What's the deal with re-branded RTTs?

[cshontz]

Just a general question here, which has likely been discussed before...

A lot of smaller, lesser-known companies keep popping up on the map with an RTT offering; most with what appears to be the exact same tent with slightly different materials (or at least different colors) and a different company logo slapped on the side.

To name a few:

• Mombasa
• ARB Simpson II
• Tepui
• CVT
• Treeline
• Longroad

Some of these companies have expanded their selection with newer, more original models, to their credit. Kudos to them. However, I'm wondering what makes this particular model so accessible to various companies, and to what degree the tent varies from company-to-company.

Is this some commonly available white-label model that is available from China that companies can use to enter the market?

Who does this exact blueprint originate from?

Do these resellers get the blueprints and provide their own materials, or does the parent company fulfill all the branding and color variations?

Again, I'm just curious as a consumer. I'm not currently in the market for a RTT. :beer:

 

[cshontz]

I found this:
http://www.lonmancampers.com/english/productsdp.asp?fid=14

...and this:
http://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/11102244/4wd_roof_top_tent.html

Seems like the margin on something like this would be pretty good, considering what they usually go for at retail.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Alibaba and similar.

I get a couple emails a week from ZYX Roof Top Tent company in China, each can make as many tents as you want and if you buy 10 or more, they will even put your name on the side

The ARB Simpson II was discontinued by ARB for various reasons and much improvements went into the Simpson III, almost simultaneously 10+ different companies started selling the old SII design under their label. Many have argued that 'they all come from the same factory' as has been hashed out many times here on ExPo. That simply isn't the case, the fact is there are dozens perhaps hundreds of manufactures in China alone that are 'capable' of making a tent, quality, material and design aspects aside they have proven the want/ability to make tents, trailers, you name it... all based on the photo of another manufacture.

For me as both a tent user and retailer, it comes down to a couple of major factors. Quality, Servicability and of course the cross-section of price. I can buy and ARB look-alike tent for $300 but if they show up with crappy stitching or bad ladders, XYZ company doesn't care and the end user has little recourse. With a known company, they are going to verify initial quality, improve material specs to overcome known issues and should carry spares locally for not only new models but older models too. Afterall any gear is only as good as the ability to service it down the road.

I've had great conversations with knock-off tents with a variety of manufactures, from China to South Africa. As Jess from Eezi-Awn pointed out regarding the low-dollar knock-offs, they are eliminating themselves from many markets. A new vendor used to be able to buy a China copy tent (i.e. zero invested in R&D, material testing, etc) for say $300 a tent. Sell it for $800 and now they could afford to replace bad units as needed or tear a tent apart to salvage parts. Add competition and the price drops and companies have to spend more to improve materials and market, they no longer have that cushion and vendors start pulling from the market.

Last factor, liability. ARB recently revised all of their tents to meet the strict fire material codes of California and Canada (and other states that follow California?), all to shield liability and be compliant in those markets. Factor product insurance into a vendor business with a product that could contain lead and asbestos for all you know

 

[Utah KJ]

The fist RTT, I remember seeing was in a 2007 ARB ad mounted to the roof of a KJ. I thought it the most amazing thing ever.

 

[reldred]

I've got a cheaper knockoff that I bought second hand some years ago, main problem it has is the cover has slowly disintegrated. Overall design of them are pretty basic, just the aluminum extrusion seems to be the harder to produce.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Martyn]

For a long time now one company in China has been the largest manufacturer of RTT's. It's the same company that all the smaller players are buying from. All that needs to be done to brand your own "unique" tent is buy a 20ft container full of them.

Over the years this company has added to the models that are available. It's been interesting to see the trends. ARB, or some other company will come out with a new design, have it made by their supplier in China, and then 12 months later it's copied and available to anyone. Obviously this practice isn't confined to RTT's, another good example is Off-road LED lights. Find a new design at SEMA in November and by August the knockoffs are available at the wholesale level in China, and in a store near you the following November.

In talking with the people from BajaDesigns at the Overland Expo, look alike products came up, the lights all look the same when you buy them, it's only when you turn the lights on you see the difference in light quality. The same concept is true with RTT's.