Tepui for me
Hello, finally subscribed to the site that i am constantly searching for answers to my questions, so i thought i would share some insight in one that I have a small bit of experience in.
I'll start off saying I use to camp primarily on the ground as well and had no real issues and loved almost all trips spent on the ground. The major drawback for me was the time it took to look for and clear a suitable spot for a ground tent. We do most of our camping off the beaten path or on a very beaten path (sleeping on sandstone in Moab).
I have since and for the last 18 months been heavily using our Tepui RTT and can hardly say a bad word towards them. We have the standard Kukenam Expedition Orange like surferdude78 and absolutely love it. Here is my 2 cents (more like 20 cents) on your questions.
1. How hard are they to move. Say we move it from truck to trailer can 2 guys move one like moving a topper. My wife and I installed ours together onto our roofrack with a little struggling. But my frined and i unloaded it for the season with little work. Ours is about 165 lbs when the annex is attached. I opted for the annex later on after getting tired of getting dressed lying down.
It makes a great changing room with direct access to whatever door of your vehicle it covers (if any). It was nice that i could add on so I wasn't spending all the $ upfront and once i did get it, I was more appreciative of the addition having been without for 5 months.
2. How well do they really do in wind. I cannot speak for other others, but the Tepui has 2 sides of the same coin. Like others they are tested in high winds and for this they perform very well. We have been out multiple nights with extremely high winds and we have yet to have any of the tension rods fail. The Kukenam rain fly is also directly attached to the support beams so it cannot fly away. (or be taken off). This feature (the rain fly) also provides a shade structure above your tent so you don't wake up baking on a HOT summer morning at 6 AM when the sun comes up. As to the other side as mentioned in this thread is the noise. When we button everything down on a windy night there is a lot of flapping going on. I have since learned to put all the windows out with the tension rods and this provides less flapping. But is you are a light sleeper I would suggest some ear plugs. All in all they seem extremely sturdy.
3. Rain we get monsoon rains do I need a extra cover. These (at least mine and others i have seen) come with an attached rain fly the cannot be detached. This has provided great coverage and in the few windy rainstorms we have encountered we have yet to get wet.
4. Those of you that own them what brand would you buy it again. I have only owned this Tepui tent and thus far it has exceeded my expectations. But if I bought again I would buy the Autana Ruggedized as it encloses the entire annex. With ours you have to climb out and then walk in. This version was not available when i bought mine.
5. Do you actually use the lower room or is it not worth extra money. We us this room as stated above for a changing room and storage for our gear. I will include some pics. I really like not having to sleep next to all my gear at night and my wife loves having the ability to change when we are camping with a group without climbing up and down the ladder into and out of the tent.
6. 90% of the time it's the wife and I 500 lbs 530 if we add dogs. My wife and I are about 320 and have had no issues as of yet. The sturdiness really depends on your rack and how you mount it to your roof. We have a Gobi Rack for our JK and it also has exceeded expectations. as long as you have a sturdy base that is rated to support your weight plus that of the tent you will be fine, As you primarily sleep on the side attached to the roof and let your legs "dangle" with the overhang of the tent which is all supported as well by the ladder.
7. We go at least 20 times a year are there things that wear out or need extra attention. We have gone about 25 nights in this season and I have yet to see anything wear out. The fabric does shift a little but if it does come out of it's slots it is very easily put back in.
Like I said I know nothing about them it would be mounted on a fullsize blazer type or p/u truck. Should fit your vehicle just fine as long as it has a sturdy base.
I would also like to add a few things about how we use the Tepui. The main feature i like is the ease it takes to set up. I unzip, pull out the ladder, flip open the tent, and then send the wife up to put up the windows. Done.
The comfort is also top notch. We purchased a double sleeping bag and have keep it in the tent at all times(it folds right up with a little elbow grease). It is a little tight for the cover but fits well once you get use to it. (i am working on a different tie down system that allows for a little more force to be applied without causing the simple velcro straps to fail) This will make it even easier to close with extra bedding inside a believe. I will update once in have installed.
I have also closed everything up with the annex still attached with no problems(this makes the total deployment even faster). There is more room in those covers than you would think.
With the tent being off the ground, there is no limit to where you can sleep comfortably. Sleep on the top of a giant boulder or in a rock garden as we have. Or in a wet marshland or snow, it makes no difference with these tents.
Again just my rants and raves but take what you will. I won't go back to ground tents anytime soon if ever (backpacking is a separate beast). Hope this helps!
Cheers
SKB waterproof boxes store all our clothes for this week long trip to Horseshoe Canyon
Basecamp
You can sort of see the Boxes inside the Annex. This is where all of our clothes and other essentials were.
All washed up!