Cascadia RTT vs. Magiollina

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concretejungle

concretejungle

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After tons of searching, reading, watching videos, talking with folks who have the magiollina, having another brand of RTT myself, i've decided that the proper RTT for me is either the Columbus or the Mt. Baker.

I'm not trying to get a fight started here since we have wonderful vendors on this site, i just need some facts and side by side comparisons before dropping that kind of money on a RTT.

First off, the Columbus is the original. http://www.autohomeus.com/rooftop/variant.php

So i would "believe" that they have had ample time to work any of the bugs out of the tent. The first two things that smack me in the face with this tent is, 1. it's a lot more expensive then the Mt. baker and, it's lighter. I don't know if the weight has to do with the type or quality of the shell, the quality of the mattress or what.

As to the Cascadia Mt. Baker (http://www.cascadiatents.com/index.php?m=94&s=594&c=&id=122 ) tent. Obviously it's cheaper, that's a plus. But, it also only comes in one size (which honestly is probably the size i'm looking at anyways). It has a nice little window awning to cover the front window in case of rain.

My main questions are how do the tent fabrics compare? I will be using the tent a lot and i will be in rain storms. Staying dry in my tent is a must. I will be using it in areas that have a lot of mosquitos, so it's important to keep those guys out. I like the "winter cover" that the columbus offers so if you know that you will be in a harsh environment you can add the cover.

Both seem like good options. I need to know why i should spend more $ on the columbus vs. saving money for the gas tank and getting the Mt. Baker.

Any input is appreciated. :popcorn:
 
I have a Mt. Baker tent. The tent fabric is adequate and pretty much waterproof if you keep things from touching the inside walls. Water will wick through, I've found if - like the mattress or any objects lean on the walls when the tent is set up in the rain. I've trimmed my mattress to help prevent this as Oregon is very wet in the winter. I also have to comment that this tent is for one person or two people who are very close. Foot room is tight - I've banged my feet on the roof turning over at night (I'm 5'9"). The tent on the website has a different awning and window under it. On mine it is just a window, the one on the website looks like you could use it for a door, too.

My tent eval thread

The Maggies are excellent tents, I know two owners in my club who have had them for 10 years or more. Their quality is superb, but I can't find the tent fabric spec on the link you provided to compare thickness to the CVT (260G). I could switch to a Maggie with no regrets IMO, if mine got to be unusable.
 
Tom, thanks for that post!

I also can't seem to find the fabric specs on the site either for the maggi. I did see or read somewhere that the columbus fabric is not as high a quality as the air top or other "coffin" tents.
 
concretejungle said:
Tom, thanks for that post!

I also can't seem to find the fabric specs on the site either for the maggi. I did see or read somewhere that the columbus fabric is not as high a quality as the air top or other "coffin" tents.
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Having owned a Maggiolina Grand Tour and now my current Columbus the fabric on the latter is thinner, stiffer and noisy in 25-30+mph conditions. I love the Columbus shell and overall construction...very well designed and manufactured.

One thing about my Columbus that smacks of a wine filled Italian's design: The bug screens Velcro in place (side doors) Fromm the inside...WTF?!

I'd want to be sure the Cascadia structural issues have been resolved...
 
Hoser, those tents look like they are the cadillac! Appear to be priced along the lines of the maggie but maybe a little better finish, fabric and attention to detail... maybe.

I really like this one!

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Corey said:
The Italian site has some tech info up for each of their models that lists the fabric.
http://www.autohome-official.com/en/prodotti/autohome-a-guscio/columbus/info-tecniche
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Thanks for the link, Corey! After some digging, it looks like the Maggies currently have 290 G fabric weight, except the Columbus range has 180 G. While the CVT Mt. Baker has an in-between rating of 260 G. (The CVT rating is from their website and hasn't changed since I bought mine.) Also, some good reading on tent fabrics. Here is the page
 
Looks like the James Bouraud has 260 g fabric but also says it has an aluminum coating to reflect sunlight and heat.
 
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Hoser after reading that review, which i must say at times was confusing since i couldn't tell which tent they were talking about, it appears that one of the most important aspects of the RTT that i'm looking for is waterproofing. The Maggi model has some serious water leaking issues while the JB were tested to be completely water proof.
 
Corey, in the review it did not mention the airlander as having major leak problems. It did say that under heavy rain conditions the faulty door design will allow water to run under the mattress and turn it into a sponge. The Columbus was the worst... at least based on the review.
 
I have seen a JB tent in person and they are very nice tents! They have some very nice features and look extreamly well built.

I was sold on Maggies before I saw the JB and quickly started looking at those as an option.
 
concretejungle said:
Corey, in the review it did not mention the airlander as having major leak problems. It did say that under heavy rain conditions the faulty door design will allow water to run under the mattress and turn it into a sponge. The Columbus was the worst... at least based on the review.
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I think there may have been a change in door design since that review.

Another factor that I never hear talked about but is/was important to me is how much light the tent allows in. I like my tent to be isolated from the outdoors when it is all zipped up so I can control how much light I want in via windows. Sometimes, I just want to sleep in till 8am!

I thought my Maggiolina (gray fabric) was mediocre in this regard and not as good as my Eezi-awn clone. On the Cascadia website, it appears to me, there is a ton of light just coming in through the lid/roof on the Mt. Baker (white)... plus the light that comes in through the canvas. I don't know about the JB tents but they did comment on how somebody on the outside won't see "flashlight-shadows" of people on the inside.
 
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The grey fabric apart of my 2012 Columbus lets in a fair amount of light...more than I'd like and considerably more than the '07 Maggiolina Grand Tour we then had, which, with it's thicker/heavier fabric (also grey) did a satisfactory job of keeping the interior dark.

A friend is currently shopping for a hardshell RTT...but has discovered design and/or significant construction/materials shortcomings in the current offerings...seems to be opportunity for somebody to 'get it right'...
 
spressomon said:
A friend is currently shopping for a hardshell RTT...but has discovered design and/or significant construction/materials shortcomings in the current offerings...seems to be opportunity for somebody to 'get it right'...
Click to expand...


I agree. I'm noticing it now while doing my homework. These tents are not cheap, and obviously RTT are getting more and more popular. Plus this is not rocket science and one would think they would have these things dialed in by now.

BTW My current RTT, is VERY dark and i like that a lot. That's another feature that seems to stand out and excel with the JB.

If i can sell my current setup i think i would be willing to be a Guinea pig for the JB tent.
 
concretejungle said:
If i can sell my current setup i think i would be willing to be a Guinea pig for the JB tent.
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I got a Columbus and like it very much, but with that said..
I think I would trade it for the one on post #8 in a heart beat.

The design of the JB shown above, maximizes the space inside, unlike the Columbus.
 
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