Latitude Tents Explorer vs Yakima SkyPeak HD
The Latitude Tents Explorer 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. Latitude Tents and Yakima take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
The Explorer is 7 kg lighter at 75 kg against 82 kg, which on a factory roof rated for 68 to 75 kg is often the difference between a legal fit and a rack upgrade. The Explorer lists $805 lower, at $3,194 against $3,999.
They open differently: the Explorer is a pop-up and the SkyPeak HD a clamshell. 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.
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
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 Explorer if the budget is fixed. Take the Explorer 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 | Pop-up | Clamshell |
| Sleeps | 2 | 2 |
| Season rating | — | 4-season |
| List price | $3,190— best of the tents compared | $3,999— worst of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 165 lb— best of the tents compared | 180 lb— worst of the tents compared |
| Packed length | — | 7 ft 1 in |
| Packed width | — | 4 ft 10 in |
| Packed height | 7.9 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 | — | 5 ft 7 in |
| Mattress thickness | 2.8 in | — |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | 30 sec | ~60 secest. |
| Shell material | Aluminium hardshell | — |
| Fabric | Heavy-duty rip-stop poly-cotton with waterproof & UV-resistant coating (3000mm hydrostatic head) | — |
| Warranty | 2years | 2years |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | Yes |
| Roof skylight | — | — |
| Annex available | Yes | — |
| Solar ready | — | Yes |
| Carries cargo on top | Yes | Yes |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Latitude Tents product page | Yakima product page |
Related comparisons
Or read the full spec sheets for the Latitude Tents Explorer and the Yakima SkyPeak HD.