- Thread starter
- #41
Tom,
That was the review i was talking about!
That was the review i was talking about!
Cascadia RTT vs. Magiollina
- Thread starter concretejungle
- Start date
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Yeah, that's what I did also. Gotta love putting those boots on after a sub freezing night sitting on the roof!
This is exactly right, the sides terminate inside the lower shell. A great design to harvest and store rainwater!
Another thing I learned:
Using a carpet sample under the legs of the ladder helps keep the ladder from sinking in soft soil, works as a small mat to get some of the dirt off your shoes, and keeps the ladder from getting dirty/muddy cuz the ladder goes right on top of the bedding when you pack up (at least in the columbus). In a wagon you could keep the ladder in the rig, but a 70 is a little challenged in that dept.
All in all there is still PLENTY of space for an RTT mfg to get it right...and, from a design side, it all starts with use. I'm convinced very few if any of the RTT mfg's have spent more than one night in their RTT offerings...high end models/companies included.
Otherwise they'd come with comfie mattresses...just for starters
It isn't rocket science or brain surgery...
Otherwise they'd come with comfie mattresses...just for starters
It isn't rocket science or brain surgery...
All in all there is still PLENTY of space for an RTT mfg to get it right...and, from a design side, it all starts with use. I'm convinced very few if any of the RTT mfg's have spent more than one night in their RTT offerings...high end models/companies included.
Otherwise they'd come with comfie mattresses...just for starters
Good day Spressomon,
I agree it is not rocket science. That being said I am an owner who has spent over 100 nights in the last few years in our products. This is why we make the changes we do.
Where do you stop as a company with price range? If we offered everything a person would want do you know where that price range would be? We will be offering different things coming up but in most cases people do their own upgrades. If we as a company try to accommodate everyone we would go broke. This is why there are do many different companies for the same products. Even churches.., what is comfortable to you may not be for the guy next to you. We as a company are always changing and improving as we also know the need to become better and more customer friendly.
I am not trying to be disrespectful. Just want to give you this owners view.
Sincerely,
Bobby
Sent from my iPhone
^ yeah I get it...former business owner, product developer, etc. From where I sit (and lay 
) my Columbus has two glaring issues, that I can't easily nor arguably should need to solve that seem to ring consistently with other Columbus owners: The fabric is unduly noisy in a moderate breeze and above (~15mph+) and the velcro-on bug screens are a PITA to use.
I have not used mine in a downpour so I can't comment about ingress of water...and the mattress stiffness is subjective and easily solved at the user end...which I have done. And a 1/2 nit: The ladder; enough said.
Considering the Columbus is a $3500+ RTT from a 50-year+ old company that specializes in RTTs...I seriously don't feel my expectations were/are unreasonable. Don't know about you but there are very few camping occasions, especially in desert whereabouts of the western USA, that wind is not a factor for most.
Our former Maggiolina suffered the fate of the timing chain derailment. It was a PITA to repair...and upon inspecting the mechanism its a total head scratcher why the factory couldn't spend a buck to eliminate the issue. Again not everyone experiences this issue...but I do know of two others in our little group of dirt campers that have had the chain derail...
Like I said I think there is plenty of space for someone that wants to get it right...and it all starts from a user's perspective...
) my Columbus has two glaring issues, that I can't easily nor arguably should need to solve that seem to ring consistently with other Columbus owners: The fabric is unduly noisy in a moderate breeze and above (~15mph+) and the velcro-on bug screens are a PITA to use. I have not used mine in a downpour so I can't comment about ingress of water...and the mattress stiffness is subjective and easily solved at the user end...which I have done. And a 1/2 nit: The ladder; enough said.
Considering the Columbus is a $3500+ RTT from a 50-year+ old company that specializes in RTTs...I seriously don't feel my expectations were/are unreasonable. Don't know about you but there are very few camping occasions, especially in desert whereabouts of the western USA, that wind is not a factor for most.
Our former Maggiolina suffered the fate of the timing chain derailment. It was a PITA to repair...and upon inspecting the mechanism its a total head scratcher why the factory couldn't spend a buck to eliminate the issue. Again not everyone experiences this issue...but I do know of two others in our little group of dirt campers that have had the chain derail...
Like I said I think there is plenty of space for someone that wants to get it right...and it all starts from a user's perspective...
- Thread starter
- #46
well, i pulled the trigger and purchased the james baroud space evolution RTT.
So far my initial impressions are very good. The fit and finish are fantastic. The fabric makes me think of a gore-tex north face jacket type material. It's very nice. The mattress is good too. The fan was fully charged after one day of sunlight but i must say that the intake fan just doesn't really pull much air in. the light that comes inside is pretty cool. It comes fully charged. The ladder is very high quality as well.
The only thing so far that i can "complain" about is that the gas struts are really strong, making the take down a little difficult. I'm guessing that after i open and close it more and more it will get easier to close and open. Opening it is a snap. Closing it alone, just takes some strength. With two people it might be a snap.
So far my initial impressions are very good. The fit and finish are fantastic. The fabric makes me think of a gore-tex north face jacket type material. It's very nice. The mattress is good too. The fan was fully charged after one day of sunlight but i must say that the intake fan just doesn't really pull much air in. the light that comes inside is pretty cool. It comes fully charged. The ladder is very high quality as well.
The only thing so far that i can "complain" about is that the gas struts are really strong, making the take down a little difficult. I'm guessing that after i open and close it more and more it will get easier to close and open. Opening it is a snap. Closing it alone, just takes some strength. With two people it might be a snap.
Expedition Portal has a review up.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment-testing/2860-james-baroud-evasion-evolution-rtt.html
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment-testing/2860-james-baroud-evasion-evolution-rtt.html
- Thread starter
- #49
here are a few early pics of it mounted in my driveway.
I will be using it extensively the next couple of weeks and so i'll report back my findings.
One thing i can say now is that the RTT is quieter going down the road in regards to wind noise then my ARB roof rack was.
I will be using it extensively the next couple of weeks and so i'll report back my findings.
One thing i can say now is that the RTT is quieter going down the road in regards to wind noise then my ARB roof rack was.
concretejungle: Mirroring hoser, I am curious to hear your feedback after some field time...especially in the wind...you shouldn't have any trouble finding wind on your trip west .
The Autohome Airtop has had issues with pinched fabric apart of abrasion from the articulating support/lift "knees"...do you see any similar problem with your James Baroud?
.The Autohome Airtop has had issues with pinched fabric apart of abrasion from the articulating support/lift "knees"...do you see any similar problem with your James Baroud?
- Thread starter
- #51
Good question. The support/lift mechanism is wrapped in a thick, soft fabric. One thing that i noticed is when you go to close the top, as the mechanisms scissor close i watched closely to make sure the fabric did not get pinched. What i realized is the bungee that pulls the two sides inward while closing (one in the front and one in the rear) that if you clip in on one side of the lift mechanism, it will get pulled between the mechanism when it closes. But, it does not pull the fabric in enough to get pinched. Or, you can position the bungee on the other side of the mechanism which will allow it to ride on top instead of on the pinching side. Hope that makes sense.
Also, one side note is that if you are over 6'1" this tent will be too short for you. I am somewhere around that height and with my pillow and sleeping bag, my pillow touches one side and the feet of my bag touch the other end. I'm just touching, not pressing or mashing so it does not feel short. But, if i were any taller i think it might be an issue.
I will also add that i'm pretty impressed with the quality of the zippers. They seem to be pretty heavy duty and also has two sets of zippers per opening so you can zip the top down, or the bottom up.
Also, one side note is that if you are over 6'1" this tent will be too short for you. I am somewhere around that height and with my pillow and sleeping bag, my pillow touches one side and the feet of my bag touch the other end. I'm just touching, not pressing or mashing so it does not feel short. But, if i were any taller i think it might be an issue.
I will also add that i'm pretty impressed with the quality of the zippers. They seem to be pretty heavy duty and also has two sets of zippers per opening so you can zip the top down, or the bottom up.
Quality in the pics looks impressive. It sounds like struts will last if they're stiff new. Will you be at CM? Slickrock CG? Like to see it if so. What I found with my CVI RTT in the wet weather is if you have anything (mattress, pillow, sleeping bag, etc....) up against the tent fabric, it would cause moisture to wick through eventually. Brief contact was no issue, but continual contact would cause the moisture intrusion. Not a leak per se - just in the area of contact. The amount of rain would also be a factor. Brief showers would make it a non issue. My testing was here in the PNW where it was raining more than it wasn't.
You mentioning the height issue made me remember this detail.
You mentioning the height issue made me remember this detail.
- Thread starter
- #53
Yes i will be at at CM and since i don't know the area really well i will be at slick rock CG.
Good 411 about the length...this was a big factor when I bought my Columbus a couple years ago (extra long).
FYI everyone interested in the James Baroud tents, the distributor was at Easter Jeep Safari and will be at CM.
- Thread starter
- #56
I thought i would update this thread.
I slept in my James Baroud Space Evolution model tent for 14 days straight. I will start off with the things that i found to be either annoying or needing improvement since it's a pretty short list.
1. The tent is too short. The tent needs to be about 3 to 4 inches longer to accommodate most americans. It might be fine for short european folks or Asian folks but not our market. I am 6' tall and i do fit, but barely fit. If i were 6'3" it would be too tight. They do make a larger tent, but not in this model.
2. The lift struts are too strong. It's a good and bad thing. They are strong which makes set-up a snap. Flip the 4 latches and it pops up immediately. It also is capable of handling strong wind. I slept in 30 to 40 mph winds one night in a canyon and the tent didn't budge. I did hear the zippers rattling around and that was fixed really easy by putting little pieces of duct tape on the zippers. That quieted them down and never heard them again. But, when it came time to close the tent, the struts are just too powerful and it was often difficult; especially if it's warm outside, they are even more pressurized. So they need to either get a slightly less powerful gas strut or come up with some mechanism to help you close the tent.
3. Support struts are positioned at the door entrance. I mentioned this above but i did manage to hit my head on the struts about 3 times and it didn't feel good at all. The supports that hold the roof up scissor and end up being located right in the corner of the doorway. At night if you are looking down at your feet climbing the ladder or a little drunk, you can easily pop your head on the support. So maybe they can situate the supports in another location or figure out another design.
4. Too many zippers. This is just my opinion but the door has 4 zippers then the screen door behind it has 4 zippers. Why so many zippers? Just give me one or two that zips the door open and zips it closed.....
5. Velcro at the bottom of the door. I'm still not sold on this. I would prefer to just have the zipper zip all the way around the door, not just the top and sides and then velcro the bottom. Doesn't make sense to me and honestly it's super noisy. At night before i installed my in tent restroom (large gatorade bottle), and i had to get out to pee, the velcro was loud enough to wake up the entire campsite. I would suggest them just using a zipper for the entire door like most backpacking tents.
Now for the good:
1. The LED light inside and the fan are spectacular. Very simple but are very effective. The fan is charged by a solar panel incorporated into the fan on the roof. At cruise moab i ended up taking the tent off for a couple of days and set it under a tree at my camp-spot so the solar fan couldn't recharge. After the second day, it eventually died, and that next morning i woke up and the inside of the tent was a little damp from my breath. With the fan that didn't happen. Also, the light works very well and is very bright. It comes with a charger to charge the light with a 12v cigarette style plug. But, don't be fooled, the "intake" fan blade doesn't really pull enough air through to make it feel like you have a fan blowing on you.
2. The tent is very waterproof. I slept in a torrential downpour in missouri. Woke up the next morning and everything inside the tent was dry. Not one drop of water. I was very impressed. Even where my sleeping back or pillow was touching the fabric it was still dry.
3. the tent is very air tight. With all the doors closed you can not close the tent down. It's like a balloon. You have to unzip the tent doors to close the tent because it's so well built and tight.
4. There is a very cool design feature built into the base. There is a small hole with a black rubber cover over the holes. What this is for is while you are driving down the road, those holes and the cover create a vacuum and it sucks any smell or moisture out of the tent while your driving. Really cool idea and seemed to work well.
5. The mattress is great and high quality. Like i said, i slept in this tent 14 nights in a row. On the 15th night i got a hotel room and regretted it because of other factors. The 16th night, i slept in the RTT again and slept better than in the hotel.
6. It's very aerodynamic and light as well. My old tent which was a fold out type felt like a huge brick on the roof. It was heavy and really caused the truck to lean in corners, not this one. I can barely tell it's up there. However, i could tell it was up there on a few super tippy spots in the hole in the rock trail, but other than that, it's very "wheel able". There is literally no wind noise that i could hear.
7. A lot of head room. In the tall section of the tent, i'm able to be up on my knees and my head be just short of touching the roof. It's probably the same height as the old fold out tent that i had. The front of the tent, while lower, is still very tall and you can easily sleep with your head on this side of the tent and not feel cramped or claustrophobic.
Overall i'm very impressed with the tent and the build quality. The only negative that i can think of is to make it easier to close. The struts are very strong.
I slept in my James Baroud Space Evolution model tent for 14 days straight. I will start off with the things that i found to be either annoying or needing improvement since it's a pretty short list.
1. The tent is too short. The tent needs to be about 3 to 4 inches longer to accommodate most americans. It might be fine for short european folks or Asian folks but not our market. I am 6' tall and i do fit, but barely fit. If i were 6'3" it would be too tight. They do make a larger tent, but not in this model.
2. The lift struts are too strong. It's a good and bad thing. They are strong which makes set-up a snap. Flip the 4 latches and it pops up immediately. It also is capable of handling strong wind. I slept in 30 to 40 mph winds one night in a canyon and the tent didn't budge. I did hear the zippers rattling around and that was fixed really easy by putting little pieces of duct tape on the zippers. That quieted them down and never heard them again. But, when it came time to close the tent, the struts are just too powerful and it was often difficult; especially if it's warm outside, they are even more pressurized. So they need to either get a slightly less powerful gas strut or come up with some mechanism to help you close the tent.
3. Support struts are positioned at the door entrance. I mentioned this above but i did manage to hit my head on the struts about 3 times and it didn't feel good at all. The supports that hold the roof up scissor and end up being located right in the corner of the doorway. At night if you are looking down at your feet climbing the ladder or a little drunk, you can easily pop your head on the support. So maybe they can situate the supports in another location or figure out another design.
4. Too many zippers. This is just my opinion but the door has 4 zippers then the screen door behind it has 4 zippers. Why so many zippers? Just give me one or two that zips the door open and zips it closed.....
5. Velcro at the bottom of the door. I'm still not sold on this. I would prefer to just have the zipper zip all the way around the door, not just the top and sides and then velcro the bottom. Doesn't make sense to me and honestly it's super noisy. At night before i installed my in tent restroom (large gatorade bottle), and i had to get out to pee, the velcro was loud enough to wake up the entire campsite. I would suggest them just using a zipper for the entire door like most backpacking tents.
Now for the good:
1. The LED light inside and the fan are spectacular. Very simple but are very effective. The fan is charged by a solar panel incorporated into the fan on the roof. At cruise moab i ended up taking the tent off for a couple of days and set it under a tree at my camp-spot so the solar fan couldn't recharge. After the second day, it eventually died, and that next morning i woke up and the inside of the tent was a little damp from my breath. With the fan that didn't happen. Also, the light works very well and is very bright. It comes with a charger to charge the light with a 12v cigarette style plug. But, don't be fooled, the "intake" fan blade doesn't really pull enough air through to make it feel like you have a fan blowing on you.
2. The tent is very waterproof. I slept in a torrential downpour in missouri. Woke up the next morning and everything inside the tent was dry. Not one drop of water. I was very impressed. Even where my sleeping back or pillow was touching the fabric it was still dry.
3. the tent is very air tight. With all the doors closed you can not close the tent down. It's like a balloon. You have to unzip the tent doors to close the tent because it's so well built and tight.
4. There is a very cool design feature built into the base. There is a small hole with a black rubber cover over the holes. What this is for is while you are driving down the road, those holes and the cover create a vacuum and it sucks any smell or moisture out of the tent while your driving. Really cool idea and seemed to work well.
5. The mattress is great and high quality. Like i said, i slept in this tent 14 nights in a row. On the 15th night i got a hotel room and regretted it because of other factors. The 16th night, i slept in the RTT again and slept better than in the hotel.
6. It's very aerodynamic and light as well. My old tent which was a fold out type felt like a huge brick on the roof. It was heavy and really caused the truck to lean in corners, not this one. I can barely tell it's up there. However, i could tell it was up there on a few super tippy spots in the hole in the rock trail, but other than that, it's very "wheel able". There is literally no wind noise that i could hear.
7. A lot of head room. In the tall section of the tent, i'm able to be up on my knees and my head be just short of touching the roof. It's probably the same height as the old fold out tent that i had. The front of the tent, while lower, is still very tall and you can easily sleep with your head on this side of the tent and not feel cramped or claustrophobic.
Overall i'm very impressed with the tent and the build quality. The only negative that i can think of is to make it easier to close. The struts are very strong.
- Thread starter
- #57
Here are a few photos of it in action.
Also, i was told by the dealer that there is a winter cover that velcrows on the tent.
Also, i was told by the dealer that there is a winter cover that velcrows on the tent.
Im really liking those tents.
...via IH8MUD app
...via IH8MUD app
Appreciate the critical, honest review Alex!