New Autohome Maggiolina/Columbus tent, the AirTop

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
No dimms for you, but my medium AirLander is great for the lady and I, I would not want to sandwich an infant in there.

You should be looking at a large, might be tight with two infants.
 

hoser

Explorer
HongerVenture, I've had the small Airland which I believe has roughly the same interior width as the airtop and I would not even think of sleeping two average sized adults and a one year old in there. And if your toddler sleeps like mine, kicking cartwheels in the middle of the night, nobody would get good sleep. I sold our tent not only because of the size but also I didn't want to worry about our toddler falling 6 feet.

I may buy another when the youngest kid get a few years older... and if I do, it'll likely be one of the larger clamshell types. I prefer the Maggiolina type but it won't give the kind space I think I'd want for two adults and two kids. Kids grow fast, right?
 

HongerVenture

Adventurer
Thanks for the pointers... I've ruled out all but the largest sized Maggiolina. And given how hard they are to come by here, I may be going a different route altogether.
 

kilimats

Observer
Sorry for this uterly pointless post, but my maggiolina is ready for pick up and i'm excited :sombrero:

ps: not the wallet though :coffee:
 

kilimats

Observer
What model did you get?
Be sure to put up pics later.

I'll snap a few for sure, I'm concerned about my narrow rack, hopefully i don't need a new one.

I got the black maggiolina airtop (small size) with color matched old style awning (without the privacy room)
 
I have been researching this RTT. I am strongly considering it.

I found a negative comment on a YouTube video regarding the Airtop. Anyone else have an issue like this?

YouTube video comment:
My name is Mike from Australia we have an Airtop as well we have had a lot of problems. We noticed on your video rear right hand corner some wear marks. exactly same as we have ours developed into two small holes, and we have the same on the left rear, and the roof lining is coming adrift. All this in the first two months. They have knocked back our claim on warranty and said it was because we never packed it properly. we had a independent assessor who said it was a factory problem. How is yours?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5G-btFS_kY

Autohome Warranty
Your AutoHome tent is warranted against defects in material and manufacturing for 5 years from the date of original purchase. AutoHomeUSA will repair or replace, at its option, any defects during the warranty period. This warranty does not extend to normal wear and tear, or to damage or cosmetic blemishes sustained during use. AutoHome USA will repair or replace at our option. In the event that the tent must be returned to our repair facility for inspection and repair/replacement, owner must assume the cost and liability of freight.

Is a hole in the corner of the fabric considered "normal wear and tear"? I wonder if something like this would be covered under warranty?

I hope this is not a common problem. The Airtop looks like it will fit our needs well.
 
I emailed Autohome about the above "issues". They were very quick to respond. Below is their reply.

After reviewing the attached video, I can certainly see why there are abrasions on the corners. While the tents are designed to be packed quickly, you do have to take care to zip all the doors closed, tuck in the flaps, and "roll & tuck" all sides of the fabric before latching it down. From what I could tell in the video, the gentleman is not packing the tent properly, and that's what is ultimately causing the abrasions we saw...which can in turn lead to holes. As a side note, I have the AirLand XL model, which operates with the crank. It takes me about 45 seconds to fully deploy the tent, and about 3-4 minutes to stow it because I spend a lot of time tucking & folding in the fabric to make sure nothing gets pinched or caught between the top & bottom halves.

As for the headliner, I don't believe that is a common problem and if it became dislodged due to normal use that would be covered by our 5-year warranty. Of course, I would agree with the statement below that the abrasions in the corner(s) were probably due to improper packing, which would not be covered under warranty. Suffice to say, our tents are made with the best possible materials, but you do have to exercise some amount of care to ensure the longevity of the product.

Hope that helps!


Thanks again to Autohome for the quick reply to my questions!
 

JohnnyS

Explorer
How much bedding can you leave in the Maggiolinas when stowed?
We're thinking about replacing our Eezi-Awn 1600 with a Magg; the set-up and stow time seems to be much better with the Magg.
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
You can leave it all.
I have flannel sheets, two king size pillows, and a heavy weight winter down comforter.
This is the way it looks when the bedding and ladder is stowed.

Crank the top up, put the pillows at the head, pull the ladder out, and you are good to go.
I fold the comforter in a little at the sides, otherwise it would hang out the two side doors a bit.
Comforter gets folded out all the way once setup.

tent5_4_23_2011.jpg
 

nuclearlemon

Adventurer
i also leave all my bedding, a sheet, two pillows, and thick 0 degree sleeping bag, plus the ladder. just remember to put the hooks of the ladder to the rear. no issues. got mine in june, drove to utah to pick it up and did a weeklong + expedition across the emigrant trail with some friends on the way home. one had a mombassa, one an eezi awn. i'd take my maggi over both in a heartbeat! one reason is not having to pack bedding since we were moving every night. also sooo much faster/easier to pack up than the fold overs, especially if you're height challenged like i am.
 

Theresa Heard

New member
Thanks for the pointers... I've ruled out all but the largest sized Maggiolina. And given how hard they are to come by here, I may be going a different route altogether.

Hello! Not sure if you are still looking, but we have started to import Maggiolina / Columbus Autohome tents into the UAE at USD recommended retail prices. Let me know if you are still interested. Theresa (info@blingmytruck.com)
 

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