TopOak’s Galaxy Professional is a lower-priced hardshell rooftop tent with loads packed into it. It has an aluminum shell, roof bars, built-in energy entry, a heater vent, inside lighting, and sufficient room inside to sleep with out feeling pinned towards the partitions.
I examined the Galaxy Professional with TopOak’s Air & Foam Tenting Mattress and 270-degree awning. The tent itself impressed me greater than the total set up did. As soon as it was mounted and arrange, the Galaxy Professional was snug, sensible, and straightforward to love. Getting it there took work.
The mattress was one of many higher rooftop tent sleep setups I’ve used. The built-in energy entry made sense in camp. The crossbars added helpful versatility. The rainfly, nevertheless, grew to become the recurring irritation. It was awkward to handle, noisy within the wind, and annoying throughout closure, particularly with the awning mounted.
In brief: The TopOak Galaxy Professional ($1,800-1,968) is an effective hardshell RTT for patrons who need consolation and helpful options with out paying top-tier rooftop tent costs. The set up takes additional palms, and the rainfly wants refinement, however the tent delivers the place it counts.
TopOak Galaxy Professional Evaluate
Dimensions open
83″ x 56″ x 53″
Dimensions closed
83″ x 56″ x 8″
Sleeping footprint
79″ x 52″
Static weight capability
Not listed
Professionals
- Comfy sleep setup
- Included roof bars
- Built-in energy entry
- Roomy inside
Cons
- Rainfly is awkward and noisy
- Set up and teardown takes some gusto
Options and Equipment
The Galaxy Professional is a hardshell rooftop tent with an aluminum alloy shell, honeycomb aluminum ground, built-in roof bars, inside lighting, a heater vent, an Anderson energy port, and solar-friendly top-side channels. It additionally comes with a 3-inch mattress and a kicked-out inside form that gives extra usable area than a fundamental wedge-style RTT.
The included roof bars add cargo flexibility with out requiring a right away add-on buy. The highest-side channels additionally give customers the choice to construct out the tent for photo voltaic or longer camp setups, relying on the car and electrical system.
Contained in the tent, the Galaxy Professional consists of lighting, storage, energy entry, and a heater vent. The Anderson port is designed to make energy administration cleaner contained in the tent, particularly for customers operating camp electronics, lights, or charging gear.
TopOak’s Air & Foam Tenting Mattress ($198) is an non-compulsory accent that matches the Galaxy Professional footprint and was added to this take a look at, together with the included mattress.
The 270-degree awning ($599) is one other non-compulsory accent that expands coated area across the car. TopOak lists it at 64 kilos, with 172 sq. toes of protection, built-in LED lighting, adjustable aluminum poles, and chrome steel pegs. It’s accessible in driver-side and passenger-side variations.
The total Galaxy Professional setup, together with the tent, mattress, and 270-degree awning, is supposed to perform as a extra full vehicle-based camp system. The tradeoff is added weight, added complexity, and extra to handle throughout set up and teardown.
First Impressions and Set up
This set up was not fast. It took three individuals a number of hours to mount the Galaxy Professional, get the brand new mattress in, and connect the 270-degree awning. A few of that comes with any heavy rooftop tent and huge awning, however this isn’t an off-the-cuff one-person storage set up.
The Galaxy Professional weighs 165 kilos earlier than including the awning, mounting {hardware}, and equipment. The 270-degree awning provides one other 64 kilos. That a lot weight requires planning, additional palms, and a car setup with the correct rack and cargo capability.
As soon as put in, the tent regarded strong and felt secure. The crossbars, shell, ladder, and awning gave the total setup a completed really feel, however no one ought to count on it to go onto a car shortly with out assist. I’ve put in different RTTs solo. This one can be a beast alone.
Testing
As soon as put in, the Galaxy Professional was straightforward to love. It opened with out a lot bother, and the inside felt roomy for a hardshell RTT. The kicked-out form provides it extra usable area than a fundamental wedge-style tent, and I had sufficient room to sleep comfortably.
The included mattress was a significant optimistic. I slept nicely and didn’t get up with the same old soreness from the skinny foam in lots of rooftop tents. The Air & Foam Tenting Mattress improved the setup additional, particularly for facet sleeping. It’s well worth the time to inflate and deflate in case you worth an actual, strong evening’s sleep.
The ability entry additionally made sense throughout testing. Charging units contained in the tent was easy, and the setup saved small electronics higher organized. It’s not a flashy function, however it’s one I appreciated in precise camp use.
The awning labored nicely as soon as deployed. It added a giant shaded space and made the car really feel extra like a full camp setup. I appreciated having that a lot coated area, particularly for cooking and sorting gear. That mentioned, wind won’t be your good friend. It’s a large sail, so you’ll be able to think about how that performs out.
The rainfly was the issue. The helps have been awkward, and the system didn’t really feel as completed as the remainder of the tent. The fly additionally bought noisy within the wind. Some cloth noise comes with rooftop tents, however this was sufficient to hassle me. I truly swapped the longer and shorter helps in an effort to try to knock down wind noise (pictured above) to minimal avail.
Closure was one other challenge with the rain fly. The exterior cinch pulls within the tent physique, which is definitely higher than a variety of RTTs I’ve examined, however it doesn’t pull within the rainfly utterly. I needed to stroll across the car and tuck the rainfly by hand earlier than closing the shell.
With the awning mounted, the job bought tighter as a result of there wasn’t a lot room to work. I could ultimately take away the rainfly flaps altogether, even when it means taking a knife to the dang factor.
Comparability to the 1.0 and the Competitor
TopOak Galaxy 1.0
The Galaxy Professional builds on the Galaxy 1.0. Our earlier Galaxy 1.0 overview discovered that tent snug, straightforward to make use of, quiet on the roof, and robust for the value. The Galaxy Professional retains the lower-price enchantment however provides extra consolation, roof bars, energy entry, and a heater vent.
It additionally provides extra to handle. The Galaxy 1.0 felt less complicated. The Galaxy Professional feels extra succesful, however the rainfly and added equipment make the setup much less tidy.
Roofnest Falcon 3 Evo
The Roofnest Falcon 3 EVO ($3,000+) is the closest comparability I’ve personally examined. The Galaxy Professional and Falcon each sit within the hardshell RTT class, and each supply fast deployment, a low closed profile, and sufficient inside room for snug sleeping.
The Falcon is approach simpler to dwell with. It’s lighter, faster to open and shut, and extra refined in repeated use. The Falcon 3 EVO is listed at 140 kilos, whereas TopOak lists the Galaxy Professional at 165 kilos. The Falcon additionally has a slimmer profile. You are feeling the distinction when mounting the tent, driving with it, and shutting it at camp.
The Galaxy Professional wins on value and included options. It brings roof bars, energy entry, a cushty sleep setup, lighting, and helpful camp extras at a a lot decrease value.
In the long run, the Falcon is the extra polished tent. The Galaxy Professional is the higher deal. They each have their place.
The place the Galaxy Professional Falls Quick
Are you sick of listening to about this dang rainfly, but? Effectively, right here’s a bit extra. It’s awkward to make use of, noisy within the wind, and annoying throughout closure. The helps could possibly be simpler to handle, and the fly doesn’t tuck in with the tent physique when the interior cinch is used.
Like, I child you not, I actually am contemplating chopping the factor off. Positive, it provides a bit extra safety from the weather, however that little addition of safety isn’t well worth the headache of setup, teardown, and woosh woosh woosh.
The awning makes that flaw extra noticeable. It provides helpful camp protection, however it additionally limits the area accessible for manually tucking the rainfly. Packing up camp ought to get quicker with apply, however the rainfly nonetheless provides an additional step. With the awning connected, you need to wiggle both your fingers or an extended, slim software to tuck that rainfly into the shell within the small area allotted between the body and the awning.
The scale and weight additionally matter. The Galaxy Professional is wider and heavier than the Falcon 3 EVO, and the total setup with the awning is substantial. This isn’t a tent I’d wish to set up and take away typically.
Total Ideas on the Galaxy Professional
The TopOak Galaxy Professional is an effective RTT. It’s snug, roomy, and well-equipped, with a lower cost than many comparable hardshell fashions. The mattress is snug, the facility setup is beneficial, the crossbars are glorious, and the inside area works nicely.
For patrons who need a snug hardshell RTT with helpful included options, the TopOak Galaxy Professional is simple to suggest. You’ll want endurance for the set up and the rainfly, however the tent itself makes a powerful case for the value.
