Femkes JoyCee vs Latitude Tents Explorer
The Femkes JoyCee and the Latitude Tents Explorer 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. Femkes and Latitude Tents take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
The JoyCee is 10 kg lighter at 65 kg against 75 kg, which on a factory roof rated for 68 to 75 kg is often the difference between a legal fit and a rack upgrade. List prices are within $116 of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.
They open differently: the JoyCee is a clamshell and the Explorer a pop-up. That is not cosmetic — it decides whether headroom is even across the tent or tapers towards one end, and how much of the roof the tent occupies when closed. The JoyCee uses aerodynamic ABS, waterproof, with aluminium base; the Explorer uses aluminium hardshell. Canvas differs too: polyester mix with 280 gr cotton canvas, waterproof and fire-retardant against heavy-duty rip-stop poly-cotton with waterproof & UV-resistant coating (3000mm hydrostatic head). Closed, the Explorer sits 11 cm lower on the roof — 20 cm against 31 cm — which is drag you carry on every mile you are not camping.
Femkes
JoyCee
The JoyCee is an ABS clamshell hardtop tent from Femkes that opens upward on gas springs to sleep two, with an interior peak height of about 123 cm. It includes a fixed awning over the large window and an annex awning that attaches behind the vehicle. Femkes lists a closed size of 210 x 140 x 31 cm and an approximate 65 kg weight including ladder and mattress.
- 123 cm interior height, taller than Femkes's Lifun and Miles clamshells
- Annex awning included for behind-vehicle shelter
- 6 cm mattress with optional NASA memory-foam layer
- Manufacturer does not publish a season rating or setup time
Latitude Tents
Explorer
The Explorer is Latitude Tents's hardshell roof tent, opening on gas struts in a claimed 30 seconds and packing down to a 20cm-tall closed profile (excluding the supplied roof bars). It sleeps two on a 70mm foam mattress with an anti-condensation mat, and includes a built-in three-setting dimmable LED light plus load-bearing roof bars rated to 85kg closed and 25kg open. The maker publishes a 3000mm hydrostatic-head rating and a Gale Force 8 wind rating but does not list the tent's weight or full open dimensions as text.
- Hardshell opens on gas struts in a claimed 30 seconds
- Slim 20cm closed profile with roof bars rated 85kg closed / 25kg open
- Built-in dimmable LED light and 70mm foam mattress with anti-condensation mat
- Manufacturer does not publish the tent's weight or full open dimensions in text
Which one to pick
Take the JoyCee if your roof load limit is the binding constraint. 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 | Pop-up |
| Sleeps | 2 | 2 |
| Season rating | — | — |
| List price | $3,080— best of the tents compared | $3,190— worst of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 143 lb— best of the tents compared | 165 lb— worst of the tents compared |
| Packed length | 6 ft 11 in | — |
| Packed width | 4 ft 7 in | — |
| Packed height | 12.2 in— worst of the tents compared | 7.9 in— best of the tents compared |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 6 ft 9 in | — |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 5 in | — |
| Floor area | 30 sq ft | — |
| Interior height | 4 ft | — |
| Mattress thickness | 2.4 in— worst of the tents compared | 2.8 in— best of the tents compared |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | ~60 secest. | 30 sec |
| Shell material | Aerodynamic ABS, waterproof, with aluminium base | Aluminium hardshell |
| Fabric | Polyester mix with 280 gr cotton canvas, waterproof and fire-retardant | Heavy-duty rip-stop poly-cotton with waterproof & UV-resistant coating (3000mm hydrostatic head) |
| Warranty | — | 2years |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | — | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | — |
| Roof skylight | — | — |
| Annex available | Yes | Yes |
| Solar ready | — | — |
| Carries cargo on top | — | Yes |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Femkes product page | Latitude Tents product page |
Related comparisons
Or read the full spec sheets for the Femkes JoyCee and the Latitude Tents Explorer.