I own the best vehicle ever made. It is the 2000 Toyota Tacoma extended cab with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder and a 5-speed. I find today’s Tacomas are just too big, and I’m not alone. Back when she was in better shape, suitors would leave me written offers on her windshield, sometimes for more than I bought her for. Of course, that just made me love her more. I get 27.5 miles to the gallon highway (verified) and I’ve got 210,000 miles on the odometer.
Problem is, she is utterly gutless. Few onramps are long enough or flat enough for me not to upset the many L.A. drivers stuck behind me. If I happen to have both my bikes, a couple shovels, a day’s worth of water and a change of clothes, I can feel that weight off the line. So, when I found myself thinking about testing a rooftop tent, I wondered if she could take it. Not just the weight, but the aerodynamics. I didn’t want to lose that highway gas mileage, especially if I’d be going on the roadtrips you tend to take when you have a rooftop tent. Also, I didn’t want some giant gray cube on my little Taco. Again, she’s the best vehicle ever made. She’s gotta look good.
That’s why I tested the Tepui Low-Pro 2. It’s the lowest-profile soft-shell tent I could find. It’s just over 9 inches tall, and that’s on its thick edge (also verified). It tapers down to just over 6 inches on the thin edge. That’s compared to 11 inches straight across for Tepui’s other two-person options, which are already impressively slim. For comparison, Tuff Stuff’s similar tents are 13 inches. Skycamp’s are 14 inches. Yakimas are 16.5 inches (all claimed, not verified).
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