Anything compete with the Superlite for weight and cost..?

[PawnThatDude]

Anyone else tired of all these new RTT's hitting the market claiming to be lightweight, thin etc etc. However at the end of the day, they can't close with a regular mattress, two blankets/sleeping bags, couple pillows plus the ladder? Whole point of the RTT is to have the bedding inside the tent, ready to go for random adventures. Not stored in a box or bag, in the truck box, back of the SUV taking up space.

It's a shame really. A tent a couple inches thicker and able to accommodate this sorta setup would still sell. Heck, I'd be first in line if it was cheaper than the Alucab I owned, that tent fit the bill minus cost.

Putting the cover on my old Eezi Awn tent was already a PITA with no bedding, and definitely worse with a sleeping bag and pillow in there. My GFC platform RTT fits my bag and pillow easily. I don't leave it in there between trips, leaving down compressed is a good way to kill your high end sleeping bag.

 

[neliconcept]

I bought one on an impulse to increase the sleeping space of a 4 seater van.
Although keeping stuff inside would be nice, I wanted lightest and thinnest with the most floor space, for THIS application.

My biggest concern is fitting a solar panel.
Its "surf board" compatible so I assume I could put a panel on some foam blocks and strap it down with the D-rings for a semi-permanent install.
The soft cover makes me wonder about what material the roof is? Can it handle a snowload heavier than a surfboard?
Some threaded "bosses" or studs protruding from the roof with a waterproof membrane sealed to the soft cover would be sweet I think.

I might have to send I sent an email to mike@gfc and taylor@gfc regarding above.

So you purchased the Superlite? What is the build time on yours? I asked about if I were to order now and when I might be looking at getting one but no response.

 

[hayde89]

So you purchased the Superlite? What is the build time on yours? I asked about if I were to order now and when I might be looking at getting one but no response.

These are a little different. They haven't given us a build time. Nor are we subject to the build times of the other products we have because these will be off of a different line. All we have been told is they will start shipping early November.

 

[hayde89]

Anyone else tired of all these new clamshell RTT's hitting the market claiming to be lightweight, thin etc etc. However at the end of the day, they can't close with a regular mattress, two blankets/sleeping bags, couple pillows plus the ladder? Whole point of the RTT is to have the bedding inside the tent, ready to go for random adventures. Not stored in a box or bag, in the truck box, back of the SUV taking up space.

It's a shame really. A tent a couple inches thicker and able to accommodate this sorta setup would still sell. Heck, I'd be first in line if it was cheaper than the Alucab I owned, that tent fit the bill minus cost.

But you can fit bedding in it???

 

[DFNDER]

I've looked far and wide for something like the Superlite, and was thinking I should start a RTT company, when one of my random, waste a workday searches popped up with the Outside artlicle on the Superlite. I'm a diehard backpacker adding a trailer and some overloading to our plans, and I just couldn't fathom putting some of these 160lb plus monsters on my vehicle. Making an overland vehicle even more top heavy than necessary doesn't make sense to me, and I've survived thirty years of backpacking in soft tents, so I don't see the need for nuclear holocaust ready roof over my head. I'd rather have something light enough to mount and dismount easily, will fit on the wall in the garage, and doesn't cost an arm or a leg. Frankly, I was thinking to just mount one of my lighter ground tents to a platform on the car and cover it with a zip on cover for maybe under thirty pounds. Then came the GFC, and it's exactly what I was hoping for. No idea if it will actually live up to the promise until I get mine, but it just makes so much sense. It's a tent, not bomb shelter. There's simply no need for the weight and cost of any of these RTT's, and the Terrapod is still way too expensive, and at 120lbs, isn't exactly light enough to easily move around. My wife can handle 80lbs with me, but draws the line with our daughter's 120lb Laser, so I know what's too heavy for us. Since we're getting a square drop off road trailer, and plan to put the RTT on top for our third person, I need it to be easy to move back and forth between vehicle and trailer depending on the trip. If there's another product like GFC's, I haven't found it. So psyched for the Superlite to arrive.

 

[JackW]

As the owner of an older Maggiolina for over eight years and with several hundred nights spent enjoying its benefits, I've looked at as many different brands of roof tents as I could to evaluate a possible replacement at some point in the future. The Maggiolina has been a superb tent with a few minor drawbacks when compared to more modern designs. The small triangular windows, one small entry on the left side of the tent (it's a very old tent) and the take down time - you crank it down almost all the way and then run around and tuck it in. Plus it's tall and heavy - but it's strong, weatherproof, comfortable and repairable ( didn't see that tree in time).

Ive been looking at clamshell type tents for the quick set up but as a retired engineer I appreciate good design and modern materials - especially stuff from the aerospace industry.

I've known about the Terrapod since it's first sketches and I'm very impressed with the ideas and materials in the latest production version. Its bigger than my Maggiolina but is at least thirty pounds lighter and has a profile less than half the height of the Italian tent. Since you spend a good portion of your camping trip in a tent it's worth spending a bit more for a sturdy, comfortable roof tent that is also light and strong. I've already joined the kickstarter program for the Terrapod but since I don't need the size of the XT model it looks like I get to be the test dummy for the SOLO model. Idle speculation is that it might weigh around 75 pounds and will be right sized for a solo camper like me. The thought of getting over 50 pounds off the roof of my Defender 90 is a big deal to me. Quicker to set up and take down, less air resistance, light weight and a great, durable design will be a big improvement. The big innovation of the Terrapod design is the modular components which allow great flexibility in the design without incurring huge costs to build a new mold. I can envision a range of sizes of these tents as production ramps up.