Official Is a rooftop tent (RTT) for me?
- Thread starter cruiseroutfit
- Start date
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
The other day I picked up some unobtanium. ARB's SkyDome. Basically their RTT on the ground. I'm stoked.
Tonkaman
Well-Known Member
- Location
- West Jordan
Those do look pretty fantastic. You will have to let us know how you like it
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
I will. Hopefully it'll get some usage this weekend.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
sweet, I'm excited to hear how you like it.
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
I set it up last night so that I could thrown my sleeping bag in there, and I can already tell that it's miles ahead of any other tent that I've ever owned. The construction is tough, top notch stuff. Very spacious, lots of places to store stuff, nice feeling pad. Can't wait to try it out in the real world.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
are the poles fiberglass or aluminum?
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
Aluminium.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Which do you prefer? And why? I've only ever had tents with fiberglass.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
There are obviously a lot of great tents on the market and I think that each and every one of them has their place and happy customers. However while price is obviously the first function many investigate when entertaining the purchase of a tent. Five years ago there were a dozen or less companies offering a RTT, fast forward to today and there are likely 100 or more. I get an email a week from a China based manufacture offering to put my name on a tent if I'll order a half-dozen and obviously I'm not the only one as we are seeing companies sprout up all over the globe offering RTT's, the majority of those made in Asia. Now Asia made tents can come in all gradients, a good majority of people are happy with their purchases particular when dealing with the companies with good rapport and known quality products. It's often quipped on the interwebs "they all come from the same factory" and let me reassure you that couldn't be further from the truth. Not only are there dozens of factories currently making RTT's in Asia alone, there are likely hundreds that are capable of it and are likely advertising the ability as such. They don't need to have every produced one to be marketing them, it's how business is done in that realm. Take a visit to Alibaba or similar global commerce sites and you can have your name on a tent. 
So, what should you look for with the 'similar' offering tents?
Do they have good quality control? How is the company ensuring a quality incoming product? Do they control the manufacturing 100%? Do they have boots on the ground embedded in the factory rejecting poor practices and correcting errors in the assembly? Or do they roll the dice, order a container of tents from Alibaba and sell them a just enough mark-up to cover their spread and roll the dice on another container? What if you get a bum tent? Will they stand behind it or give you the curb/gutter warranty? Is the tent designed for casual camping or extended use? I can tell you some tents will survive being deployed and stored 50+ nights a year and others will develop issues, failed zippers, covers, etc. How do you need your tent to perform and under what kinds of use? Will it be the next Edgestar Fridge in which 25% of people get a dead in box fridge and the others have to take them apart to get them to work right
Will spares and replacement parts be available in 1, 2 or 5 years down the road? Roof-Top-Tents (RTT's) are expensive and should be considered a long-term investment in my opinion. Will you be able to get a replacement cover, material set, or bow for example from XYZ tent company? We have already witnessed some of the early RTT companies come and go, they hit the US market hard and fast, sold a grip of tents and had good customer service only to disappear into thin air. Camping Lab and Mombasa are among the list of evaporated companies. "Given that the designs are identical, I can just source parts from ABC company", I've heard that all too often and it isn't always the case. Mounting layout, dimensions, zipper configurations and other factors often prevent parts from company ABC from fitting company XYZ's tent. Will it become the gold standard i.e. early Coleman or Springbar camp gear which you can still get spare parts for, 40+ years later
Are the materials safe, study and sound? I've seen some pretty poor quality materials used, (such as the particle board floors in the early Mombasa's)
Is the design unique? Many tent manufactures are simply selling the old version of another. Well it doesn't take much business savy to do the math there, skip the R&D portion of product development and obviously you can sell for a lower price. Take for instance the latest ARB Simpson IIID tent, its material is coated in a fire resistant material with enough quality to earn it an actual fire marshal rating which while a non-issue legally here in Utah, is in fact a growing issue in places like California (surprise), Canada and other foreign countries. Might sound like a trivial aspect but at least you can sleep well knowing the tent won't burn down around you, can you say the same from ABC Tent Co.?
I've been fortunate to spend nights in nearly a dozen different RTT's and toured the factories of a few of those manufactures in both Australia and South Africa. I've seen good, I've seen bad and I've seen some companies embrace the feedback and step up their design and quality. Spend some time researching your tent choices and spend your hard earned dollars accordingly. I deal with two particular brands primarily (ARB and Eezi-Awn) and have chosen to do so after owning and inspecting many other tents on the market. That isn't to say there are not some other great offerings as are evidenced by the great testimonials in this thread.
So, what should you look for with the 'similar' offering tents?
Do they have good quality control? How is the company ensuring a quality incoming product? Do they control the manufacturing 100%? Do they have boots on the ground embedded in the factory rejecting poor practices and correcting errors in the assembly? Or do they roll the dice, order a container of tents from Alibaba and sell them a just enough mark-up to cover their spread and roll the dice on another container? What if you get a bum tent? Will they stand behind it or give you the curb/gutter warranty? Is the tent designed for casual camping or extended use? I can tell you some tents will survive being deployed and stored 50+ nights a year and others will develop issues, failed zippers, covers, etc. How do you need your tent to perform and under what kinds of use? Will it be the next Edgestar Fridge in which 25% of people get a dead in box fridge and the others have to take them apart to get them to work right
Will spares and replacement parts be available in 1, 2 or 5 years down the road? Roof-Top-Tents (RTT's) are expensive and should be considered a long-term investment in my opinion. Will you be able to get a replacement cover, material set, or bow for example from XYZ tent company? We have already witnessed some of the early RTT companies come and go, they hit the US market hard and fast, sold a grip of tents and had good customer service only to disappear into thin air. Camping Lab and Mombasa are among the list of evaporated companies. "Given that the designs are identical, I can just source parts from ABC company", I've heard that all too often and it isn't always the case. Mounting layout, dimensions, zipper configurations and other factors often prevent parts from company ABC from fitting company XYZ's tent. Will it become the gold standard i.e. early Coleman or Springbar camp gear which you can still get spare parts for, 40+ years later
Are the materials safe, study and sound? I've seen some pretty poor quality materials used, (such as the particle board floors in the early Mombasa's)
Is the design unique? Many tent manufactures are simply selling the old version of another. Well it doesn't take much business savy to do the math there, skip the R&D portion of product development and obviously you can sell for a lower price. Take for instance the latest ARB Simpson IIID tent, its material is coated in a fire resistant material with enough quality to earn it an actual fire marshal rating which while a non-issue legally here in Utah, is in fact a growing issue in places like California (surprise
), Canada and other foreign countries. Might sound like a trivial aspect but at least you can sleep well knowing the tent won't burn down around you, can you say the same from ABC Tent Co.? I've been fortunate to spend nights in nearly a dozen different RTT's and toured the factories of a few of those manufactures in both Australia and South Africa. I've seen good, I've seen bad and I've seen some companies embrace the feedback and step up their design and quality. Spend some time researching your tent choices and spend your hard earned dollars accordingly. I deal with two particular brands primarily (ARB and Eezi-Awn) and have chosen to do so after owning and inspecting many other tents on the market. That isn't to say there are not some other great offerings as are evidenced by the great testimonials in this thread.
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That's a pretty good deal, I'm actually tempted to get one now...
Anybody wanna do a group buy to ship to Utah?
Ive really been considering getting one of these... might be able to split shipping if I decide to take the plunge.
jinxspot
~ Bush Eater's Offroad ~
- Location
- Salt Lake Utah
I've been using my ARB Simpson for about a year now and it has free'd up a ton of space in the cargo area of my truck for more glorious mechanical things like tools an spare parts! The room inside the tent is great and the integrate pad is awesome (I also have egg crate pad with it as well), the quality of materials are very nice, withstands crazy wind and rain perfect. The lower room is a great addition, well worth the extra coin and allows me to store lots of things such as coolers, chairs and camp tupperware bins and allows my dog a place to retire for the night with sheltered food, water and pillow. My only observation is that the outer shell to stow the tent away gets pretty beat up with year round use, so you just need to take special care of that item for longevity and even save to buy a spare if you like me and use it a lot.
Here's some pics.
Here's some pics.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Aluminum poles are SOOO much better; it's a night and day difference. Fiberglass poles bend and flex, are heavier (which doesn't matter for car camping), and they're more prone to break. Aluminum poles generally last a lot longer, flex a lot less, and weigh a lot less. Plus your tent seems to be pitched taughter. I'll never own another tent with fiberglass poles again.
skiboarder
SkiBoarder
- Location
- No Ogden
I love that set up Jinxspot. And having it on your tow vehicle eliminates my only concern about a RTT.
CobraNutt
Active Member
- Location
- Salt Lake City
Danggit...after finding this thread and Kurt's other thread on Trailers, and then seeing Derek's RTT last weekend out in the desert, I'm reconsidering my Jumping Jack trailer. I'm suddenly very interested in an RTT for my KJ. The RTT would save me quite a bit of money which is definitely a big factor. Decisions, decisions. Kurt, I might becoming to see you about an ARB in the next few days...
jinxspot
~ Bush Eater's Offroad ~
- Location
- Salt Lake Utah
Thanks, I'm still trying to keep my adventures as primitive as I can, but with ease and comfort... It allows me the ability to go camp without the offroad trucks and trailer and carry plenty of gear in the truck bed.
My only issue is closing up camp in the morning to go to a trail that requires a tow.... At that point you get good at packing up all the gear and closing the tent up.
Brian P
Misanthropic Fuel
- Location
- Taylorsville
One nice thing about having a trailer is you don't have to take down the tent if you need to hit the trail or find a pit toilet, don't get me wrong, I dig my RTT's, but not having to break camp to go anywhere is nice.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
CobraNutt
Active Member
- Location
- Salt Lake City
Will you be around at the shop this Saturday? I would love to swing by and have a look-see! Lemme know. Thanks!Please do, we have both models of ARB tents in stock