As the title says, this is my 2 year review of the Autohome Airtop.
Here it is on top of my Land Cruiser
Prior to this tent I had an ARB Simpson III, which I very much liked, but hated the amount of time needed to set it up and put it away. After deciding to get an Autohome it was tough decision on which to get. I looked at the Columbus and the regular Mag along with the Airtop and eventually decided to take a chance on the Airtop. I got quite a bit of feedback on the Columbus and the Mag, but there weren't too many Airtops around at that time, so the feedback was limited.
In the 2 years I've had this tent I think it's only been used about a half dozen times. That's quite a bit less than I had anticipated, but I plan to use it more in the future. On the plus side I love how quick it is to set up and put away. I can't imagine ever going back to the traditional RTT, unless it was mounted on a trailer. The fiberglass shell is very nice in inclement weather and it seems to retain heat better that the ARB. I've got the small and it works just fine for me and the wife. It's a bit cozier than the ARB, but that's fine. It's a compromise I'm happy with.
Now for the negative. Early on I started to get some staining on the fabric in the front of the tent.
I pm'd with Mike about it and was told the fabric was coming in contact with the aluminum top plate and I should "tuck it in" to avoid the problem. The problem is I was doing just that and I'm pretty careful about making sure the fabric is tucked in before closing. I tried a few more times to call Mike, but never got a response. I figured it was mostly cosmetic and I would just live with it, but i was a bit disappointed in the customer service I received. Again, not the end of the world and it's something I can live with. However, I've noticed other areas of the fabric that are showing premature wear that I am getting concerned about, but we'll see how that plays out.
The fabric issue happened within the first couple of months of having it, but no other real issues until recently. I was cleaning my truck this spring and getting ready for a trip when I noticed the front ratchet straps were cracking.
Also, it appears the straps are weathering pretty bad.
Obviously this is concerning to me. If one or both of the front straps break on the trail it would be a bad situation. I've put together a contingency plan involving eyelets and ratchet straps to deal with it if it happens. It's not ideal, but should work if it eventually happens. Now it's not the end of the world, but also it's not something I would expect to happen within 2 years on a $3000 tent. I sent an email to Autohome and got a response from Andrew saying they have replacements and he could send some out. I expressed my concern about the rivets, something in which I have no experience, and was told it was super easy to drill them out.
I expressed my frustration with having to do this on a 2 year old tent, but conceded I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Having no experience with rivets I asked about rivet sizes and whether they would be included with the replacement kit. That email was sent 3 weeks ago and I'm waiting for a response.
I was attracted to Autohome because of their reputation for quality and superior customer service. I feel I've been let down on both accounts. Most of the stories I've read of long term use of the Columbus and Mag have been very positive. If I had to do it over again I probably would have went that route instead of taking the chance on the Airtop. Lesson learned.
Here it is on top of my Land Cruiser
Prior to this tent I had an ARB Simpson III, which I very much liked, but hated the amount of time needed to set it up and put it away. After deciding to get an Autohome it was tough decision on which to get. I looked at the Columbus and the regular Mag along with the Airtop and eventually decided to take a chance on the Airtop. I got quite a bit of feedback on the Columbus and the Mag, but there weren't too many Airtops around at that time, so the feedback was limited.
In the 2 years I've had this tent I think it's only been used about a half dozen times. That's quite a bit less than I had anticipated, but I plan to use it more in the future. On the plus side I love how quick it is to set up and put away. I can't imagine ever going back to the traditional RTT, unless it was mounted on a trailer. The fiberglass shell is very nice in inclement weather and it seems to retain heat better that the ARB. I've got the small and it works just fine for me and the wife. It's a bit cozier than the ARB, but that's fine. It's a compromise I'm happy with.
Now for the negative. Early on I started to get some staining on the fabric in the front of the tent.
I pm'd with Mike about it and was told the fabric was coming in contact with the aluminum top plate and I should "tuck it in" to avoid the problem. The problem is I was doing just that and I'm pretty careful about making sure the fabric is tucked in before closing. I tried a few more times to call Mike, but never got a response. I figured it was mostly cosmetic and I would just live with it, but i was a bit disappointed in the customer service I received. Again, not the end of the world and it's something I can live with. However, I've noticed other areas of the fabric that are showing premature wear that I am getting concerned about, but we'll see how that plays out.
The fabric issue happened within the first couple of months of having it, but no other real issues until recently. I was cleaning my truck this spring and getting ready for a trip when I noticed the front ratchet straps were cracking.
Also, it appears the straps are weathering pretty bad.
Obviously this is concerning to me. If one or both of the front straps break on the trail it would be a bad situation. I've put together a contingency plan involving eyelets and ratchet straps to deal with it if it happens. It's not ideal, but should work if it eventually happens. Now it's not the end of the world, but also it's not something I would expect to happen within 2 years on a $3000 tent. I sent an email to Autohome and got a response from Andrew saying they have replacements and he could send some out. I expressed my concern about the rivets, something in which I have no experience, and was told it was super easy to drill them out.
I expressed my frustration with having to do this on a 2 year old tent, but conceded I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Having no experience with rivets I asked about rivet sizes and whether they would be included with the replacement kit. That email was sent 3 weeks ago and I'm waiting for a response.
I was attracted to Autohome because of their reputation for quality and superior customer service. I feel I've been let down on both accounts. Most of the stories I've read of long term use of the Columbus and Mag have been very positive. If I had to do it over again I probably would have went that route instead of taking the chance on the Airtop. Lesson learned.
