Need help deciding. Baroud Evasion or Autohome Magnollina Extreme.

[The Raven]

UPDATE: I ended up going with the Autohome Maggiolina Extreme. In additional to a local deal, I found the quality better than the Baroud but by no means was the Baroud subpar. I am 100% happy with my choice and proud to be a Autohome owner.

As the title says I need help deciding. I talked to the folks at both companies as well as the guy who posted the time he had with Baroud. I got the lowdown on the background of the past damage so not need to go there. This will not be a lightly used tent and will be used every day for a year and a day+. I need RELIABILITY and service.

Still a bit torn on which way to go. I would love some feedback on those who went one way or another and why.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I got a Maggiolina Extreme second hand. I looked at the JB tents. I wouldn't get one. The Extreme is super durable, meant for daily use on long term basis.

 

[The Raven]

Wow, thank you frenchy just whatbi needed to hear. As to what we do. The typical sell everything and travel gig

 

[The Raven]

Very cool!! I am hoping to find a way to making money on the road. Many people talk about how great it is to be able to travel and be free etc etc...but the reality for everyone whether they like to admit it or not is that money is being spent and it does not grow on trees.

I hope to eventually develop relationships on the road with individuals and companies that will allow me to utilize our mobile lifestyle to help pay the bills. Self Marketing and self promotion are two areas I am not strong in. I have the ability to drive 4x4s but I'm not an expert. My skills are better on 2 wheels for offroad.

I am actually a state sanctioned and registered Maine guide but as I'm leaving the state to do some traveling I won't be around to do much up there.

 

[Dozer Dan]

Earlier this year I was asking the same question. Read a ton of reviews, watched a bunch of youtube videos.... I'm sure you've been there already.
In the end I settled on the JB Evasion. I ordered it colour matched to my truck so I haven't actually received it yet.. (Any day now)

I don't think you can go wrong with either of the 2. They seem very matched in most aspects.
In the end I felt the JB had a bit of edge over the Autohome in better latches, better size (for me), better ventilation.
I just found all the features I looked at were just a little bit better on the JB.
The Autohome was better on a couple of points but overall the JB scored the most points.
It does feel like Autohome has not made any improvements to the tent for a long long time, it might be perfect already though.

If you are looking for bad reviews you'll find them for both tents.

 

[The Raven]

The fact that autohome does not seem to update the tents too far as opposed to the Baroud has not gone unnoticed. That being said. I almost wonder if they are of the camp of why fix the unbroken. I looked at the big thread of a baroud getting damaged and apparently the owner possibly closed a camera inside a cracked the outer shell. Honestly...you should not be able to damage the fiberglass with everyday use. I am from a maritime state, i know fiberglass and it takes a beating. Simply closing a tent on a item should not cause damage unless you slam or jump on top of it. This is my biggest fear about the Baroud tents. If the Autohome allows you to store a spare tire on top with no damage...would the same tire crush the Baroud tent?

 

[chmura]

Autohome should update their tents, larger windows would be a start, raise the front and rear latches some so the tent can be placed on a flat surface. These updates should of been done years, years ago.

I am 6'1 and the JB tent is little tight for me and the XXL version is HUGE for my vehicle (4runner). I wish there was a JB size that was in between the standard and XXL version. I felt more comfortable in the Autohome than the JB.

 

[Lemsteraak]

Frenchie makes his life as a guide sound easy, he is way too modest. I went with him on one of his adventures and came back having a whole new appreciation for what he does. We spent something like a month in the back country of the Copper Canyon and he went everywhere by memory. His mind works geographically, there were no maps and at one point even the locals were telling me there were no "roads" there. On that trip, Frenchie had his Extreme on his Cherokee and I put a brand new, high end, full blown folding expedition tent on his 4x4 trailer to test it's durability. I will not tell you which tent because it failed the test, hinges broke, the cover ripped, it was cold, dust got inside, the roof never dried out from the dew and got caked in dirt. I was very envious of Frenchie and his Extreme, set up in a heartbeat, closed just as fast, didn't have to worry about drying it off in the morning. Just one big happy bear snoring away up there. Maybe that is why he was alway so happy and I was so grumpy.

 

[Dozer Dan]

... If the Autohome allows you to store a spare tire on top with no damage...would the same tire crush the Baroud tent?

The JB Explorer also allow you to carry a spare tyre. I don't think anyone would recommend adding that kind of weight that high up, but you can.
I don't think the fiberglass shell will be the weakest link. Fiberglass is strong and apart from one very big thread I can't find any other reference to these things breaking. These are European made and they cost a lot, the people who buy these in the home market don't accept shoddy quality. Over here it's very rare to see a second hand one for sale, owners tend to hang on to them.
Hopefully someone with a JB can chime in

 

[mep1811]

I dont know about the customer service at JB but Autohouse's customer service is non exsistent.

 

[The Raven]

Customer service is nice, but reliability is paramount.

 

[texasnielsen]

Frenchie makes his life as a guide sound easy, he is way too modest. I went with him on one of his adventures and came back having a whole new appreciation for what he does. We spent something like a month in the back country of the Copper Canyon and he went everywhere by memory. His mind works geographically, there were no maps and at one point even the locals were telling me there were no "roads" there. On that trip, Frenchie had his Extreme on his Cherokee and I put a brand new, high end, full blown folding expedition tent on his 4x4 trailer to test it's durability. I will not tell you which tent because it failed the test, hinges broke, the cover ripped, it was cold, dust got inside, the roof never dried out from the dew and got caked in dirt. I was very envious of Frenchie and his Extreme, set up in a heartbeat, closed just as fast, didn't have to worry about drying it off in the morning. Just one big happy bear snoring away up there. Maybe that is why he was alway so happy and I was so grumpy.

I completely agree with Lemsteraak! For the exact reasons I also observed every morning while in Frenchie's company. He so happy when it came time to break camp and me so grumpy at folding up my own RTT. The Extreme is on my wish list.

 

[Flyer69]

I have no experience with Autohome tents, but I do own a JB Evasion Evo and I absolutely love it. The quality of construction is excellent, and the customer service I have received has been very good as well. The solar fan on mine had a bad battery, and one phone call to Nomad Ventures (my dealer) had a brand new one on its way, along with a return label for the old one. I could have had the dealer do the work also for free, but they are a significant distance away and it was an easy swap. If you're considering a JB RTT, I think you would be very happy, as I am. If you have specific questions, shoot me a pm and I will be happy to help.

 

[joelbert]

The quality of construction is excellent, and the customer service I have received has been very good as well.

I will 2nd this opinion around support/customer service. I had a minor issue with my JB and it was promptly resolved with no hassle even when I didn't contact the original dealer/seller. Big shout out to Rin at http://ok4wd.com who assisted.

Interesting that this thread also just popped up today: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...Customer-service-expereince-with-Autohome-USA

 

[chmura]

I posted this in a previous thread, since its relevant to the topic I will post again here.

Well I just purchased an Autohome Medium Extreme from Andrew at Autohome USA. It was a very hard purchase to make since I was back and forth between AH and JB. Giving my CC info was hard.

In the end it came down to the size of the tent me being 6'1".

JB really has 2 sizes. Large and Extra Large. JB Large is too small for me and the XL is too big for my vehicle. Will look really odd on the 4runner since the XL is so wide. I wish JB had a Medium size tent that is a tad longer/wider than their current 'large' version.

In the end Autohome wins due to size and robustness of the crank system. I rented a AirTop model and I got annoyed by tucking in the fabric when closing solo, lets see if I am more happier with the crank version.

My extreme medium should arrive next week.