Best hard shell RTT for rainy conditions (2 Viewers)

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bcsteel

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Oct 31, 2008
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Location
Terrace, BC
Curious on thoughts here? What’s good and what’s not so good for more than average rainy and wet conditions? Also cooler than average conditions. I know nothing about these things but would like to put one on my bj42.
 
Maggiolina Extreme with winter cover. To qualify my bias, almost every night I've ever slept in it has been between
Prince George and Inuvik - July through October.
E5950EA7-6D3E-4CE1-9B02-141B9F3181CB.jpeg
 
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@cruiserpilot thx. Was kind of leaning towards that and now you’ve confirmed it.
I'm hoping to get up there in about 3 weeks. I got mine second hand, hard to find new $$$
Good luck looking, but there are some out there if you are quick. I have to be honest, the Tepui
hard top looks like a good product, but I haven't ever even seen one.
 
Your coming up to Terrace? I can get the Tepui locally from capit. I may look into a little more!
 
Your coming up to Terrace? I can get the Tepui locally from capit. I may look into a little more!
Initial plan is north through Ft St James. But nothing is solid right now.
HyBox $$4K that's rich!
The price in Canada is as high as a new Maggiolina Extreme. I was just looking, this has gas strut
action. I didn't like that as much. Awkward to close because of the resistance. The Maggiolina
Extreme is mechanical crank, so much nicer to use!
$4.5K
The problem with Autohome in Canada is the dealer is in Quebec. Real pain in the ass. Pardon my French.
I know some guys in Calgary have them. I could ask if they have a local contact or second hand unit.
 
Is 1K to get a maggiolina to my neck of the woods. If you know a guy and can ask that would be sweet. Let me know when your coming up. Not sure if I’ll be in camp but if I’m around there’s beer in the fridge...
 
Whatever you do, do not get a James Baroud.

Bought a new JB Explorer Evo in 2018. Buddy bought an identical one a month later. Both of ours were taken back under warranty in less than 8 months (he got a full refund, I got a new replacement which I instantly sold).

All hardware rusted, gel coat cracked, (no impacts) hundreds of "cracks" in a layer of the wall fabric, and fan failure. Identical issues on both of our tents. My tent had seen a dozen nights camping, and was stored in the underground parking lot (out of the elements) 99% of the time I had it.

Whichever tent you end up with, make sure to figure out a way to have an awning over the entry way, otherwise you will be dragging in rain/snow with every ingress.
 
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I second on JB. IMHO bad value for the money. Had the Grand Raid XXL. Shell bent, bad fabrication. Sold it.
 
So since I’m sitting doing not much. I looked at a few different hard shell types. Maggiolina and JBaroud seem to follow the same design of internal (behind the fabric) mechanisms. AluCab and Tepui have hardware external to the fabric. Now the Extreme comes with a ‘winter cover’, slippery material that nothing - rain, sleet, wet snow - sticks to. It actually comes down around the bottom of the tent for coverage. I thought about this and realized I had a night on the Dempster that hit about -15C, and this wet sleet hit the night before. The cover just shook off, I tucked it up and put the tent away. No pics cause my routine is wake, climb down, empty the tent of nightly things and immediately stow the tent. Then I make coffee.
But my message is, had this had external mechanisms, I don’t know how much or how easily that frozen stuff would come off if at all. Not to mention, when the tent is stowed and I spend a day driving all that stuff is tucked up under the inside of the shell.
Just an experience and an observation. Also, I’m travel solo, but condensation has never been an issue. Keep vents open and airflow and not an issue.
I think external mechanisms could be problematic in certain circumstances. .02
 
A few other options for OP to consider:

- Eezi-Awn Stealth
- Bundutec
- Semi-hardshell automatic from FreeSpiritRecreation
- GoFastCampers RTT
- This guy's custom option: Tired of all the "huge" RTT's. So I made my own.

I'm not endorsing/recommending anything, just providing options to be aware of.
 
I've been using a Maggiolina Extreme. Rain or shine, it's been excellent. Great ventilation and really nice fabric. The structure and scissor design is tried and true. It simply works very well. I'll add it's very comfortable even for 2 adults. It can hold a pair of sleeping bags and pillows too and still close. It's about 10 or more years old too. It has it's share of fiberglass cracking on sides, some scratches, fabric repairs, etc but it still functions excellent. I've scraped trees, branches...it gets used.

DSC01931.JPG
 
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Coming from an ARB Kakadu that had huge windows on each side I was actually surprised at how much better the Maggi's fabric breathed in the warmer temps and retained heat in the cold, not to mention its very quiet in the wind.
 
I right now sit in this:

2003785


my wife picked a location with the most severe thunderstorm in the country. first half is through ... more to come.

2003786


2003787


so far Alu Cab Gen 3 withstands. I never camped in these conditions yet ... hell a lightning struck into the lake a few hundred meters away ... well the brochure said "expedition" ... eh?!?
 
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I right now sit in this:

View attachment 2003785

my wife picked a location with the most severe thunderstorm in the country. first half is through ... more to come.

View attachment 2003786

View attachment 2003787

so far Alu Cab Gen 3 withstands. I never camped in these conditions yet ... hell a lightning struck into the lake a few hundred meters away ... well the brochure said "expedition" ... eh?!?

With lightning nearby I'd be getting out of that tent and into the inside of the vehicle real quick.

High off the ground and metal is a bad combination for lightning.
 

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