Quick Take: The Alu Cab 3-R Expedition Tent is a feature packed rooftop tent that provides a cavernous amount of space in a durable package that can stand up to countless trail miles. Out of the box it’s comfortable and far from barebones, but the end user can choose from a deep catalogue of accessories to dial in the tent to meet their needs.
Editor’s Note: The Alu Cab 3-R Expedition Tent qualifies for OK4WD’s 10% discount on tents for their Black Friday Promotion!
Over the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to own and test out a wide variety of rooftop tents across several makes and styles. Some have been great, some have been less than stellar, but none have offered the durability, features, and comfort, that the Alu Cab Gen 3-R Expedition brings to the table.
My first experience with an Alu Cab rooftop tent was actually on the very first Overland Expo Ultimate Overland Build back in 2021. During my time with that rig, I was impressed with the ease of deploying and packing the tent, plus the cavernous interior. Three years later, I see the evolution of that tent in the 3-R Expedition model. The comfort and trail-ready durability are still present, but a more refined design and features are included. Measuring 82.5” x 51” with a 63” peak interior height, there’s no lack of room. It’s spacious for two and luxurious for a solo traveler. It’s difficult to quantify the comfort of a mattress, but I’ve had zero issues with this excellent option from Alu Cab. The same goes for my wife and a buddy who borrowed the truck for a weekend at a festival. For what it’s worth, I sleep in the 3-R as well as I do at home.
Durable and Sleek
The exterior aluminum shell on the 3-R Expedition provides the durability a tent needs, especially one that’s on a truck that’s exploring the Eastern woodlands. Even on nontechnical trails, it’s not uncommon to come across low limbs or tight green tunnels of foliage. Soft-cover tents can’t stand up to this abuse without scrapes, and even tears in the vinyl covers, but the Alu Cab just shrugs it off. Plus, the wedge design is tapered at the feet on both the sides and top to provide a sleek look and improved aerodynamics.
Comfortable Backcountry Accommodations
While shelter is the main mission of any tent, keeping you warm and dry is the minimum requirement for staying comfortable. The Alu Cab 3-R Expedition tent offers a wide variety of included and optional features that up the comfort it provides.
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Above the main window, a spring bar awning allows generous airflow. Even during heavy rains, this cover allows you to keep the window open. When not in use, you unzip the sides, roll up the material, and keep it up and out of the way to streamline setup and packing. The optional Side Rain Cover can attach to either side of the tent via Velcro plus a small bracket. It provides cover as you enter and exit the tent, and it also allows more of the door material to be left open for ventilation during rain.
Up top, the 3-R Expedition offers full-length tracks to add load bars. Of course, these could be used for additional cargo, but I plan to add solar panels in order to take advantage of the industry’s first solar pre-wire that’s included with the tent. This routes through the top half of the tent, with a Anderson SB50 mounted on the bottom corner. This wire routing also provides power to the outlets included inside the tent so that it’s easy to keep electronics charged throughout the night. Uptop a GP Factor cover shields the positive pressure vent from damage.
A pass-through heater port makes it incredibly simple to hook up a diesel heater or even a portable air conditioner for exceptionally cold or hot trips. Inside, you’ll find two of my favorite accessories that I honestly underestimated: the Tent Backrest and the Interior Drop-down Table. At first, I thought these were just nice touches, but both have far surpassed my initial impressions about the level of functionality they provided. The Tent Backrest is obviously great for sitting comfortably in the tent. You can dial in your favorite level of reclining as you click through the settings on the backrest frame. It’s great for watching a movie or reading, but I have found another use where it truly shines. When I’m looking for camp and I’m short on daylight, I’ve been known to settle for a less-than-level spot. Instead of worrying about keeping my head higher than my feet, I can avoid that terrible morning headache by raising the Tent Backrest up one notch and catching some Zs in peace. On several trips, I’ve slept this way with zero problems and avoided turning the truck around, leveling with whatever was handy, and chasing that perfectly level camping spot.
Likewise, the Interior Drop-down Table seems like a must-have after only a few months with it. We’ve watched movies on a cold night, enjoyed some coffee on a drizzly morning, and more than once, it’s served as a nightstand for items that wouldn’t fit in the interior pockets of the tent. When not in use, it’s literally up and out of the way, and it can be deployed or stored in seconds. This handy accessory works for the Alu Cab Gen 3.1 rooftop tent, the Gen 3-R as tested, the Canopy Camper, the Khaya Camper, the ModCap, and Alu Cab’s roof conversions.
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And I’d be remiss to leave out the Alu Cab Shadow Awning and Shower Cube. Both integrate with the 3-R tent with specialty mounts that ensure they’re mounted as flush as possible, and they’re securely attached to the tent. If you wanted to remove the tent from your rig, it only takes a couple of bolts and a hoist could lift the tent, awning, and shower cube in one easy-to-reinstall package.
The Shadow Awning integrates into the tent so well with the mounting brackets that I feel like they’re one and the same. Not only does this awning offer 100 square feet of coverage, but it unzips, unrolls, and is fully deployed in seconds. The rear anchor point effortlessly slides into the tent, and a sturdy cam strap keeps it taught. When the winds pick up, the corner leg is easy to fold down, and I really appreciate that it can be anchored with opposing shepherd hook stakes for optimal strength. If the conditions call for more supports, integrated corner straps are built in. The whole thing is made of reflective material designed to keep the shade underneath the awning cooler, and this fabric has proven to be durable and easy to clean.
Ease of Use
You might think that all of these features and add-ons would complicate this tent, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you need or want to get in the tent in a hurry, all you have to do is pop the two rear latches, slide the ladder into the mount on the tent, and climb in. When it’s time to pack up, the same principle still applies. Unhook and collapse the ladder, pull the tent closed with the webbing handle, and close the latches. Even the task of packing the material away is practically hands-free since the heavy-duty elastic shock cord gathers the tent fabric as you close the shell. Alu-Cab also designed the 3-R Expedition with a generous overhang between the top and bottom sections of the exterior, so there’s little chance that some fabric will hang out when the tent is closed.
The Alu Cab 3-R Has It All
I won’t say that the Alu Cab 3-R Expedition rooftop tent is a one-size-fits-all solution, but for traveling solo or with a partner, it’s rather incredible. It’s incredibly durable, it offers excellent storage and comfort solutions, and the list of available accessories are all as equally well thought out as the tent itself. It fits great on my ZR2, and at many events, I see Alu Cab tents on a wide range of mid-sized trucks, larger full-sized models, and even SUVs.
What to know:
- Features: Formed aluminum construction, black out material, insulated roof panel, heater vent, and solar panel input.
- Closure: Two lockable rear latches
- Cargo Capacity: Up to 110 pounds of cargo can be on the roof when the tent is open.
- Mattress: 3-inch high-density foam mattress
- Weight: 167 lbs.
- MSRP: $4,399
