Autohome owner, ladder upgrades

[moose545]

I wanted to survey the Autohome owners and see if any had switched to a more sturdy ladder and what. I absolutely love my tent and wouldn't trade it for the world, maybe another Autohome however the existing ladder gets a little sketchy sometimes and wants to slide laterally on imperfect ground which is usually the case camping, it is just a bit thin and flexy.

 

[alia176]

I opted for a telescopic ladder from iKamper and added two attachment points to the side of the Autohome. My ladder lives in the cargo area and my reason for the switch was the form factor over anything else. Initially I purchased a similar ladder from Amazon but it was 300# rated and was beefy and quite heavy. The iKamper unit is similar but built with bare feet climbing in mind and much lighter than my previous telescopic ladder.

 

[moose545]

I opted for a telescopic ladder from iKamper and added two attachment points to the side of the Autohome. My ladder lives in the cargo area and my reason for the switch was the form factor over anything else. Initially I purchased a similar ladder from Amazon but it was 300# rated and was beefy and quite heavy. The iKamper unit is similar but built with bare feet climbing in mind and much lighter than my previous telescopic ladder.

Cool love to see some pics and how you went through the fiberglass. The hooks are ok but not fixed and slide around.

 

[alia176]

Nothing fancy but very practical. I can still open the rear door! It's the little things, ya know

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[alia176]

My buddy has a CVT Mt Baker ladder+bracket for his Autohome and it's a better solution than mine, I think. But, my iKamper ladder is made for bare feet walking up/down.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[moose545]

My buddy has a CVT Mt Baker ladder+bracket for his Autohome and it's a better solution than mine, I think. But, my iKamper ladder is made for bare feet walking up/down.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Yeah that's a world of improvement for sure, I'll look into that.

 

[moose545]

Is there a source for generic tent parts? That ladder type isn't listed on CVT's site any longer, but I need to find a sturdy ladder and attachment points.

 

[Lemsteraak]

The alloy ladder that comes with the Columbus is tested to over 400 pounds so it should be fine. This ladder has to function under very tight guidelines. First it has to fit in the tent, with your stuff, so it has to be thin and light. The alloy ladder is derived from their steel expedition ladder and they have made it to be able to be repaired, anywhere. It is assembled without one weld, all fasteners but the fasteners may loosen with time and if your ladder is a little wiggly, just tighten them up. The locking mechanism is a little confusing, the old steel ladders didn't have them, they weren't designed for pavement. If you are in dirt or sand or mud you don't need the locks, you step on the bottom rung and the feet of the ladder will sink in and set. The bottom half is stabilized by the dirt and the top is supported by hooks on the tent. In pavement, your ladder will slide into the vehicle if you don't set the locks. We use to get around this problem with the old steel ladders by bringing a rubber mat if we knew we were going to camp on pavement. The mat keeps the base of the ladder from sliding. The old steel ladders were cool because if you needed more traction in sand you could put each half under your tires in a pinch. You would have to unbend them so they would fit together again but they ladders were designed to take a lot of abuse.

 

[manoweb]

I opted for a telescopic ladder from iKamper and added two attachment points to the side of the Autohome. My ladder lives in the cargo area and my reason for the switch was the form factor over anything else. Initially I purchased a similar ladder from Amazon but it was 300# rated and was beefy and quite heavy. The iKamper unit is similar but built with bare feet climbing in mind and much lighter than my previous telescopic ladder.

Interesting, I would love a ladder that is as small and light as possible. Unfortunately they do not list the weight of the ladder on the ikamper website - so that I could compare it against some much cheaper options on Amazon. You also mention the ikamper one has features that make it easy to climb up barefoot, that is very nice. Also I see it's 7.5ft long and that would be perfect, ladders on amazon are 8.5ft so bulkier than necessary (it might be possible to remove a section).
My question is: I see you have drilled into the RTT some new attachment points; did you do that mainly because you wanted rear door access? I was thinking if it's possible to modify the ikamper so that it has hooks similar to the stock autohome ladder so it's more convenient

 

[alia176]

Interesting, I would love a ladder that is as small and light as possible. Unfortunately they do not list the weight of the ladder on the ikamper website - so that I could compare it against some much cheaper options on Amazon. You also mention the ikamper one has features that make it easy to climb up barefoot, that is very nice. Also I see it's 7.5ft long and that would be perfect, ladders on amazon are 8.5ft so bulkier than necessary (it might be possible to remove a section).
My question is: I see you have drilled into the RTT some new attachment points; did you do that mainly because you wanted rear door access? I was thinking if it's possible to modify the ikamper so that it has hooks similar to the stock autohome ladder so it's more convenient

I own a ladder from Amazon and like you found out, it's longer and I can tell you it's MUCH heavier than the iKamper or CVT ladder. iKamper ladder is around 17#, if I recall correctly. Amazon ladders are rated for heavier people and they're stout, no doubt about that. I pack it in the car and take it to work on projects on other people's homes and such.

By rear door access, I'm assuming you're talking about vehicle rear door access? If so, that's not the main reason why I did what I did. I wanted my ladder to not slide away as I used it, hence my reason for securing it to the side of my RTT. This is particularly important when you need to go for a midnight pee and fumbling around for the top rung with your feet. This is when one can easily knock the ladder off to the side. As you've surmised, i can still operate the rear door while the ladder is deployed. Ikamper ladder is much better than the Authohome ladder IMHO, and I gave my autohome ladder away long ago! It boils down to preference as we all know.

 

[manoweb]

I see thank you. Yeah I meant your vehicle rear door. Thanks!

 

[Westy]

Buy this ladder. Big upgrade in strength, adjustability, compact....fits any RTT and surely you'll find other uses around home or camp for it too.

Xtend & Climb 750P Aluminum Telescoping Ladder Type II Home Series, 8.5-Foot