opinions on roof top tents

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1shot1kill said:
I welded 4 cross bars to the existing basket to mount the tent. I did not want to mount bars on to the basket and then place the tent on it. The damn thing is already high off the ground. :)
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Thanks, do you have a picture of that? Are you saying you welded 4cross bars on top of the basket?
 
Here's another shot of my old Tepui Autana. Fantastic tent! This was my wife's favorite tent out of all the ones we've had. I sold it about a couple years ago in great condition after several years of use. The privacy of the annex was the major selling point for my wife. I'm going back to one of these and will have one of the new Ruggedized versions mounted on my 80 soon.
 
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I like the Autohome Columbus
Bedding inside, set up in under a minute
Good ventilation, dry in the rain
 
maggiolina. love mine. sets up and tears down far faster than the flip overs, no dealing with covers. fuel mileage isn't affected, unlike the flipover bricks. i'm short, so it's the only option, i can't stand on the tire, reach up, grab the ladder and step down which i'd have to do with a flipover...i just stand on the tailgate and crank. very sturdy in bad weather.

disadvantages are it takes up the entire roof, $, and mine's too old to be able to use the newer vestibules they have.
 
Started in 2006 with an Autohome Overland. Plusses: Big near king size bed. Minuses: Fold over style (couldn't leave bedding in place); cover was a PITA to install/remove and quickly abraded from raw sharp tent frame edges. Mike Spies, CEO/Pres of Autohome USA took care of me though and allowed me to trade up to...

A Maggiolina Grand Tour Medium. Other than the timing chain derailing after a meet up with some Death Valley washboard it was a solid RTT....even in the wind. But it got sold when I sold the AT Horizon trailer it was mounted to in '09.

Then a couple years ago I bought, again from Mike Spies/Autohome USA, a small width X-long Columbus Variant. Really like how fast it is to open/close...zero fanfare in this regard. But they gave me velcro on bug screens, a total PITA, s***ting "design"... and cuss worthy in Italian :D.

And the terribly thin/brittle fabric presents its downside, fabric rustling noise, when the wind blows more than about 10mph. I rigged up an adjustable spreader bar that tensions the side walls...that buys me another 10-mph or so; but I shouldn't need to re-engineer a product in this price category from a company self-advertising they've been making them for over 50-years. Oh yeah...me and just about everyone has a bitch with the ladder.

Other than the issues listed above I love the Columbus (excellent fiberglass shell quality!). And when the wind's not blowing...I sleep like a baby in it!! Its so damn close...but if James Baroud ever intros a narrow-long version I might be tempted to jump brands based upon what fellas I trust have had to say about their JB hard shell RTTs.

And...I took delivery of it without the 'too hard for me' foam pad Autohome provides. Instead, since its just me up there, I leave an Exped MegaMatt 10 in it...along with a king size pillow and 10*F rated down bag. All of the RTTs I've owned have seen considerable use.



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I have an ARB Simpson and an Autohome Columbus. The Columbus is much quicker to set up and take down. The ARB is larger once set up, but takes up less space when stowed on the rack. I prefer the Columbus if I'm traveling alone. I've also replaced the foam mattress with an Exped Megamat. Pros and cons to each, but if I had to choose one over the other it would be the Autohome.
 
That's funny someone mentioned a CVT group buy, I called last fri an bobby was at a show for the weekend or so the receptionist girly said, anyhow I'm supposed to get a call back from him and will definitely ask about a group buy!
I'll def post back if it is happening, but hopefully I get mine on order first!!! Lol
 
landtoy80 said:
I about got hit in the head buy one at Safari in Grand Junction as the wind blew it over as I was about to get in my 80. It was on display, not sure if it was tied down correctly but if you are in a big wind storm, I would get out ASAP.
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Auntie Em...!




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No need to worry about wind. You're doing it wrong if it's doing what was described. I'd much rather be in a RTT than a ground tent in high winds any day.

how bout ~100mph winds in Death Valley?
 
I bought a used but like new (mattress was still plastic wrapped) Autohome Airtop a little over a year ago and my wife and I really enjoy it. We still ground tent camp but the RTT is just plain awesome, especially when you pull into camp late. No need to find a flat spot or clear spot. Maybe put a rock under one tire. Set up is less than 60 sec and pack up is less than 5 minutes (by myself) and as someone else said, bedding stays inside.

Elk hunting camp

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Old school, First gen Mombassa..

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I just bought my first RTT a couple weeks ago, still sitting in my garage. I kept seeing that most tents out there were older versions of ARB tents that were rebranded, so I decided to go with the "original" maker with their newest version. Namely an ARB Simpson 2. I have no doubt that almost ANY well known name brand tent out there would do the job and do it well, like my second choice the Tepui Autana, with the free annex! I just have a problem with post purchase regrets and spending too much money I guess. :eek: So I went ahead with the ARB. :meh:
 
Any word on that CVT group buy? I'm in the market and would love to get one ordered. How does a "group buy" work anyway?
 
Probably the place that most of the RTT guys get their tents from and slap their badges on...

http://www.sundaycampers.com/


No that there's anything wrong with that, I was pointed to it while trying to source some parts for mine.
 
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