Looking at purchasing my first RTT. Really don't want to spend more than about $2000 Canadian tops. So here in my neck of the woods, the ARB Simpson 3 goes for about $2100. I did quite a bit of research already and read a lot of reviews and overall my impression is this tent is good value for the money and basically a safe bet to be a good RTT that will function as intended and last a long time...so is there any reason to not buy this RTT? Or anything anyone knows is problematic with it? Also, can anyone verify the closed length as I'm going to start building an Adventure/Offroad trailer to put the RTT on and in my research it looks like the length is just under 48" folded...so I can theoretically made the width of my trailer "box" 48" wide? Thanks.
ARB Series 3 Simpson RRT?
- Thread starter RACKMAN
- Start date
Andy@AAV
Old Marine
I'm a few thousand miles from my tent so I can't confirm the width for you. I can detail my experiences with this RTT. Overall, I love it. I won't go into ground vs RTT since you seem to have made that decision already.
-The mattress isn't supportive enough for me. I'm 6'2" 215 lbs (you can convert that to Canuck on your own) and a side sleeper. I added a cheap queen size pillow top and it's great now.
-The mattress won't stay attached to the tent floor if you have sheets or the above pillow top on it. There is Velcro on the bottom corners of the mattress to hold it which is covered by the sheets. Not too serious but a concern you need to watch out for when deploying the tent.
-I have some small tears in the window netting from the side windows dragging against the hinges when folding. Be careful to keep the windows from the hinges. Rookie mistake that just takes a bit of mesh repair. No little flying bugs in the SoCal desert to worry me anyway.
-One of the straps that holds the crossbars together on the inside ripped the loop where it was attached to the crossbar. Easy sew job to fix, but looked like a poor stitch job from the factory.
-Bolts on one hinge came loose, we're not tight from the factory. Locktite and some wrench work fixed it easy. Should have done this when I got the tent.
-I wanted to get an extra set of mounting hardware so I called ARB USA. Had a long conversation with the service rep who gave some tips for using the tent and care. Customer service is A+ in my book. They also helped me trouble shoot my ARB fridge issue at OVX a few years ago. Turned out to be my wiring, but they took time to help me trace it out and fix it.
Overall I'm very happy with mine. If I think of anything else I can add to this...
-The mattress isn't supportive enough for me. I'm 6'2" 215 lbs (you can convert that to Canuck on your own) and a side sleeper. I added a cheap queen size pillow top and it's great now.
-The mattress won't stay attached to the tent floor if you have sheets or the above pillow top on it. There is Velcro on the bottom corners of the mattress to hold it which is covered by the sheets. Not too serious but a concern you need to watch out for when deploying the tent.
-I have some small tears in the window netting from the side windows dragging against the hinges when folding. Be careful to keep the windows from the hinges. Rookie mistake that just takes a bit of mesh repair. No little flying bugs in the SoCal desert to worry me anyway.
-One of the straps that holds the crossbars together on the inside ripped the loop where it was attached to the crossbar. Easy sew job to fix, but looked like a poor stitch job from the factory.
-Bolts on one hinge came loose, we're not tight from the factory. Locktite and some wrench work fixed it easy. Should have done this when I got the tent.
-I wanted to get an extra set of mounting hardware so I called ARB USA. Had a long conversation with the service rep who gave some tips for using the tent and care. Customer service is A+ in my book. They also helped me trouble shoot my ARB fridge issue at OVX a few years ago. Turned out to be my wiring, but they took time to help me trace it out and fix it.
Overall I'm very happy with mine. If I think of anything else I can add to this...
Thank you very much for sharing your firsthand experience.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Did you look at the Tepui Autana? It is of equal or better quality as the ARB. It is about the same dimensions as the ARB, but is cheaper and also includes an annex which you'd have to buy separately with the Simpson 3. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about them.
cruiseroutfit
Well-known member
The ARB Simpson line of tents is a fantastic option, they were industry first for their designs and it was popular enough that others followed suit with "insert name here" versions of the older ARB models. With ARB comes years of manufacturing, quality control and material experience, customer service and a parts supply network for spares down the road throughout the globe. Things happen, covers wear out, bows bend, ladders ********** parking garages, etc. Will parts be available for XYZ brand tent down the road?
ARB is also first to market with fire rated tents, i.e. actual testing and certification to meet stringent fire standards for states such as California and New York as well as Canada as I recall. Seeing as you're in Canada this might have a bigger impact on you than others. Might never be an issue for most (all) but would you rather go to sleep in something that might be fire resistant or something that is certified to be fire resistant?
There are plenty of great tents on the market these days to satisfy just about every would be users realistic price point needs. I'd take a close look at several different models first hand, discuss your need with knowledgeable vendors and see which tent makes the most sense for your personal budget and needs.
ARB is also first to market with fire rated tents, i.e. actual testing and certification to meet stringent fire standards for states such as California and New York as well as Canada as I recall. Seeing as you're in Canada this might have a bigger impact on you than others. Might never be an issue for most (all) but would you rather go to sleep in something that might be fire resistant or something that is certified to be fire resistant?
There are plenty of great tents on the market these days to satisfy just about every would be users realistic price point needs. I'd take a close look at several different models first hand, discuss your need with knowledgeable vendors and see which tent makes the most sense for your personal budget and needs.
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Box Rocket
Well-known member
I've got info if the OP is interested.
.
Like Kurt said, lots of good options out there.
cruiseroutfit
Well-known member
I've got info if the OP is interested.
.
Like Kurt said, lots of good options out there.
And I've got info too, starts with a copy/paste design
Box Rocket
Well-known member
And I've got info too, starts with a copy/paste design
I can't deny the similarities which also contributes to the comparable quality. But ARB wasn't exactly the pioneer of RTT's so all different types are gathering ideas and features from each other. It's all good, and I'm not badmouthing the Simpson III. It's a great tent, along with some other options too.
cruiseroutfit
Well-known member
Similarities? Eezi-Awn and Howling Moon have similarities. Identical design/dimension and even colors is perhaps a little more no? It's neither here nor there, "better quality" is going to be very subject and said quality is going to be limited to the context of items the end user is most concerned about. Innovation is a quality too no? I'll grant you Tepui has done a great job with their product development since their initial product offering.
did you remove the stock mattress and replace it or did you just put it on top??
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