Yakima SkyRise HD vehicle rooftop tent, medium, tan and red, 8007437

The 1 minute video gives a good overview of how Yakima’s SkyRise HD roof tent works. Release the integrated travel cover (held closed with wide Velcro strips and quick-release buckle straps), roll it up so it’s out the way, and then pull on the telescopic ladder – the tent unfolds and is ready to go, except for adding the tensioning poles to the waterproof flysheet (if fitted).

You’ll see that, when the tent is opened, the ladder generally supports one half of it, with the other half supported by the vehicle. Correct positioning of the ladder is therefore very important.

Why choose Yakima SkyRise HD?

There are many good reasons for choosing a Yakima SkyRise HD:

• It’s one of the lightest 2 to 3 person tents available, only 54kg – and extra kilos really start to count when it comes to lifting and moving heavier weights than this
• The tools-free SpinVice roof bars fitting system is sophisticated, smart and quick to use, and it locks the tent onto the roof bars
• The aluminium tent frame is designed to maximise the internal space
• There’s lots of ventilation and light, with 4 large windows (one on each side) and 2 large skylights, each with a separate mesh insect screen
• It’s a 4 season Heavy Duty tent, made from 600D Ripstop polyester with a separate, removable waterproof rainfly / fly sheet (210D Ripstop polyester), each waterproofed to the equivalent pressure of 3000mm of water – that means waterproof! The travel cover is made from a low glare high quality 680g PVC
• Our experience is that the shape of the flysheet keeps out the rain, even when the wind changes unexpectedly. We’ve used it in high winds and heavy rain, with no problems
• The SkyRise HD colours are designed to blend in with the natural environment, with just a nice touch of Yakima red for extra style; it’s not a high-viz mountain tent!

Other notes and specifications

• Provides room for up to three people (to an overall person weight limit of 272kg), and very generous space for two people. A Small size is also available, slightly smaller and lighter; if in doubt, we recommend that you choose the larger of the two sizes (called Medium)
• You can position the tent so it hangs over the side or the rear of the vehicle
• Guy lines and pegs are provided to tie down the overhanging part in windy conditions; the D ring tie down points are also useful for hanging up gear
• A wide range of accessories is available, shown below; many of these fit into the SideTrack channel that runs around the edge of the tent base
• The tent floor is abrasion-resistant; the textured finish provides extra durability
• The telescopic ladder has an auto-close function so it’s easy to close
• The 64 mm thick foam mattress covers the entire floor; the cover is removable for easy cleaning
• Includes 2 Yakima SKS locks to secure the tent to the roof bars
• An extensive range of spares is available, although subject to significant delays
• The maximum height from the ground to the top of the roof bars is 249cm – if your vehicle height is greater than this, the SkyRise HD Medium is not suitable
• Open dimensions: L 243cm x W 142cm x H 122cm
• Closed dimensions: L 122cm x W 142cm x H 41cm – no higher than a typical roof box
• Weight: 54kg
• 2 year limited warranty

Fitting and safety notes

The Yakima SkyRise HD is one of the lightest roof tents available but, even so, lifting it onto the roof of an SUV, big 4x4 or van can be quite challenging; you’ll need to be strong enough to lift the best part of 30kg above your head, and most likely you’ll also need something solid to step on, e.g. a pair of folding step stools.

Depending on how tall and strong you are, lifting it onto a standard height car is much easier, but the fitting technique should be the same, whatever the height of the vehicle. Two people need to lift it, one at the front and one at the back, both on the same side of the vehicle. Lift one side onto the edge of the roof bars, and then push / slide it across the vehicle – please don’t strain your back and shoulders by having one person on either side of the vehicle and then walking it over the front or back of the vehicle.

Depending on vehicle height, you might also need the steps for securing and releasing the travel cover, and inserting the flysheet poles (although, with care not to fall out, this can also easily be done from inside the tent). If you have a taller vehicle, it’s definitely worth considering a Dropracks system (see below) - this will double the cost, approximately, but will make it massively safer and easier to use the roof tent, and indeed anything else you want to carry.

Some other dos and don’ts

A roof tent is an unusually heavy object for a set of roof bars. And having two or three adults climb onto a vehicle roof is usually a definite “No go!” Here are some key points to remember to avoid damage to you, to other road users, to your vehicle, or to your roof tent:

• Yakima tents must not, repeat not, be fitted to clamp on roof bar systems. The risk of roof damage is too high, and flexing roof bars might also loosen the fitting kit clamps, especially if the roof bars are not correctly fitted. Safety first. See the tab Roof tents – suitable vehicles
• Check the maximum dynamic load limit for your vehicle roof, and your roof bars. The lowest load limit is your limit (to be reduced by 30% if driving off road). For example, if your vehicle roof can take 75kg and your roof bars can take 100kg your load limit (including the weight of the roof bars) is 75kg. See the tab Roof tents – suitable vehicles
• Make sure the ladder is set between 75 degrees (quite steep) and 90 degrees. Adjust the angle and the step setting as appropriate, making sure that the rungs are either clicked into place, or are “one on top of another”, not floating – the load on the outer edge of the roof tent needs to be taken by the ladder, or you are likely to damage the tent
• Be sure to read, keep and re-read the instructions. For example, it’s even more important when camping on a vehicle roof that you don’t use camping stoves inside the tent, or candles – and beware of sparks from camp fires
• Be sure to read, keep and re-read the instructions. For example, make sure the tent is completely dry before it’s put away, otherwise you’ll have a mildew problem. You’ll likely want to get it out and open it up again on a sunny day, at ground level, to be sure that it’s properly dried out
• Reminder: Lift the roof tent from one side of the vehicle when fitting and removing; don’t try and “walk it on” from the front or back of the vehicle

Accessories

• Annex: This 3 wall enclosure slides into the SideTrack channel that runs around the tent floor, providing a stand-up changing room and extra storage or sitting area.
• SunBelt - flexible LED light strip
• SkyHooks – tent gear carabiners
• SideKick – a shoe storage bag
• SkyLoft – a hanging storage hammock
• BedSheets – a cotton sheet and pillow cases set; the light grey colour is suitable for semi-outdoor living!

Dropracks

Dropracks is a unique roof loading system that, with a few turns of a handle, brings the roof loading space down to waist or chest height, still with a horizontal loading platform. This makes it massively quicker, safer and easier to install and work with a Yakima SkyRise HD on a high vehicle. The roof tent needs to be installed in the T-track slots, so the SpinVice quick fittings need to be removed and replaced with a T-track fitting system.

When testing this setup we drilled four holes in the base of the roof tent, and used our T track adapter set ATT1. You can decide when it is best to unfold the SkyRise HD, whether on the horizontal or when it’s most of the way back up to the roof!

Only certain vehicles can carry a roof tent; you may find that suppliers of other roof tent brands take a more relaxed view, but Yakima is primarily a major designer and manufacturer of vehicle roof bar and other load carrying systems, so they know the engineering and the risks, and they wouldn’t put barriers in the way of sales unless there are very good reasons for doing so.

The vehicle and roof bars need to be strong enough, and the same for the roof bar fixings.

Key considerations:

• The vehicle roof and the roof bars must have a minimum dynamic load limit of 75kg. The dynamic load is the load on a moving vehicle; you’ll find this information in your vehicle handbook and in the roof bar instructions, described as e.g. "Maximum load"
• The lower of these limits is your load carrying limit. Note that some dealer supplied roof bars may have lower limits than the roof bars we supply
• The dynamic load on the vehicle roof will include the weight of the roof tent (Medium = 54kg, Small = 46kg) and the weight of the roof bars
• You must not fit Yakima roof tents to plain roof / clamp on roof bar systems. The risk of roof damage is too high, and flexing roof bars might also loosen the fitting kit clamps, especially if the roof bars are not correctly fitted. So you can only fit Yakima roof tents to roof bars which fit to raised roof rails (see below), flush mounted roof rails, fixpoints, T-tracks, or gutters
• Raised roof rails. Some raised roof rails are too weak; they are OK if there are more than two legs, or a two leg system is supported at each end. Additionally, the cross bars must be positioned as close as possible to the side or centre rail legs. See for more information

Other checks and notes:

• The distance between the front roof bar and the rear roof bar, centre to centre, must be between 66cm and 102cm when fitting a SkyRise HD which unfolds on the side of the car, and between 66cm and 87.5cm when fitting a SkyRise HD so it unfolds over the rear of the car
• Remember that a fully loaded vehicle roof raises the centre of gravity, which will affect road handling
• If you are driving off road, the dynamic load should, as a rule of thumb, be reduced by 30%. Dynamic loads that are published in vehicle handbooks and roof bar instructions assume that the vehicle is being driven on generally smooth and even tarmac. And by “off road” we have in mind proper off road driving on any continent, e.g. the Australian Outback. The UK doesn’t have territory of this sort; we’re not thinking about e.g. a few miles of rough track to a remote campsite.

The static load that is permitted on a vehicle roof, when the vehicle is stationary, is not usually mentioned in the vehicle handbook; it may be presumed to be three (3) times the dynamic load.

For example, if the vehicle load limit is 75kg, and the roof bars can hold 100kg, the dynamic loading limit is 75kg. 3 x 75kg is 225kg, less 54kg for the tent and 7kg for the roof bars leaves 164kg for the roof tent occupants. If one occupant weighs 90kg, that only leaves 74kg for the others. Common sense should be applied here – 3 people at 90kg is likely to be too heavy a weight; 1 at 90kg and 1 at 85kg is unlikely to be a problem, bearing in mind that a static load of three times the dynamic load is only a rule of thumb.

Importantly, it is up to you to decide whether to carry a roof tent, and what weight to put in it. If in doubt, research the subject in more depth, or ask your car dealer for an opinion. Neither we nor Yakima will be liable for damage, to vehicles and / or users and / or third parties, associated with the fitting and loading of Yakima roof tents.

Delivery charges and arrangements:

We charge a contribution towards delivery costs, depending on what you order, where you live, and how quickly you want the goods.

These are our standard charges; there are usually surcharges for all offshore destinations and some remote postcodes - for details please see our delivery information page.

Delivery of this item

Delivery of other items

Delivery times

Delivery times are calculated in working days (Monday to Friday, excluding Bank holidays).

Cut-off times for Express Delivery orders
Express Delivery orders placed before before the cut-off times shown below will usually be desptached on the date of order. Express Delivery orders placed after these cut-off times will be despatched the next working day.

Delivery FAQs

When will my order arrive?
There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays, except for postable items where Royal Mail has a Saturday delivery. Express Delivery orders placed on a Friday (before 1pm) should be delivered on the Monday or Tuesday, Express Delivery orders placed on a Saturday or Sunday should be delivered on the Tuesday or Wednesday. The arrangements for Very Heavy Items are different and are shown above.

What about Next Working Day delivery?
We have offered a reliable Next Working Day service for well over 20 years but, due to the pressure on the couriers caused by the coronavirus crisis and the huge increase in online shopping, we can no longer be confident about the delivery date, which is why we now call the service ‘Express delivery’. Most Express delivery orders will arrive on the next or second working day, but some will arrive on the second or third working day, or be split between these days. So-called “split deliveries” happen when the couriers do not have enough trailer space for everything that should be moved around the UK, so they will load what they can and leave the rest for the next trailer.

Is my delivery day guaranteed?
No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. As well as split deliveries, all courier companies occasionally have the same transport problems as can happen to everyone else, including snow blocked roads, closed roads, traffic jams, mechanical breakdown, an inability to find the delivery address, or to gain access to it if, for example, it's in a block of flats. We work with some of the best couriers in the business, and overall they provide an outstanding service.

Do I need to be at home?
We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver to an address which suits you – this does not need to be your home address. Goods can usually be left without signature - we prefer this with roof boxes. There's a "Special Delivery Instructions" box in the checkout area where we'll ask you to choose a typical instruction and then amend it to suit your particular requirements.

Payment options:

We take the following cards, and also PayPal. Please note that the entry on your card statement will be from "The Roof Box Company".

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Yakima has a comprehensive network of international distributors, so we do not sell or ship Yakima branded products overseas, including to Northern Ireland or to the Republic of Ireland. We hope you can find the Yakima products you want, locally.