There's a version of this story that exists only on Instagram.

The golden hour shot. The well-behaved lab sitting at the edge of the tent, ears up, staring into the pines. You and your dog, living the dream 6 feet off the ground.

Then there's the version that actually happens the first time.

Your dog refuses to go up the ladder. You try to carry a 65-pound Lab up aluminum rungs with one hand while holding a headlamp in your teeth. You finally get them up, they spin three times, and immediately want back down to sniff something. You're both sweaty, the tent smells like wet fur within 20 minutes, and your sleeping pad has been rearranged into something unrecognizable.

And somehow – somehow – it's still better than camping without them.

Rooftop tent camping with your dog is entirely doable. Millions of overlanders do it. But there's a gap between "doable" and "seamless," and nobody likes to talk about what lives in that gap. This post does.

First, the Real Question: Is a Rooftop Tent Actually Right for Your Dog?

Before you even get into sizing or setup, the honest answer is: it depends on your dog.

Dogs that tend to adapt well to RTT camping are:

• Calm in new environments

• Comfortable with confined sleeping spaces (crate-trained dogs often take to it naturally)

• Not prone to anxiety-driven movement or pacing at night

Dogs that struggle:

• High-energy breeds that need to decompress by moving

• Dogs with hip or joint issues that make climbing painful

• Very large dogs that will simply run out of room

• Dogs that bark or react to sounds — because in an RTT, every crack of a branch is amplified

None of this means you can't make it work. It means you go in with realistic expectations, not just a good-looking gear setup.

Sizing Your RTT Around Your Dog (Not the Other Way Around)

This is where most first-timers make their mistake. They buy a tent sized for humans and assume the dog will "fit somewhere." Dogs don't fit somewhere. Dogs occupy space aggressively, redistribute weight constantly, and stretch into whatever gap exists. Plan around them from the start.

Standard & XL Rooftop Tents: The One-Dog Sweet Spot

FSR's standard and XL hardshell rooftop tents are built for couples and solo travelers – and they're genuinely excellent for one-dog setups, provided your dog is medium-sized or under (roughly under 50 lbs).

For solo campers with a single dog, a standard hardshell gives you everything you need. The footprint is efficient, it pops up fast, and you're not fighting for mattress real estate with a 30-pound cattle dog. It's the setup people don't photograph enough: just you, your dog curled at your feet, and the stars through a cracked window panel.

The XL adds meaningful square footage – important if you're camping as a couple with a dog, or if you have a medium-to-large breed and need the extra room to give them a dedicated sleep zone. Think of it as the difference between your dog technically fitting versus your dog actually having their own corner of the tent. That corner matters at 2am when they decide to rotate positions.

Where standard and XL tents become a compromise is with large or multiple dogs, or any situation where you're adding a 70-pound dog to an already-full sleeping arrangement. That's not a comfort issue – it becomes a safety issue in terms of weight distribution, and a sleep quality issue for everyone involved.

King-Sized Rooftop Tents: Built for the Dog Tax

If you've got a large breed, two dogs, or you simply refuse to sacrifice comfort on the altar of minimalism, FSR's King-sized rooftop tents are a different category of experience entirely.

The King gives you the kind of square footage where your dog actually has a defined sleeping space that isn't borrowed from yours. You can bring a proper dog bed or sleeping pad for them. Large breeds like your Labs, Shepherds, Ridgebacks, Vizslas, Malinois – can stretch out without their paws finding your ribs at 3am. Two medium dogs become a non-issue.

There's also a practical argument for King sizing beyond raw square footage: gear. When you camp with a dog, you bring more stuff. Towels for muddy paws. A backup leash. Their food, their bowl, their anxiety toy they can't sleep without. A King tent doesn't just fit your dog better – it fits your dog and all the stuff that comes with them.

The honest trade-off: King tents weigh more, cost more, and require a vehicle with a sufficient roof load rating. They're a commitment. But if you're camping with large dogs frequently, the quality-of-life difference is significant enough that most people who make the jump don't go back.

A simple rule of thumb:

• Solo + small/medium dog → Standard

• Couple + one dog OR solo + large dog → XL

• Large breed, two dogs, or comfort-first → King

Getting Your Dog Into a Rooftop Tent: The Reality Nobody Posts About

Here's the part of the blog where the aesthetic falls away.

Getting your dog into a rooftop tent is a process – not a single event. Most dogs don't just trot up a ladder the first time. Some never will. And that's information worth having before you're standing in a dark campsite at 10pm with a confused Husky and a headlamp.

The Ladder Problem

Rooftop tent ladders are designed for humans. They're angled, they flex slightly under weight, and they feel unstable to an animal that doesn't understand the mechanics. For dogs, this is disorienting at best and terrifying at worst.

Dog steps (sometimes called "doggie steps" or RTT dog ramps) help – but they're not magic. The Doggo RTT Ramp is our #1 choice here. They reduce the angle and give dogs a wider surface to step on, which helps confident, agile dogs adapt faster. But for dogs that are anxious, arthritic, or simply not motivated by what's up there, steps alone won't solve the problem.

Training the Ladder (Or the Steps)

The dogs that take to RTT camping most naturally are the ones that were introduced to the process slowly, on the ground, with zero pressure.

Start at home or in a parking lot. Introduce the steps or ladder with the vehicle parked. Let the dog sniff it, put their feet on it, and retreat. No pressure. Treat every paw on the step like it's a championship. Over multiple sessions – sometimes over multiple days – build up to a full climb with you going up first and calling them.

Some dogs take three sessions. Some take three weeks. A few never take to it.

For dogs that won't climb independently, the carry-up method works – but requires honesty about your physical ability and your dog's weight. A 30-pound dog can be carried up a ladder safely with proper technique. A 70-pound dog requires two people, the right grip, and ideally, a King-sized tent waiting at the top to justify the effort.

Once They're Up

The first night up top is usually the hardest – for them and for you. Expect some circling, some panting, possibly some whining. The tent feels unfamiliar, the sounds outside are amplified, and they don't yet know this is home base.

A few things that genuinely help: bring their regular sleeping blanket or a worn piece of your clothing up with them (familiar scent is a powerful anchor), keep the windows cracked so the air doesn't feel stale, and don't make a big deal out of their anxiety. Matter-of-fact calm from you communicates safety faster than reassurance.

By night two, most dogs are more settled. By night three, many of them are beating you up the ladder.

Practical Tips That Actually Come from Experience

• Paw wipe station at the bottom of the ladder. Mud in a rooftop tent has nowhere to go. Keep a dedicated towel clipped to your ladder and make it a ritual — wipe before you climb, every time.

• Bring a separate sleep surface for them. A separate bed to give them dedicated space is ideal. A compact, portable dog sleeping setup (like Trail Teck’s dog camping gear) helps create a defined sleep zone inside the tent.

• Tie-out or pen on the ground level. You can't be up in the tent every moment your dog needs to be awake. A ground-level tie-out stake or a pop-up pen gives them a safe contained space while you're making coffee, and reduces the number of ladder trips dramatically.

• Be honest about nighttime exits. If your dog needs to go out in the middle of the night – and many do, especially on the first night – you need a plan. That means a leash within reach, shoes you can slip on half-asleep, and either a partner to stay in the tent with the dog or a ground-level tie-out option. Pretending this won't happen is how you end up with a very bad night.

• Consider a King before you think you need one. If you're debating between XL and King because of your dog's size, go King. Space in an RTT at 2am, with dog breath in your face and a paw in your kidney, feels very different than space looked on a spec sheet. A second option is to have larger pups sleep in your vehicle or ground tent to help with space/comfort.

The Part Nobody Says Out Loud

Camping with your dog in a rooftop tent is inconvenient in ways that are hard to fully prepare for. It is also – and this is not nothing – one of the more quietly satisfying versions of outdoor life that exists.

There's something about being 6 feet off the ground, in the dark, with your dog pressed against your legs and the sound of wind in whatever trees surround you, that lands differently than a tent on the ground. It feels earned. It feels like the two of you built something together.

The muddy paws and the ladder negotiations and the 3am bathroom trips are part of the deal. So is everything else.

Gear up smart, size your tent for reality, train the climb before you need it, and go find your version of that shot – the one that exists off Instagram and lives in your actual memory instead.

 

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Ready to find the right RTT for you and your dog? Browse FSR's full lineup of standard, XL, and King-sized hardshell rooftop tents at gofsr.com. For dog-specific gear like hi-vis collars, portable dog beds, and more – check out TrailTeck's camping dog gear collection. For dog steps and ramps – check out the Doggo RTT Ramp.