Cascadia Vehicle Tents La Sal Tent vs Yakima SkyPeak HD
The Cascadia Vehicle Tents La Sal Tent and the Yakima SkyPeak HD are both hardshell tents in the same part of the market, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a comparison across categories. Cascadia Vehicle Tents and Yakima take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
Headroom separates them further: 171.45 cm in the SkyPeak HD against 119.38 cm, which is the difference between sitting up to dress and doing it lying down. The La Sal Tent lists $600 lower, at $3,399 against $3,999.
Closed, the SkyPeak HD sits 5.079999999999998 cm lower on the roof — 16.51 cm against 21.59 cm — which is drag you carry on every mile you are not camping.
Cascadia Vehicle Tents
La Sal Tent
The La Sal is a side-opening aluminum hardshell sold in 50- and 56-inch widths at $3,399, with a 3-inch mattress and a stated 47-inch maximum headroom. CVT lists a 2-4 minute setup, a stargazing skylight, an LED light strip with USB connector, and integrated climate ports suited to diesel heaters. CVT's guide describes it as a 2-person tent.
- Side-opening hardshell with a stated 2-4 minute setup
- Stargazing skylight and a 3-inch mattress
- Integrated climate ports suited to a diesel heater
- Manufacturer does not publish weight or open/packed dimensions
Yakima
SkyPeak HD
The SkyPeak HD is Yakima's hardshell rooftop tent, using a clamshell design with an expansion pop-out that opens the interior to 81.5 by 55 inches with a 67.5-inch peak height. It is the heaviest of Yakima's current rooftop tents at 180 lbs (82 kg) and adds USB-powered dimmable interior lighting, a floor pass-through port with solar-cable routing hardware, and tent-side T-slots rated to 75 lbs per side. Yakima rates it 4-season and backs it with a limited two-year warranty.
- Hardshell clamshell design with quick pop-out setup
- Integrated USB-powered dimmable lighting plus a floor pass-through port for solar cable routing
- Access doors on three sides and tent-side T-slots for gear (75 lbs per side)
- Heaviest of Yakima's current rooftop tents at 180 lbs (82 kg)
Which one to pick
Take the La Sal Tent if the budget is fixed. Beyond that the feature rows below — heater port, skylight, annex, cargo rails — are where the remaining difference lies.
Every specification, side by side
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Hardshell | Hardshell |
| Opening style | Clamshell | Clamshell |
| Sleeps | 2 | 2 |
| Season rating | 4-season | 4-season |
| List price | $3,399— best of the tents compared | $3,999— worst of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | — | 180 lb |
| Packed length | — | 7 ft 1 in |
| Packed width | — | 4 ft 10 in |
| Packed height | 8.5 in— worst of the tents compared | 6.5 in— best of the tents compared |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | — | 6 ft 9 in |
| Sleeping width | — | 4 ft 7 in |
| Floor area | — | 31.1 sq ft |
| Interior height | 3 ft 11 in— worst of the tents compared | 5 ft 7 in— best of the tents compared |
| Mattress thickness | 3 in | — |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | 3 min | ~60 secest. |
| Shell material | Aluminum | — |
| Fabric | 280GSM polyester | — |
| Warranty | — | 2years |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | Yes | Yes |
| Roof skylight | Yes | — |
| Annex available | — | — |
| Solar ready | — | Yes |
| Carries cargo on top | — | Yes |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Cascadia Vehicle Tents product page | Yakima product page |
Related comparisons
Or read the full spec sheets for the Cascadia Vehicle Tents La Sal Tent and the Yakima SkyPeak HD.