You're taking your new Rivian R1T electric pickup truck into the great green yonder, right? We mean, it's not like your new EV pickup can't handle a bit of muck; our 43-day, 7,686-mile cross-country sojourn over the wild Trans-American Trail (TAT) at the helm of a Rivian should be enough to dispel just about any concerns of charging or capability. It's a big world, y'all—get out there and explore.

Day trips and nature-facing AirBnbs are great and all, but we recommend shacking up alongside your new Rivian at a campground, either local or afar. After all, there's a lot the R1T has to offer in the way of wilderness amenities, particularly when it comes to how you choose to spend the quieter part of your nights. Rivian has you covered there—literally. Come rain, come shine, the new Rivian-branded Yakima rooftop/bed-top tent ($2,650) is a great place to stretch out under the stars, a pop-up shelter we made regular use of during our weeks-long TAT trip. The co-branded tent is a port of Yakima's existing Skyrise HD Medium rooftop tent, adapted and mounted on a set of Rivian crossbars that span the width of the truck.

The pair of structural bars lock into the R1T's integrated accessory ports located on either top side of the bed walls or the roof, depending on where you want to strap your stuff or pitch your tent. Need more bed clearance or simply don't like driving around with vehicular scaffolding hanging off your sled? Unlatch the bars with the specialized key tool, and throw those suckers in either the onboard gear tunnel or the bed.

So, wherever the crossbars fit, so does the Yakima tent. Once in place, you're moments from creating a basecamp, and the final product comes complete with a drop-down ladder and rainfly. Even when stowed, it's not exactly the size of a matchbox, but its 49 x 58 x 17-inch dimensions mean it's hardly like carrying a full-scale barn over your tailgate.

When opened, it's a roomy 56 x 96 x 48 inches, providing enough interior real estate to house up to three people. Yeah, we reckon two folks and their gear is a more comfortable setup, but as long as you keep total interior weight at less than the 600-pound max, you do you. Either way, you'll at least be nice and cush with the wall-to-wall integrated foam pad that's a hefty 2.5 inches thick. Sleepers have a choice of a full sheet set for the pad, or simply cozy up in the sleeping bag of your choice, as we did.

How Easy Is It to Set Up?

Popping this top up is a breeze. As mentioned, it starts with undoing a few zips and snaps on the protective weather cover. After removing that vinyl cover, unfurl a second fitted tarp and unfold the whole tent like a reverse sandwich. As you do so, the internal structure pops up to full height, and you're almost good to go.

Next, grab the bag of flexible poles that come with the kit. These are for the rainfly/sunshade that sits on the upper portion of the tent, each pole slotted into little loop-points and bowed under tension to create an awning. Hot night? That rainfly is removable to increase airflow, but even with it in place there's a skylight you can uncover for a smidge of stargazing.

Of course, breaking it down is simply this process in reverse, and expect both setting up and breaking down the tent to take between three and five minutes. See? No excuse to not get out there and soak up some sun, slap some spiders, drop your marshmallow into the fire, and enjoy the beautiful terrain our country has to offer.