light has been shaking up the market since November 2025. A machine-welded aluminium square-tube frame with additional cross braces provides the structural basis for both the stability and the low weight. In classic aluminium hard-shell tents like the Intrepid GEO 3.0, the VICKYWOOD CUMARU LIGHT and the ARCTA VENTO from our big roof tent group review, continuous aluminium plates add a huge amount of weight. On the Ultra Light 130 and the wider Ultra Light 145, however, the lid and floor are made from a plastic honeycomb structure. This has a similar construction to corrugated cardboard, but thanks to the honeycomb shape, it’s extremely stable and torsion-resistant.

With this approach, OLC Adventure are specifically targeting owners of vehicles with low permitted dynamic roof loads – small cars or EVs, for example, which are often limited to just 50 kg. At the same time, the German manufacturer doesn’t focus on weight alone, but also on maximum everyday usability in the city and on the motorway: with a record-breaking height of 13 cm including rails, the Ultra Light 130 is one of the flattest roof tents on the market. It “cracks” almost every underground car park entrance and improves aerodynamics.

In the three-way shootout of lightweight roof tents, the OLC Adventure goes up against the “bag-style roof tent” Groenberg WEEKEND with drop-stitch floor and the TentBox GO with aluminium frame. Does OLC Adventure’s aluminium frame approach deliver the more convincing package?

OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130 Review: How Much Effort Do Prep and Roof Tent Installation Take?

Preparing the tent for mounting is straightforward: the rails attach to the underside of the tent floor, with pre-drilled holes accessed by opening the tent and leaning in. Two people make this easier, though it is achievable alone. A word of caution before that first opening: our test model discharged a quantity of sharp metal shavings on the way up. Unpleasant in new fabric, and a real risk to eyes and hands. Vacuum the interior thoroughly before getting close.

During this test, getting the OLC Adventure roof tent onto the car roof took remarkably little effort. No wonder that caused waves of excitement in our 80 kg-hardened test team: lifting 38 kilograms of tent onto the car roof is many times more pleasant than dealing with the bulky aluminium hardtops from the 2024 and 2025 roof tent group reviews. The Ultra Light shares this trait with its competitors in the lightweight review. A note on the weight of the OLC Adventure roof tent: the manufacturer states 35 kg for the bare roof tent without rails, mattress, mesh and LED strip. What matters to us, however, is how much the tent weighs in the state in which we lift it onto the roof and transport it while driving.

How Does Setup and Pack-Down Work?

When the sun is already setting and all you really want to do is fall into bed, the OLC Adventure Ultra Light has its moment. Setting up this low-profile roof tent is remarkably easy. In its basic function, the hardtop is ready to use in under a minute. Thanks to the smooth, high-quality zips, the cover opens in no time – then all it takes is a small push, and the powerful gas struts do the rest of the work almost by themselves.

After that, only the ladder needs to be hooked in. A valuable feature that the OLC Adventure Ultra Light shares with the two other lightweights in this test field: unlike folding tents, the ladder here serves no structural role, which means it can be unhooked at night and taken inside. A small detail, but one that will matter to anyone after extra security or keen to keep uninvited visitors at bay.

Optionally, the rainfly or sunfly can also be set up at the front with tension rods, allowing you to enjoy the forward view in full. Even including this step, the complete OLC Adventure Ultra Light setup is ready in around two minutes. The only downside: like most models in our previous roof tent reviews, the aluminium telescopic ladder has no angled steps. That makes climbing up barefoot or in socks a rather painful affair.

Packing down is just as rapid: after around two minutes, the tension rods are stowed, the tent folded down and the travel cover attached. So yes, it also works after a long night at a party or festival – with or without a little residual alcohol. Naturally, that should be back down to 0 before you drive on. Speaking of which, why not take a look at our reviews of alcohol-free Aperol or alcohol-free white wine …

How Does the Ultra Light 130 Perform in Action?

Once the gas struts have done their work, the interior opens to something more spacious than the classic triangle construction might suggest. The generously sized window front floods the tent with light and, with the rain and sun fly tensioned, provides a sheltered view even when the weather turns. At 210 cm long and 120 cm wide, the sleeping area is comfortably sized for two.

A real mark of quality is the tent fabric: the material doesn’t just feel high-end, it’s extremely robust too. It’s a ballistic fabric originally developed for military use. In everyday camping terms, that means very high tear resistance. While conventional fabrics quickly reach their limits in close contact with low-hanging branches at camp or rough rock edges when maneuvering, the material of the OLC Adventure Ultra Light shrugs off these mechanical stresses with confidence.

What Is It Like to Sleep in the OLC Adventure Ultra Light?

Anyone who has ever spent a night in a roof tent with internal poles will appreciate this detail: inside, absolutely nothing disturbs your sleep. The gas struts sit outside rather than inside the tent, which means every centimetre of the sleeping area can be used effectively. In direct comparison with the TentBox GO, this advantage becomes obvious: although the OLC is nominally only two centimetres wider, it offers noticeably more space for two people because there is no annoying centre pole cutting the territory in half, as there is with the TentBox.

In direct comparison with the Groenberg WEEKEND, another advantage becomes clear: when it comes to equipment, OLC Adventure follows a strong “full-package” approach. While Groenberg and many other roof tent manufacturers often charge extra for every little add-on, the mattress and the essential 3D mesh underlay are already included in the €1,300 price. The 3 cm mattress enables the extremely low packed height, but it is more functional than luxurious. While it supports stomach and back sleepers well, side sleepers should consider adding an extra self-inflating mattress.

Light, Windows and the Pitfalls of Organisation

What first appears to be a clever solution turns out to be partly impractical in real-world use: a large organiser including a transparent tablet compartment is stretched across the roof plate. While it’s useful to have compartments for your phone and headphones within easy reach, the positioning hasn’t been thought through to the end. Placing a tablet so that you can watch a film through the transparent window simply isn’t possible in this case. In future versions of this low-profile roof tent, this feature should be placed somewhere more sensible.

On the plus side, two fixing rings for carabiners, useful for lamps among other things, and a standard LED strip are welcome additions. The strip offers multiple brightness levels and creates a pleasant atmosphere, though finding the most secure fixing point inside the tent requires some trial and error. A minor criticism: the inner window zips ran sticky on occasion during our test.

Does the OLC Adventure Ultra Light Fit Into an Underground Car Park?

One of the biggest trump cards of the OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130 reveals itself while driving: with a record-low height of just 13 cm including crossbar rails, it is a genuine relief for everyday life and holidays with the roof tent mounted. Where others hit the brakes nervously before 2.00 metre entrances, you roll through relaxed with OLC’s extremely low-profile roof tent.

Who Should Take a Closer Look at the OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130 Roof Tent?

Like its competitors in the lightweight roof tent comparison test, the OLC Adventure Ultra Light is a real all-rounder thanks to its low weight and compact dimensions, fitting almost any car. It has a wide range of uses and is particularly interesting for …

• … road trip nomads: if you change location every day – as we did on the big DOWNTOWN road trip – the gas struts and sub-one-minute setup save a huge amount of time and nerves.
• … couples and small families: the 120 cm sleeping width is fully usable thanks to the externally mounted gas struts, and the fair full-package price will appeal to many.
• … un derground car park users: with a 13 cm overall height, entrances to multi-storey and underground car parks are usually no longer a problem.
• … overlanding fans focused on robustness and low weight.

Our Conclusions about the OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130

Option A Ultralight, ultra-low, ultra-practical. In a three-way shootout of lightweight roof tents, the Ultra Light 130 is our clear favourite, convincing on quality and concept in equal measure. Its appeal extends beyond the lightweight category: all the advantages of a quick-pitch aluminium hard-shell, at half the weight and half the price. The heavyweight competition has been put on notice. The race for first place among hard-shell tents has begun.

Tops

• Consistent lightweight aluminium construction
• Extremely low overall height of 13 cm
• High build and material quality
• Set up in under a minute
• Extensive equipment

Flops

• Metal shavings from production inside the tent
• Laptop compartment unusable

More info at olc-adventure.de.

The Test Field

Click here for our big comparison test – 15 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 (Click here) | Naturbummler Alu-Kraftkiste (Click here) | Thule Outset (Click here) | Naturbummler Flitzer I L (Zum Test) | qeedo Freedom Hybrid 2+ (Click here) | VICKYWOOD TEAK 135 (Click here) | Roof Space 2 | OLC Adventure Ultra Light 130 | Groenberg WEEKEND COMFORT (Click here) | TentBox GO (Click here)

Words: Felicia Nastal Photos: Tim Eckermann