Latitude Tents Pioneer vs Roofnest Meadowlark 2 XL
The Latitude Tents Pioneer and the Roofnest Meadowlark 2 XL are both softshell 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 Roofnest take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
Floor area is close to identical at 3.36 m² and 3.6 m², so neither wins on sleeping room. List prices are within $100 of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.
They open differently: the Pioneer is a clamshell and the Meadowlark 2 XL a fold-out. 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. Canvas differs too: 320g rip-stop polyester-cotton with waterproof & UV-resistant coating; oxford polyester rainfly; 550g PVC travel cover against 600D rip-stop polyoxford, 2000 mm waterproof rating.
Latitude Tents
Pioneer
The Pioneer is Latitude Tents's softshell clamshell roof tent sleeping 2-3 adults, sitting between the Scout and the larger Pioneer XL in the range. It has a 240cm x 140cm internal floor with a 60mm high-density foam mattress, two roof skylights, and the same 320g rip-stop polyester-cotton construction as the rest of the softshell range. It needs roof bars rated above 55kg; Latitude does not publish the tent's weight or packed dimensions.
- Sleeps 2-3 adults on a 240 x 140cm floor
- Two roof skylights and a 60mm high-density foam mattress
- Fits vehicles with roof bars rated above 55kg
- Manufacturer does not publish weight or packed dimensions
Roofnest
Meadowlark 2 XL
Roofnest's soft-shell entry point, and the cheapest tent they sell. It delivers a 3.60 m² three-person floor for well under half the price of the hardshell Condor, at the cost of a fabric cover instead of a shell.
- Well under half the price of Roofnest's hardshells
- 3.60 m² floor for three
- 54 kg suits mid-size SUVs
- Soft cover means slower pack-down in bad weather
Which one to pick
These two are closely matched on the numbers that usually decide it. Read the feature rows below — heater port, skylight, annex — and let whichever of those you will actually use break the tie.
Every specification, side by side
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Softshell | Softshell |
| Opening style | Clamshell | Fold-out |
| Sleeps | 3 | 3 |
| Season rating | — | 4-season |
| List price | $1,790— best of the tents compared | $1,886— worst of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 119 lb | 120 lb |
| Packed length | — | 5 ft 5 in |
| Packed width | — | 4 ft |
| Packed height | — | 13 in |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 7 ft 10 in— best of the tents compared | 7 ft 6 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 7 in— worst of the tents compared | 5 ft 2 in— best of the tents compared |
| Floor area | 36.2 sq ft— worst of the tents compared | 38.8 sq ft— best of the tents compared |
| Interior height | — | 3 ft 9 in |
| Mattress thickness | 2.4 in— worst of the tents compared | 2.5 in— best of the tents compared |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | ~5 minest. | 60 sec |
| Shell material | 25mm aluminium tubing frame with 304-grade stainless steel hardware and hinges | — |
| Fabric | 320g rip-stop polyester-cotton with waterproof & UV-resistant coating; oxford polyester rainfly; 550g PVC travel cover | 600D rip-stop polyoxford, 2000 mm waterproof rating |
| Warranty | 2years | 2years |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | — | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | — |
| Roof skylight | Yes | — |
| Annex available | Yes | — |
| Solar ready | — | — |
| Carries cargo on top | — | — |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Latitude Tents product page | Roofnest product page |
Related comparisons
- PioneervsHD Nomadic 3 Extended
- PioneervsEvolution 2 (140)
- PioneervsScout
- Meadowlark 2 XLvsEvolution 2 (140)
Or read the full spec sheets for the Latitude Tents Pioneer and the Roofnest Meadowlark 2 XL.