Yakima SkyRise HD Tent MD roof tent on test – 12 ½ rooftop tents in direct comparison

The Yakima SkyRise HD Tent MD is a pop-up, soft-shell roof top tent with generously sized openings and big windows. The roof windows give you a direct view onto the sky, so you’ll never miss a sunrise again. But can the € 2,199 Yakima roof tent also impress during the rest of the day?

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.

Yakima Industries was founded in the USA back in 1973. Initially, it was a small workshop specialising primarily in the transportation of leisure equipment – everyone knows the Yakima roof racks today. It was a logical step for the Oregon based manufacturer to produce a roof tent to match those bars sooner or later. The result is the Yakima SkyRise HD Tent, which we brought along on our epic road trip. With an internal width of 140 cm, the Skyrise is built to accommodate up to three people, while the robust 600 D Ripstop polyester fabric and 3000 mm waterproof PU coating should make it suitable for all seasons and weather conditions. At first glance, the SkyRise HD impresses with solid workmanship, with the ladder, mattress and assembly rails matching the overall high-quality look. With its basic construction and minimalist design, Yakima’s soft-shell tent might look similar to the Front Runner Feather-Lite, but it’s a lot more robust, and much easier to pre-assemble. Plus, Yakima’s wide selection of accessories convert it from a roof tent into a striking base camp.

Yakima roof tent: preparation and installation

Let’s make one thing clear straight away: the Yakima roof tent is not the best option if you’re impatient, because it needs to be pre-assembled before it can go on the roof. This makes it the most time-consuming system in the entire test field, together with the Feather-Lite. First, the rails at the bottom of the tent must be bolted to the floor, depending on where you want the tent entrance to be – and this needs to be done before you do anything else. Once that’s done, you have to match the position of the clamp assembly to your crossbar spread measurement. To do this, you’ll have to measure the distance between roof bars and position the clamps at that exact distance. Fortunately, this only needs to be done once if you always use the tent on the same car. You’ll then have to bolt the ladder mounts to the base and finally you have to fit the cover in place. Depending on your level of dexterity, this will probably take at least 15 minutes.

With the ladder, the SkyRise HD Tent weighs almost 60 kilos, so it takes at least 2 strong people to lift it onto the car roof. With the Yakima, you’ll have to lower the open clamp assembly onto the crossbars, which takes some practice, partly because you have to do this from the side. Once the clamps are sitting correctly on the bars, you can tighten them down and fully tighten the slider bolts using an Allen key. Now you can breathe a sigh of relief, because from now on, the Yakima roof tent can be assembled and disassembled without the need for tools.

Assembly and disassembly of the Yakima SkyRise in the test

Opening the Yakima roof tent is easy: to do this, unzip the cover, release the buckles – one on each side – remove the cover, and roll it up. Now you can release the tent and ladder straps and open the roof tent by pushing down on the ladder and walking backwards. Important for soft-shell folding tents: the ladder should always be stable, as it supports the suspended floor section. Before using the tent, make sure the two floor sections are properly hooked together. If you have to set up your tent quickly and the weather forecast looks good, you can climb in and watch the stars. However, if the weather has other plans, we recommend attaching the rain cover straight away – the tent fabric is water-repellent, but not 100% rainproof. Now you’ll have to roll up your sleeves one more time: climb inside the tent, open all the windows and slide the support rods into the holes under the end flap to tension the rain cover. But beware, placing the rods’ curved ends into the grommet holes can be tricky as the poles have to be bent hard.

To dismantle the tent, you’ll have to follow a similar process, only backwards: remove the support rods, fold the tent back up with the ladder, clip it down, install the cover, close it, and you’re ready to drive off. You should allow approx. 5 – 10 minutes to set up and take down your Yakima tent.

The Yakima SkyRise HD roof top tent in action

If you like to snuggle up, the Yakima roof tent offers room for up to three people (we recommend a maximum of one child with a 140 cm mattress width). However, it’s far more comfortable for two people. The thick 6.4 cm mattress with removable and washable cover is excellent too. One small drawback: the mattress does not have a mesh base. You should definitely buy one to prevent condensation from forming underneath.

The maximum interior height from the mattress to the highest point is 110 cm, which is enough to get changed sitting down or on your heels. The Yakima roof tent benefits from the large windows and the large front opening. The highlight – in the truest sense of the word – are the two big roof openings, which offer a view of the sky. This is also possible with the rain cover, which has a transparent cut-out to match the openings – someone knew exactly what they were doing! The generously sized rain cover also covers part of the big windows and the door opening, which makes it darker inside but also offers more protection from the elements.

Tuning tip: Invest in an anti-condensation mat to prevent moisture under the mattress.

The Yakima is designed as a folding tent with aluminium poles, but these are placed on the inside, directly in front of the windows. This means that you always have to reach around the poles to open the window zippers – there are definitely better solutions out there. A small mesh pocket in each corner of the Yakima allows you to store smaller items, while an optional net with countless hooks lets you attach your clothes and soft goods directly to the roof liner. A big advantage for everyone who likes to change spot on their holidays: your bedding will fit into the closed tent: on our road trip, we were able to transport a 2 x 2 m down duvet, two pillows, pyjamas and a cuddly toy directly inside the tent. Overall, the Yakima roof top tent impresses with good haptic feel and high-quality workmanship. However, unlike other soft-top tents like the qeedo, it lacks a stabilising rail to reinforce the suspended side, which is only supported by the ladder. If you have a pillow fight with your better half, or your kids decide to run around, this side of the tent always feels a bit wobbly. It’s not unstable, but other roof tents feel more secure. The rail around the entire bottom perimeter, on the other hand, is super practical and can be used to attach all kinds of accessories, such as an awning, bags etc.

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

Overall, the Yakima is better suited for those people who prefer to stay in the same place for a few days. If that’s your case, the slightly more complex set-up isn’t too much of a hassle. The wide 140 cm mattress offers enough space for two adults and a child. Due to its compact pack size and reasonable system weight, the Yakima roof tent fits on most vehicles, which makes it suitable for a wide range of applications. The permissible roof load should be at least 70 kg (tent weight + ladder + base carrier).

Our conclusions about the Yakima roof top tent

First off, the Yakima Skyrise HD Tent does a lot of things right – it’s a solid, well-made tent. However, the pre-assembly is time consuming and the assembly and disassembly with all the poles can take some time, and nerves of steel too! On the other hand, Yakima’s huge accessory range and the free sky views make it a very good option.

Tops

• Very good sense of space with sky view
• High-quality materials
• Perimeter rail for securing gear
• Countless optional accessories

Flops

• Complex pre-assembly can be challenging
• Assembly takes time

For more info, visit yakima.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 | 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