Now You Can Go Camping On The Roof Of Your Mini Countryman

Mini owners: rejoice! For you can now put a tent on top of your Countryman. Because of course you can.

Italian car roof tent manufacturer (who knew?!) Autohome has developed a boxy roof tent for the largest Mini. Measuring 130x210cm, it looks like a streamlined, 33cm-high roof box when collapsed, but expands to create what is apparently a 94cm-high two-berth sleeping space. Mmmm, cosy.

The 58kg fibreglass and canvas unit is easier to set up than a regular tent, though; just flip the safety hooks aside and four “gas springs,” which we assume are pneumatic rams, lift the roof up and into position. It can’t be that difficult, because on the instructions above, Autohome has wasted an entire image on a shorts-wearing discomfort enthusiast looking very pleased with himself.

The 58kg tent isn’t Mini’s first brush with rooftop camping. Back in summer 2013 the brand revealed three camping special editions, one of which was the, err, Countryman Camp. No, we’re not kidding. The other two were a Clubvan with a built-in bunk and kitchenette, and a little Cowley caravan.

Shipping for the new Autohome roof tent begins in the summer, so you’ve got a month or two to start planning where you’re going to use it first. You could argue it would save on hotel bills for road trips, but at €2836.93 it’s not exactly cheap. That’s quite a lot of Travelodge rooms, after all…