Over the past few years, we’ve seen a number of budget rooftop tents hit the market. One of the bigger names in the budget rooftop tent space is Topoak Overland. A little over a year ago, I reviewed the Topoak Galaxy 1.0 tent. Well, recently they wanted to send me an updated version of that tent they are calling the Galaxy Pro.
Just like the Galaxy 1.0, the Galaxy Pro is a full-featured roof top that’s extremely affordable. It’s priced at $1,798, which is $200 more than the Galaxy 1.0’s price of $1,598.
I would say the Pro is still very reasonable and still much, much less than an equally featured, more popular brand. More than likely, being manufactured in the same factory, the Galaxy Pro is almost identical to the RoofNest Falcon Pro ($3,998).
Sure, there are some small quality differences in some of the material used on the Topoak tent, but in my opinion, probably not $2,000+ worth of differences. And, to top it off, the Topoak Overland offers free shipping.
So, do you need to drop a ton of money to have a quality rooftop tent? Let’s get into it…
Do you need a Rooftop Tent?
Maybe, maybe not. My wife and I are no strangers to rooftop tents. Purchasing our first rooftop tent was a game-changer for our camping experience. We’ve been camping with one type or another since 2017. It was when I was planning a 4-day trip through the Mojave on the ancient Mojave Road that we decided to invest in a rooftop tent.
Some benefits I find with using a rooftop tent versus a ground tent:
- You can worry less about clean, rock-free, level ground when pitching the tent.
- It gets you off the ground, making it feel easier to regulate sleeping temperatures.
- My wife feels safer and more secure up off the ground, “away from critters”.
- I can keep my bedding up in the tent, freeing up precious cargo room in the Jeep.
- You get to sleep on a mattress.
- With your bedding stored inside, you have a place to crash with you all the time.
- Easy-on-the-back, with set-up and break-down in mere minutes.
- No folding tent fabric and tent poles, trying to stuff ill-fitting bags, and storing them in the vehicle.
- A lot of added features are built in.
You may find that you don’t need to use a rooftop tent; that’s fine, I get it. The initial cost is a lot. And once you set up base camp, your vehicle isn’t going anywhere, plus they cut down on gas mileage and make parking in garages a challenge. But, for me, the only way I was going to get to do the Mojave Road together with my wife was if we invested in one. And I’m glad we did. We’ve been stoked on our tents and have been able to build countless memories with our camp setup and kit.
And the affordable tents by Topoak Overland might be a great way to try one out without spending many thousands of dollars doing it.
To Wedge or Fold Out
The first two rooftop tents we’ve used were fold-out type tents. The first being the Tuffstuff Overland Ranger. It sat on our ’95 Jeep Cherokee (Ol’ Blue) for about 5-ish years. We liked it, it was very comfortable. But closing it down and getting it covered was a major headache. Even though I still broke camp faster than a ground tent, I dreaded slipping that cover over that tent.
The second fold-out-type tent was the Yakima SkyRise HD Medium that I reviewed here. We used the Yakima for a little over a year. It was almost identical to the Tuffstuff. It had a slightly baggier cover, which made it a little less of a hassle to close
We had it mounted on our ’21 Jeep Rubicon. With the Rubicon, the tent sat a lot higher than the tent on Ol’ Blue. So, even though the cover was easier to close, it was still a major pain in the arse because of the height of the vehicle.
That “packing it up struggle” is common with fold-out, soft-cover rooftop tents. The upside is that they can have a much larger footprint and ceiling height than wedge-style tents, are generally lighter, and they take up a lot less roof space when closed.
But they sit much higher – both the Tuffstuff and the Yakima had a closed height of around 17″. With the Topoak Galaxy 1.0 and Pro, the tents are hardshell and much slimmer, only sitting at 8″ tall when closed.
This not only equates to less wind noise at highway speeds but also helps keep your MPG decent. And if you drive a Jeep, these things are a big deal.
For us and our use case, the wedge-style tent is the clear winner.
The Topoak Galaxy Pro
I’ve only had the new Topoak Galaxy Pro for a few months and have slept in it a few times. I can already tell you that the biggest difference so far, when compared to the 1.0, is the Pro’s mattress.
Being a side-sleeper, I find the mattresses in rooftop tents to not be so great. The Galaxy 1.0’s mattress was a lot more comfortable than the two fold-out mattresses. But, so far, I really like the Pro’s velvet-covered, triple-layered mattress much better than the Galaxy 1.0’s.
Just like the Galaxy 1.0, the Pro allows you to mount crossbars on the top side of the tent. So you can store gear on top of it, too. This helps to save cargo space inside the vehicle if the total vehicle height isn’t a concern.
The struts that automatically open the tent are strong enough to open it with an additional 100lbs on top of the tent. So go ahead and mount bikes or kayaks, or whatever you may want to carry.
The Galaxy Pro has additional side channels that run along the top side of the roof. These channels are made specifically to mount solar panels. There is a built-in Anderson SB50 connector under the tent to plug the panels in and run power to the control station in the tent.
The control station has spots to charge your devices, run the tent lights, or plug in a 12V accessory.
The Galaxy Pro “Kick-Out”
Wedge-type roof top tents always looked cramped to me. But, just like the Galaxy 1.0, the Galaxy Pro’s “kick-out” feature adds a claimed 35% more interior space than a regular wedge-type tent.
The “U Bar” that supports the “kick-out” is a continuous bar that runs around the main door, giving it structure. It’s held in place by a single, removable, telescoping pole. The removable support pole helps make setup and breakdown a breeze.
With the “kick-out” feature combined with the tall opening of the hardshell cover, there is a lot of room inside the tent. We can comfortably sleep two adults along with a good-sized bag for clothes, a small electric generator, and water bottles with room to spare.
That “kick-out” section creates so much headroom that you can easily sit two people inside, play cards, and hang out if the weather’s bad. A removable rainfly keeps you covered, or slide it off and use the built-in skylight to stargaze on clear nights.
The dimensions of the tent open are 83″ x 56″ x 53″.
Inside the Galaxy Pro
Inside is an adjustable built-in LED light and a boatload of inside storage pockets, plus it comes with two shoe bags that hang outside the tent, keeping shoe dirt and stank outside, where it belongs.
I like the storage that is on the inside of the roof. It has six suspended pockets that you can use individually. You can also pull the whole thing away from the ceiling and store clothes or something behind it.
The Galaxy Pro opens using externally mounted, self-opening struts. Mounting the struts on the outside might leave them vulnerable to big tree branches, but they free up valuable space inside.
Compared to the 1.0, the Pro’s ladder comes with a storage bag, which is great. Because the Jeep is so limited in storage space, I store the ladder in the tent. Using the ladder bag that comes with the Pro makes for a much cleaner option than storing the dirty ladder without a bag, like I did with the 1.0.
There are three different mounting spots for the included telescoping ladder, making it easy to set up your own configuration and enter from either side or the back. All doors have separate solid and no-see-um mesh panels.
There are a couple of things that still leave me wanting when comparing the Galaxy Pro with the Galaxy 1.0:
- The two locking clamps at the opening are the same on both tents. The locks are weird and aren’t secure, as I can open them without a key. Plus, the key they come with is weird and really large. It’s not the highest security, but they do keep the levers from opening while driving.
- It’s also quite a bit heavier than my old softshell tents.
Receiving the Galaxy Pro
Just like any tent you buy from Topoak, shipping the tent anywhere in the contiguous US is free. They estimate the tent to arrive within 7 days. Topoak has a warehouse in Los Angeles, allowing for pick-up if you are local. I opted to get mine shipped, and it arrived in three days through a freight company.
It’s large enough that it needs to be shipped by freight, not standard delivery, and it weighs approximately 220 pounds when packed. So, you’ll need to be able to handle that upon arrival. The freight company called me in advance to schedule a delivery window, which was appreciated. They had a few helpers with them, so they were able to place it conveniently for me in my backyard.
I let the tent sit in the crate for a few days, and when I inspected the box, it was in good shape. The tent itself had zero scratches or damage.
Topoak says that every tent is insured and that you should feel free to contact them if your tent shows up damaged. That was a nice reassurance.
Side Note: My wife had the great idea of upcycling the wooden shipping crate to make another raised flower box to match our other one. So we did… we used most of the crate! Check it out!
Mounting the Galaxy Pro
Plan to get a buddy to help; it will take two people to install the tent on your vehicle. The tent, by itself, with nothing in it, weighs 172lbs. By comparison, my old Yakima SkyRise HD Medium rooftop tent weighed just 114lbs.
Important: Make sure that the load bar/roof rack system on your vehicle has a dynamic weight capacity of at least 172 lbs before you install this tent on your vehicle. The Yakima Rib Cage Rack System for the Jeep JL has a dynamic weight rating of 330 pounds, so that is plenty.
Just like the Galaxy 1.0, once the tent was on my load bars, I was able to easily slide it around and find the perfect spot to start installing it with the provided hardware. Again, I opted not to use the included knobs and just used the stainless steel Nylock bolts.
Differences Between the Pro vs 1.0
I’ve had the Topoak Overland Galaxy Pro on my Jeep for a little over three months. I’ve had the same experience with the Pro as I did with the 1.0 when it comes to how it feels on the Jeep. That is to say, with the Pro, the wind noise, gas mileage, and weight on the roof have all yielded the same positive experiences as the Galaxy 1.0.
There isn’t much to say about the tent’s performance so far. I instantly found the Pro’s mattress to be much better and more comfortable than the Galaxy 1.0’s mattress.
What The Galaxy Pro Has that the Galaxy 1.0 Doesn’t
- Dedicated Solar Panel Mounts
- Built in Anderson SB50 connector
- Inside Control Panel
- Built-in Heater Port
- Velvet-covered mattress and lined ceiling
- Upgraded 300gsm Poly-Cotton Blackout Canvas with anti-condensation coating
- Stabilus Hydraulic struts
I have yet to use the features noted above (except the mattress), but I fully intend to take full advantage of them.
I also noticed that with the better, denser mattress of the Pro, I couldn’t store my thick sleeping bags in it without making it very difficult to close. So, we did have to switch up our sleep kit to now use only down camp blankets. We’ll see how this works when desert camping in the Winter months. The canvas is much thicker and of better quality on the Pro, compared to the 1.0, so it might be OK.
We’ve done thousands and thousands of trouble-free miles with the Galaxy 1.0. on the roof of our Jeep, both on and off-road. I feel very confident that I can safely say, I’ll get the same performance from the Galaxy Pro. So far, it’s felt solid and has been relatively quiet up there.
In Conclusion
I’ve got a lot more trips planned that are on the horizon. A big one, where we plan to “ghost town hop” through South West Nevada this November. I planned a big multi-day Death Valley run that keeps getting pushed, but I am hoping to do that trip as well very soon.
With most of my trips in the desert and surrounding areas, the only thing I haven’t put it through is rain and snow, but I’ll update when I do. Other than that, so far, it’s passed all of my tests with flying colors.
The Galaxy Pro rooftop tent is the perfect companion for our adventures. We store our camp bedding in the tent all the time. That means it’s ready to be used at a moment’s notice. And sometimes that’s a nice piece of mind when out exploring, because with a rooftop tent, anywhere can become a campsite at any moment.
And just like the Topoak Overland Galaxy 1.0, the Galaxy Pro is sure to be tough enough for heavy use, is comfortable and roomy, super easy to use, and it’s still a freakin’ steal at $1,798 with free shipping. At the time of this review, Topoak is having a Labor Day Sale with $100 off the retail price.
