Andrewh, I’ve had one for a month or two now that I’ve been evaluating, here are some initial impressions. First so there is no confusion, FrontRunner is a South African company, their tent units are made in China.
Here are a few key size comparisons:
Weight: FrontRunner 89 lbs, Mombasa(std) 112 lbs (w/ ladder, from actually weighing them)
Width: FrontRunner 51”, Mombasa(std) 56 1/2"
Height closed: FrontRunner 7 1/2", Mombasa(std) 10” (not including ladder)
The platform design, tent body attachment method, ladder and travel cover are basically the same as a Mombasa. From there, you start to see some differences.
The first difference you see is window design. I like the side window design better, it allow for unobstructed viewing. Unlike the Mombasa, it does not have zip open screens on the side windows.
A nice feature is their ventilation panels at the peak of the roof to control condensation. In initial testing, they help some, but it looks like a low flow fan would be necessary to get enough air exchange for complete condensation control. In warm Summer weather, you could remove the fly and use the ventilation panels for star gazing.
Instead of two sets of bows, an inner and outer, like on a Mombasa, it uses a single set that passes thru holes in the roof then supports the fly. Overall this design works well. One detail that bugs me, is the material wrapped around the poles at the ceiling to create a bug seal. It is held in place with tie wraps that were cut off at an angle, forming a sharp point that might snag the tent body fabric. I trimmed them flush and will be making velcro wraps from them.
The fabric is a waterproof coated nylon. The overall sewing quality is good, although as with Mombasa’s you’ll find stray threads that need to be trimmed. In initial raining testing, water beads up very nicely and the fabric absorbs no moisture. Although they have not leaked, there are some pin holes from sewing that will most likely need to be seam sealed. The fly has been seam taped, although the velcro attaching straps that were added after taping have pin holes that need to be seam sealed. From some light wind, the fly design appears to have less flapping noise in wind than a Mombasa
Inside with the lower closed profile is a 2” mattress. I’m about 160 lbs, I get a good nights sleep on it. Heavier folks might want a thicker mattress. The mattress is a two piece, double fold style. Unlike the Mombasa, the mattress doesn’t go all the way to the ends. With the lower profile, this gives extra space for leaving pillows and such in the tent when closed. There is also room for light weight sleeping bags inside when closed.
It has storage pouches on the inside, although the way they are sewn into the side of the tent body, I wouldn’t put much in them.
One nagging quality control item that the FrontRunner tent suffers from just like all the other Chinese tents I’ve seen are aluminum fillings floating around inside. This seems like such an easy thing to resolve, grrrr.
On the current batch there is a minor problem with the side fly / awning poles that is a customer side fix. The two side spring poles are slightly oversized and need two flats filed on them to fit correctly. Takes less than a minute to remedy with a grinder, about five minutes with a hand file.
If lightweight, lowest possible profile and/or very good ventilation are high on your list of priorities in a rooftop tent, give the FrontRunner tents a look.
