The Super Pacific Cloud Cap promises more sleeping space and more room to carry gear. It’s a pop-up camper that integrates into the roof of the most common vans, letting you get up and out while still having somewhere to mount your bikes, kayaks, and solar panels.
Super Pacific’s Switchback X1 pop-up camper was the starting point. We looked at that truck topper camper back in 2020. This takes the top part of it and adds it to your van.
“We learned from van builders that their customers faced a difficult choice: Add a fiberglass pop-top to gain valuable sleeping space or add a roof rack to mount useful adventure accessories, but not both. We created the Cloud Cap to eliminate that compromise, and we think it’s a big win for van owners.”
— Super Pacific Founder and President, Peter Williams
Super Pacific Cloud Cap Holds Gear & Sleepers
The company said it worked with those van builders to develop the mounting kit. Cutting a hole in the roof of someone’s van is no small step, so everything must fit together properly. The passthrough gasket is made from PVC while the mounting brackets are powdercoated for durability. Climb-up space is also limited by that arrangement because the hole has to be cut in between the van’s structural cross beams.
Super Pacific describes the tent itself as being made from marine-grade polyester with half-inch polypropylene composite panels for the roof and a 1-inch floor. The hinges, latches, and other hardware are made from CNC-machined billet aluminum.
The tent has three side doors. Each one has a no-see-um mesh screen as well as a storm door to keep out the elements. A two-person Exped MegaMat Duo LW+ mattress is standard. It is self-inflating, but you must deflate it to close the tent.
Super Pacific’s Therma Puff insulation kit is also available. It works like a puffer jacket on the inside of the tent. Therma Puff uses two interior insulation layers and is filled with 3.6-ounce Climashield insulation for warmth.
T-Slot Rails Hold All Your Accessories
The Cloud Cap has aluminum T-Slot rails at all four edges, with more rails on the top of the tent. These let you attach any number of accessories to the folded tent, which can hold up to 500 pounds when closed.
An awning on both sides? No problem. Light bar on the front? There’s room for that, too. There’s plenty of space to install a roof-mount fan or to add some solar capability to the roof of your tent, and then you can have your roof rack on top of that.
The slots let you easily install a set of crossbars on top of the tent, and that adds even more capability. Kayak, canoe or cycle racks, gear baskets, and a host of other pieces of gear big or small.
Unload Before Sleeping
If you’re planning to use those racks, though, you’ll probably need to unload before it’s time to camp. The roof can only hold 75 pounds when the tent is open, and the standard gas struts are rated to 125 pounds.
At least you can walk around once you get up there — with the tent closed — as the tent roof can support a 300-pound person standing on it.
Super Pacific Cloud Cap
Super Pacific is asking $12,200 for the Cloud Cap, which is sold and installed only through its authorized dealers. That’s a steep price for any rooftop tent, especially compared with the company’s own X1. The X1 is just about the same price, but instead of bolting to your van’s roof, it comes with an entire aluminum truck bed topper.
That said, there aren’t many factory-built solutions to put a tent through the roof of your van. Combine that with the gear capacity and it could still be a very appealing option for your van life adventures.
Fitments for the Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit are available now, with the Ford E-Series and RAM ProMaster coming soon. The Cloud Cap is manufactured and assembled by Super Pacific in Portland, Ore.
