Aluminum Clam Shell RTTs

[shade]

GFC has an official forum I stumbled on.

Go Fast Forum

A place for GFC owners and enthusiasts to meet up.

forum.gofastcampers.com

Looks like there's a lot of detailed information there. My main gripe with the company is the same that happens with most small, popular operations: communication.

 

[rikydbs]

Hi guys new here but I am a long time ih8mumd member and a crossover member asked me to post here.
I agree above about GFC they seem like a small outfit and busy so communication takes time (took me many weeks to hear back)
I was asked to post my review of the Roofnest Falcon (the new hardtop aluminum)
I am not the happiest with the product, right out of the box there were quality issues (crack in the roof corner, chips in paint, several areas where seam didnt match)
There were also several areas of kind of sloppy use of a sealent around the edges (though I didnt complain since it at least meant they used it to keep things sealed)
I contacted the company but they just assured that it wouldnt have any leaking problems and asked me to put clear silicone on the area
Since then I have noticed that the clam shell doesnt seem to seal completely or close completely despite nothing inside the tent, there is rust developing on the "stainless" hardware ( no salt used here in my area on roads, this was noticed before snow anyways)

I can post photos or give more details as needed but I would definitely suggest seeing one in person preferably one that's being used before buying one

I thought going with an established big company like roofnest would serve me well despite it being a new product but I was mistaken

 

[shade]

GFC and other small shops can send out mass emails with ease, and keep a blog current on their site.

I don't expect instant one-on-one responses to every question, but there's plenty of room to do better when it costs so little to send a mass email or make a blog post. Keeping those sources of information up to date would also make it easier to respond to individual emails, when needed. FB & IG posts may be easy to do, but they do little to provide a persistent, easy to find source of information.

 

[fireball]

Hi guys new here but I am a long time ih8mumd member and a crossover member asked me to post here.
I agree above about GFC they seem like a small outfit and busy so communication takes time (took me many weeks to hear back)
I was asked to post my review of the Roofnest Falcon (the new hardtop aluminum)
I am not the happiest with the product, right out of the box there were quality issues (crack in the roof corner, chips in paint, several areas where seam didnt match)
There were also several areas of kind of sloppy use of a sealent around the edges (though I didnt complain since it at least meant they used it to keep things sealed)
I contacted the company but they just assured that it wouldnt have any leaking problems and asked me to put clear silicone on the area
Since then I have noticed that the clam shell doesnt seem to seal completely or close completely despite nothing inside the tent, there is rust developing on the "stainless" hardware ( no salt used here in my area on roads, this was noticed before snow anyways)

I can post photos or give more details as needed but I would definitely suggest seeing one in person preferably one that's being used before buying one

I though going with an established big company like roofnest would serve me well despite it being a new product but I was mistaken

Thanks for sharing your experience. When did you buy your falcon? It seems like they had some issues with the first run that they claim have been rectified with the 2nd run.

 

[rikydbs]

Thanks for sharing your experience. When did you buy your falcon? It seems like they had some issues with the first run that they claim have been rectified with the 2nd run.

Mine I believe is part of an early run because I was on the waiting list before it even was released/came out
I query how they fixed the issues
If they did I guess that is just part of life if they did fix issues but the early adopters are out of luck...
Regardless their suggestions to me on how to fix the problem did not seem emblematic of a professional company

 

[Roofnest]

I wanted to comment on the stainless hardware on our Falcons. We're using 304 stainless steel - this is a very common "grade" of stainless used in many hardware use-cases. 304 will sometimes develop "surface rust". The chromium in the 304 stainless gets oxidized at the surface of the hardware and this protects against rust - if the surface is scraped or damaged then some of the un-oxidized steel will be exposed and can rust until the surface is oxidized again. This is where the surface rust comes from and is easily cleaned up - 304 stainless will never rust through or degrade like other ferrous metals.

Our current production run of tents (due into our warehouse Dec 6th) has a few improvements - we're using a taller seal between the shells and we've incorporated an anti-condensation mat into the package. There are a few other minor improvements like the stitching on the pockets, etc. The Falcon is an amazing RTT and we've put a ton of work into making it the best tent we can. If any of your are curious to speak to our customers about their experiences, we have a facebook group called the "Roofnest Flock" which anyone can join and post questions etc - it's quite active and is becoming a pretty cool community.

Feel free to fire away with questions here and I'll try to check back and answer - thanks to everyone who's tried our products!

tim

 

[Roofnest]

Just wanted to attach a couple photos of the stainless hardware that we use and what one customer has described as "rust" - again this is just the surface rust that I described in my post above. This is what some have described as "rusty hardware" - this in no way affects the durability, functionality, or performance of the hardware and can be wiped off easily with wd40 or even a light baking soda solution.

 

[ThePartyWagon]

I ruled the Blade and Stealth out for me. Feel free to add the same info

I am down to the Alu-Cab, Alpha and Camp King

What ruled the Eezi-Awn tents out for you?

 

[Romer]

What ruled the Eezi-Awn tents out for you?

The Eezi-Awn tents are great products. I would have gone with the stealth but didnt like the extra weight. I also didnt care for the ladder and as a personal preference, didnt care for the bump in the rear

It was a personal preference for me. I cam down to 3 tents, Alu-Cab, Alpha Tent and the Camp King. I would have signed up for the Alpha after talking to Rex, but wouldnt get it till May'ish and I am not a patient person Rex was great tow work with and obvious he is focused on customer service.

I was leaning towards the Camp King at almost the same price as Alu-cab with Black Friday pricing. It already had a better ladder and is a slightly better build. I wanted to see something in person and when I looked at the Alu-Cab I thought this size and design was great and either of the 3 would work. Then an employee offered to sell me his right there for $3000 with a replacement ladder (Telescoping) and a foam topper included. These were the two compliants about the Alu-cab that had already been addressed so I bought it.

The Roofnest Falcon looks like a great design. From the posts above it looks like they are addressing their issues. I was a bit nervous based on early feedback, and with the ALU-CAB cheaper I didnt see the point to drive to boulder to look at it. I always like Aussie and South African products as they are built to last in the bush for months. Long history, lots of reviews and the quality I saw when I looked at it made me go with the Alu-Cab

Additionally, when Alu-Cab had an issue, they replaced all those that were delivered with that problem. So great reviews, long history, durable design and finally the cost I got it for sold me.

Had I not been impressed with the Alu-Cab, I likely would have taken a look at the Roofnest and the Eezi-Awns

I hope that answered your question

 

[rikydbs]

Thanks for sharing your experience. When did you buy your falcon? It seems like they had some issues with the first run that they claim have been rectified with the 2nd run.

received mine in August 2019

 

[HickOnACrick]

I really like the idea of these as compared to other RTTs. However, I am curious how these perform in the rain - specifically, it does not look like entrance can be made in heavy rains without bringing the rain inside. Getting up in the middle of a rainy night to pee seems like it would be an adventure unto itself.

Does anyone have any experience with these clam-shell type tents in rainy climates, with female family members who "will not be peeing in a bottle!"?

 

[JackW]

You might want to look at the Terrapod roof tents as well, built of aluminum extrusion and 1" thick composite panels. Super light and low profile, I've been following them since Chad built his first prototype and have got one on order for delivery around early January. The four prototype units have covered thousands of miles in testing and the production versions incorporate a number of improvements and design tweaks. I was looking at the Alucab until I had a good look at the latest Terrapod design. It incorporates a number of ideas that the designer learned from his previous experience as an industrial design engineer with Boeing that I particularly appreciate. I spent 34 years as a manufacturing engineer at Lockheed Martin and I think it's a great design using modern materials.

I'm not connected with the company except that I know the owner designer - but I do have a new Terrapod roof tent on order to replace my perfectly functional Maggiolina.
After visiting his workshop and seeing the production version I quickly decided that this would be my next roof tent. Its under six inches high when closed and weighs around 110 lbs.

The RTTx | Terrapod Adventure Systems

terrapod.com

 

[Wallygator]

I really like the idea of these as compared to other RTTs. However, I am curious how these perform in the rain - specifically, it does not look like entrance can be made in heavy rains without bringing the rain inside. Getting up in the middle of a rainy night to pee seems like it would be an adventure unto itself.

Does anyone have any experience with these clam-shell type tents in rainy climates, with female family members who "will not be peeing in a bottle!"?

Well it is what it is. With any setup there is some form of inconvenience. On the Eezi Awn Blade you can get in and out through the back where the "awning" is if your setup allows it. Once I am in the tent I usually don't leave it until the morning. But I have the bottle option. As far as how it performs in the rain it's quiet and waterproof as much as a canvas sided tent can be. I think if I had a wife I would either look into the traditional style to have an annex available (long setup) or an adventure type tear drop style trailer with an awning over the entrance.