Roof Top Tent: Take me to school

[Blind_Io]

I am thinking about getting a RTT for my Nissan XTerra. I've started looking at manufacturers and I'm seeing a pretty significant variety in price. ARB looks like it will run about $1,500 but some others of similar size are only about 60% of that. While I do want the most for my money, I don't want to fall into the false economy trap of buying a substandard product. At the same time, I have seen absurd products aimed at overlanders that are just a waste of money, like a $70+ titanium recovery shackle.

I was looking at Tepui, but apparently they are not well respected here and are building a knock-off of an old ARB design. There is a company called Front Runner, which claims to have the lightest weight and thinnest packed RTT on the market (http://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/front-runner-feather-lite-roof-top-tent.html), but I'm concerned it won't hold up as well as a heavier and thicker tent. Cascadia has one that is priced between the Front Runner/Tepui and the ARB, the warranty looks good on paper - for whatever that is worth if the company folds up (see what I did there?) due to too many returns. CAscadia says they are based out of Bend, OR, but there is no mention of where the tents are made.

Frankly, I didn't realize there were so many options and these are just a few of what I have found so far. It seems like the market is fully of small companies, every one of them claiming to be the best RTT on the market.

I would love some guidance from the ExPo community of brands to put on the short-list and ones to avoid entirely.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I see you are Utah local, if you would like to inspect an ARB model in person (Simpson IIID or Kakadu), we have them all here in Sandy.

There are a growing number of brands of RTT on the market and with that number comes a great gradient in both quality and innovation. Many offerings are simply the old offering of xyz or in some circumstances the same exact design with the different name. Obviously choosing a well respected tent (quality based) is very important but as is choosing one with a proven track record of customer service, spare parts availability and warranty. I've had first hand look and use of dozens of different brands and in the end we've chosen to stick with retailing the ARB and Eezi-Awn models, I can count on a great product and phenomenal customer service if/when we have an issue to address on a customers behalf down the road.

 

[Blind_Io]

It's been so long since I had a 'Cruiser in the fleet that I forgot you guys had ARB tents. I will certainly stop by and check them out. ARB doesn't say how small the Simpson III folds up for travel, so I would like to see how much height I'm going to have up there.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

It's been so long since I had a 'Cruiser in the fleet that I forgot you guys had ARB tents. I will certainly stop by and check them out. ARB doesn't say how small the Simpson III folds up for travel, so I would like to see how much height I'm going to have up there.

Come on by. Fwiw they fold to 55" x 47" x 15"
http://cruiseroutfitters.com/contactus.html

 

[Blind_Io]

I will give you guys a call and set up an appointment sometime this week.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I will give you guys a call and set up an appointment sometime this week.

Sounds great. I'm in all day M/T/W and Bryce (also a regular Simpson III user) will be in M/T/Th/F.

 

[Victorian]

We love our ARB! You can tell it's well build by the material thickness and quality of manufacturing. Others I have only seen on pictures or folded up on cars. But I talked to another RTT owner a while ago. He uses a CVT and dislikes the black cover on it and apparently the "shades" over the sidewindows are not low enough. The black cover apparently creates condensation and as a result mold....

 

[TSAdventurez]

There are lots of great RTT Brands out there and I definitely recommend researching it thoroughly before you buy. I agree Tepui is a budget RTT, but Ill vouch for them. I have had my Kukenam Roaring Mountain Tepui tent for a year now and have had zero issues. There shipping was fast and they answered all of my questions no problem.

Here is a good thread with a comparison chart for the major RTT Brands.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/119445-RTT-Tent-Comparison-chart?highlight=RTT+chart

Good luck and here are some pictures of my tent. (On sale it was just under a thousand shipped to my door)

 

[surferdude78]

I, too, have a Tepui & love it. It's the Ruggedized version of the Kukenam & I chose it after considering the more expensive South African brands. One thing I learned after doing my research is you can't simply lump Tepui in with all the other RTTs coming out of China since their tents have standard features others don't offer. Just my two cents.

 

[Bigunit]

I have a Howling Moon RTT. One of the best made, if not the best made IMO. Not cheap but very high quality - you get what you pay for.

 

[Ala5ka]

Tepui Ayer because it was the smallest available at the time and only brand sold in Alaska. Stuff broke on it and the owner personally helped me repair it in Santa Cruz. (Just general wear and tear) doing it all over again I'd go with a hard shell like an Airtop or something that packs faster.

 

[Blind_Io]

I like the idea of a hard shell, but space is an issue. I am wanting to mount the tent on my factory XTerra roof rack and still have access to the wet box where I store my recovery gear. I also have a tentative plan to have fuel storage up there too, so having a larger sleeping area that packs into a small footprint is the goal.

 

[bernardbarbour]

We love our ARB! You can tell it's well build by the material thickness and quality of manufacturing. Others I have only seen on pictures or folded up on cars. But I talked to another RTT owner a while ago. He uses a CVT and dislikes the black cover on it and apparently the "shades" over the sidewindows are not low enough. The black cover apparently creates condensation and as a result mold....

We've had our ARB tent for three years, and have camped all though Central America and the Southern USA. We've used it in all weather conditions and settings. The customer service is awesome, we've had stuff shipped over. They are good.

 

[Overland_Brandon]

For what is worth, I have a CVT Rainer. It was been a solid investment.

Bobby over at CVT is a super nice guy, and stands behind their product.

If I was planning on a multi month trip, say, 6-9 months… I might consider a higher end tent, and only then maybe.

Our CVT gets used about 30-45 night a year, and has suited this purpose very well.

I will be in Moab next week if you want to make the trip to see it.

One word of advice, if you roll around in your sleep like I do, get a bigger tent than you think you need. Our tent is a 4 man, and idea for two of us and a couple small dogs. I think a 2 man would be too tight for my needs.

Best of luck,

Brandon

 

[Utah KJ]

You can forget about the intangibles like ARB gear is born of thunderstorms and Bruce Lee movies.