The Low-Pro is only 7 inches tall on the roof of your car. That’s crazy thin. We tested the Low-Pro for this review, Tepui’s lowest-profile and lightest rooftop tent.
At 80 mph, I speed down I-70. My destination? The Western Slope of Colorado. It’s like any other weekend full of the outdoors, except this road trip is different: Tonight I’ll sleep on top of my car.
For spring 2019, Tepui releases the Low-Pro, the lightest, lowest-profile rooftop tent from the brand yet. On top of my car, the Low-Pro measured just 7 inches high. Driving full speed, I barely noticed it.
The Low-Pro is so low-profile, Tepui claims its the lowest-profile folding rooftop tent on the market. We reviewed the Low-Pro for two back-to-back road trip camping tests.
In short, the Low-Pro is an affordable and aerodynamic folding tent that offers a luxurious night’s rest in the outdoors. Not to mention the tent is beautiful! This folding tent is the perfect addition to adventuremobile glam shots. But is it for you?
Tepui Low-Pro Review: What’s New
Tepui incorporated a new composite base material into the Low-Pro. This is the main tech advancement that gives the Low-Pro its edge. Dubbed Tepui TEC Composite Base, it manages to shed weight and thickness. The composite is the strong outer material that acts as a shell for the tent’s insides.
Tepui used 100 percent recyclable thermoplastic materials to make Tepui TEC composite.
Further advancement includes a new curved frame. Tepui curved the bars, or tent poles, that make up the A-frame design to increase the interior living room. It might seem like a subtle design shift on paper, but there’s a massive amount of space inside this rooftop tent.
The Low-Pro shaved 10 pounds from its Tepui cousin, the Kukenam, for a total weight of 120 pounds.
Desert Test: 2 Road Trips With the Tepui Low-Pro
Outside of Fruita, Colorado, I pulled up to our campsite. I needed to reorient the car a few times to find the flattest ground, and then it was time to set up the Low-Pro. In addition to the tent on your roof, the Low-Pro comes with a ladder and bag of stakes. I kept the ladder in my trunk and the stakes in the tent.
From the first time, the Low-Pro was easy to set up. It’s not as fast as designs with springs that expand straight up, yet it’s by no means a burden.
After I dialed the setup, it took roughly the same amount of time it takes me to set up a ground tent — maybe 5 minutes.
The mattress in the Low-Pro is a 2-inch, 40-denier, hard-density foam. It’s not as plush as other, thicker memory foam pads, but it certainly provided a comfortable night’s sleep. And because the mattress in the Low-Pro spans the entire base of the tent, it made the inside feel roomier. Roll around to your heart’s content.
Inside are numerous vents that can zip up to weather storms or fold up to let the breeze flow. There were plenty of pockets for gear and lots of spots to lash things to the ceiling.
On the Road With the Low-Pro
On the highway, the Low-Pro did not impact the performance of my vehicle. I drive a heavy 1999 Landcruiser, so a 120-pound tent does not change the base weight by much.
Yet I definitely encountered high winds on the highway And even with the winds and tent, I was still able to drive at speed with the Low-Pro on my car. I didn’t do any serious off-roading, but it’s worth noting that heavy weight on the roof can affect performance there.
Concluding Test: Tepui Low-Pro
I didn’t encounter aggressive winds in the Low-Pro, so I can’t speak to its wind resistance. But once fully set up, the Low-Pro felt sturdy. And the lightweight Tepui TEC Composite Base felt bomber.
It took me and another person roughly an hour to install the Low-Pro on my car. The installation was straightforward. I imagine cars with cross-bars that are higher off the vehicle will have an easier setup. We had to squeeze our arms under the cross-bars, which slowed things considerably.
Altogether, I logged around 1,000 miles and 4 nights of sleep in the Low-Pro.
Problems With the Low-Pro Rooftop Tent
Nothing catastrophic happened during our abbreviated test of the Low-Pro. But I did notice two areas of design concern.
First, the Zipper Gimp. The Low-Pro’s cover slides onto a proprietary Zipper Gimp rail system. This lets you switch out canopies depending on the weather conditions. But the allowance for one part of the Tepui’s cover is so small, we noticed a small rip after the cover shifted when setting up and taking down the Low-Pro.
Next, the straps used to tighten down the tent’s fold don’t align with the Velcro that well. This didn’t create any issues; we were still able to clamp down the tent very tightly. But we only had the tent for a few weeks.
Concerning the “lowest-profile” claims Tepui makes, while it’s an incredibly low-profile tent, there’s no denying that the design is slightly slanted. So one end of the Low-Pro is higher than the other. On one side, the tent measures roughly 6.5 inches. The other is around 9 inches.
Is It for You? Tepui Low-Pro Test
The Low-Pro set up easily for a greats night’s sleep. High off the ground each morning, I didn’t want to get out of bed because it was so comfortable. And while driving, the low-profile nature of the tent kept wind from affecting my car. But $1,400 is certainly an investment.
At $1,400, the Low-Pro is cheaper than many rooftop tents. While not the cheapest on the market, it’s a very well-designed rooftop tent that you will undeniably take pictures of whenever you get a chance. And it costs a lot less than many other models from both Tepui and competing brands.
If you’re looking for a rooftop sleep system for your camping needs, the Low-Pro seems like a solid investment. The design improvements to the Low-Pro to cut weight and height didn’t seem to impact performance. And, most importantly, did we say it looks great in photos?
