RTT Advice or Opinions

[SFDiscoII]

Hello,

I am planning on buying a RTT this week for an upcoming trip and wanted to ask for a little advice.

I am leaning towards either one of these for the protected ladder for a dryer entrance to the tent in foul weather.

The Overzone or the Eezi Awn T top.

Does anyone have a strong opinion on which is better and why. Both look good from the pictures I have found.

I also like the hard shell Autohome tents but I think I will get the inside wet when getting in and out when it's raining. Any experiences with that.

Thanks,

 

[Lemsteraak]

Sounds like you have very specific needs. Where are you going and what do you plan to do? RTT are all made with general conditions in mind, you then outfit them to fit your needs.

Rich H

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I went through this decision making process a few months ago. I was strongly looking at both that you mention, and for the same reasons. Not being able to see either of them in person, I was siding with the Autohome products because of my perception that the Autohome stuff is much more modern in design and materials, and probably better made in Italy vs. South Africa. The South African products seem to have "old world" construction, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but, isn't the best either.

I ended up going with a Maggiolina for a number of reasons:

1) Faster setup
2) Percieved durability of the "shell" vs. the soft tents
3) Percieved much more likely to stay dry with a fiberglass top than the soft tents
4) Reputation for being warmer
5) Better mattress
6) Reputation for better performance in winds. The soft tents supposedly "flap" in the wind, and I know this would drive me NUTS at night.

I plan to solve the wet entry/exit problem with a deployable tarp. You can use an awning with the Maggiolina, there are some details on the Autohome Blog.

Basically, wet entry/exit was the only problem I could see with the Maggiolina, and I find it's easily solved. I like the idea of having a "modular" setup where I choose what I want to deploy or not, depending on circumstances. If the weather is nice, I can be in bed in 2 mintues with the Mag. If it's going to rain, deploy the tarp, etc.

The soft tents take longer to setup, and are sort of an "all or nothing" approach.

 

[IggyB]

Last week I slept in my Hannibal RTT with 70+ km/h winds whipping down the valley. That's acording to the weather forecast and the local rancher.

The only noise that kept me awake was the clanging of the zipper pulls against each other on the door and window openings. The tent/fly did not flap.

The wet entry is solved by keeping a large kitty litter container box (empty) in the tent for the wet or dirty shoes/clothing.

The only part of setup that can be challenging is the fly setup. My RTT is 6 feet off the ground and putting the fly rods in place is a bit of a pain as you have to control both the top and bottom of the flexible metal rod as you insert it into the tent base and fly. I got slapped in the forehead once by the rod springing back and it hurt.

 

[Corey]

As mentioned, an awning from AutoHome or even a homemade one can be put over the side you have your ladder on.

Here is the AutoHome one for the Maggiolina models.

With zip out extensions added.

I bought the former a month back, but I have not had time to set it up yet.

 

[Scott Brady]

I have well over 200 nights in one Eezi-Awn (a 1200), including nearly a month below freezing and one night at -57F. I do not believe there is a better constructed RTT on the market. Other tents do have great features, and some set-up faster than the Eezi-Awn. Just look for what suits you best.

Make sure you get long-term test feedback on any tent you are considering. These tents need to get up over 100 nights before most will show any signs of wear, etc.

Parked on the frozen Arctic Ocean. Temps were -33F

 

[Hltoppr]

I second what Mr. Brady has said. Having used many of the RTTs on the market, I keep coming back to the construction and features/design of the EA tents.

Granted, it's not as fast to set up as the Magg., but the price difference more than makes up for it.

-H-

 

[HMR]

Granted, it's not as fast to set up as the Magg., but the price difference more than makes up for it.

I disagree.
When camping in the rain, wind, and/or snow- the speed/ease of the Magg is priceless. BTDT.

SFDiscoII- If you're concerned about getting soaked in the rain, the time difference in setting up an Eezi-Awn vs. Maggiolina will make a big difference in how soaked you get. Unlike the Eezi-Awn, the Magg can also be setup/stowed with one hand while you hold an umbrella in the other.

Something else to consider: Will you be staying in one spot for multiple nights or moving every night? If staying in one spot, the fiberglass top on the Magg (obviously) will work much better at repelling water than fabric. If you plan on stowing/deploying the tent a few times in rainy weather, both designs will get soaked inside. RTTs aren't the best choice for multiple rainy nights.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

If you plan on stowing/deploying the tent a few times in rainy weather, both designs will get soaked inside. RTTs aren't the best choice for multiple rainy nights.

Why is there such a fundamental difference of opinion on this matter? Some people say "not, not at all, no problem", others say it will get wet inside.

 

[SFDiscoII]

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far. Here is a little more info that I hope answers your questions.

My upcoming trip is only a week long trip on sections of the Oregon Discovery trail. Last year similar time frame we experienced everything from dry nights to downpours to a couple of inches of snow.

We will drive each day and camp, breakdown and start again.

I have good goretex pants and jacket and can keep my self dry during the camp set up and making dinner etc.

I used my trusty North Face back packing tent for the trip as I have many times in the past. It has vestibules which help during the removal of waterproofs while I get in the tent.
Once inside I am dry and warm I trust all of the tents I am considering will keep my dry when I am inside.

I have wanted to get a RTT for a while and will be using this many times each year on variuostypes of camping trips, several days in one spot to moving each day for days at a time.

I figure I buy one the sooner I do it the sooner I will enjoy it. Thanks again for the comments. Keep them coming.

 

[Scott Brady]

I have never had water ingress in the Eezi-Awn, either while stowed or deployed. The Eezi-Awn includes an integrated rain fly, which is separate from the door. A key design consideration.

 

[SFDiscoII]

I have never had water ingress in the Eezi-Awn, either while stowed or deployed. The Eezi-Awn includes an integrated rain fly, which is separate from the door. A key design consideration.

That's what I figured. The T-top seems to take this a step further by protecting the ladder area. I figure I can get out of my gear and leave it hanging their to dry while I catch a few zzz's.

 

[HMR]

I have never had water ingress in the Eezi-Awn, either while stowed or deployed. The Eezi-Awn includes an integrated rain fly, which is separate from the door. A key design consideration.

Scott, you've never had moisture seep through the zippers/seams after folding up a soaking wet tent?

 

[Scott Brady]

Scott, you've never had moisture seep through the zippers/seams after folding up a soaking wet tent?

No, never. Even more surprisingly, I have never had notable dust ingress.

I will say the the vast majority of my nights were in dry weather, but we did see 60mph winds in Baja. I probably had a dozen nights in the rain, and a few dozen nights in the snow.

The wax impregnated canvas has proven to be utterly bomb-proof. I am sure a tent could be made lighter, but I just do not see it lasting so many years of hard use. Even my Sierra Designs tents show serious wear and tear after just a few weeks of use.

 

[SFDiscoII]

Okay so I think I am going to go with a Eezi Awn 1600 T top.

Next question is any thoughts on going with some Thule load bars vs a full roof rack.

I will be mounting to a Land Rover Discovery II.

I like the idea of keeping the weight down as the tent is already quite heavy, so load bars would be the lightest option.

I also like the Front Runner racks and could mount the tent to open to the rear of the truck and have small area at the front of the rack to set up my Jet boil in the morning for a cuppa tea or even a waterproof bag with my clothes so I can get some fresh ones each morning from the tent.

Any opinions on the combined weight of the rack and tent, I cannot find any specs on the weight of the rack but the tent is already pushing 165 Lbs not sure i want more weight on the roof.

Any opinions?