About Us

Kuafo: For Those Who Live on the Road

1. The People Who Sleep on Rooftops

I first noticed them at a high mountain pass on National Highway 318.

2 AM, altitude 4,800 meters. Seven or eight vehicles formed a circle, each with a light shining from its roof, like floating islands.

Up close, it was a group of off-road veterans. Their trucks were heavily modified—beadlock wheels, winches, full roof racks—but when it was time to sleep, they all curled up in the back seats.

“Why not bring a tent?”

“Too much hassle,” said Liu, who owns a 4×4 shop. “After a full day of driving, no one has the energy to spend an hour setting up camp.”

He pointed to the stars. “Besides, sleeping on the ground wastes the view.”

2. Fast. Solid.

Off-roaders understand timing better than anyone.

The ten-minute “magic hour” before sunset—you need to be in position. The wind before a storm is your countdown to pack up the awning.

So a rooftop tent has to be:

Faster than changing a tire
More stable than a desert sandstorm
More reliable than mountain weather

We went through thirteen versions. Version seven blew away in the Badain Jaran Desert. Version ten grew mold in Medog.

The current version? We can spray it directly with a high-pressure hose in the workshop for five minutes. Not a single drop gets in.

3. Cooking in the Rain

Our first users were old friends.

Zhe, an overland guide who leads twenty trips to Tibet each year, said: “Before, when my clients asked where I was staying, I was embarrassed to say ‘in my truck.’ Now they’re all jealous.”

His video from Ranwu Lake went viral: heavy rain pounding the roof, instant noodles boiling inside the tent, steam fogging up the window. The caption read: “They’re waiting for the rain to stop. I’m waiting for the water to boil.”

Xiaolu, a rock climber, hung the tent on a practice wall: “The ceiling is higher than my apartment.”

Old Zhou, a fisherman, went further—he turned his into a mobile tackle shop, with rods, lines, and lures all neatly organized.

4. China, From the Rooftop

Now, when you see those white cubes on rooftops in these places:

The rock formations of Hooke Road, the cross-axle traps of Lao Zhang Gou, the desert highways of Xinjiang, the rainforests of Hainan.

It might be a driver calming their nerves after a tough climb.

It might be a photographer waiting for the Milky Wheel.

Or it might just be an older couple brewing tea on their roof—their overland truck has 300,000 kilometers on it, and it finally has a bedroom with a view.

5. Why the Roof?

Some ask: Why not sleep on the ground?

Because the ground has dew, bugs, and sudden puddles.

Because the roof has breeze, a better view, and is twenty meters closer to the stars.

Because for people who live in their vehicles, the truck is a moving home.

All we did was add a balcony with a view.

6. One Simple Thing

In the end, we only did one thing right:

We made people who love their vehicles love the place they sleep just as much.

So the winch can pull the truck out of the mud, and the tent can hold a weary person.

So the suspension can eat up washboard roads, and the mattress can remember the curve of a back.

So the vehicle can go to the hardest places, and the person can sleep soundly at the highest ones.

7. Now

If you’re out in the wild and see a little white house on a roof—

Maybe someone’s making coffee inside. Maybe someone’s disinfecting a cut. Maybe it’s just two people on their phones, feet touching.

That’s it.

Kuafo

Inflatable Rooftop Tent

For those who are reluctant to leave their vehicle.