Smittybilt Aluminum Side Opening vs Trustmade Wildnest Pioneer HD
The Smittybilt Aluminum Side Opening and the Trustmade Wildnest Pioneer HD are both hardshell tents in the same part of the market, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a comparison across categories. Smittybilt and Trustmade take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
By the numbers, the Smittybilt Aluminum Side Opening brings 3.02 m² of floor, 96.01 cm of headroom and sleeps 3. The Trustmade Wildnest Pioneer HD counters with 90.3 kg, 2.79 m² of floor and sleeps 3.
Floor area is close to identical at 3.02 m² and 2.79 m², so neither wins on sleeping room. The Wildnest Pioneer HD lists about 38% lower than the Aluminum Side Opening.
They open differently: the Aluminum Side Opening is a clamshell and the Wildnest Pioneer HD a pop-up. That is not cosmetic — it decides whether headroom is even across the tent or tapers towards one end, and how much of the roof the tent occupies when closed. The Aluminum Side Opening uses aluminum; the Wildnest Pioneer HD uses aircraft-grade aluminium.
Smittybilt
Aluminum Side Opening
The Aluminum Side Opening RTT is a hard-shell rooftop tent with a low-profile aluminum shell that opens to the side, sleeping 2-3 people. It uses gas-assisted struts, a 2.5" high-density foam mattress, an LED light strip with inline remote, internal mesh storage and external roof rack bars on the shell. Smittybilt rates it for a 661lbs load and backs it with a 5-year warranty.
- Aluminum hard shell with 5-year warranty and gas-assisted setup
- External roof rack bars allow cargo carrying on the closed shell
- 2.5" mattress and LED strip with remote
- Manufacturer does not publish tent weight or season rating
Trustmade
Wildnest Pioneer HD
A 4-season pop-up hardshell with a detachable winter thermal liner, a summer side awning, USB outlet and luggage racks.
- 4-season: thermal liner + side awning
- USB outlet and luggage racks
- ~5 s pop-up
- US-only availability
Which one to pick
Take the Wildnest Pioneer HD if the budget is fixed. 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 | Hardshell | Hardshell |
| Opening style | Clamshell | Pop-up |
| Sleeps | 3 | 3 |
| Season rating | — | 4-season |
| List price | $2,399.99— worst of the tents compared | $1,499— best of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | — | 199 lb |
| Packed length | 7 ft 1 in— worst of the tents compared | 7 ft— best of the tents compared |
| Packed width | 4 ft 7 in— worst of the tents compared | 4 ft 4 in— best of the tents compared |
| Packed height | 7.1 in— worst of the tents compared | 7.1 in— best of the tents compared |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 7 ft 1 in— best of the tents compared | 7 ft— worst of the tents compared |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 7 in— best of the tents compared | 4 ft 4 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Floor area | 32.5 sq ft— best of the tents compared | 30 sq ft— worst of the tents compared |
| Interior height | 3 ft 2 in | — |
| Mattress thickness | 2.5 in— worst of the tents compared | 2.6 in— best of the tents compared |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | ~60 secest. | 5 sec |
| Shell material | Aluminum | Aircraft-grade aluminium |
| Fabric | — | 320 g polyester, YKK zips, flocked floor lining |
| Warranty | 5years | — |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | — |
| Roof skylight | — | — |
| Annex available | — | No |
| Solar ready | — | — |
| Carries cargo on top | Yes | Yes |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Smittybilt product page | Trustmade product page |
Related comparisons
- Aluminum Side OpeningvsAluminum Pop-up
- Aluminum Side OpeningvsInnovator HD
- Aluminum Side OpeningvsClamTrekk
- Wildnest Pioneer HDvsInnovator HD
Or read the full spec sheets for the Smittybilt Aluminum Side Opening and the Trustmade Wildnest Pioneer HD.