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What campsite should you book when camping with a Rooftop Tent?

  • Writer: Jeremy
    Jeremy
  • Dec 15, 2025
  • 2 min read

With so many campsite categories, tent, van, campervan, RV, walk-in, or backcountry, it can be confusing to know what to book when travelling with a vehicle-based camping setup, especially a SUV or pickup with a rooftop tent.


Here’s a clear guide for booking campsites in BC Parks, National Parks, and private campgrounds


Outland Camper parked at a campsite in the forest near Vancouver BC
Outland 4x4 Camper at a regular tent site in a BC Park

How Rooftop Tents Are Classified


Vehicles with rooftop tents, whether they are a pickup truck, SUV with rooftop tent, or a regular car, are not considered RVs or campervans unless they are fully built-in motorhomes.


Outland campers:

  • Do not tow trailers

  • Park like a regular car, SUV, or van

  • Are much smaller than a campervan or RV


General rule: If you can park a car or SUV and pitch a tent there, you can sleep in a rooftop tent.


Private Campgrounds


  • Book a Tent Site

  • The site must allow vehicle access

  • ⚠️ Avoid RV parks that do not offer tenting areas


Most private campgrounds treat SUVs and vans with rooftop tents the same as standard tent camping.


BC Parks


When booking on the BC Parks website:

  • Select “1 car / van”

⚠️ Do not book walk-in only tent sites


BC Parks considers rooftop tents to be tent camping, not RV camping, as long as the vehicle is parked within a designated campsite.


Outland 4x4 Camper rental parked at cultus lake near Vancouver bC
Outland 4x4 Camper on a campsite at Cultus Lake Provincial Park


National Parks (Parks Canada)


For Parks Canada campgrounds:

  • Select “1 car or van/pickup”

  • Book front-country campgrounds only

  • ⚠️ Hike-in and backcountry sites are not accessible by vehicle


Whether you’re in a SUV with rooftop tent, van, or pickup, the rules are the same.


Outland 4x4 Campervan parked at Wapiti Campground in Jasper National Park
Outland 4x4 Camper at Wapiti Campground in Jasper National Park


What Is NOT Allowed


Regardless of whether you’re in a van, campervan, RV, or SUV with rooftop tent, sleeping is not allowed in:

  • Parking lots

  • Day-use areas

  • Trailheads

  • Highway pull-outs

  • Outside a designated campsite when in a National or Provincial Park


One Sentence to Remember


"If the campsite allows a car and a tent, your Outland 4x4 camper is allowed."



Book your Outland rooftop-tent camper and travel with the freedom of a car, the comfort of a camper, and none of the hassle of a big RV.



 
 
 

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