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May 28, 2023

Dometic pumps up camp with panoramic Air inflatable rooftop tent

Swedish brand Dometic has long been an inseparable part of the leisure vehicle

Swedish brand Dometic has long been an inseparable part of the leisure vehicle market, its appliances and accessories featuring in RVs around the world. More recently, it's been going lighter and faster, pushing deeper into the overland, modular camper and car camping markets, both with its own products and by acquiring existing companies such as Front Runner Outfitters. With its latest product, it's looking to make light campers simpler and more versatile than ever. The all-new TRT 140 Air rooftop tent uses an inflatable design to ensure setup and breakdown keeps up with adventurers who rise at dawn to chase first tracks and beat out thunderstorms.

Company acquisition has been a critical part of Dometic's business model since it was first spun-off as the mobile appliance arm of original parent company Electrolux in 1968. Acquisitions during the ensuing decades helped Dometic vastly grow its lineup from RV refrigerators to stoves and cooking appliances, awnings, HVAC and virtually any other major piece of equipment you need to live in a vehicle out in the wild. In 2018, it added British inflatable tent and awning manufacturer Kampa to the fold and has grown its lineup of inflatable campsite accessories from there.

Most of Dometic's inflatable lineup consists of standalone ground tents and awnings and auxiliary tents that attach to the rear or sides of the vehicle. With the all-new TRT 140 Air, the company lifts the line off the ground and atop the vehicle, adding a new style of tent to a lineup of RTTs offered under the Dometic and Front Runner brands.

The TRT 140 Air uses a unique trifold design to compact down for transport, leaving space next to it on the vehicle roof for carrying other gear, such as bikes, skis or additional camping equipment. When packed down, it stands 12.6 in (32 cm) tall and covers an area of 57.5 x 31.5 in (146 x 80 cm). At 107 lb (48.5 kg) for the tent alone, or 127 lb (57.6 kg) when including the telescopic ladder, the TRT 140 Air is also quite lightweight for an RTT, allowing for use on a wide variety of vehicles.

At camp, the TRT 140 Air relies on the included 12-V pump to inflate in roughly two minutes, after campers remove the cover and fold out the floor. A single-valve inflation system simplifies the process, eliminating any need to connect the pump to multiple points around the tent. Dometic's Air Frame comprises TPU tubes that provide structural integrity at just 9 psi but can also handle higher pressures. The tubes are designed to stand tall in the outdoor environment and will flex in severe winds, preventing any potential for damage or breakage. The Air Frame is designed to deflate in a matter of seconds, making the dreaded morning pack-up less formidable.

Along with its fast, electric-pumped setup, another top highlight of the TRT 140 Air is its mesh-heavy design. The tent features large mesh doors and windows on every wall, creating a 360-degree panorama. Zippered blinds close that mesh up for privacy and protection from the elements. The two-person tent's seam-taped Weathershield poly-cotton ripstop fabric is designed to keep weather out while breathing naturally and reducing interior condensation. The included foam mattress also comes with an anti-condensation mat.

Dometic launched the TRT 140 Air in Europe in April and followed up with a US launch in May, just in time for Overland Expo West. The tent retails for US$2,500 and includes the pump, ladder, mattress, and internal and external storage pockets.

At the same time as the US TRT Air launch, Dometic added the Hub 2 to its US lineup. The freestanding awning uses the same style of fast-inflating Air Frame construction and packs down to backpack-carry form, weighing in at 19.7 lb (8.9 kg). When set up, it has a 7.5 x 7.5-ft (2.3 x 2.3-m) footprint. It retails for $750.

The one-minute promo video below gives a better idea of the TRT 140 Air's compact size on the vehicle roof, setup and features.

Source: Dometic