i was also considering one, probably the ARB, is it a bad idea to leave it on full time?
Question about RTTs
- Thread starter Lugboot
- Start date
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I have a cheep China knock off canvas RTT.
This summer was the first year we used it extensively here in Alaska.
Ditto previous comments on condensation. Make a towel/shammy part of your regular camping supplies. Keep the windows cracked for circulation.
Ditto making sure you zip the doors shut before you close it in the a.m.. If you should pitch it the following evening in the rain, the ends of the mattress will be wet by the time you get it up.
We spent one night this year in one of the worse coastal storms I have ever experienced after 20 years of camping in Alaska. From time to time, the wind would hit so hard the rain fly would crack like a whip. Every now and then a gust would hit @ just the right angle and a rain drop would get pushed through a zipper in a mist!
The coolest storm I have ever camped it!
I was pleasantly surprised how well the RTT handled the wind. In retrospect, it would have been virtually impossible to keep water from running under a conventional dome tent.
One new issue I can add to the thread deals with the soft cover. Once I opened the tent After driving 60-80 mph through a rain storm. There was a few drops of water beaded up on the mattress that I easily wiped up. At first I thought it was condensation from the previous night. Then I noticed that the moisture seemed to be on the front "leading edge" side of the mattress. I suspect that driving @ those speeds could push rain through the stitching on the cover. I now have duct taped a garbage can liner to the inside of the cover.
In spite of the weather I have not had a problem getting a good night’s sleep. Next season I think I am going to look into some kind of scotch guard treatment for the mattress, just as a precaution & expand my margin of error.
This summer was the first year we used it extensively here in Alaska.
Ditto previous comments on condensation. Make a towel/shammy part of your regular camping supplies. Keep the windows cracked for circulation.
Ditto making sure you zip the doors shut before you close it in the a.m.. If you should pitch it the following evening in the rain, the ends of the mattress will be wet by the time you get it up.
We spent one night this year in one of the worse coastal storms I have ever experienced after 20 years of camping in Alaska. From time to time, the wind would hit so hard the rain fly would crack like a whip. Every now and then a gust would hit @ just the right angle and a rain drop would get pushed through a zipper in a mist!
The coolest storm I have ever camped it!
I was pleasantly surprised how well the RTT handled the wind. In retrospect, it would have been virtually impossible to keep water from running under a conventional dome tent.
One new issue I can add to the thread deals with the soft cover. Once I opened the tent After driving 60-80 mph through a rain storm. There was a few drops of water beaded up on the mattress that I easily wiped up. At first I thought it was condensation from the previous night. Then I noticed that the moisture seemed to be on the front "leading edge" side of the mattress. I suspect that driving @ those speeds could push rain through the stitching on the cover. I now have duct taped a garbage can liner to the inside of the cover.
In spite of the weather I have not had a problem getting a good night’s sleep. Next season I think I am going to look into some kind of scotch guard treatment for the mattress, just as a precaution & expand my margin of error.
Maggiolina hard top all the way. I've had one for 12 years now and it has seen just about everything and it's never had issues that caused lost sleep.
It has been in 70mph winds (that was interesting), snow, sleet, freezing rain, fog, desert sun, playa dust, BC-mosquitoes, a few trees, 10's of 1,000 miles of corrugated road.
Worst: 3 days before my first Moab - an ice dam had broken the roof and the entire interior was soaked and moldy. The mattress was dry. I scrubbed it all out, put new wood inside (they were press-board wood trim then). Used the epoxy repair kit to fix the crack in the roof and off we went, no problems.
2nd worse: about 1/2 a cup of water in the interior low spots at both ends. Again dry mattress and everything else (dry being relative in 100% humidity).
Alaska, Interior with wood trim, brand new - the night of the really big winds
It has been in 70mph winds (that was interesting), snow, sleet, freezing rain, fog, desert sun, playa dust, BC-mosquitoes, a few trees, 10's of 1,000 miles of corrugated road.
Worst: 3 days before my first Moab - an ice dam had broken the roof and the entire interior was soaked and moldy. The mattress was dry. I scrubbed it all out, put new wood inside (they were press-board wood trim then). Used the epoxy repair kit to fix the crack in the roof and off we went, no problems.
2nd worse: about 1/2 a cup of water in the interior low spots at both ends. Again dry mattress and everything else (dry being relative in 100% humidity).
Alaska, Interior with wood trim, brand new - the night of the really big winds
- Thread starter
- #24
Thanks for the input--do you find that hardshell plenty roomy for two adults? Do you have room up there for clothes bags or anything?
I had the Maggiolina Grand Tour Medium and found it was perfect for me as I like to stretch out when sleeping. And when solo there is room for a small to medium duffel bag. But when the 
, who is only 5'2", would be with me it was a bit cramped for me and no room for much more than your next day's clothes. However I have read about couples that share the small Maggiolina without complaint.
, who is only 5'2", would be with me it was a bit cramped for me and no room for much more than your next day's clothes. However I have read about couples that share the small Maggiolina without complaint.
sandcruiser
....back in the saddle again....
the dimensions are on the website for maggiolina.... tape off an area on the floor to see how you and/or you and someone fit. Keep in mind that it will feel bigger than an equivalent-sized footprint in a standard tent because the walls are vertical.
my wife and I are both short and trim. I'm 5'6", she's about 5'3". Combined we weigh about 250lbs. We spent weeks in a row sleeping in the smallest maggiolina and were very happy with it. There is plenty of space up there for clothes/sleeping gear when you aren't in it. If you want storage when you are sleeping, I would get/build a hammock of some sort to stow gear.
We've used the tent in everything from rainy tropical rain forest, blustering tropical beach storms, blazing baja heat, dead-still gulf coast nights, freezing sleet in the Guatemalan highlands, and the parking lot of Walmart somewhere in Texas. It worked well every time.
Using flat bags makes it easier to pack--- look for panier bags for bikes/motorcycles. But we could fit a smallish duffle bag up there without issue.
We love our maggiolina. It is comfortable and easy. Highly recommended.
my wife and I are both short and trim. I'm 5'6", she's about 5'3". Combined we weigh about 250lbs. We spent weeks in a row sleeping in the smallest maggiolina and were very happy with it. There is plenty of space up there for clothes/sleeping gear when you aren't in it. If you want storage when you are sleeping, I would get/build a hammock of some sort to stow gear.
We've used the tent in everything from rainy tropical rain forest, blustering tropical beach storms, blazing baja heat, dead-still gulf coast nights, freezing sleet in the Guatemalan highlands, and the parking lot of Walmart somewhere in Texas. It worked well every time.
Using flat bags makes it easier to pack--- look for panier bags for bikes/motorcycles. But we could fit a smallish duffle bag up there without issue.
We love our maggiolina. It is comfortable and easy. Highly recommended.
sandcruiser
....back in the saddle again....
just re-read the OP.
Hard top in the rain is better than any other type of RTT.
Over time, some moisture will get in. But less so than any traditional tent and less than the folding-style RTT.
In very heavy rain, you can throw a tarp over the whole thing and guy it out to the front bumper and/or guy lines on the ground. it makes for a humid experience up there, but no rain will get in the truck nor in the tent.
Hard top in the rain is better than any other type of RTT.
Over time, some moisture will get in. But less so than any traditional tent and less than the folding-style RTT.
In very heavy rain, you can throw a tarp over the whole thing and guy it out to the front bumper and/or guy lines on the ground. it makes for a humid experience up there, but no rain will get in the truck nor in the tent.
- Thread starter
- #28
I'll have to try your trick of measuring out the footprint on the floor and see how we fit. I'm 6' 1" and about 220 right now...my wife's 5'4" and 100 pounds less....
sandcruiser
....back in the saddle again....
we "tested" different sizes using cushions off of the couch as "walls". Gives a good idea of size.
I have the Columbus, setup and tear down are super fast and I think that is a big advantage when you have to do either in the rain.
These things are pretty tough too, keep in mind while reading this that my Columbus is 9 or 10 years old and I got it off a truck that was rolled, after a little work it still has a broken hinge in the front and a big gap in the back corner where the top and bottem meet when closed. I was surprised (and happy) that even driveing at highway speeds for a couple hours in the rain that it was still dry when I opened it.
I used mine a couple weeks ago. I drove a couple hours in the rain and opened it up in the rain, the inside was dry as a bone. It rained through out the night but had stopped before I woke the next morning. It was still wet when I closed it up. Wheeled all day and the inside was still dry when I opened it up the next day at home to air it out.
I was concerned about the inside getting wet so I did closed the 'windows' before I closed it up and like I stated everything was dry, even my sleeping bag and pillow.
Prior to getting this RRT I had wanted one an been looking at them for quite a while. I had never seen one in person and could not justify spending 2 to 3000 grand for a TENT. I was looking hard a the China knock off's. Now that I have this one plus giving its age and what its been through I can understand why.
I'm in PA, if you want get ahold of me and come check it out.
These things are pretty tough too, keep in mind while reading this that my Columbus is 9 or 10 years old and I got it off a truck that was rolled, after a little work it still has a broken hinge in the front and a big gap in the back corner where the top and bottem meet when closed. I was surprised (and happy) that even driveing at highway speeds for a couple hours in the rain that it was still dry when I opened it.
I used mine a couple weeks ago. I drove a couple hours in the rain and opened it up in the rain, the inside was dry as a bone. It rained through out the night but had stopped before I woke the next morning. It was still wet when I closed it up. Wheeled all day and the inside was still dry when I opened it up the next day at home to air it out.
I was concerned about the inside getting wet so I did closed the 'windows' before I closed it up and like I stated everything was dry, even my sleeping bag and pillow.
Prior to getting this RRT I had wanted one an been looking at them for quite a while. I had never seen one in person and could not justify spending 2 to 3000 grand for a TENT. I was looking hard a the China knock off's. Now that I have this one plus giving its age and what its been through I can understand why.
I'm in PA, if you want get ahold of me and come check it out.
My reasearch on this topic led me to believe that the ssquare top Maggiolina is the best made and most storm worthy of the various RTT designs. Autohomes claims it will handle virtually any wind. The heaviest wind I have personally used it in was a sustained 45mph desert wind (no rain) and the truck rocked gently back and forth, but otherwise everything was solid. As a benefit, it's completely silent. Many people with soft/fold out models complain of flapping noise in heavy wind.
Clamshells take much less time to setup so that may be a consideration for you having to be out during setup. One advatage of the soft style is that there are changing rooms available which would make a great place to hang out in the rain.
Many people (including me) leave their RTT on year round. The are made to handle that. The fiberglass of the Maggiolinas is marine grade - boats remain outside and exposed year round and are just fine.
Clamshells take much less time to setup so that may be a consideration for you having to be out during setup. One advatage of the soft style is that there are changing rooms available which would make a great place to hang out in the rain.
Many people (including me) leave their RTT on year round. The are made to handle that. The fiberglass of the Maggiolinas is marine grade - boats remain outside and exposed year round and are just fine.
sandcruiser
....back in the saddle again....
another benefit to the hard-shell style: in heavy wind/rain, setting up does not involve folding/guying/manipulating fabric. Just open/shut. Which can be nice.
Same story on putting it away.
You may think "1 minute vs. 4 minutes... who cares?"
But one particular morning, while being dive-bombed by vast clouds of bloodthirsty mosquitos who seemed to consider DEET an appetizer and thick-cotton clothing merely a convenient place to hold on... being able to knock down the tent and close it up in under 60 seconds made a big difference to our overall health and happiness.
Same story on putting it away.
You may think "1 minute vs. 4 minutes... who cares?"
But one particular morning, while being dive-bombed by vast clouds of bloodthirsty mosquitos who seemed to consider DEET an appetizer and thick-cotton clothing merely a convenient place to hold on... being able to knock down the tent and close it up in under 60 seconds made a big difference to our overall health and happiness.
do how much is one of those maggiolinas running new or used?
I have the camping lab RTT 73"x94" (the big one) on my FZJ80. My family and I took it cross country and it worked out great. The thin wall material may be a little cooler (both good and bad) but kept us dry during some sever rain. We also had some condensation inside so a towel is a good idea. Never got wet in the tent, except crawling out under the rain fly. If you back hits it you get soaked. The extra room is nice for soring shoes, clothes, and bear spary (just in case). I used 4 cross bars and gutter brackets from Groucho (on this forum) which did a good job supporting the 3 of us totaling nearly 400lbs + 120 lbs for the tent itself. If I did it again, I would buy the heavy duty cross bars he had listed. I have not had an issue with the inside getting wet even after packing it while wet. If you don't mide the added weight and wind resistance I think it would hold up well even in the winter. I would recommend the tent. Even on the east coast. The base of the Camping Lab is aluminum so the winter/summer moisture should not be an issue. With two people, set up (including putting in the 8 window fly polls) was about 6.5 minutes. Good luck.
