EarthRoamer XV-JP "Northwest Edition"
- Thread starter WhereTheHellIsJames?
- Start date
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
The struts will leak down some across a day or two, but nothing noticible overnight. It would be pretty straightforward to have a mechanical support and I may add one someday, but since all you have to do to fix any sag is touch the "inflate" button for about a second, it's not a priority.
As for keeping it closed, we are using the original EarthRoamer latches, but they've been relocated to the inside. One of the better things about the revised operation is that, between relocating the latches to the inside and cutting down the center console (and reinforcing it so it can be stepped on), I can move from the driver's seat to the cabin and put the tent up and down without going outside, which is a significant benefit on a sufficiently rainy day.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
One of the drawbacks of the EarthRoamer tent was that it was fully attached and so when the roof was closed, all of the tent fabric pretty much just hung there, James has configured my tent so that the three pieces (front and two sides) independently roll up into the ceiling. The side areas by the struts are part of the front piece and it thus roll up into the front edge of the top.
FWIW, you can instead simply unzip the sides from the front piece to provide enough clearance to get around the struts and let the fabric hang. Uglier, but this approach lets you get the tent up in seconds since all that's required is to zip each side to the front piece and stick in the front awning poles.
Looks like a great idea for the Earthroamer! Just wondering if you thought at all about having the top open like a FWC camper instead of a hinge style? That thought came to mind when thinking about how hard the tent must be to keep water proof. Also opening and lowering from the inside might be easier keeping the tent portion intact with no need to unzip.
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mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Yep, I did think about it, but the advantages that four-corner lifting offered didn't seem worth any extra effort. With this setup, the hinge was already in place and I had latches that suck it down tight, and it was easy to lift with just the two struts. Plus the tent would have require maybe three times as much (expensive) fabric and would have been proportionately harder to store compactly. Of course, I might have tried harder to rationalize your approach if I'd had easy access to the spring-type hardware used to make the top pop up level, but I didn't see where I might buy it.
I'm not really worried about this tent's waterproofness. The fabric is Gore-Tex (or some other company's equivalent; not sure what James ended up with), the zippers are well covered against water intrusion, and if you look at the picture, you can see that the tent's bottom edge goes well below the interior. So I should be good to go (and the rains will be here soon to so we can test it to make sure).
JRhetts
Adventurer
Mike
It's GREAT to see your documentation of what can be done with imagination and perseverance. From my hands-on-contact with your ER, you have actually transformed this unit into a "new beast", one with different and enhanced capabilities from the original.
What a terrific thing to do and share!!
Kudos and congratulations.
John
It's GREAT to see your documentation of what can be done with imagination and perseverance. From my hands-on-contact with your ER, you have actually transformed this unit into a "new beast", one with different and enhanced capabilities from the original.
What a terrific thing to do and share!!
Kudos and congratulations.
John
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Thanks, John. As you know 'bout as well as anyone, it's a little strange taking apart something completed, figuring that you know how to make it better . . . and really hoping you're right. But just like you with your redone Fuso's cabin, I'm now feeling really good about my XV-JP's long-term liveability.
Be sure to let me know next time you're in town.
Best,
Mike
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Not hard at all, Pat. Be sure to post up some photos when you finish. :sombrero:How hard do you think it would be to scale this down to fit a Suzuki Samurai?eepwall:
trailsurfer
Explorer
Mike, The Earthroamer looks great. Have you posted in trip reports using your XV-JP. I would love to see it in action? Thanks.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
You mean I'm actually supposed to take it somewhere?! It's not just for traveling from one fab shop to another? Stone the crows. :sombrero:
Sadly, I'm only half joking. It's been on a couple of campouts, but nothing yet close to a trip-report-worthy adventure since Chris Shontz took it through the Rockies after bringing it out west from Pennsylvania.
However, since Chris is a fine photographer and good off-roader, you might want to check out his pictures and posts at:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19489.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Nat . . . James made ours working with one of the professionals up in Hood River out of a Gore-Tex equivalent BWR (breathable water repellant) fabric. Took a fair amount of effort to get everything measured and right, but the finished product is outstanding in both design and execution.
BTW, if you are thinking of making your own, you may want to check here as a possible supplier:
http://www.owfinc.com/Fabrics/fabricmain.htm.
And if you have a specific tent in mind, you may want to contact James to discuss the possibility of working with him. My tent certainly turned out great.
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