Thule Outset Hitch-mounted Tent Review
A luxurious hitch-mounted tent for car campers who don’t want to climb onto their roof
February 19th, 2026
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Our verdict
The Thule Outset takes many of the best attributes of a rooftop tent—quick setup, extreme comfort, elevated sleeping—and eliminates some of the most annoying features. It doesn’t tank your gas mileage, you don’t need to scale a ladder or climb on top of your car to deploy it, and you can leave it at your campsite without having to break it down completely.
To see if it’s actually better than a rooftop tent (and worth the staggering $4,700 price tag), I got one and spent five nights camping in it over multiple trips to see what it’s really like to live with. After my testing, I found that I like the Thule Outset, but don’t love it. Setup is easy, it’s an ideal height off the ground, and it’s very comfortable. However, reattaching the Outset to the hitch attachment is disappointingly difficult.
If you have the patience and strength to wrestle with the tent to get it back onto your hitch, or you don’t mind keeping it attached to your car most of the time, the Thule Outset might be right for you. I love basically every other aspect of it, from its comfort and weather protection to the fact that it’s easy to take off your hitch and store it in your garage during the work week.
If you want more comfort than sleeping on the ground, but don’t have enough money for an actual tow-behind trailer, the Thule Outset might just fit your niche.
Thule Outset Hitch-mounted Tent
If you’re planning a camping trip, check out our Camping Gear Checklist and our guide on How to Get Started Camping to make sure you have everything you need to enjoy your time outdoors.
What is the Thule Outset?
The Thule Outset is more convenient than a rooftop tent and more comfortable than a ground tent.
The Thule Outset is a comfort-first tent that attaches to the hitch of your vehicle. It comes with a hitch attachment that can stay permanently on your car, while the tent itself can be attached and detached for storage. It’s a nice alternative from a rooftop tent because you don’t have to constantly climb up and down a ladder, it has little impact on your gas mileage, and you can drive away with it set up at camp.
Compared to ground camping tents, it provides a fantastic level of comfort, and its thick materials feel more durable, too. It’s great for road trips, overlanding, or just weekend car camping, and it’s also a great candidate for colder weather. Its thicker fabrics insulate better, and its mattress and elevated design mean you don’t have to worry about the ground sapping your warmth.
With a price tag of $4,700, it’s definitely not for everyone. But if you like luxurious car camping and comfort is your top priority, the Thule Outset is a worthy upgrade from a ground tent, and it solves most of the problems of traditional rooftop tents, too.
Thule Outset hitch-mounted tent specifications
Price: $4,700
Weight: 163 lbs
Sleeping capacity: 3-person (in my experience it’s more like 2-person plus a dog or small child)
Mounting type: Hitch-mounted with a 2” hitch
Vehicle requirements: 2” hitch, not recommended for vehicles with longer distance than 7.5 ft / 230 cm between rear wheel axle and hitch receiver, hitch height must be between 9” and 20.8”, vehicle’s hitch tongue weight maximum must be greater than 163 lbs.
Tent fabric: Breathable, water-resistant 600D polyester ripstop
Frame material: Aluminum
Packed dimensions: 56.8 x 29 x 35 in
Deployed dimensions: 104 x 56.7 x 70.1 in
Mattress: 88.6 x 52.8 x 2.7 in foam mattress
Warranty: 2-year warranty
Comparison table
| TENT | MSRP* | HEIGHT OFF GROUND | SETUP TIME | VEHICLE COMPATIBILITY | COMFORT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thule Outset Hitch-mounted Tent | $4,700 | ~2 feet | ~5 minutes | 2-inch hitch required | Excellent |
| Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent | $2,700 | Top of vehicle | ~3 minutes | Roof rack or bars required, too heavy for some cars | Excellent |
| Yakima SkyPeak HD Rooftop Tent | $3,999 | Top of vehicle | ~1 minute | Roof rack or bars required, too heavy for some cars | Excellent |
| The North Face Wawona 6 | $585 | Ground | ~15 minutes (with 2 people) | N/A | OK |
Best for
Road trips and dispersed camping
Campers who don’t want to climb up onto their roof (great for those with kids or dogs!)
Vehicles that can’t support rooftop tent loads
Fast overnight stops
Campers who are on the fence about rooftop tents
Campers and road trippers who want elevated sleeping without roof mounting
People who want the best in comfort
What we like
This hitch tent is probably the most comfortable tent I’ve ever slept in.
Easy, fast setup
Extremely comfortable
Stable, elevated platform
Can detach from car at campsite, or for storage
Innovative alternative to rooftop tents
What could be better
Re-attaching the tent to your car can be difficult.
High price compared to ground tents and rooftop tents
Requires compatible hitch and vehicle clearance
Re-attaching deployed tent to hitch can be difficult
Cover is tight and can be hard to zip up
How we tested
Setting up the tent is quite easy, and just takes a few minutes.
To test the Thule Outset, I attached it to my car and spent five nights sleeping in it on various camping trips. Outside of those adventures, I set it up and broke it down multiple times in my parking lot to get the feel for the entire process.
I attached it to a Ford Bronco Sport and drove it all around the Front Range of Colorado, including in downtown Boulder, on highways, and up mountain passes. I spent multiple nights in dispersed camping sites in national forests along the I-70 corridor, and took it on a trip to Durango in southwest Colorado. Most of my camping was in temperatures below freezing, and one of the nights had strong, but not extreme, winds.
I took careful notes on all aspects of the setup and breakdown process, including how long it took, how complicated it was, and how much effort it required. I also paid attention to all the features of the Thule Outset and how well they performed, and slept in the tent to judge its comfort and warmth.
During and after my testing, I compared the Thule Outset to the rooftop tent I own, the Thule Approach M, and weighed its pros and cons against ground tents, too. Overall, I think the Thule Outset solves many problems of rooftop tents, but it isn’t perfect yet. It’s a pricey investment, but I think it’s great for someone like me who loves setting up camp fast in dispersed sites, but hates carrying gear like sleeping bags and dogs, up the ladder of a rooftop tent.
Performance in the field
Sleeping in the Thule Outset is incredibly comfortable.
Setup and breakdown
Setting up the Thule Outset is quite easy—once you know what you’re doing. The very first time I assembled it in a parking lot, it took me about 20 minutes. There are a decent number of steps, and I was using the instructions to figure out how to attach it and detach it to the hitch, as well as set up the tent itself. After doing it once or twice, I could pretty easily remember all the general steps and get the tent fully assembled in just a couple of minutes by myself. Even after keeping it stored in my garage for a couple of weeks, I was able to break it out and set it up from memory without issue.
The set-up process is pretty straightforward, and entails taking the cover off, attaching the legs that create the tent’s platform, extending and leveling out that platform, then unlatching and unfolding the tent. Once the tent is unfolded, connecting a couple of clips ensures it’s fully expanded. A little rainfly is included with the Outset to help protect the tent in inclement weather, and it attaches in another 1–2 minutes via a few buttons and flexible poles. You can find a video of the full process here, though the version available in the U.S. has a slightly different hitch and electrical attachment, as well as a different license plate holder.
I really don’t mind the setup of the Thule Outset, and I find it to be easier than the softshell rooftop tents I’ve used in the past. Even if it takes a little bit longer, it feels easier since I don’t have to climb all over my car. Plus, unlike ground or rooftop tents, you don’t have to find a perfectly flat area, since the legs of the Outset can be adjusted for slightly uneven ground.
The most frustrating part of the Thule Outset is re-attaching the tent to your hitch.
The breakdown is similarly simple, although I’ve found that following the specific steps in order is more important here. This is where my biggest gripe with the Thule Outset comes in. If you remove the tent from your car while it’s set up, you have to re-attach it to your hitch before you break it down. I tried folding it up when it was off the hitch (it has wheels, so I was imagining folding it up then easily rolling it to my car), but the tent needs to be supported by the hitch so you can break down the platform it sits on. This means you have to carefully back your car up close to the tent, then—while it’s still set up—awkwardly lift and move the tent with one hand while trying to align the attachment points and get them to latch together. And when you’re doing this on uneven ground at a campsite, it gets even harder.
I found this process quite difficult every time I tried it, and it required a decent amount of strength, which went against my initial thinking that this could be a great option for seniors, or campers with strength or mobility issues. It was the most frustrating aspect of the tent in my testing, which is a bummer because it’s tied to the feature I was most excited about—detaching the tent from the car so I could leave.
A similar issue arises if you want to set the tent up without your car. There isn’t a way to assemble the platform and get the tent on top of it without the hitch. This means you can only park the tent in a place your car can access. This is fine for dispersed camping, but if a traditional campsite has a tent pad further away from the parking space, you might be out of luck. If somehow the tent could be set up and broken down separate from the hitch, the Outset would be a lot more appealing to me.
However, assuming the tent is attached to your car, breaking it down is quite easy. There’s a spot to securely store all the legs, and folding it up doesn’t require a lot of strength at all. Once it's latched closed, there is a cover that you can put on, but I also found this process frustrating. The tent needs to be folded pretty perfectly, because the cover has a tight fit. I wish there was a little more wiggle room with the cover so I didn’t have to constantly wrestle with it to get it closed. One early morning during my testing period, when temperatures were below freezing, it took me nearly five minutes just to get the cover on because my fingers were so cold and the flimsy zippers were so hard to line up and use.
Vehicle compatibility
You need a 2” hitch to tow the Thule Outset.
Most vehicles with a 2-inch hitch should be able to support the Thule Outset tent. There isn’t a vehicle compatibility checker on the website, probably because the tent is built to match with most cars. But just to make sure, you should measure your hitch receiver and ensure it’s 2 inches. You should also look up your hitch’s tongue weight, and make sure it can handle the weight of the tent, which is 163 pounds. Most 2-inch hitches easily clear this requirement, but it’s a good idea to double check anyway.
The Outset’s instructions also say it’s not recommended for vehicles with a distance longer than 7.5 feet between the rear wheel axle and hitch receiver, and the height of the hitch must be between 9 and 20.8 inches.
Once it’s on your car, it is a little bit of an adjustment to drive with. The first thing I noticed is that since the tent’s brake lights connect to your car’s trailer plug, my car knew a “trailer” was attached and turned off my blind spot indicators (maybe this is specific to my vehicle). It also blocks your backup camera and potentially part of your rear window, depending on your car, so it’s important to be very careful when backing up.
Even though the tent is folded up on the back of your car, it still adds quite a bit of length. My Ford Bronco Sport is actually quite a short vehicle (172.7 inches), and it never pokes out in parking spots. With the Outset attached, though, I had to ensure I pulled in all the way to the shared spaces in my parking lot, and it seemed about the same length as trucks like the Toyota Tacoma. If you want to attach the Outset to a larger car or truck, just keep in mind the extra length.
Actually driving with the tent attached felt normal. It obviously added a lot of weight to the back of my car, but I didn’t really notice it while driving around town. Where the extra weight did make a difference, though, is when I was driving uphill in the mountains. I could definitely feel my car trying harder to accelerate when going up steep roads. It was a little bit hard to judge with mountain driving, but I do think the Outset impacted my gas mileage when there were frequent uphills. However, when just driving around town on flat roads, I didn’t see a drop at all.
Sleeping comfort
A 2.7” mattress means comfort is king.
The comfort of the Thule Outset is really the main reason you should consider buying it. If you’ve slept in a rooftop tent before, it’s a very similar experience. The built-in mattress is 2.7 inches thick and made of foam, so it’s a lot more comfortable than basically any sleeping pad or camping mattress I’ve ever tried (the only one that can compete is Hest’s memory foam options, like the Hest Dually Camping Mattress). While it is incredibly comfortable, the foam was still a tiny bit too thin and firm for me. I’m a side sleeper, so I found myself flipping sides a couple of times throughout the night because I was getting some shoulder pain. But that’s a pretty normal experience for me, especially when camping.
The other feature that I really think helps this tent feel more comfortable is the materials. The thick canvas can block out sunlight if you want it to, and with all the windows zipped up I felt really secure and protected.
The platform is also very stable, and I didn’t experience any shifting or slipping overnight or during the evenings when I was crawling around in my tent. I actually think it felt more stable than rooftop tents, since I could sometimes feel the car rock if I moved around too much in those.
While the website says the Outset can sleep three, I’d be shocked if you could actually fit that many adults inside. The Outset is much longer than it is wide, and even two people sleeping side by side wouldn’t have a ton of room in between them. However, because of its length, there is a solid amount of room at the bottom of the tent to fit duffel bags, other gear, a dog, or even a small child.
Weather protection
The Thule Outset is made from the same canvas material as the brand’s rooftop tent I own, so while it didn’t rain when I was camping in the Outset, I have put the material through its paces in the past. A couple of years ago, my Thule rooftop tent endured non-stop rain for two days in a row when I took it on a trip to Yosemite National Park. The water-resistant canvas held up well, and even after hours of rain, the tent was bone dry on the inside. Both that tent and the Outset come with an additional rainfly that you can throw on if rain is in the forecast for more protection, too.
One huge disadvantage of rooftop tents can be the noise they make when it’s windy. The thick materials of the Outset have a lot of potential for flapping, but thankfully, since it’s not mounted high up in the sky on top of your car, it catches a lot less wind. The Outset is more stable than your typical ground tent, so you won’t have to worry about it caving in on you when it’s windy, and when I camped in strong, but not extreme winds, there was minimal flapping and rustling, and I slept well through the night.
Condensation management and airflow should never be an issue with the Outset, since it has large doors or windows on basically all sides. They’re easily adjustable, too so you can make sure your humidity levels are manageable.
Accessibility
The height is low and the doors are huge, making the Thule Outset incredibly easy to get into.
The height of the Thule Outset might just be my favorite feature of the tent. There are three massive doors on the main sides of the tent, and it sits about two feet off the ground. It was extremely easy to roll in and out of the tent, which made pee breaks in the middle of the night so much easier (climbing down a ladder while half asleep is never fun).
The low height also meant my dog could easily hop in and out, there was no need to awkwardly hold open a rainfly or dangerously climb up a ladder while holding her in one arm. Plus, I think the height is perfect for folks with mobility issues, as it’s probably the easiest tent to get into that I’ve ever tested. If it wasn’t for the difficulties with the breakdown, I might say this tent is perfect for older folks or people with strength and mobility issues. In its current state, it’s fantastic for those people to use, just not break down without help.
Another perk of the massive doors is when you’re setting up and breaking down camp. With a rooftop tent, I was climbing up and down the ladder to fill the tent with sleeping bags, pillows, base layers, and more. With a ground tent, I’m always crouching down and fighting my rainfly to get all my gear inside. But with the Outset, I just tie the doors open and I can literally throw my gear inside in seconds. And since there are big doors on both sides, I don’t have to walk around the tent if I’m getting something out of one side of my car or the other.
Durability
The Thule Outset isn’t bulletproof, especially if you don’t follow the directions.
The Thule Outset is built well, and I’ve only experienced a couple of small durability issues. The frame is stable and strong, and the fabrics have held up well on my camping trips. My rooftop tent, which uses the same materials, has held up well over the two years I’ve owned it, too. The only problems I’ve encountered with the Outset are because I wasn’t following the tent’s instructions, or issues that affected small plastic pieces that aren’t consequential to the tent’s performance.
The first issue I had occurred the first time I was trying to disassemble it after I detached it from my car. I wanted to see if I could completely fold it up, then roll it over to my vehicle so I could pop it on. I found out this isn’t really possible (as I explained before) and tried to lift it off its platform, and when I did, it awkwardly fell to the ground and one of the brake light covers broke off. Luckily, Thule has replacement parts for sale if something like this ever happens and you want to repair it yourself.
The other small durability issue I experienced was when a small piece of plastic fell out of one of the leg joints when I was disassembling it. It actually took me a couple of minutes to figure out where it came from, and it isn’t necessary for the tent to function, but it was a bit disappointing that a piece randomly fell off after being opened and closed less than a dozen times, especially for the hefty price.
Storage and transport
Once the tent is off the car, it’s surprisingly easy to move around.
I think the design of the Outset is really clever, especially when you think about how it’s able to be stored. When folded up, the tent has a couple of wheels and a handle that makes moving it around relatively easy. It’s still heavy and awkwardly shaped, so going over big cracks and uneven terrain can be a little bit of a challenge, but the wheels make moving the tent from your car to your garage for storage a breeze.
Taking the tent off the hitch attachment is really easy, too. You simply release a latching mechanism in the tent so it unfolds and its wheels are on the ground, then you can detach it from the hitch with a lever.
I think storing it is a lot easier than a rooftop tent. First of all, getting it on and off your car is a lot easier and actually doable with one person, unlike with rooftop tents. And since the Outset uses a trifold design instead of just folding in half, it takes up a lot less room in my garage.
Versatility
The Outset sits behind your car, not on top of it, so you won’t have vertical clearance issues.
The Thule Outset is much more versatile than a traditional rooftop tent. Since it’s easier to put on and take off your car, you don’t have to drive around with it everyday, and you can simply throw it on right before you head out on a trip. Once you’re on those trips, its ability to detach from your car gives you a lot more freedom to leave the campsite.
When it is on your car, even though your backup camera will be blocked and it adds length to your vehicle, you won’t have to worry about height maximums at parking garages or drive-thrus like you would with a rooftop tent.
Features
The interior has big storage pockets.
There are many features that make camping with the Thule Outset a pleasure. Quick setup, a built-in mattress, and its elevated sleeping platform are the highlights, but there are a lot of other details that make me really enjoy sleeping in this tent.
Foam mattress
The 2.7-inch foam mattress is more comfortable than basically any sleeping pad.
Storage pockets
Storage pockets are essential in tents, and thankfully, the Outset has a collection of large ones that keep your gear clearly organized.
Windows and doors
The doors are huge, so you can toss all your gear inside in seconds.
The various windows and doors have two different layers of fabric, one mesh and one canvas, so it’s really easy to adjust the amount of light and airflow you let in.
Speaking of the doors, one of my favorite features is just how big they are. I never felt cramped crawling in the tent, and the wide-open design means you can quickly and easily throw all your gear inside when you’re setting up camp.
Tent platform
Another feature I love is the platform the tent sits on. It’s quick to set up, but it also has adjustable legs. This means you don’t have to find a perfectly flat spot for your tent, unlike with ground tents and rooftop tents. When dispersed camping, one of my least favorite parts of setting up camp with a rooftop tent is driving back and forth trying to find a perfectly flat spot or putting rocks underneath my tires to level out the car. While you can’t set up the Outset on a harsh slope, if there’s a slight angle, bumps, or small holes, you can extend some of the legs longer than the others so the tent itself stays perfectly flat.
Trunk access design
Thule seemed to think of nearly every use case when designing this tent. A great example of this is the fact that you can lean the tent back a bit while it’s still attached to your car, giving you full trunk access. I used this feature a ton, since my dog gets in and out of her crate from the back of my car. The tent is obviously still there and the attachment is in the way, so she wasn’t able to hop in all by herself, but I like how I was able to pick her up and put her in, even when the tent is on the hitch. I’d say it’s pretty easy to get small and medium things out of the trunk, but if you’re trying to get something big or heavy out like a kayak, bike, or surfboard, you’ll want to detach the tent first.
Security locks
The Outset also comes with a set of keys, so you can lock both the tent and the hitch attachment, whether they’re connected or disconnected, so you never have to worry about someone stealing your tent.
Tent cover
The tent cover is nice, I just wish it was easier to put on and its zippers were smoother.
Additionally, the tent comes with a cover to keep it protected while driving. This was a very useful feature, since it can shield the tent itself from dirt, mud, and moisture when you’re traveling on dirt roads to get to your campsite. However, I wish it was easier to put on.
Sustainability/ethical company
While Thule has some renewable energy and DEI initiatives, sustainability doesn’t seem to be a core part of the brand like we see more with outdoor gear and apparel brands. If you’re curious, you can learn about their sustainability efforts on their website.
Should you buy the Thule Outset hitch-mounted tent?
The Thule Outset isn’t right for everyone, but some people will absolutely love it.
Buy if you want a rooftop tent, but you’re not sure if they’re quite right for you, luxurious comfort is your top priority, you love dispersed camping and overlanding but don’t want to climb up a ladder to get to your tent, pretty fast setup and an elevated sleeping surface are important to you, and you have a car with a 2-inch hitch.
Skip if you don’t mind sleeping on the ground, you don’t like car camping and prefer backpacking instead, you have a rooftop tent and already love it, you don’t want to spend $4,700, or your car doesn’t meet the towing qualifications.
Where to buy the Thule Outset
The Thule Outset is a popular gear item, so you have options when it comes to retailers. Here are some of the pros of the retailers.
REI
Pros: 100% satisfaction policy for 1 year; 10% dividend for members.
Amazon
Pros: Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime membership
Thule
You can sometimes find more options when purchasing directly from the retailer. Sometimes, purchasing directly from the retailer can make it easier if you need to make a warranty return, such as if there is a defect.
Similar products
Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent
Sleeping height: On top of car
Setup time: About 3 minutes
Vehicle compatibility: Roof rack or bars required, too heavy for some cars
Comfort: Excellent
Price: $2,700
This product is most similar to the Outset, though it mounts on top of your car instead of behind it. It’s more spacious and takes a bit less time to set up, but you have to deal with the inconveniences of a rooftop tent, including climbing up and down the ladder constantly. It’s cheaper than the Outset, but it’s not the cheapest rooftop tent out there. It could be a good option if you want similar luxurious comfort as the Outset for $2,000 less.
Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent
Sleeping height: On top of car
Setup time: About 1 minute
Vehicle compatibility: Roof rack or bars required, too heavy for some cars
Comfort: Excellent
Price: $3,999
There are two main types of rooftop tents, softshell and hardshell. Hardshell tents tend to be heavier and more expensive, but they typically set up much faster and their thinner profile means better gas mileage. This one from Yakima is cheaper than the Outset, and its clamshell design deploys in seconds.
Yakima SkyPeak HD
Sleeping height: Ground
Setup time: About 15 minutes
Vehicle compatibility: N/A
Comfort: OK
Price: $585
You can build a ground tent setup that rivals the comfort of the Outset for less money pretty easily. Start off with the roomy Wawona 6 from The North Face, which is Treeline Review’s best camping tent, then fill it with cots and memory foam pads from Hest, and your sleeping experience will easily rival that of the Outset. It can stay at the campsite like the Outset, but it will require a lot more setup time.
The North Face Wawona 6
Why you should trust us / About the author
Kai Burkhardt is an experienced gear reviewer and camper who has spent nights under the stars in all sorts of sleeping arrangements. From backpacking tents and spacious car camping tents to hammocks and a rooftop tent, he just loves whenever he can catch some zzz’s in the great outdoors. Over the last couple of years, his aching back has started to convince him more and more that comfortable camping is the way to go, and he loves finding the balance between comfort, weight, and price when it comes to camping gear. When he’s not in his rooftop tent, Burkhardt enjoys hiking, backpacking, climbing, and slowly trail running in the mountains near his home of Boulder, Colorado.
