hey west coasters, any experience with these roof top tents?

[delicioso!]

or anyone??

http://rooftoptent.webs.com/

just saw this on another forum. they're in BC. looks like an arb simpson/titan and a few others...maybe made in the same place in china.. seems like a sweet deal with all the additions to it! AND free shipping in canada!

cheers.

[nvanadm]

No experience with roof top tents...yet, but redarmy posted this just a few weeks ago...
http://www.delica.ca/forum/roof-top-ten ... 13565.html

[glenn]

Tardis deli (christine and Jay) have one of their awning tents. (I think)

[delicioso!]

thanks for the replies fellas, sent a pm to tarsideli and posted on the other thread.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Josh had a roof top tent on the Silver Bullet ~ and I think Mararmeisto has/had a roof top tent.... not sure. I entered "Roof Top Tent" into the search engine at the top of the page and it turned up a number of threads devoted to the topic, might be worth the read... smiles.

Falco.

[delicioso!]

thanks falco! hopin to hear feedback on this particular tent. cheers.

[delicioso!]

well, looks like a couple of us from ontario with toyotas have just ordered RTT's from Andy! gettin excited..

[mararmeisto]

Can't comment on that particular tent - I got an Eezi-Awn out of South Africa. The best canvas tent I've ever owned.

Good luck with your purchase. I hope you like it.

[Super Exceeded]

One of my pilots has one and he loves it. Keeps the bears at bay too!!!!

[delicioso!]

well, looks like i'm a new RTT owner! big thanks to jay/christine and ian for the honest feedback on Andy and the tents! it's almost on the rig, just need a pair of hands to haul it on the thule bars. will document assembly with pics! hopin i can sleep in it before it get's too cold...althoug it is a 4 season tent!

and thanks again Andy/RedArmy!

[delicioso!]

just thought i'd share some assembly pics now that i've downloaded a tonne of summer photos onto the computer.
so far so good, pretty straight forward assembly. but i've yet to sleep in it! might do a quick overnighter somewhere north not too far..

here's a quick description of assembly...

comes shipped in 3 boxes. the tent, awning, and annex room.



open main box and find instructions and orient yourself to which way the tent folds..



undo straps holding tent closed



open tent, simply unfold, inside you'll find more parts for it (hardware, etc.)



quick view on the inside, got real excited here, sooo cozy in there!



main cover, bowes for the windows, hardware, instructions, etc..



instructions pretty straight forward too. notice all SS hardware. comes with two wrenches.



all you really have to do is mount the aluminum rails onto the bottom of the tent, and decide which way you want to open it (left/right side of the vehicle, awning will go on the opposite side)

telescoping ladder. this is a huge improvement from the other models (some requiring extensions). this ladder is quite stout AND lightweight! it just accordions down and easily adjusts to the height you need to level the tent. mount ladder to tent. (the problem with other ladders is they're too short and don't make up for vehicle lifts).

]





so i chose to have the tent fold over onto the left side of the vehicle, which means my awning will go on the right side (this awning has it's own room). figured we'd chill under the awning, and it'd be nice to be closer to the drivers side (right hand drive).

if you have the tent fold over to the rear of the vehicle, you'll be able to use the same aluminum base mounts that goes onto your thule load bars as an attachment point for the awning. otherwise, you'll have to use the end of the load bar (by drilling holes to mount L bracket for awning).

but if you go over the back, you will limit use of the back door of your rig, depending on how it opens. mine is a clamshell type of doors, so the top hatch would butt up against the extended floor of the tent..so i went sideways.

the stainless steel hardware simply slides through the aluminum base/rail, 2 on either side of the thule load bar. i just measured 30" appart from each bar to spread the weight evenly. you'll need an extra pair of hands to hoist the RTT over the load bars (very light with 2 guys lifting). make sure they are snug and square. tighten brackets.



then you gotta orient the top cover so that the one end that doesn't come off (side that drapes over one end) and feed the zipper base which mates with the cover..around 3 sides of the tent..






this end is fixed to the main cover, slide that through the remaining side of the tent...

mate the top cover with the corresponding zipper ends and zip her shut to test fit.



to set up tent, unzip the 3 sides (all one zipper) and fold over cover towards the hinge side.

hop up on the side of the truck to get at the ladder, pull it to extend, use it as leverage, and carefully open the tent and drop the ladder feet on the even ground. adjust ladder accordingly and voila!



ran out of time to zip in the annex/change room, next time! but you can see it in Mikes pics.

[delicioso!]

some awning pics..



back of the awning. closed up it's all sealed from the elements, zipper facing down



same strong vinyl cover as the main cover for the tent..





SS hardware.



this side pole is for attaching the room onto, and adds rigidity to the awning. it rolls out and poles fold down on both corners. lots of metal, but it's all aluminum and quite light to pick up.



anyway, hope to get it all done soon before i change my mind about sneakin out a cold campin trip! lol. will definitely post more pics, fun stuff. :)

big thanks to Andy/RedArmy! great service and straight up honest fella to deal with. i'm certain he's got more tents in stock in langley, BC.

[delicioso!]

- ALL stainless steel fittings
- thicker 300g fabric vs 250 from the competitors
- all aluminum
- stock with already a taller ladder to make up for lifts (some companies sell an extension, his doesn't need it)
- longer (taller) annex/awning rooms, removable floors
- the awning connectors are metal (vs plastic from others, which have been reported by some to break)
- he warranties his parts. if you were local, all you do is stop by and he'll replace free of charge. if your outa town, then you just pay for shipping of faulty items, then he'll send new ones (not that this has been an issue).

[delicat]

Looks identical to my Tepui RTT... without the Tepui badge

You might find the mattress compress too much especially when sleeping on your side. I simply add a thin Thermarest under the mattress and it's as good as my house bed!

Enjoy!
Mr. D

[nxski]

Looks great, I'm excited to hear about your camping experiences!