I’m currently gathering all of my camping equipment to take the kids on a trip up to a park in Pennsylvania, and I’ll be packing the Scout. This is not a problem; I love taking the Scout on adventures. But my end goal for the Travelall has always been to make it a proper touring/camping rig, and one of the things on the list is to install a rooftop tent. Marketplace seems to be lousy with used examples, and while I’ve been tempted to buy one lately, I know I’m still at least a year away from being ready. For one thing, I still don’t have a platform built to mount a tent to, although I have the aluminum channel ready and waiting for a date with the TIG welder.

That’s not to say I haven’t been doing my homework. I’m looking for a hardshell model, for several reasons: I don’t want a big flappy bag on the top of the truck slowing things down, I don’t want something that will require a PhD and a 2-hour video to install, and I’d like to have a place to mount solar panels to charge the battery and plug stuff into. I’ve seen several different options from multiple manufacturers, and over the weekend I stumbled across a listing for a Naturenest Polaris Plus on Marketplace. This seems to tick all of the boxes I’m interested in: it’s light, it’s a hardshell, it packs down small, and it’s outfitted with some thoughtful amenities—an external cooler-heater vent, USB plugs, lighting, and external racks to mount other gear upon. This looks like a strong contender—and the price is reasonable.