Article: Buy or rent a rooftop tent? The honest maths
Buy or rent a rooftop tent? The honest maths
A hardshell rooftop tent costs between 2,159 and 2,555 euros with us. Hiring one for a weekend costs 210 euros. So the question "buy or hire a rooftop tent?" is really a sum plus a gut feeling. In this article we do the sum honestly, including the point at which buying becomes cheaper, and we say who is better off hiring.
The sum
Our hire prices for the Dune, our 2-person hardshell, in the Bivak package: 210 euros for a weekend of three nights, 295 euros for a week and 475 euros for two weeks. Fitting, removal and the final cleaning are included. Per night that works out at 70, 42 or 34 euros. If you want a made-up bed, table, chairs and a complete kitchen as well, you choose 5 stars: 320, 405 and 585 euros.
A new Dune costs 2,159 euros. Divide that by the hire price per night and you can see when buying becomes cheaper:
| You always hire | Price per night | Buying is cheaper after |
|---|---|---|
| Weekends (3 nights) | € 70 | about 31 nights, so 10 weekends |
| Weeks (7 nights) | € 42 | about 51 nights, so 7 weeks |
| Two weeks (14 nights) | € 34 | about 64 nights, so 4 to 5 holidays |
In short: if you go away for one week a year, you will hire for years before you reach the purchase price. If you go away for a weekend every month from April to October, you reach the point where your own tent would have been cheaper within two seasons. And a tent you buy is still worth something after those years; a hire weekend is not.
Prices as at 9 October 2026; current prices are on the hire page and the product pages.
When hiring is the better choice
You do not know yet whether you will enjoy it. This is the main reason. Sleeping on your roof sounds great, but only after three days on the road do you find out whether you really like climbing the ladder every evening, and whether your partner agrees. You notice that on the road, not in a brochure. For 295 euros you know.
You go once a year. One holiday a year does not justify a tent of well over two thousand euros in the loft.
Your car is temporary. A lease car, a company car, or you will be driving something else next year with a different roof load. Then you would rather not buy yet.
You want to test your roof load and roof bars first. Hiring forces you to do the roof load check and sort out suitable roof bars. If that all works out, you will know exactly what you need when you buy.
When buying is the better choice
You go often. From around seven weeks, or two seasons full of weekends, buying is cheaper and you also avoid the hassle of booking, collecting and returning.
You want the Oasis. We do not hire that one out: if you want the side opening and the 152 cm width, buying is the only route. Hiring the Savannah is possible, but only on request. Compare the three models.
You want to leave the tent on. Anyone who can get away every week in season simply leaves the tent on the car. A hardshell 11.6 cm high travels perfectly well and your bedding stays inside.
You have a car for the long term. A Land Cruiser, Defender or pick-up you will keep for years is the classic basis for a tent of your own. Also read rooftop tent for your Land Cruiser.
Hire first, buy later: the best of both
This is how we would do it ourselves. Hire a weekend or a week first. If you enjoy it, you buy your own tent from us afterwards and the full hire you paid comes off the purchase price. Not part of it, all of it. That way your trial trip ends up costing nothing and you never buy a pig in a poke. If it is not for you, you know that for 295 euros instead of 2,159.
What you arrange yourself, whether hiring or buying: roof bars that suit your car. When hiring you can take them for 35 euros. What we do: fit the tent to your car and take it off again, in Hoogwoud, by appointment.
What does a rooftop tent cost per year if you buy one?
An honest estimate for anyone who wants to compare. Say you use a Dune of 2,159 euros for five years and then sell it second hand. Hardshell rooftop tents hold their value reasonably well, but count conservatively on half. The tent then costs you about 216 euros a year, plus maintenance (little) and possibly winter storage. For that amount you cannot even hire for a week. So if you go away for at least a week every year and keep doing it for years, buying is cheaper in the long run, provided you look after the tent. How to do that is in rooftop tent maintenance in 5 steps.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to hire a rooftop tent?
At LCM Offroad the Bivak package costs 210 euros for a weekend (3 nights), 295 euros for a week and 475 euros for two weeks, with a 500 euro deposit. Fitting, removal and the final cleaning are included. The 5 stars package with a made-up bed, table, chairs and kitchen costs 320, 405 and 585 euros. You book online with a 25 percent deposit.
From how many nights is buying a rooftop tent cheaper than hiring?
With weekend hire after about 31 nights, with weekly hire after about 51 nights. If you count the residual value, the tipping point comes earlier.
Does the hire come off the purchase price?
Yes. If you buy your own rooftop tent from us after hiring, the full hire you paid comes off the purchase price.
Which rooftop tent can you hire?
The Dune, our 2-person hardshell weighing 60.5 kg. The Savannah is available on request; the Oasis is not for hire.
Do I need roof bars when hiring too?
Yes. Roof bars are not part of the hire, but you can hire them for 35 euros per hire period, fitting included. They have to suit your car, so fill in your registration when you book. Which ones those are is explained in which roof bars do you need for a rooftop tent.
