Galaxy Light | Rooftop Tent RTT

Got the 51”. I am quite satisfied and happy with my purchase. Some complaints here and there that are similar to other reviews, but overall I very much recommend this tent. Everything about it feels high quality despite being quite affordable in comparison to others.

My biggest complaint is that no TopOak cover is available or being developed for this tent which is a big deal for me as I have to park outside - so in order to protect my purchase I will need to come up with a way to cover it myself to ensure longevity and for peace of mind. This will end up being a janky tarp with bungee cords. They said the reason a cover doesn’t work is because of the lack of accessory rails on the bottom, but given their genius in designing this tent I doubt they couldn’t come up with something that would work great. Not gonna remove a star for something that is not about the tent itself and is specific to my use case.

Shipping + Installation - 5/5

The box comes with a mini crowbar screwed onto the box that makes opening it easier. I missed this initially.

The shipping / tracking numbers were kind of confusing but everything arrived as expected. Tent got here really fast, ordered on a Thursday and it was delivered the following Wednesday.

My MPG was seemingly unaffected but I had other stuff on my roof before too. Some minor new wind noises at certain speeds that wasn’t there before.


Setup / Teardown / Exterior - 5/5

The tent looks great and very pleased with how easy it is to open and especially to close, you can reach the fabric on the sides to tuck in easily from the back.

Tip: After opening the tent from the rear pull up the extension bar, you can fully seat it after getting up there. This makes it easier to get into the tent. When closing do this in reverse, unclamp and loosen the bar where it tightens the fabric but wait to push the bar down until you are at the rear.

Rainfly tip: Fully seat the poles first in the holes in the tent base, then grab them near the hooks which will give you optimal leverage. On the longer rear poles put one hand through the side window to find the rainfly hole and the other hand to hold the pole and thread it through.

Interior - 5/5

The light and remote are great. Looking forward to hooking up to the anderson port under the tent, will be a winter project. Nice big storage pockets. The tent feels quite nice and spacious inside despite just being 51” wide. We are both < 160 lbs and < 6ft. Our medium sized dog could probably fit with us but it would be tight.

Thermal insulation liner: I’ll leave a separate review for this but it is fantastic. In addition to keeping the tent much warmer inside, it blocks out a significant amount of noise too. It’s very easy to install and I regret not using it the first night of our maiden voyage with this tent. The downside is you lose the light strip and some of the storage inside the tent, but you can still reach the bags if you need to through the side window openings of the liner.

Mattress - 2/5

Same experience as everyone else here, the mattress is not great. I actually wish that it was an option rather than included, since I have no use for it.

I am using a Exped megamat duo (medium) that I previously used when sleeping in my vehicle. This fits in the 51” Galaxy Light easily and it leaves a few inches on the sides and front/back of the tent for storage, even when closed. I keep my mini air pump and other small items that will stay in the tent.

The megamat fits fine in the tent while closed (after removing the mattress it came with), you just have to deflate it at least half way. Deflating it completely makes the tent close without any fuss whatsoever and leaves room for thin bedding/sleeping bags.

Ladder - 4/5

As others have noted the ladder is uncomfortable/painful to stand on without shoes or with thin soles. This hasn’t been too much of an issue for me though to be honest.



Awning

I had to get creative with a mount for my ARB awning, I was able to make some mounts I found on amazon fit between the tent and my crossbars. Happy with the result as the awning does not interfere with any of the tent’s operations since it’s mounted on my stock rack which sits slightly higher than most.

Notes on negatives in other reviews

Rainfly makes noise in light wind: Did not experience this in light wind, but pretty much every tent makes noise with enough wind.

Doors rolling to the bottom instead of to the top: For me this is a positive, you can more easily keep them rolled up sitting on the side of the mattress, and it also makes taking the tent down easier because you can distribute the doors fabric evenly (preventing bunching them up/ folded multiple times over on themselves).

Final Words

Love it. After wanting a RTT for years I’m glad I waited since this one checks almost all the most important boxes for me, just wish they had a cover available for purchase. Thank you ...

Technically rating it 3.5 stars... At this point I have spent 30 nights in the tent. Overall I would recommend this tent for the price point and size, everything except the mattress seems well made and sturdy.

What I love:
-The lower profile of this tent made it easy to mount and it can live on my car year round without worrying about height clearance issues. Light weight means better gas milage and quieter as well.
-The interior when set up is incredibly spacious, I was very impressed the first night I opened it. There is plenty of room for two people and tons of room for just me.
-The interior light bar is nice, I have not wired it to my car and sometimes it does not like running off a charging block. It is also a huge bug magnet so beware using it with the doors open.
-The crossbar and side mount capabilities are great, I like that the channels fit a standard hex bolt so no need to spend money on specialized mounts for gear.
-The soft open/close on the struts is nice and less work when setting up or tearing down.
-The blackout is nice for sleeping in/full moon nights but it does get hot quick in warmer temps.

What I think could be better:
-The mattress is awful, I 100% recommend replacing it with an Exped inflatable mattress or something similar. It adds maybe 5 min to setup/teardown but its way more comfortable and frees up more space for storage in the tent. I was told that there was about 4" of free space when closed so my original plan was to just add 1.5 in of memory foam... the tent did not close. Do not waste your time like I did. If you opt to keep the mattress you need to add insulation for colder camping. The first night I spent in it was 30F and I had to fetch my emergency bivy because of how much heat I was losing through the floor. Consider adding a reflective sheet underneath at least because that foam has zero R rating.
-The rain fly constantly makes little rustling noises, even in seemingly calm conditions. This took a while for me to get used to and was very frustrating at first because I am generally a light sleeper.
-The ladder does not fit inside the tent when closed. I feel like it would be pretty easy to design a lower profile ladder that would fit.
-You have to make sure the U bar is laid flat before closing the tent. I was hoping it could just remain in its position but it needs to be separated from the fabric and laid down or the tent will not close, not a huge time consumer but I find it a little annoying.
-I am bummed none of this brands awnings are able to mount to the tent.

Used two times since purchase. Low 40’s in californias fog blanket, and freezing temps in leguna mountains.
Kinda feel like this is one of the Goldilocks RTT’s.
Not the lightest, not the thinnest, not the most comfortably padded, not the cheapest Lightweight 4 seasons tent for 2. But, what it does do it does well for a warm lightweight system for a small 4 cylinder SUV.
Fits a good margin of error for roof racks that have a dynamic weight limit of 160lbs, fuel economy took a hit but not terrible. Went from 33 to 28 ish. Brake performance is similar to having another person in the car. Measured temperatures inside and was able to trap a couple of degrees of heat. Floor is solid which greatly benefits cold weather camping. No drafts some of the best sleep I have had en the forest. Never ever realized how much more space and organization I know have instead of sleeping in the car. Can’t wait to figure out how to install a solar panel on the top. Still getting used to getting in and out of something so high up. Working on a YouTube video to better review.

Gotta say, I’m weirdly into all the little details they nailed with this tent. It’s such a fresh experience compared to most RTTs I’ve tried. Been watching the market for a while, and honestly this might be the best one in its weight class. Every flap can be rolled up and strapped neatly (which I weirdly love lol). They even designed a tighter crossbar mounting system to reduce the total height. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference. Haven’t tested every feature yet, but I already know this tent’s gonna be part of my lifestyle from now on haha.

This tent is pretty light, which is a huge relief for my car’s roof. Taking it on and off is a breeze, and I don’t have to worry about exceeding the weight limit. Makes setting up for a weekend trip way easier.