Gordigear Rooftop Tent

[Mr Wiggles]

Hi Guys,

I did a search and came up empty. Does anyone have any experience with this brand of tent?

The pricing is attractive, though i can't find a North American distributor. The company's website is terrible, though i did manage to find an ebay listing

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Ripstop-Camping-...14&_trkparms=72:1215|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

any thoughts, comments, are appreciated.

 

[adventureduo]

It's another variation of the chinese mass produced Mombasa and Camping lab.

If you want the tent, go with Mel at Car-top-tent.com or our Expo Sponsor Camping Lab.
They're the same tents as the Gordigear with same level pricing.

 

[Mr Wiggles]

Thanks for the heads up, will do!

 

[Belinda Turner]

Hi,

Sorry for opening up an old thread. Just thought I add my experience to this.
I purchased a Gordigear roof tent a couple of months ago and it has exceeded my expectations in every way. It's been through some heavy wind and rain without any issues. By no means does it appear to be mass produced.

I also find their website to be one of the better ones I came across. I'm not sure what webpage you were referring to Mr Wiggles, but I had a look at
www.gordigear.com and found it quite informative. But then maybe they have updated their webpage between your post and mine.
Just my 5 cents worth....
Happy camping! :victory:

Belinda
Am new here, so thanks for having me.

 

[Martyn]

Sort of scratching my head here.

Gordigear is located in Queensland Australia, so it doesn't make any sense for Mr Wiggles, who lives in Canada, to purchase from them. He can get identical equipment from Camping Lab in North America.

Goridgear has some interesting wall additions to their awnings, both solid and mozi netting. But I'm sure the local companies will get the same thing from China soon.

 

[Belinda Turner]

Hi Martyn,

I understand that you might want to promote Camping Lab products considering they are sponsoring this forum.

I was merely replying to Mr Wiggles' initial question if somebody has had any experience with the Gordigear brand roof tent. Since nobody replied to that question, I thought I provide my experience, which was all positive.

I leave it up to Mr Wiggles if it makes sense for him to order a tent from Australia, but then that was not what he was asking for anyway.

Cheers,

Belinda

 

[Martyn]

Hi Martyn,

I understand that you might want to promote Camping Lab products considering they are sponsoring this forum.

I was merely replying to Mr Wiggles' initial question if somebody has had any experience with the Gordigear brand roof tent. Since nobody replied to that question, I thought I provide my experience, which was all positive.

I leave it up to Mr Wiggles if it makes sense for him to order a tent from Australia, but then that was not what he was asking for anyway.

Cheers,

Belinda

I mention Camping Lab for a few reasons, as you mention they are a sponsor of the forum, also Fernando the owner is a friend, but more than anything it's a "Shipping Coals to Newcastle" issue.

Lots of great Australian products out there, I'm not knocking the country of origin, but if the same or similar product is already in North America it makes sense to get it from here.

 

[Belinda Turner]

I see where you're coming from Martyn. And I would tend to agree if we're talking about coal (or any other commodity). I guess there is a reason, why Japanese TVs aren't only sold in Japan and German cars aren't only sold in Germany.
So I can understand why Mr Wiggles was looking at the Gordigear tent, in particular since they have specials on offer where they send their products around the globe without charging for freight.

 

[Martyn]

I see where you're coming from Martyn. And I would tend to agree if we're talking about coal (or any other commodity). I guess there is a reason, why Japanese TVs aren't only sold in Japan and German cars aren't only sold in Germany.
So I can understand why Mr Wiggles was looking at the Gordigear tent, in particular since they have specials on offer where they send their products around the globe without charging for freight.

And the country of manufacture of these tents is?

And the aftermarket support for product shipped overseas is?

And Gordigear is supporting Expedition travel in North America how?

And I could go on, but I'll say no more on this subject.

 

[FourByLand]

Great questions, Martyn!

 

[Gordigear]

And the country of manufacture of these tents is?

And the aftermarket support for product shipped overseas is?

And Gordigear is supporting Expedition travel in North America how?

And I could go on, but I'll say no more on this subject.

Hi, my name is Helmut and I'm one of the owners of Gordigear.

While we do follow forums like these with interest, we usually refrain from participating in them. In this case however, I'd like to clarify a few things by answering your questions, Martyn.

And the country of manufacture of these tents is?

We have production facilities in Australia and China, hence some of our products are made in Australia and some in China. Regardless of where they are made, they are all made to the same quality standards. We produce tents in lots no larger than 50 units, I leave it to you to decide if that constitutes mass production.

And the aftermarket support for product shipped overseas is?

I would argue our aftermarket support is second to none. A large component of our business is done overseas and we wouldn't be able to do so without supporting our international customers. Our product design is modular, which makes it quite easy for us to send spare parts if required.

And Gordigear is supporting Expedition travel in North America how?

I fail to see how this relates to the quality of our products, but no, we are at this stage not supporting/sponsoring this forum in any way, shape or form.

And I could go on, but I'll say no more on this subject.

Would be interesting to hear if you actually own/owned a Gordigear product and what qualifies you to question our aftermarket support?

I hope this clarifies your questions. If not, please let me know or feel free to give our customer service a ring on +61 7 3305 0115.

Greetings from downunder,

Helmut

 

[bigwapitijohnny]

Right...I'll get right on that

Helmut,

I don't think that he is questioning your aftermarket support...Chill out.

The way I see it is this. It's the same tent from the same manufacturer, but a 'different' phone for support.

Fernando at Camping lab - (786) 489-8258

Helmut at Gordigear - +61 7 3305 0115

Why would I call AUS when I can call FL? Just asking...

Regards,

BWJ

 

[Martyn]

I do believe that a customer should expect great aftermarket service on any product they buy, but at the same time I know how long replacement parts can take to come from Australia, South Africa, or Europe.

I also know very similar product is available here in North America where people like Fernando have proven track records for aftermarket service, and spare parts are one UPS truck away.

The Overland community in North America is small and growing. Key companies like Camping Lab are supporting the community with time and money, and we all benefit from it. The community supports vendors who are active within it.

I wouldn't really have mentioned any of this in the thread if Belinda hadn't got a little under my skin and annoyed me, and for this I apologize. Next time instead of counting to 10 I'll count to 100

Anyway next time I'm in OZ I'd be happy to stop by and look at your products and buy you a beer.

 

[Gordigear]

BWJ,

This particular roof tent design has been around for quite some time now and there is no patent on it, so many manufacturers use it. What you don't see on photos is the material/canvas used, the thickness of the travel cover, the coating used to waterproof the tent, the quality control that went into the manufacturing process and so forth.

I personally have no first hand knowledge about the Camping Lab roof tents,
where they are made and what they are made from, so I can't comment on them.

It seems like you know all the details about both brands, so I'll trust your judgement.

I'll leave it at that.


Martyn,

How about this: you'll look at our products when you're in Oz and I'll buy the beer? ;-)

Have a good one,

Helmut

 

[BMAN]

First, I say props to Helmut for stepping right up like a man to defend his product. I don't see his post as any type of over reaction which would warrent him chilling out.

International shipping for "aftermarket support", I'll admit, is a logistical nightmare, but that doesn't rule these guys out as a potential source for our use. As little as 5 years ago our choices for RTT's were extremely limited. Offroad camping trailers were either insanely priced imports or custom made by the end user. This hobby or lifestyle or passion, whatever you want to call it, of ours has changed dramatically over the past 5 to 10 years. North American overlanding as we define it today is a new landscape compared to the recent past. Many of those who make their living in this market do so with ideas born in the mountains and deserts of far off places. The GordiGear product line is not unique as a product perse but if their customer support and quality of product is top notch, they have just as much a right to a share of the NA market as anyone else, assuming they want it.

I'm becoming more and more burned out by the quality of people who enter our hobby every day. This isn't meant to slight anyone who has posted here, but I see more and more band wagon jumping and xenophobia on this site every day. It seems that anyone who tries to make a buck doing something similar to what someone else here already does, the torches come out and the accusations start to fly. It all seems so Salem-esque to me. Now maybe I'm crazy here (comment from the peanut gallerry fully expected on that one), but I think that GordiGear offers a unique product that's not currently available in our market and I'd like to hear a little more about it.

Helmut, assuming you're still reading, can the tent trailer tent and walls be adjusted for a much taller application? The custom trailer I intend to build will be roughly two feet higher than what your setup is designed for. Stepping up 6 or 12 inches to get through a doorway doesn't scare me, but stepping up 24-30 inches to clear a custom skirt adapted to your wall tent just doesn't seem appealing to me.