The Bush Company AX27 Clamshell Rooftop Tent

AX27: a hard shell clamshell rooftop tent for long-range touring

The AX27 is our all-round rooftop tent: a fast, comfortable aluminium clamshell with power built in and a roof strong enough to carry the rest of your kit. It weighs 99kg without the ladder or fitment set and sits 280mm high when closed.

Set up in 30 seconds, bedding inside

The shell closes on our own custom-made, heavy-duty over-centre latches, made from stainless steel, and they have holes for a padlock so you can lock the tent.

Undo them, let the gas struts lift the shell, then slot the 8mm spring steel rods into the stainless steel corner receivers to hold the rainfly out over the entrances. The AX27 is fully set up in about 30 seconds, with no frame to put together.

It opens to 1.7m of headroom at the entry end, enough to sit up and get changed. When it’s closed there’s more than 120mm of space inside, so standard bedding, sheets and sleeping bags stay stored right inside the closed tent, along with pillows, doonas and even an electric blanket. That saves space in your vehicle and keeps your bedding clean and dust free.

Comfort for two

The 80mm mattress (2.13m long × 1.28m wide) has 40mm of medium-density foam on top for comfort, over a 40mm high-density foam base that gives a firm foundation and resists bottoming out. It has a removable, zippered canvas cover over a thermal marine carpet underlay designed to help reduce condensation beneath the mattress.

• Entrances: large front and side entrances make getting in and out of the tent easy. Each entrance has an outer canvas door, an inner canvas door and midge mesh, and every canvas door and midge mesh has YKK spiral zips.
• Ventilation: the inner canvas doors let you control ventilation from inside the tent without opening the midge mesh screens, and a mesh-covered vent above the rear door keeps air moving when you’ve closed everything up.
• Storage: six roof pouches, four large canvas side pouches and two canvas water bottle pockets.
• Carpeted roof liner: Velcro pouches stick straight to it.

Power built in

• Outlets: a 12V socket and twin 2.4A USB-A ports on each side of the mattress.
• Power input: fed from your vehicle through a 50A Anderson plug under the tent. No extra wiring kit is needed.
• Lighting: a movable tri-colour LED light (white, amber and red) that’s battery powered and rechargeable by USB.
• Cable channels: zippered canvas channels run up the inside of the roof to keep wiring for fans and lights neatly stored, so nothing gets caught when you close the tent.

Built for Australian conditions

The frame is our B-Tech^® Alloy extruded aluminium with reinforced, welded corners and stainless steel hinges, latches and handles.

The body is dual-layer 315gsm ±5% acrylic-treated polyester ripstop canvas, treated against mould, mildew and UV. The two layers work like double glazing: the air gap between them insulates better against heat and cold and significantly reduces condensation build-up on the inside of the tent walls. They also make it a blackout fabric that adds weather resistance and blocks out light, so the tent stays darker at sunrise.

Automotive-grade rubber seals keep the tent dust free and watertight when it’s closed.

A large removable one-piece rainfly with 8mm spring steel poles and adjustable storm straps covers the entrances in wet weather.

Why the rainfly matters

• Dry entry and exit: it covers the ladder and entryway, so you can get in and out safely without getting soaked or bringing dripping water inside.
• Extra weather protection: it’s an extra layer of defence against heavy rain, stopping water pooling directly against the main tent canvas or doorways.
• Airflow in wet weather: it shields the openings, so you can keep windows or vents cracked open for fresh air without rain splashing inside.

A roof that carries the rest of your kit

The internally reinforced roof is rated to 200kg dynamic when closed and 50kg when open, subject to the rating of whatever the tent is mounted to. That’s enough for solar panels, boards or a tinny on Rooftop Tent Load Bars.

Ezi-Slot channels take more than 15 of our accessories without drilling, including:

• recovery track side mounts
• a shovel mount
• the Outhouse Shower Tent
• awning to tent brackets for a freestanding awning

As with any roof-mounted gear, add up the tent, your rack or canopy and anything carried on top, and confirm the total is within your vehicle’s and rack’s dynamic roof load ratings.

Getting in and out

The tent comes with the 2.6m Deluxe Telescopic Ladder with wide angled steps and two ladder brackets: one pre-mounted at the open end of the tent, and one you can mount to either side. You can climb in through the open end or from the side, whichever suits your vehicle setup.

Install your tent

The AX27 comes with:

• the Rooftop Tent Universal Fitment Set: six complete fitment brackets, three for each side
• two heavy-duty 20mm foot rails with M8 slots

You can fit the tent the usual way, with the open end at the rear of the vehicle, or in reverse, with the open end facing forward and the ladder secured to a roof rack on the cab. If you fit it in reverse, the Rooftop Tent Dead Bolt Bracket is required, for extra protection against the tent opening while you’re driving.

See our rooftop tent mounting options for canopies, low-profile mounts and cab clearance. The Bush Company or one of our stockists can fit it, or you can follow the fitting instructions in the Installation tab.

Is the AX27 right for you?

Choose the AX27 for the most roof capacity in our range and room for full bedding.

• If weight and height profile matter more, the LX27 Gen 2 is 18kg lighter and 105mm lower.
• If you want near-full headroom from end to end rather than a clamshell’s sloping roof, look at the double-action TX27 and TX27 MAX.

Watch the AX27 product walkthrough video for a full tour of the tent.

Made in South Africa for The Bush Company, with a 2-year conditional warranty. Buy online, pick up the same day from our showroom in Marcoola on the Sunshine Coast, or order through one of our stockists Australia wide.