James Baroud tent failure? (3 Viewers)

[concretejungle]

EDIT: BTW Im assuming that the damage shown on the pics above came out of the blue... or were these a incurred by the owner ?

Yea these were out of the blue. I went to clean it with a fiberglass cleaning solution that i got from the local boat store. When i went to clean and it was down below eye level where i could really look, there were several small cracks or bubbles like i posted.

Now in full disclosure, i did make this crack myself which is feet away from the other cracks.... This came from the very first stinking day i had it. It was still in the box sitting on the garage floor. I had opened it and when i went to close it the ladder was at an angle and got jammed in the scissor lift mechanism. I didn't realize and pressed down to close it and that's when the edge of the ladder did this from the inside...i've owned it and never faulted the tent for this.

 

[mervo]

www.coloradocampervan.com

USA Option

Unfortunatley not an option for anything but vans, I emailed and asked.

He wanted NO part of something like this for a cruiser and told me to hassle campteq (unobtanium)

 

[spressomon]

mervo: Out of pure curiosity I followed your link to Colorado Campervan and found this: www.coloradocampervan.com

Who knew?!

 

[mervo]

Hence, my email to steve.... And not my link, but thanks.

And Steve said they won't build a pop top on a cruiser, vans only. (I'll be more than happy to post his email)

However, if he's doing Baroud-esque tops that can fit on a cruiser, good on him.

Seeing as he's less than 12 miles from my front door, and I've personally seen multiple vans he's worked on, I can say he builds a top notch product.

 

[thegreatgazoo]

Thank you! I'm about to get a RTT next spring and was looking at JB. Their 5-year warranty was quite a selling point - now I'll look elsewhere, probably soft-top ones.

 

[Haggis]

Consider Autohome USA/Airtop

 

[Matthildur]

I have been using JB for my camper rental in Iceland. And I have not had any problems. Before buying I went to Spain to have a look as there is no sellers in Iceland. This was because of this post. We you made me spend a lot of money travelling. There is nothing wrong with this product. I have now used it with all kind of people and no problem. I also have a different tent now that one is with a crac as I was stupid and had a problem with auto-washing. The mashine bump it. I have to make a Big ? mark with this person and this post. I am going to buy more of them as I nead air tight tents in winter in Iceland.

 

[thegreatgazoo]

......
I have to make a Big ? mark with this person and this post. I am going to buy more of them as I nead air tight tents in winter in Iceland.

I don't know @theron who started this thread. But I chose to believe his story, because when I was doing researches I found this:
James Baroud or Autohome roof top tent - Page 6 - Expedition Portal

In that JB vs Autohome thread, someone pointed to this thread here, and JB USA responded:
We have seen this thread and we did not respond. We here at James Baroud are very concerned with our customers and we want the best for them. I will say that there is always two sides to a story, and we are working on the said mentioned tent.

I found that response self contradictory: they cared about their customers but didn't want to respond, AND they hinted there was another side of the story but didn't clarify, on a popular website with many potential buyers. That made no sense to me.

BTW, how long have you been using your JB tents, how often, how many do you have? That'd be an interesting data point to help me make a decision.

 

[concretejungle]

I will update this thread... I've had my JB tent now for about 3 years. I use it ALOT! I would guess that i've spent 50 nights in it. I have pointed out my few minor tweaks that could be fixed to make them better and they have worked on one of them (the lifts struts are really too strong).

I have started to develop cracking in my fiberglass shell. I sent photos via email to the guys at OK4wd. To be honest the communication was slow at first but it did happen. They acknowledged the issue and then said they would send me a fiberglass repair kit. I told them i did not feel comfortable trying to repair fiberglass and that this should be done by a professional under warranty. They responded and said they understand and for me to take the tent to a reputable fiberglass shop in my area. I told them i didn't know one and to please suggest one. They did and said they will cover the repair of the fiberglass. If it can't be repaired they said they will replace it.

I haven't had a chance to take it yet as i've been using it. I have one more camping trip scheduled in a few weeks, after that i'll be taking the tent to the repair shop to see what they say. I'll report back.

 

[thegreatgazoo]

@concretejungle Thanks for your input. I learned that Slee has recently become a JB dealer. I'm still considering JB since Slee is so close to me.

On the other hand, REI is selling some Tepui models now. REI's customer service is flawless in my opinion, free shipping to local store, and there's that annual member 20% discount coming, and as Tepui is based here in the US there's no need to wait for some shipment from Italy or Portugal, also it's much cheaper than any hard-shell... All that mades Tepui a very attractive option.

 

[concretejungle]

I still must say that i really love the tent. It works great. I don't think i could ever go back to a "fold over" style RTT. I"m sold on the clamshell design or i guess anyone who comes up with a better hard shell RTT design.

Setup and takedown are really quick. It is very weather resistant. It's amazing in high winds.

 

[thegreatgazoo]

I still must say that i really love the tent. It works great. I don't think i could ever go back to a "fold over" style RTT. I"m sold on the clamshell design or i guess anyone who comes up with a better hard shell RTT design.

Setup and takedown are really quick. It is very weather resistant. It's amazing in high winds.

Have your JB ever dealt with hails? I was camping in WY last weekend in my Kodiak canvas, and was hit by a 15-min hail storm - normal mild hails, not the kind that would total your car and destroy your roof (which did happen in my neighborhood once, the roofing companies were so happy...). The canvas tent survived with no damage, I guess the soft canvas could slow down impact. But I wonder how would fiber glass one handle that?

Again, appreciate your input!

 

[80t0ylc]

Have your JB ever dealt with hails? I was camping in WY last weekend in my Kodiak canvas, and was hit by a 15-min hail storm - normal mild hails, not the kind that would total your car and destroy your roof (which did happen in my neighborhood once, the roofing companies were so happy...). The canvas tent survived with no damage, I guess the soft canvas could slow down impact. But I wonder how would fiber glass one handle that?

Again, appreciate your input!

Probably a good question to ask fiberglass boat owners that live in a hail prone area. I'm curious myself. I have a 4 yr old hard shell CVT.

 

[concretejungle]

actually i've been in two hail storms with it. It handled it just fine. You could hair the hail bouncing off the hard top. They were not golfball size but more like marble or pea size.

 

[Adventure Ready]

As the active James Baroud dealer on this forum I thought I'd take a little more time on this thread to respond to recent comments. Hope the info below will help quell this "controversy," Please let me know if you have any other questions or require any additional information before making a purchase. I have personally owned or worked with most every single type and brand of rooftop tent out there and can speak first-hand to the differences both in design and quality among pretty much all of them.

It's unfortunate that this one post online, in multiple places, has caused so many people to believe that this problem is somehow systemic with the James Baroud line of tents. It is not, and is extremely isolated. Just like with any brand, of course there are problems from time to time. However, whether they are from external damage, user error, or a manufacturing error, it's important that customer service is a positive experience. I think most of the angst from this user was in the handling of the issue by James Baroud customer service, which I have to agree wasn't top notch. They have made a very strong effort to fix that going forward and from all reports it has changed dramatically.

As the owner at Adventure Ready, I only make the decision to carry a line of products if I personally believe in them and will stand behind them. We are a unique shop in that respect - much more of a curated outfitter than an "off-road shop" that sells anything and everything. As you can easily see on our site, we only carry top-level gear, and that includes the James Baroud tents. I believe whole-heartedly, personally from what I've seen and experienced, that the James Baroud tents are absolutely top of the line, offering the most features as well as best overall build quality. I use and rely on a James Baroud tent regularly on my trips, and as I said, have spent a huge number of nights in one in pretty much every environment and condition possible.

Tom
Owner, Adventure Ready LLC

@concretejungle Thanks for your input. I learned that Slee has recently become a JB dealer. I'm still considering JB since Slee is so close to me.

On the other hand, REI is selling some Tepui models now. REI's customer service is flawless in my opinion, free shipping to local store, and there's that annual member 20% discount coming, and as Tepui is based here in the US there's no need to wait for some shipment from Italy or Portugal, also it's much cheaper than any hard-shell... All that mades Tepui a very attractive option.

Take a good look at the Tepui and also at other options before deciding if you can. The new Tepui at REI is definitely not the same machine as other tents. The fabric is a lightweight nylon as compared to a much durable ripstop poly-cotton on any other tent, and there is a lot of plastic on it. It's really designed for much lighter use, kind of like a REI ground tent, but on your roof instead of a more durable off-road tent.

Probably a good question to ask fiberglass boat owners that live in a hail prone area. I'm curious myself. I have a 4 yr old hard shell CVT.

I've personally spent about 50 nights in our James Baroud tent in the last year alone and have experienced no failure or problems whatsoever. We have had only five warranty claims in the last 2+ years (out of around 100 tents sold), two of which were from shipping damage and one was due to someone driving onto a ferry and not realizing the clearance was too low and ripping off the exhaust fan from the roof. The two others were gel coat issues from the factory, and the tents were replaced. We haven't seen a single fiberglass issue like the one Theron had, and have not heard of any in the US at all.

 

[erse]

unfortunate that this one post online

I think perhaps the "unfortunate" thing in all of this is the treatment of the customer. I have no doubt it is terribly inconvenient for the manufacturer, their distributor and dealer network, for such a poorly treated customer to turn out be a well respected member of a very large and active community. There does not seem to me to be any "controversy" to "quell". The treatment of this customer is plain as day and I am sure many of us could easily imagine ourselves in his shoes.

While it is commendable that baroud have made a "strong effort" to fix their customer service did they ever make a "strong effort" to make things right for this customer?

That is what separates great companies from mediocre ones. For any company selling 4k plus recreational items they would likely be wise to ensure that they were in the "great" category.

I for one would never buy from this company. It would be very difficult for me to sleep comfortably in that expensive tent knowing that should the unexpected materialize I might be treated in similar fashion to the OP here. It's just not worth it to me bearing in mind the other options out there.

Good news though apparently they don't need my business there is a burgeoning loyal, unquestioning market in Iceland according to this thread. I wonder if fiberglass cracks and holes in canvas would be an issue down the road in Iceland? Do they have inclement weather there at all??

 

[Adventure Ready]

I think perhaps the "unfortunate" thing in all of this is the treatment of the customer. I have no doubt it is terribly inconvenient for the manufacturer, their distributor and dealer network, for such a poorly treated customer to turn out be a well respected member of a very large and active community. There does not seem to me to be any "controversy" to "quell". The treatment of this customer is plain as day and I am sure many of us could easily imagine ourselves in his shoes.

While it is commendable that baroud have made a "strong effort" to fix their customer service did they ever make a "strong effort" to make things right for this customer?

That is what separates great companies from mediocre ones. For any company selling 4k plus recreational items they would likely be wise to ensure that they were in the "great" category.

I for one would never buy from this company. It would be very difficult for me to sleep comfortably in that expensive tent knowing that should the unexpected materialize I might be treated in similar fashion to the OP here. It's just not worth it to me bearing in mind the other options out there.

Good news though apparently they don't need my business there is a burgeoning loyal, unquestioning market in Iceland according to this thread. I wonder if fiberglass cracks and holes in canvas would be an issue down the road in Iceland? Do they have inclement weather there at all??

Sincerely appreciate your input. Truly though, you seem to have drawn a conclusion about a brand over one online post while ignoring dozens and dozens of positive reviews (including Overland Journal ranking James Baroud as the best rooftop tent in the world).

 

[Adventure Ready]

I think perhaps the "unfortunate" thing in all of this is the treatment of the customer. I have no doubt it is terribly inconvenient for the manufacturer, their distributor and dealer network, for such a poorly treated customer to turn out be a well respected member of a very large and active community. There does not seem to me to be any "controversy" to "quell". The treatment of this customer is plain as day and I am sure many of us could easily imagine ourselves in his shoes.

While it is commendable that baroud have made a "strong effort" to fix their customer service did they ever make a "strong effort" to make things right for this customer?

That is what separates great companies from mediocre ones. For any company selling 4k plus recreational items they would likely be wise to ensure that they were in the "great" category.

I for one would never buy from this company. It would be very difficult for me to sleep comfortably in that expensive tent knowing that should the unexpected materialize I might be treated in similar fashion to the OP here. It's just not worth it to me bearing in mind the other options out there.

Good news though apparently they don't need my business there is a burgeoning loyal, unquestioning market in Iceland according to this thread. I wonder if fiberglass cracks and holes in canvas would be an issue down the road in Iceland? Do they have inclement weather there at all??

Oh and yes, even after all of this they did offer to replace the fabric on the OP's tent free of charge.

 

[Patineto]

RTT are on their infancy.

First of all the maximum loads for the roof rack are under 150 pounds, well you will think that for 3000 dollars you will get a epoxy resin with proper fiberglass fabric (not from a Chopper with strand fiberglass, it looks that way for sure) also installing a few close cell foam ribs (making in it a semi Composite) will make the shell far more rigid and the gel coat almost immune to any kind of cracking

What about vacuum bagging...??? that technic is at least 25 years old and warranty a much more cohesive lamination (lighter to with only the optimal amount of resin) .

the bracket for the latter will get a fail in first semester of industrial design, colder temperatures make cheap plastics brittle, you can just see the granular quality of the material, not even close to the task...

ps: I have spend two decades consulting for real tents, the athletes that use them trust their life at 18.000 feet and higher and this structures are tested and retested (finite element analysis, torture testing, extreme tempeture, operator error, wind tunnels, etc, until the probability of a failure will be a "Murphys law Marty graa"

to complete the.super high altitude tents only weight about 7 pounds (a three season very well design tent for two persons about 5.5) and will be under the $1000 mark and I'm Easton double butted 7075 alloy, and ripstop fabrics for the two layers of the tent.


Costumers need to become more educated until the companies are force to hire proper designers and material experts, sincerely I can not justified more than $1500-$1700 for a tent half as heavy, much more practical and with a much m ore advance technology (Neumatic cannopy, real alloy domes and much more.


Just the wind noise and the cold air will drive me insane (the shape of the truck already accelerate and generate all kind of suction and low pressure zones..

No thanks

 

[Corey]

Actually the Maggiolina brand from Autohome has been around since 1957 or 1958, hardly in its infancy.
And I have had my Maggiolina AirLander on my roof and outside full time since 2008, not one problem with it except for some tree pitch that is hard to get off, but camping under old growth firs in the mountains, and parking under a few old growth firs at home you tend to get some pitch on them.