In recent years, the roof-tent sector has exploded with new brands appearing regularly. In this new market, German brand Vickywood has made its mark since 2018. A short presentation was in order.

Vickywood offers several ranges of tents to suit different uses, whether solo, couple or family, with models that can accommodate from 2 to 5 people (2 adults and 3 children). There are rigid, flexible and hybrid tents. Rigid tents, designed for two people, are entirely covered by an aluminium shell. Their main advantage is that they can be erected in just a few seconds, as you can see from the video we made. The flexible tents can be unfolded to accommodate up to 5 people. Their advantage is their optimised size when folded. The hybrid range combines the two techniques to accommodate up to 3 people.

Well-equipped roof tents

Vickywood tents are made from quality materials (tear-resistant 320g polyester fabric and black 600D UV 50+ PU-treated Oxford polyester roof, breathable, highly waterproof with an impressive waterproof rating of 5,000 mm). They are particularly well equipped, with a memory foam mattress, anti-condensation mattress, LEDs, storage, telescopic ladder and shoe bags that can be hung under the tent.

For this article, we tested the Cumaru 135, one of the German brand’s rigid tents. Easy to install on the roof of your car (although you’ll need 3 people to hoist it onto the roof), it’s also very quick to deploy, as you can see from the video. It has a quality design and opens and closes effortlessly thanks to gas struts. Note that on the light version, you can add crossbars to the tent shell. This allows you to carry extra loads such as bicycles or surfboards. Provided, of course, that your own roof poles allow this extra weight.

This test of the Cumaru proved conclusive. It’s a product to be recommended. If there’s one drawback, it’s that these tents are unfortunately not built in Europe. Vickywood is, however, making efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its tents by using recycled polyester for its canvas. This is obtained from plastic waste. It takes around 185 plastic bottles to make one tent! The company also supports an association that works against deforestation.

Vickywood’s flexible roof tents for families

Vickywood’s soft-top tents include the Willow range, which comes in Small and Big models. The Small Willow comes in two models. A 2-person tent measuring 140 x 240 x 126 cm when unfolded (compared with 145 x 125 x 29 cm when folded) and weighing 64 kg. The other model is designed for 3 people (2 adults and a child) or two adults who like their comfort. It measures 160 x 240 x 126 cm (165 x 125 x 29 cm when folded) and weighs 64 kg. The Big Willow, on the other hand, ranges from 140 x 240 x 126 cm (145 x 125 x 29 cm) for 64 kg to 220 x 240 x 126 cm (225 x 125 x 29 cm) for 100 kg. One of the advantages of this model is that the ladder access is located under the tent, so you can keep the ladder out of the rain. New for 2024, the Little Bamboo 125 weighs just 44.5 kg and sleeps 122 x 225 cm.

Hybrid roof tents

With an aluminium shell combined with a folding tent, the tents in the Mighty Oak range offer the protection of a rigid shell with a spacious sleeping area. It comes in two models for two and three people: 140 x 200 x 120 cm (160 x 120 x 33 cm) for 81 kg and 170 x 200 x 120 cm (190 x 120 x 33 cm) for 88 kg. The Mighty Oak Light 165 will complete the range in 2024, with optimised dimensions and weight. It weighs just 70 kg and its hull is 26 cm high in its road configuration. Just a few centimetres less, which may be important for access to certain car parks, depending on the height of your vehicle. The sleeping area is 148 x 210 cm.

Hard-top tents for couples or solo use

The main advantage of Vickywood’s hard-top tents is their ease of deployment and the protection provided by their aluminium shell. At 16cm high in road mode, they are particularly slim. These Cumaru tents from Vickywood (which we present to you in the video) are designed for one or two people, with two models, the Cumaru 135 and the Cumaru Light. The Cumaru 135 sleeps 130 x 202 x 140 cm (144 x 220 x 16 cm) and weighs 80 kg, making it suitable for one or two people. The Cumaru Light, which is thinner (13 cm), comes in two models, also for two people: the Cumaru Light 127 (117 x 213 x 130 cm / 127 x 220 x 13 cm and 70 kg) and the Cumaru Light 152 (140 x 213 x 130 cm / 152 x 220 x 13 cm and 80 kg).

Installing the roof tent

To install the roof tent on your vehicle, you first need to fit roof bars to your vehicle. The minimum spacing between the two roof bars is 71 cm. Obviously, you need to check the weight that your vehicle and its roof bars can bear. Be sure to check the information supplied by the manufacturer of the bars. The weight limit given is the weight limit in circulation, when your vehicle is running. When stationary, the bars and your vehicle can support much more weight.

A wide range of accessories

One of the special features of the German roof-tent brand is the wide range of accessories offered by Vickywood, including awnings, shower tents, side awnings and awning extensions.

To find out more about Vickywood, visit the manufacturer’s website .