Jackery’s Rooftop Tent Comes with Built-In Solar Panels
A rooftop tent isn’t something you would expect to get much attention at the Consumer Electronics Show. After all, the annual convention is usually a place for tech companies like Samsung, Sony, and LG to show off their latest televisions, laptops, and personal audio devices. But at the 2024 edition of CES—held in Las Vegas a few weeks back—we came across one rooftop tent that promises to be a game changer for car campers and overlanders. And it could be coming our way courtesy of a trusted brand.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
The rooftop tent in question was found in the Jackery booth in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The company is well known for its rugged line of portable power stations, which provide clean energy that you can take virtually anywhere. Better still, those devices can be recharged in the field using solar panels, making them an excellent source of cheap, clean energy on the go.
Ahead of the 2024 edition of CES, the Jackery team created a prototype rooftop tent that includes integrated solar panels designed to collect energy from the sun all day long. The top of the tent features a large single 400W solar cell, while two additional 300W panels slide out from the sides when parked at the campsite. All told, the three panels can generate up to 1,000 watts of power, which is significantly more than many full-size RVs.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
The power collected from the sun is used to charge a Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus power station integrated into the tent’s design. That device can store 1,264Wh and provides an output of up to 2,000W. That’s enough electricity to run most small appliances and keep mobile devices and laptops fully charged while traveling. Jackery is working on implementing expansion batteries to increase the storage capacity as needed, allowing travelers to camp off-grid for longer periods of time. The company also plans to add an AC inverter, allowing the power station to charge from other sources, including the vehicle’s alternator while driving.
The tent is designed to fit on a wide variety of vehicles, provided they have crossbars to provide support. As you would expect, it is made from durable waterproof fabrics and comes with a memory foam mattress and can comfortably sleep two adults. It also has integrated LED lighting with custom brightness and color settings that are adjusted via an intuitive control panel.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
The prototype tent that we saw will undergo further refinement before it is ready to go on sale. The production model is expected to weigh around 200 pounds, which is a bit on the heavy side compared to other rooftop shelters. This could make it ponderous to install on some vehicles, but Jackery’s top-notch engineers are working on ways to make that procedure as easy as possible.
Jackery hasn’t announced final pricing for the tent, although considering how much functionality it offers, expect a premium price tag. There isn’t a firm date on when it will be available to purchase either, but we were told to expect it in Q4 of this year. For now, we’ll just have to remain patient and wait for further details later this year. Watch the company’s website for updates.
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