Roof Lodge Lightweight (140) vs Roofnest Meadowlark 2 XL
The Roof Lodge Lightweight (140) and the Roofnest Meadowlark 2 XL are both softshell tents in the same part of the market, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a comparison across categories. Roof Lodge and Roofnest take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
By the numbers, the Roof Lodge Lightweight (140) brings 46 kg, 3.36 m² of floor, 120 cm of headroom and sleeps 2. The Roofnest Meadowlark 2 XL counters with 54 kg, 3.6 m² of floor, 114 cm of headroom and sleeps 3.
The Lightweight (140) is 8 kg lighter at 46 kg against 54 kg, which on a factory roof rated for 68 to 75 kg is often the difference between a legal fit and a rack upgrade. Floor area is close to identical at 3.36 m² and 3.6 m², so neither wins on sleeping room. Setup is not close. The Meadowlark 2 XL opens as a fold-out in 60 seconds; the Lightweight (140) takes 5 minutes. Over a trip with a new campsite every night, that gap compounds. Their list prices are within a few percent of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.
Canvas differs too: 102 g/m2 Oxford ripstop nylon, PU-coated against 600D rip-stop polyoxford, 2000 mm waterproof rating.
Roof Lodge
Lightweight (140)
The Roof Lodge Lightweight is a weight-optimised fold-out softshell rooftop tent that replaces the Evolution 2's heavy polycotton with a 102 g/m2 Oxford ripstop nylon canopy over the same thermoplastic honeycomb floor. Nakatanenga quotes an approximate total weight of about 46 kg, lighter than its polycotton Evolution 2, and targets it at vehicles with limited roof-load capacity. It is offered in a single 140 cm width with a 60 mm foam mattress (or an optional 10 cm self-inflating mattress). It shares the Evolution 2 140's fold-out platform, giving an open sleeping area of about 240 x 140 cm (~3.36 m2) at roughly 120 cm interior height; Nakatanenga does not separately publish these figures for the Lightweight.
- Lighter than Roof Lodge's polycotton Evolution 2 thanks to a 102 g/m2 ripstop nylon canopy
- German-made thermoplastic honeycomb floor
- Includes LED lighting, aluminium sliding ladder and two lockable roof windows with mosquito protection
- OEKO-TEX 100 certified mattress (two firmness options) plus long-term spare parts and repairs from Roof Lodge's own German workshop
- Optional thermal inner tent available for cold-weather use, extending it toward year-round camping
- Offered only in a single 140 cm width
Roofnest
Meadowlark 2 XL
Roofnest's soft-shell entry point, and the cheapest tent they sell. It delivers a 3.60 m² three-person floor for well under half the price of the hardshell Condor, at the cost of a fabric cover instead of a shell.
- Well under half the price of Roofnest's hardshells
- 3.60 m² floor for three
- 54 kg suits mid-size SUVs
- Soft cover means slower pack-down in bad weather
Which one to pick
Take the Meadowlark 2 XL if you move camp most days. Take the Lightweight (140) if your roof load limit is the binding constraint. Beyond that the feature rows below — heater port, skylight, annex, cargo rails — are where the remaining difference lies.
Every specification, side by side
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Softshell | Softshell |
| Opening style | Fold-out | Fold-out |
| Sleeps | 2— worst of the tents compared | 3— best of the tents compared |
| Season rating | 3-season— worst of the tents compared | 4-season— best of the tents compared |
| List price | $2,210— worst of the tents compared | $2,095— best of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 101 lb— best of the tents compared | 120 lb— worst of the tents compared |
| Packed length | — | 5 ft 5 in |
| Packed width | — | 4 ft |
| Packed height | — | 13 in |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 7 ft 10 in— best of the tents compared | 7 ft 6 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 7 in— worst of the tents compared | 5 ft 2 in— best of the tents compared |
| Floor area | 36.2 sq ft— worst of the tents compared | 38.8 sq ft— best of the tents compared |
| Interior height | 3 ft 11 in— best of the tents compared | 3 ft 9 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Mattress thickness | 2.4 in— worst of the tents compared | 2.5 in— best of the tents compared |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | 5 min— worst of the tents compared | 60 sec— best of the tents compared |
| Shell material | — | — |
| Fabric | 102 g/m2 Oxford ripstop nylon, PU-coated | 600D rip-stop polyoxford, 2000 mm waterproof rating |
| Warranty | — | 2years |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | Yes | — |
| Roof skylight | Yes | — |
| Annex available | — | — |
| Solar ready | — | — |
| Carries cargo on top | — | — |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Roof Lodge product page | Roofnest product page |
Related comparisons
- Lightweight (140)vsFun
- Lightweight (140)vsEvolution 2 (140)
- Lightweight (140)vsLite
- Meadowlark 2 XLvsLite
Or read the full spec sheets for the Roof Lodge Lightweight (140) and the Roofnest Meadowlark 2 XL.