Mombasa Rooftop Tent (RTT) Long term review ... east coast

[ih88hi10]

I've had my Mombasa RTT for a little over two years now and I'm ready to do a long term review of it.

This tent has been my first and only RTT and I've grown extremely fond of rooftop camping. Of course a lot of that probably goes back to my childhood days of spending hours upon hours high up in a treehouse. Will those who haven't done that as a child find this tent as enjoyable? Something that happened over the weekend led me to the conclusion that the answer is yes and that while it's not perfect, it's a great tent.

I went camping over the holiday at a campground surrounded by ground tent campers. We had prolonged heavily downpours starting around 7am and I awoke to the sound of all the other ground tent campers abandoning their tents and waiting out the rain in their cars. It wasn't because of lightning because there wasn't any. It was because the rain was so heavy it was getting into their tents. Through the windows and the ground was getting flooded. This was very heavy rain and it persisted for quite a while. The rain was not getting into the RTT. I had a birds eye view of watching everyone have a terrible morning while staying high and dry and I turned over and went back to sleep.


Strong points:

• Large windows for really good ventilation and cooling down quickly if desired

• Window awnings keep the rain out

• When opened up, it looks like a tent and not a storage box. Also a good conversation starter.

• The price

• When opened it can provide a cover or an awning of sorts over your tailgate

• The mattress cleans up easily and repels moisture. And no... I didn't wet myself.

• The mattress is also fairly comfortable and that's coming from someone who sleeps on a pillowtop mattress when I'm not in the tent. It's firm but it's much more comfortable than any cot I've used.

Weak points:

• The cover.

• The cover.

• The cover.

• The mosquito mesh.

• If you forget something in the car, need to use the bathroom etc, it's not so convenient.

• Don't leave your bed linens in it for any longer than your trip.

A word about the speed of setting up the tent...
Some other RTT makers that crank up like to boast about how quickly their tents set up. And for a while now, I've been saying, one day I will graduate to one of those tents. But I don't think they actually set up any faster.
Sure, if the Mombasa didn't have a rain fly and window awnings, it would set up just as fast, maybe even faster. But as I have come to learn about this past week, is that a rain fly and window awnings are must-have equipment on the east coast where heavy rain is a threat. If anything, they should boast about the speed of taking the tent down since that does take a little longer than putting it up.

The large windows and awnings are definitely a strong point. Having an RTT enables you to camp in some pretty unbelievable places and having large windows on all sides to take in the views is really nice. And the awnings also provide shade so the sun doesn't come through first thing in the morning and wake you up.

99% of this tent's problems are due to the cover sucking. Not just sucking but sucking hard. I'm in the sign industry and we make temporary banners that get used once and thrown away that are more durable than the fabric the cover is made out of. When I first got it, when I got home from my very first trip with it, the cover had small rips in it. Not from getting poked by tree branches, I think it was just friction from the ladder rubbing against it. And the zipper also broke. Mombasa sent a replacement cover at no charge but that cover is just as bad. I have managed to get the second cover to last another 2 years by wrapping the ladder in multiple layers of bubble wrap when I close up the tent. I shouldn't have to do that.

It was because of this god awful cover that there has been some moisture intrusion. The cover is the number one point of weakness on this tent.

What somebody really ought to do (and maybe they already have) is make a tent in this folding style but use a hard plastic cover like those rooftop storage boxes. And make it flip open from hinges for added convenience and latch closed with some kind of buckle and not zippers.

Like I said a few paragraphs back, I was expecting to some day want to move on to some more expensive RTT, namely the crank up kind. But if this tent had a hard plastic cover where I wouldn't have to constantly worry about tree branches, water getting into the rips, maneuvering it on its side, I wouldn't need any other kind of RTT. This would stay dry. It would deploy much faster and it would also be put away much faster.


So far the tent is holding up well. I'm getting my moneys worth out of it and I may replace it with another one or an ARB and if the covers are still just as bad, I might have a hard plastic cover custom fabricated.

The window screens are a very thin fabric and rips easily by mistake if it gets poked with something like a dog's claw.

The tent is a good length and has enough room for me to put in a duffel bag to sit up against and have a 50 pound dog at my feet and I can sleep in the middle of that. I'm 5'10". I can't remember the model off hand but there is room in this tent for 2 people realistically. They may claim it's a 3 or 4 person tent but two adults and one small child maybe. Or 1 person and 2 large dogs. Of course if they are like my dogs, they will want to sleep on the sleeping bag and try to persuade you to sleep someplace else. Which, by the way... Ruffwear Webmaster harnesses makes bringing dogs up and down the ladder with one arm a lot easer.

The bottom of the tent dents easily.

All in all I would recommend this tent. I might buy another, more expensive brand in a quest to find a better cover but I have my doubts than any of the fabric covers are any better. I don't believe for a second that it'll keep you out of the food chain but it'll keep you out of the mud and out of the rain.
It's not the most durable piece of gear you'll own but if you take reasonably good care of it and patch up the holes in the cover you can certainly get it to last a while and get your money's worth.

 

[romey]

great review! with regards to the cover, maybe consider going to a marine/upholsgtery shop and getting one made that can fit right over the current one, for added protection and weatherability. i might do this. and you can get good strong waterproof material too. shouldnt be too expensive to make, just a box really.

i was also thinking of slingin a folded tarp over the cover and using a simple strap around just as an added barrier for protection, for those bushwackin runs where you're rubbing on trees and stuff.

 

[anotherflyer]

Great notes.

 

[ih88hi10]

great review! with regards to the cover, maybe consider going to a marine/upholsgtery shop and getting one made that can fit right over the current one, for added protection and weatherability. i might do this. and you can get good strong waterproof material too. shouldnt be too expensive to make, just a box really.

That's a great idea. I'll probably do that if I can't have a plastic or fiberglass cover made.

i was also thinking of slingin a folded tarp over the cover and using a simple strap around just as an added barrier for protection, for those bushwackin runs where you're rubbing on trees and stuff.

Are you having the same problem with your cover?
I thought of wrapping it with a tarp too but historically, I haven't been too lucky with tarps holding up.

I really think it could be worth the extra expense to have a plastic shell made that replaces the fabric cover altogether and latches on to the bottom because a lot of the time spent on set-up and take-down is lining up the cover just right and carefully zipping it on on a step stool, one side of the truck at a time. If the cover just flipped open, that'd increase the convenience factor and save a ton of time. Not to mention I would no longer have to worry about trails that have low hanging branches, not that a low hanging branch has ever ripped the cover. I could also slide the tent on its side. It really would make the product a thousand times better.

I would literally be willing to pay 2-3x what I paid for the tent in the first place if it only had a hard shell on it. Note to all you enterprising people out there.

 

[Brentbba]

Loved your comment about the rain storm and being high and dry...not that we worry about that too much here in SoCal. An occasional rattle snake maybe...

 

[romey]

no problems on ours actually. it was just a suggestion to add more protection just from rubbing on things. a 10 dollar tarp/doubled up can rip all it wants for all i care (but i'm sure it'll add more protection). i talked to someone else about the fibre/plastic cover, great idea, but i think it's going to add more weight and be too bulky to deal with. imagine having to try and swing that across and making sure it doesnt slam down on the other end, then you'll need to have another person maybe...? actually, it'll have to be completely removable (it'll be awkward having that hang on the side), then you'll have to find a place for it and make sure it doesn't blow away or get cracked, and so on...

my cover zips up really easy and no need for step stools, i stand on the tire, or bumper or a little higher on the floor of the rear/passenger doors. non issue. zipper slides through quick and easy as well. just opened it this afternoon to air it out (we got hit with crazy rain in the greater toronto area, see that in the news?!) anyway, tent was bone dry.

another waterproof/fabric cover that maybe sinches around with a strap or draw string might be more manageable...?

if you replace the regular "sealed" cover with plastic, you might have a problem getting a good seal around the edge...? you'd really have to plan it out..and it may end up costing too much...to the point where maybe you shoulda just got a columbus or maggiolina instead! lol. anyway, 2 cents..

 

[ih88hi10]

may end up costing too much...to the point where maybe you shoulda just got a columbus or maggiolina instead! lol. anyway, 2 cents..

Honestly, the more and more that I look at them, the more content I am with the ARB style RTT. And besides, I guarantee you I'd still have issues with one of those too.

Truckers sometimes use these extra heavy duty tarps over their open trailer loads. I might look into using one of those instead. You're right that a plastic or fiberglass cover would require some engineering to seal it up. My early googling hasn't turned up any truck tarps that look any heavier than what came with the tent.

 

[ih88hi10]

Loved your comment about the rain storm and being high and dry...not that we worry about that too much here in SoCal. An occasional rattle snake maybe...

Some like to say these will keep you out of the food chain. I don't know about South Africa or Australia or wherever those folks are but where I go camping, there's bears, bobcats, wolves, coyotes, snakes that live in the trees dangling above the tent, bugs, larger hooved mammals, raccoons.... the tent really doesn't make you too inaccessible to the food chain. But I can say for a fact it does superb in the rain.

 

[cruiserjunkie]

You need to look into a machine cover. It would have a top and four sides its made out of the heavy duty stuff truckers use and can be made the same company that makes tarps. Try a search in the trailer section think a few went that direction for trailer covers

 

[romey]

^ yup! agreed! maybe sew in some eyelets and have a bungee thread through and around holding it down on the load bars. or a couple of straps that meet underneath. hmm, this would help protect the top that much more over the winter and on hot blazin days too. (i plan on winter camping too so..)

 

[hoser]

Not sure which cover you have but there was an upgraded cover. The first cover was really bad. Not sure about the 2nd cover since I sold the RTT before using the new cover.

 

[ih88hi10]

I think the problem with the cover is caused by two things.
Heat, which seems to make the material more pliable and prone to getting torn and
Friction, which I've been able to manage by wrapping the ladder in bubble wrap. I'd rather use a moving blanket but that would just get mildewed.

I'm going to explore the heavy duty truck/trailer tarp fabric but I'm still dreaming of a hard plastic shell that buckles down.

 

[HBMurphy]

I've had mine for about 5 years. It has seen many torture tests including coming off on the trail going about 40 mph, withstanding 75 mph winds in the CA desert, at least 100 uses through mild weather to torrential hail storms and an annual week-long winter camping trips using an in-tent heater.

Main Complaints:

• Cover Zipper on the First Cover I had
• Cover Zipper on the Second Cover I purchased
• Cover Zipper
• Mal-formed Hinge (wouldn't allow tongue and groove to line up without having to use a ratchet strap)
• For the price, I would have liked to see the seam tape on many other RTTs
• Minor Complaints
  • Plastic Parts that did not stand up to this torture test
    • Pivot Point for 4th Tent Pole (the one that hangs out to cover ladder)
    • Caps to Ladder Ends
    • The corner pieces that the tent piping fits into cracked
  • Thickness of the Skin covering the Underlying Steel Frame could use something thicker
  • The Tent Ladder Resting Position could use Limiters so that the pads don't pierce the skin
  • Grommets for the spring bars (to hold the awings out) are not properly alighned
  • Aluminum extrusion not the best for heavy duty use - I lost the tent on the trail because all four bolts holding the tent to the truck cracked and ripped out. Now I have bolts with washers (I will post a pic later)
  • Have to remove the mattress each moring to dry out the condensation (I should probably try one of the anti condensation pads

This only comes to mind because today I 'fixed' the mal-formed hinge. I had to drill a new pivot point in one of the hinge halfs.

This is what the tongue and groove alignment looked like this morning:

Tongue and Groove engaged and bed panels level and even:

Piloting the new pivot point:

Drlled out stepping up from 1/8" to a tad over 3/8" and reinstalled.

New tongue and groove alignment :

I plan on welding in a small slug into the original hole or, water jet and form a new set of hinges but we'll see. In the meantime, the only load placed on the hinge would 'force it' in to the new hole (while the tent is stowed, the weight of the top panel forces to the new side of the two holes). While the tent is opened, the t&g should keep the force on the pin (bolt) to a minimum.

Earlier this week I replaced the plastic pivot points with aluminum ones (water jet and press brake):

A number of months back I cured the cover zipper issue by replacing the crappy, continually mis-feeding coil zipper with a pastic teeth zipper. Although it may not be as sexy as a hard cap, it does keep the moisture to a bare minimum and with the new zipper, is very easy to remove and re-install.

Original type of zipper:

New, much happier, plastic teeth zip:

All-in-all, it has been good tent althougth I would love one that addresses some of the concerns.

 

[HBMurphy]

And if anyone needs one or two of those U channel items, pm me. I made a few extra.

 

[LEX]

I'm about to use one for this coming up HIH. A friend was cool enough to let me borrow it with possibly an option to buy it if I like it. Seems to be pretty nice so far. Only issue is that the zipper for the cover is also failing. I'll give a full report when I get back.

 

[HBMurphy]

I'm about to use one for this coming up HIH. A friend was cool enough to let me borrow it with possibly an option to buy it if I like it. Seems to be pretty nice so far. Only issue is that the zipper for the cover is also failing. I'll give a full report when I get back.

If you get it, post up. I can help you not make the mistakes I made.

 

[LEX]

Here it is sitting on chairs and a cooler.
Mounting it onto the rack this weekend.

 

[JCruse]

I just got my new and first ever RTT mounted this week. It's a brand new ARB Simpson 3 and it's awesome. It seems like at least some of the problem areas have been addressed. The big floor skin panels are fairly thick ABS plastic so no denting/bending. The cover is very thick (and HEAVY) so I can't really see the ladder rubbing a hole in it, but of course I don't know for sure yet.

I never had a tree house but I think I'm gonna like the high life just fine.

 

[ih88hi10]

It's been a couple years since I wrote this review. The replacement cover also failed.
I tried using FlexSeal to seal up, not only the holes but also the seams and the points where the previous cover ripped. That was an epic failure. It didn't cure or bond properly and the stuff rubbed off the tent onto anything that came in contact with it.

I sold the tent last week without any major complaints other than the cover.
I think a person's desire to be higher up, relatively fast setup/takedown and have nice big windows but still have rain protection, will have to be weighed against the extra diligence one must take here on the rainy east coast to make sure that it's properly dried and well protected. Of course the same can be said for any fabric structure, just that this one weighs like 200 pounds.

I'm going to miss that tent but above all, what I'm going to miss is the conversation that stems from every time I set that thing up in a campground, every person who walks by comments on it. In fact, a couple of times I didn't even have it set up, I was in a parking lot and someone noticed it.

So here we are halfway though the season and I don't have a tent. I plan to get a new vehicle in the spring and I'm a little hesitant to get another RTT not knowing what that next vehicle is going to be.

The "little things" that are rolling around in the back of my mind right now are;
1.) putting it on the roof. The setup before you even leave town was enough work for me to roll the RTT from the basement to the roof rack solo with just a two person tent. I can't imagine having to do that with a larger size which I need now and the hard top RTTs don't look big enough.

2.) I still don't have a solution for the cover other than to buy a magiolina or one of the hard tops. But I'm very nervous about doing that in this climate with such an expensive tent.

3.) I was always a little afraid to leave the thing up there unattended for fear it would get stolen.

4.) Going up and down in the middle of the night.

5.) Getting all set up and realizing you need to move to a better site. You basically have to do an entire tear down just to move a little bit away.


Had it not for me having a treehouse in my youth, I'm not sure everyone would see the advantages over an inexpensive ground tent that fits in a bag and weighs 3 pounds. Just thinking out loud here. I don't have any regrets about it though and glad I got to try this one out.

 

[tBoneBrown]

I know this is a very old thread but what did you end up with? I'm debating going with a small trailer just to set the RTT on top of and maybe throw the moto underneath the RTT.

Just curious, not sure you'll even get this reply to the old thread. Thanks for sharing your review, either way!