Dometic TRT 140 Rooftop Tent Review (Surprisingly Awesome)

[DaveA]

Unfortunately I can't say on the crossbar load ratings. I have an awning on the roof, works great.

Do you notice any range loss with this being a soft case instead of a hard shell?

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[Riv_Ian]

Thanks for the review - that looks like a great value. Would you have any pictures of it closed? I didn't see any on Amazon or their own website. Thanks.

 

[DaveA]

Thanks for the review - that looks like a great value. Would you have any pictures of it closed? I didn't see any on Amazon or their own website. Thanks.

Shows it for a split second as they are unfolding it. Looks narrow due to the tri-fold.

Edit: Found an image.

 

[LazyJZ]

Any chance you have pictures of it folded up/in transit mode? Wondering how it might fit next to a single bike rack on one side of the crossbars.

The tri fold likely makes it even easier for a bike rack parallel setup I suspect. I do wonder about proper support a bit though if shifted to one side though.

See attached

 

[LazyJZ]

Thanks for the review - that looks like a great value. Would you have any pictures of it closed? I didn't see any on Amazon or their own website. Thanks.

 

[LazyJZ]

Do you notice any range loss with this being a soft case instead of a hard shell?

I did not - given it's behind the cab, it really hasn't been an issue. The awning has greater effect.

 

[AirCruiser]

Thank you for the clarifications and authentic representations here. I have no skate in Dometic, so my opinions were truly just a reflection of my experience. I looked at the Aircruiser, and seriously considered it (as I mentioned in the post, I only found the Dometic via my experience of researching your tent), but overall the price and a few key benefits swayed me.

- I appreciate the comment on the weight. Good to know. Our lighting weighs a few ounces, but perhaps I wasn't factoring apples to apples when considering stuff like the ladder. I was just going off of listed weights on respective websites.

- My two cents if it's worth anything for your product development, @AirCruiser , is that a built-in pump is actually a bug, not a feature. A built-in pump, to me, is an element which can fail, and deem my product worthless, whereas an external pump if ever fails can be easily replaced. I imagine there is no right or wrong here, just personal preference.

- I haven't been in the Aircruiser, and the added height sounds interesting, but again, just as a user preference (maybe for future product input), sleeping space is infinity more important to me than vertical space. One is nice to have, one is need to have, for us. I actually liked the headroom in the Dometic much more than our previous iKamper.

I'd love to see an Air Cruiser in person some day to do a side by side comparison. If you're ever near Southern California I'd love to check it out.

Thanks for the goodwill conversation. Great to see brands engaging with their market. Even more so if they're open to feedback (Joolca are a great example of this).

It’s actually great to hear your perspective on the Dometic. We love listening to people’s opinions on different outdoor products — we have customer-focused R&D and develop most of our products based on real-world feedback. I didn’t get the sense you were tied to Dometic at all — just sharing your experience, which is what makes these forums so valuable. And I agree: it’s good to see the TRT 140 Air getting some credit. I actually think, in many ways, it’s a better proposition than the iKamper Skycamp Mini, air frames have some real big advantages from set up and break down time to weight and performance.





You make a good point about sleep space being the key metric for you — and I totally get that. For what it’s worth, most RTTs that fit a Rivian bed are within an inch or two of each other in sleeping area. It’s not usually a night-and-day difference in practical terms — it doesn’t really impact the camping experience. In the case of the Air Cruiser, though, the extra headroom (about 14–15 inches more than the Dometic) really transforms the feel. It turns it from a basic sleep space into something that feels more like a living area. For me, this is the biggest advantage of the Air Cruiser over other RTTs — it shifts it from a mountaineering tent feel to more of a camping tent that doubles as a true living space.





On the built-in pump — I hear you. Honestly, we debated that a lot during development. Some folks prefer an external pump for exactly the reason you mention: it’s easier to swap out if there’s ever an issue. But we designed ours to work either way. The Air Cruiser can be inflated manually if needed, and so far — with close to 15,000 units out in the wild — we’ve only seen two pump failures. In both cases, we replaced them faster than a customer could have picked one up locally. For most people, the plug-and-go convenience of the built-in system wins out. The best analogy I can think of is this: imagine having to pump up a tire, getting your kit ready, and sorting it out — versus just plugging it in and it’s done. But again, it’s great to hear that not everyone sees it the same way. That kind of feedback helps shape what we build next.





And thanks for the kind words about us engaging here. We're a small, family-run team, so conversations like this genuinely matter. Wildland — who manufacture the Air Cruiser — are one of the biggest and most experienced players in the RTT space, but we’re proud to be the bridge between that manufacturing muscle and what people like you are actually looking for. We try to bring user feedback straight into product design, and when you message us, you’re always talking to someone who can take action — not just pass it up the chain.





Anyway — I don’t want to hijack the thread. I agree, the Dometic deserves the spotlight here, and your post gave it a great one. But I genuinely hope you get to see an Air Cruiser in the wild at some point — maybe even side by side. Would love to see a comparison video if you ever get the chance. We’re actually working on a few ourselves, including one with the iKamper. Might have to add the Dometic to that list now.





All the best, and thanks again for the good-faith discussion.





— Jake

 

[R1Yes]

Hi, Jake from Cinch here – the Air Cruiser guy!

Do you have a link to the comparable model you're talking about? Thanks!

 

[AirCruiser]

Do you have a link to the comparable model you're talking about? Thanks!

Sure, here you go https://air-cruiser.cinchpopuptents.com/

 

[Riv_Ian]

Thanks for the recommendation. I’d been looking for a used ikamper 3 mini - this looks like a better deal. I do like the idea of a hard shell, but that’s a big premium and this has its advantages by the looks of it.

 

[ndmiller]

It seems positively tiny with enough space to use my 1up bike rack for Biking/Camping trips next to it. Feels like good engineering a they are a well thought of brand in other spaces. Do you have a picture of it setup on your T?

 

[Wefty]

That pic has me brainstorming on a mounting method that wouldn't need the full crossbars. Then I could throw my bike right next to it.

 

[Rivncoaster]

Snagged one for my R1S! Sweet deal. Never used one before, so we'll see how it goes. Hoping to get my money's worth.

 

[LazyJZ]

Snagged one for my R1S! Sweet deal. Never used one before, so we'll see how it goes. Hoping to get my money's worth.

Nice - I'd like to see what it looks like on the S when you get it. Good luck.

 

[mythran]

FYI for anyone grabbing the dometic, they have the awning attachment on steep discount too.

Just did a day trip with the tent, kids/spouse approved.

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