75 Nights and 15,000 Miles: Roofnest Sparrow EYE Review
“No matter how far I drive, I always know camp is not far behind.”
This review is not sponsored, the author was not compensated.
From the damp pine forests of South Carolina, to the snow-covered peaks of Washington, there’s not much I haven’t experienced while living in my Toyota Tundra and Roofnest Sparrow EYE.
I first ordered my tent on Black Friday, 2020. It was back ordered due to the aforementioned sale - I received it in March 2021. The tent came by freight carrier, and was shipped on a pallet. It was well packaged and had no damage. I decided on the Sparrow EYE for one big reason: the A-frame or “clamshell” opening. The biggest benefit to a tent that opens at all four corners is more headroom,. The big benefit to the clamshell style is that it deflects wind far easier, and because it is not hard sided, winds over 20mph or so will result in any non A-frame pop-up rooftop tent being extremely uncomfortable. Not so with the Sparrow EYE.
“Setup is a simple 10 second process. Closing the tent is done in under 45 seconds.”
Along with the tent itself, included was a dry bag, which mounts to the roof of the tent with (not included) bungee or ratchet straps. The tent comes with a 3” Twin XL mattress, a condensation mat, two poles to create a canopy from the main entrance, an extending ladder, a large sandproof mat, mounting hardware, a storage net that connects to the inside of the roof, one USB powered light, and a battery powered (USB rechargeable) lantern.
As for the installation of the tent, I installed it on a set of Relentless Fabrication Bed Bars. I did have roofracks on top of my cab at that time, but there are a few downsides to mounting on the roof vs over the bed. For one, increased drag. Second, the increased difficulty of getting into the tent. With the Sparrow EYE over the bed, the tailgate acts as a perfect step. No ladder required. Many tents are mounted on SUVs and crossovers, but generally speaking, those are lower to the ground, so you won’t have to climb as far on the ladder anyhow.
“I woke up on the snow-covered Nevada/Idaho border. The weather was pleasant, but chilly. Light snow and very little sunshine, an uncomfortable 15F. I was warm, dry, and well rested thanks to my Sparrow EYE.”
Comfort is of the utmost importance, so how comfortable can a rooftop tent really be? Right off the pallet, the Sparrow EYE is comfortable - but you know you are camping. With a few modifications, it can be as comfortable as your bed. The mattress is Twin XL, 3” thick, and will provide decent sleep. I sleep with my head in the closed A-frame part of the tent, and at 6ft tall, I lay at a small angle. Any taller and I would recommend a larger tent, if there are two people under 6ft, it is doable, but remember, it is Twin XL. After my first night, I went to Walmart and purchased a 3/4” memory foam mattress topper. That made all the difference - I’ve come to enjoy sleeping in the tent more than my own bed. It is as comfortable anyhow.
How about insulation and camping in the cold? The floor and roof of the tent are insulated, the canvas sides are not. Roofnest does sell an insulation kit, though I think that is unnecessary. For my setup, I have a fitted sheet, a blanket, then a 32f degree sleeping bag unzipped and spread out. I sleep on top of that sleeping bag, with a 0f degree bag unzipped over me, and a blanket or two. With this setup, I have not experienced a single night where I was cold. Some nights, even below 30f degrees, I would wake up hot. I believe this is the ideal setup for camping. If I get hot, I simply push the 0f degree bag to the side and use a light blanket. I have complete control.
In the warmer months, the airflow is superb as well. Besides the main entrance on the rear, there are gigantic windows on either side. All the openings are double layered. You have the canvas, on the outside, that zips open and closed. On the inside of that, you have a mesh bug screen that zips open and closed as well. Unless it was raining, I kept the rear entrance rolled up, and the side windows halfway zipped up. Of course, it is impossible to make camping comfortable when you start getting above 80f degrees. But any airflow helps.
And most importantly, durability. The tent has been incredibly durable. I would consider myself a “spirited” driver. I have aftermarket suspension, I have larger tires, I have an air compressor. I drive hard, and if appropriate, I drive fast. I like bumpy roads. And through all of this, over 15,000 miles, I have only had two incidents.
Twice, when driving quickly down forest roads, I have hit decent sized bumps and broken the bolts loose on the mounting hardware. Both times I went to a hardware store, purchased Loctite, and re-secured the tent. Due to the mounting hardware, this takes 30 minutes or so.
One of my first nights on the road, in Arkansas, I backed into a tree in Ozark National Forest. The tent was fine - a minor crack that I filled with an epoxy stick from Autozone. The bigger problem was that the tent went through my rear window, bent all the hardware, and bent my bed bars. This is because the tent sticks two or so feet off the back of my tailgate. I have not made that mistake since, it was clearly user error.
The mounting hardware leaves something to be desired. If you plan on doing any spirited driving, plan on the mounting hardware bending and coming loose at some point. It is not that big of a deal, but absolutely worth noting. I keep Loctite and the included socketing wrench (very fancy) in my glovebox. Over 15,000 hard miles, it has happened twice. It is also difficult to bolt the tent down initially, and flat crossbars would be ideal. My bed bars are round, and I had to bend the hardware a bit initially to get the bolts to line up. Worst case scenario, a quick trip to Home Depot or Ace will get everything sorted.
Closing thoughts: I have absolutely zero regrets about my purchase. I love the tent, I love the opportunities it’s provided. No matter how far I drive, I always know camp is not far behind. The only downside is that the mounting hardware is difficult. The only “maintenance” I’ve done to my Sparrow EYE is cleaning and lubing the zippers, and supergluing the plastic waterproofing around the zippers to prevent it from peeling off. Besides that, there has been a small amount of mold growth under the condensation mat that I had to clean.
I highly recommend the Roofnest Sparrow EYE. Just keep in mind the height limitations (6ft and under).