The New Sparrow 2 Is a Tougher Rooftop Tent From Roofnest
Pop-up roof tents have revolutionized camping and this evolution makes things even easier
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There's a thin line between social media-fueled adventurous overlanding and living in your car. That line seems to be largely defined by altitude. Roofnest can keep you on the high side of that line with its new Sparrow 2 rooftop pop-up tent.
An evolution of the original Sparrow, a tent that defined the brand from its beginning, the second generation is said to have the same comfort and usability, but with added ruggedness.
The top half of the ABS plastic shell has been reinforced internally and is now sprayed with Line-X coating, presumably for protection from abrasion and environmental wear. The collapsable components of the tent have been upgraded to 320-GSM(Grams per Square Meter) poly-cotton canvas with a black-out coating – you don't have to be up just because the sun is. You can also count on climate control thanks to 2 ports in the tent which allow connecting either a heater or air conditioner. All of this combined with dimmable LED strips means you may never want to leave the comfort of the 2.8-inch high-density foam mattress.
If you do decide to leave your rooftop tent, so you can go take selfies with waterfalls or flowers, you can leave your bedding while still being able to fully collapse the tent. The lockable latches on the Sparrow 2 are the same as on the higher-end Falcon Pro, so there's that.
The real party trick of the Sparrow 2 is the ability to mount cross bars to the top shell. Like your typical roof rack, the addition allows you to carry up to 160 pounds of extra gear on top of the tent. The standard Sparrow 2 weighs 130 pounds while the larger XL model comes in at 155 pounds. You will need to check your owner's manual to find your vehicle's dynamic load capacity before purchasing to make sure you aren't exceeding that limit.
The Sparrow 2 has an MSRP of $3,195, but Roofnest is offering a $100 discount on pre-orders. Deliveries begin mid-September, just in time for the fall overlanding season.
And look out for Jonathon Klein's initial impression of Roofnest's Condor 2, cause folks, he's finally fitted it to his Can-Am project!
