Gordigear questions

Jeepvkk

Member
I posted this in the camping gear section first with not much feedback ( appreciate the feedback I did get ) not realizing this area existed, so trying here too.

I've been looking at getting my first RTT. After some research I'm starting to settle on Gordigear. What is mostly available at retailers here in the PNW seems to be Tepui and CVT.

The Gordi seems to distinguish itself in the following ways ( and there may be more, but these struck me as significant ):
1. The fabric is Polycotton like most, but instead of a coating seems to be impregnated with waterproofing. Does this mean that unlike coatings ( which seem to be on every other tent except Eazi-awn which is wax impregnated ), it is permanently waterproof? Is the breathability impacted in any way or different from those with coatings? Is impregnated just another term for coating?
2. The mattress is much thicker than most - it's 80mm which is 3.1 inches. The Tepui have 2.5 inch mattresses for example
3. There is a PVC skirt around the mattress to prevent moisture from the outside getting the mattress wet. I don't see any other manufacturer mentioning this.
4. Price seems very reasonable. It is a slightly more than Tepui, but equivalent to CVT and quite a bit cheaper than Howling moon and some other manufacturers.
5. Like the others it has options for awnings etc.

The American made ones seem very similar to each other but Gordigear seems to have some different well thought out features and makes me think it's the way to go.

Any opinions or feedback from any users out there?

Edit: CVT Shasta is a good value since with an awning, skylight, and 3” mattress it's $1660 delivered. The Gordigear explorer plus is $2000 with the awning. I'm wondering about the differences between these two.
 

rickc

Adventurer
Jeepvkk: It's tricky doing apples:apples comparisons so you are doing the right thing to ask for a real-life reference. To the best of my knowledge, there are no American-made RTTs; they are all made in China and many RRT companies buy from the same top two or three Chinese factories. The difference is in the specifications. I find it a little disturbing that the manufacturers hide this little detail unless asked about it; most websites will not mention the Chinese manufacturing base.

I'm sure you will find "impregnated" and "coated" to be the same thing in practice. There are lots of things to consider when looking at RTTs and our needs are not all the same. I have an ARB Simpson III (Australian made in China!) and I like that it is quite dark inside even when the sun is bright. It does not have a roof window as many newer RTTs do and I'm fine with this; I can't really see a scenario where I would be removing and replacing the outer fly so that I could use the top openings; another place for water to possibly get in. I live in BC, Canada and wanted an all-season RTT. I also have no need for cellphone chargers and built-in lighting; you may read about these built-in lights being too bright. I use a simple hanging LED blob that works just fine and I can move it around if I choose.

Read about RTT base materials; the board to which the tent is built on. Some are more flimsy that others for weight relief and lower cost but lean on them and they bend irreversibly. Pay really close attention to how you attach the RTT to your Jeep. The bigger "ruggedized" RTTs weigh more; mine is somewhere around 150lbs but I've seen some that weigh over 200lbs; this is in excess of the typical roof rack twin bar set-up. FYI most twin bars are only rated for around 140lbs dynamic loading so they are already overloaded using a 150lb RTT while driving. Do you want to be able to remove and replace your RTT up top by yourself? Another consideration when looking at the heavier RTTs.

You are in the right place; this section of the forum is the best place to get a very wide range of RTT opinions.

Good luck
 

Jeepvkk

Member
Jeepvkk: It's tricky doing apples:apples comparisons so you are doing the right thing to ask for a real-life reference. To the best of my knowledge, there are no American-made RTTs; they are all made in China and many RRT companies buy from the same top two or three Chinese factories. The difference is in the specifications. I find it a little disturbing that the manufacturers hide this little detail unless asked about it; most websites will not mention the Chinese manufacturing base.

I'm sure you will find "impregnated" and "coated" to be the same thing in practice. There are lots of things to consider when looking at RTTs and our needs are not all the same. I have an ARB Simpson III (Australian made in China!) and I like that it is quite dark inside even when the sun is bright. It does not have a roof window as many newer RTTs do and I'm fine with this; I can't really see a scenario where I would be removing and replacing the outer fly so that I could use the top openings; another place for water to possibly get in. I live in BC, Canada and wanted an all-season RTT. I also have no need for cellphone chargers and built-in lighting; you may read about these built-in lights being too bright. I use a simple hanging LED blob that works just fine and I can move it around if I choose.

Read about RTT base materials; the board to which the tent is built on. Some are more flimsy that others for weight relief and lower cost but lean on them and they bend irreversibly. Pay really close attention to how you attach the RTT to your Jeep. The bigger "ruggedized" RTTs weigh more; mine is somewhere around 150lbs but I've seen some that weigh over 200lbs; this is in excess of the typical roof rack twin bar set-up. FYI most twin bars are only rated for around 140lbs dynamic loading so they are already overloaded using a 150lb RTT while driving. Do you want to be able to remove and replace your RTT up top by yourself? Another consideration when looking at the heavier RTTs.

You are in the right place; this section of the forum is the best place to get a very wide range of RTT opinions.

Good luck
Thank you! That's very helpful.

Not too many Gordigear users on this forum.
 

snwbrdr

New member
I own a gordigear since one year. Had a problem with wet sides during heavy rain, probably not properly impregnated from the factory. They offered me a free replacement tent after owning the „old“ one since 8 months. That‘s what I call outstanding customer service and why I would recommend Gordigear.

Matress is pretty good, so is the skirt on the side and overall fabrication quality.
 

Jeepvkk

Member
I own a gordigear since one year. Had a problem with wet sides during heavy rain, probably not properly impregnated from the factory. They offered me a free replacement tent after owning the „old“ one since 8 months. That‘s what I call outstanding customer service and why I would recommend Gordigear.

Matress is pretty good, so is the skirt on the side and overall fabrication quality.

That's good to know, thanks!
 

kevin_j

Member
We're going on a year with our Gordi Gear Explorer Plus and about 20 nights so far. I'm super happy with it so far. I like that all the seams are taped and the mattress is slightly thicker than some. It's about to be our full-time house :) Overall it's been a pretty great experience. Only issue I ha was a slight amount of leakiness in the annex around fixtures like stakeouts and a couple of roll toggles. easily cured with seam seal. So far we've had it up in 40 knot winds and a few pretty intense down pours.

Let me know if you have any questions I can answer for you!
 

Ovrlnd Rd

Adventurer
I have a Gordigear Explorer Plus also and have about 10 nights in it since October. Customer service at the outset was outstanding. My unit came damaged due to the shipper and they offered to send me a new unit. As it was an "appearance" type issue only (bottom side of the floor was damaged by what looked like a forklift) I suggested they just comp me an awning, which they gladly did. I'm currently waiting to see if they'll replace a broken zipper slider for the travel cover and, after the 1st day I contacted them, I haven't heard back. I'm attempting to get a replacement slider through someone else but am afraid neither will show up before we leave for Expo.

I have had some issues with high winds. If the rain fly is up (which it does often get windy while raining) I've had the bar that holds the fly up pull out of the sewn pockets it rests in (the bar is u-shaped and is fitted in a sleeve horizontally then sits in vertical pockets on either side). This happened to both front and back bars. I was able to take the rear fly down but can't really do the front as that's where the cover for the opening is. My fix was a couple of bungees to hold it down to the truck.

I find the mattress hard even though it is thick. I resolved this with a large ground pad on top of the mattress.

All in all I'm happy with the unit but will be happier if I get a new cover zipper slider.
 

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