RTT Questions

[fingas]

As you climb the ladder and begin to move your weight forward and over the top of the ladder into the tent, there is a natural tendancy for your feet to push the rung of the ladder outward. This can cause the foot of the ladder to slip outward. You don't feel yourself doing this, but it happens.

How do I know this? I'm not a rocket scientist, just unbalanced .

I guess i don't have much of a problem with it because I have my ladder set to carry some weight when i am in the tent or on the ladder but i can definitely see how it could happen if the ladder isn't planted firmly.

 

[OutaFocus]

One spec I don't see on any of the tent mfgr's sites is the weight capacity of the ladder. I don't think there would be any problem with the tent as it's made for multiple people but how much weight can the ladders generally hold?

I am a big guy and I worry about the weight limits. Can they support 300 lbs? I don't need it to go that high, but I like a little extra capacity so I'm not maxing it out.

 

[bunduguy]

One spec I don't see on any of the tent mfgr's sites is the weight capacity of the ladder. I don't think there would be any problem with the tent as it's made for multiple people but how much weight can the ladders generally hold?

I am a big guy and I worry about the weight limits. Can they support 300 lbs? I don't need it to go that high, but I like a little extra capacity so I'm not maxing it out.

Howling Moon is SA tells me they have the highest ladder capacity for a RTT. We're happy with 350lbs on our ladder.

 

[OutaFocus]

Thanks, I just bookmarked your site.

 

[RunninRubicon]

Ladder slip

Interesting. Never even heard of this issue. Ladders sliding out from under you. I have a Mombasa, the first generation. Have had it for over 4 years. I have had nights that had 3 inches of ice and snow on it and in 50-60mph wind gusts. Rain cover staked down...but never had an issue. No leaks either for that part. I'll be more mindful of this phenom now, but never worried about this factor, prior.
Incidently, I have to comment on the ripp stop material the Mombasa's are built out of. Tuff stuff! I managed to spray some grinding wheel sparks onto the canopy when I was working on something completely unrelated to the tent or my off-road trailer. After I recognized my error (seeing sparks fly to the canopy) I stopped grinding on the piece of metal I was working on and went to assess the damage of my stupidity and oversight. Out of several hundred red-hot spark that flew against the canopy I found 3 holes. Testiment to how well it wears. Someday I too, will purchase an Ezi-Awn but till then I see hinges and joint wear as the issue from all the deploying done as an issue. I suppose it's normal wear and tear but it does come with a cost. I may acutally wear the thing out!

 

[Mike S]

One spec I don't see on any of the tent mfgr's sites is the weight capacity of the ladder. I don't think there would be any problem with the tent as it's made for multiple people but how much weight can the ladders generally hold?

I am a big guy and I worry about the weight limits. Can they support 300 lbs? I don't need it to go that high, but I like a little extra capacity so I'm not maxing it out.

We had our standard Maggiolina alloy ladder tested according to American Ladder Institute standards (the main standards body in the USA) by AM General at their Hummer development lab in Indiana. Set up with a Maggiolina on an H1 Hummer, the ladder sustained just under 800 lbs. before it failed.

 

[BigDaveZJ]

One spec I don't see on any of the tent mfgr's sites is the weight capacity of the ladder. I don't think there would be any problem with the tent as it's made for multiple people but how much weight can the ladders generally hold?

I am a big guy and I worry about the weight limits. Can they support 300 lbs? I don't need it to go that high, but I like a little extra capacity so I'm not maxing it out.

I was nervous about that too. The ladder on my Mombasa felt much more stable than I expected, and I'm 6'5" 300+.

 

[compactcamping]

Hmmm, when I asked about this before, Mombasa didn't have an official spec on ladder weight limit. I can think of a few folks in the 250 lb range that have been using their tents for a few years now without any ladder problems.

I'll have to check on this again. With a Mombasa style ladder I can definitely see how the farther you extend it out, the less weight the sliding track joint will support. The ladder halves are about 45" long, the max extended lenght should be kept to 81" (without a ladder extension), that leaves 8-9" of slide track engagement.

I'm curious Mike, what was the failure mode?

 

[dta]

So I don't want to highjack this thread, but I have some RTT questions that I haven't been able to find answers to through searching and it seems like this would be a reasonable place to post 'em. If this ought to be addressed through a new thread I am happy to start one or maybe the moderator can move this. I have been lurking around for a whole, but just joined and started posting so I am still learning the etiquette on posting.

First question is has anyone ever cut a trap door style hole into the floor for access? I figured this is kinda related to the whole ladder issue being discussed in that it would offer alternative access if you ever had your ladder knocked over. Its obviously more initial setup work than just constructing a tie-down setup for your ladder, but having additional access from below could be nice for other reasons as well. The idea would be to do this with a setup mounted over the back of a jeep or (in my case) a truck bed with a contractor style rack so there is clear access from below. With the trap door in the floor you ought to be able to access the whole thing from the bed (or a few boxes or drawers stacked on the bed depending on your setup).
I realize that the floor serves as part of the sleeping platform, but I figure one ought to be able to cut and secure a hinged door and could fold back or push out of the way the mattress when climbing on through.

 

[Eventhough]

With a Mombasa style ladder I can definitely see how the farther you extend it out, the less weight the sliding track joint will support. The ladder halves are about 45" long, the max extended lenght should be kept to 81" (without a ladder extension), that leaves 8-9" of slide track engagement.

That's probably why Mombasa specs a 30 degree angle for the ladder when extended. I feel very comfortable on my Mombasa ladder at 30 degrees.

So I don't want to highjack this thread, but I have some RTT questions that I haven't been able to find answers to through searching and it seems like this would be a reasonable place to post 'em. If this ought to be addressed through a new thread I am happy to start one or maybe the moderator can move this. I have been lurking around for a whole, but just joined and started posting so I am still learning the etiquette on posting.

First question is has anyone ever cut a trap door style hole into the floor for access? I figured this is kinda related to the whole ladder issue being discussed in that it would offer alternative access if you ever had your ladder knocked over. Its obviously more initial setup work than just constructing a tie-down setup for your ladder, but having additional access from below could be nice for other reasons as well. The idea would be to do this with a setup mounted over the back of a jeep or (in my case) a truck bed with a contractor style rack so there is clear access from below. With the trap door in the floor you ought to be able to access the whole thing from the bed (or a few boxes or drawers stacked on the bed depending on your setup).
I realize that the floor serves as part of the sleeping platform, but I figure one ought to be able to cut and secure a hinged door and could fold back or push out of the way the mattress when climbing on through.

The ladder on my Mombasa is bolted with a hinge-style attachment to the floor so that keeps the ladder from being kicked over.

If you cut a hole in the floor you would have to dress the cut edges, hinge the bottom, cut and dress the mattress and hope no one is in the tent when you want to enter. If you want more covered access you should look at the Overland version that has a larger, covered access way.

cheers

 

[Ridge638]

We purchased the large Mombasa tent for our trailer right after going to the Overland Expo. I was able to get a first hand look at many different RTT's while there and climbed around in a bunch of them. We decided on the Mombasa primarily due to size (72" x 94"), availability (camping labs was out of stock of their large version) and we knew we could sell this one for roughly what we paid for it if it didnt meet our needs. Well, after about a dozen camping trips I have a few observations:

1. The fabric and design of the tent are pretty good. It held up against some strong winds on the Mogollon Rim keeping us nice and cozy. The flaps held down well and it was much more stable than our previous ground tents. The ladder did blow out from underneath and I will be attaching it to the ground and trailer a little better going forward.
2. The cover is very durable. I dragged it against some tight sections of trail and through some brush and it got a little scraped up but no punctures. The zipper pull did break when I snagged some fabric in the zipper but I will take partial blame for that.
3. The mattress isn't that comfortable. We added another 3" memory foam mattress topper and it is perfect now. We keep this folded under the cover but outside of the tent frame in order to keep pressure off of the hinges and still allow room for our pillows and blankets.
4. The hinge was initially not fully engaging. The seller (cartopcamper) was very helpful in discussing this. After loosening the hinge system bolts it was easy to realign and works perfectly now. The seller also has parts and accessories for sale should we need to replace something.
5. I was afraid of weight issues - I am about 265# and with my wife, kids, and stuff it would be holding 550# plus. I am going to add another support under the center floor but the hinges, ladder, etc have held up well and show no signs of stress.

All in all, we are happy with the tent and are planning on a lot more trips this year due to the comfort and convienance of it.

Hope this helps.

Ridge