Latest Mombasa RTT Reviews?

[60Dan]

I am at a point now where I can afford a RTT.
I was ready to pull the trigger yesterday on a camping labs medium size, called Fernando with credit card in hand and said that they were not only out of stock, but due to some manufacturing issues, they most likely wouldnt have anything back in stock for a few months. They are not even taking any pre-orders anymore, due to not having an exact date in mind.

My second option is the Mombasa RTT Expedition Series (RTT9007)
Found here:

http://www.trdparts4u.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-5630

Ive read some things on this forum about the tent, but they are a couple of years old.
Anyone have one of these that they could chime in on and give me some reviews?
The good, the bad, the ugly?

Thanks

 

[60Dan]

Anyone?

 

[JDaPP]

I had one, worked great. Did not have any issues with it and it seemed well built. Stood up to high winds in grand canyon with no issues, I only got rid of it so I can get a FLIPPAC. Got it from http://www.car-top-tent.com/, customer service was exceptional

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

You should look into the Cascadia Vehicle Tents lineup too.

http://www.cascadiatents.com/Roof_Top_Tents.htm?m=94

I am looking at the Mt Hood 4 person for my trailer. I have heard very good things about these tents and the service is superb!

 

[korslite]

We have the larger Mombasa RTT, Adventure II, it is the 71" model. Last summer was our first summer with it and we spent about 30 nights in it between Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. We slept thru a little of everything weather wise and my only complaint with it would be a bit of condensation build up inside on the cooler nights mainly here in Washington, particularly on the coast. The ripstop nylon is super durable just not super breathable and the vents just didn't keep up with the amount of moisture i guess. Honestly though it doesn't bother me enough to detract from my enjoyment of the tent overall. It holds up great to high winds, stays dry inside in heavy rain, and is dark enough to sleep in if you want. I have definitely been happy with the Mombasa. For what its worth they are identical to the Camping Lab Tents, same manufacturer, same design and components, different color fabric. I tried to order from Fernando as well last spring and it didn't work out. He had oversold the last couple tents and I lost out after a couple weeks of trying to contact him and figure out what was going on. I'd recommend Mombasa as a direct substitute for the Camping Lab RTT. I bought mine from Jeremy at Expeditionops.com he was great to work with and got the tent shipped out stat. Hope some of this helps a bit.

 

[60Dan]

We have the larger Mombasa RTT, Adventure II, it is the 71" model. Last summer was our first summer with it and we spent about 30 nights in it between Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. We slept thru a little of everything weather wise and my only complaint with it would be a bit of condensation build up inside on the cooler nights mainly here in Washington, particularly on the coast. The ripstop nylon is super durable just not super breathable and the vents just didn't keep up with the amount of moisture i guess. Honestly though it doesn't bother me enough to detract from my enjoyment of the tent overall. It holds up great to high winds, stays dry inside in heavy rain, and is dark enough to sleep in if you want. I have definitely been happy with the Mombasa. For what its worth they are identical to the Camping Lab Tents, same manufacturer, same design and components, different color fabric. I tried to order from Fernando as well last spring and it didn't work out. He had oversold the last couple tents and I lost out after a couple weeks of trying to contact him and figure out what was going on. I'd recommend Mombasa as a direct substitute for the Camping Lab RTT. I bought mine from Jeremy at Expeditionops.com he was great to work with and got the tent shipped out stat. Hope some of this helps a bit.

Thanks so much for the review. It sounds like it will work out perfect for what I need. Im going to place an order this week, and once its all setup and ive spent a few nights in it, I'll add a review here for others

 

[Finlay]

I'd recommend Mombasa as a direct substitute for the Camping Lab RTT. I bought mine from Jeremy at Expeditionops.com he was great to work with and got the tent shipped out stat. Hope some of this helps a bit.

I've met Jeremy and been to his shop. He's great people. I want to say he has a Mombasa on his truck, but honestly, I didn't look that closely so I could be wrong.

He hangs out on this forum - he's been organizing the Midwest Overland Society.

 

[Fireman78]

I have the exact one you are looking at. Ive owned it for three ish years. Ive spent at least 100 nights in it. Pros... Its a roof top tent. Awesome!
Cons.. It is on the cheapo end of RTTs. Matress is thin, screens are cheap, zippers are.. Meh.
Rain fly flaps even in no wind! (It can be removed). My cover is destroyed. It is being held on by two ratchet straps and gorilla tape. HOWEVER?? I survived a tornado warning, sirens and everything, in SWKansas two summers ago.. I thought the wind was going to kill me (actually I thought the lightning was going to kill me) They are tough for sure, stands up to any weather.. I love having a RTT and so do my kiddos. I dont want to buy a new cover because I just want an entire new tent. Next one will be an ARB or Howling Moon with moonroof! Wanna buy mine? Cheap!

 

[Rattler]

I got an Overland Series (9009) a couple years ago from TRDParts4U. Jacque gave me excellent service. I had a problem with the cover it came with and he sent me a new one. The tent has worked fabulous for us. Ours withstood some pretty good storms over the times we have used it too and it has held up great.

If you get one, just remember to use silicon spray on the cover's zipper to make life easier!

 

[womacje]

Little late to the party here...

Thanks for the kind words guys, Fast, friendly, knowledgeable is my goal.

As for Mombasa's, I have owned 1, Used 2, and sold dozens. The Mombasa is a great entry level tent. "Entry Level" I use that term to differentiate the difference between a $2000 tent and a less expensive. The Chinese made tents serve a very specific purpose aside from the obvious, dry place to sleep that hard mounted etc.:

1 an affordable entry into the RTT market
2 These units will not last forever, the time frame depends on how well you take care of it
3 They do hold their value quite well if you choose it isn't right for you or you have tested the waters and want to jump into a better made product with higher material quality.

Downsides of the Chinese made RTT's:

1 keep an eye on the stitching at stress points, this is not triple stitched which will start to pull after time
1a the fabric being a lighter weight and lesser quality can become unwoven.
2 flexing at the male to female extrusion where the two halves interlock when opened can warp or flex and this leaves the tent only supported by the two hinge brackets, not a huge deal unless you don't fix it...
3 Foam is expensive, probably the most expensive material in the RTT's, the density of the foam is generally too light for most users, creating pressure points.
4 The base panels of honeycomb core aluminum is great, very susceptible to denting when crawling on knees
4a poor insulation properties, allowing cold, leading to condensation


My recommendations to most is purchase a Chinese RTT if you are so inclined, use it, take care of it and if you really like it, sell it around 4yrs and upgrade or update to a newer less expensive RTT depending on the amount of use you plan for the RTT.

I'm now using my second Eezi-Awn RTT and I'm loving the upgrade. I spent about 100 days in an RTT traveling around the US last year to shows and events and I can't tell you how much I love it. There is a notable difference between the products, but thats another topic.

Thanks.

Jeremy

 

[Rattler]

The only problem I have had over the last season's use is it seems that the waterproofing is no longer effective. I have something I got at West Marine to try but I never got around to it this year. I will be doing a trial come spring. Hopefully it works and I can do the whole tent. The morning dew seemed to be seeping through both the rainfly and tent fabric and some when it would rain. It has been through a lot of thunderstorms since we got it so it doesn't surprise me. Hopefully the waterproofing I got will prove to be the cure.

I wrote Mombasa in regards to this. All tehy did was offer to sell me new tent fabric and rainfly. EH. Big help.

Update:
The Starbrite waterproofing is going on fine. I got the info from my old boss on the best way to apply; 4 light cross-pattern coats and then give the seems a good coat separately. It doesn't stink too bad and the odor was gone after a few minutes in between coats today.

Another word of advice from teh old boss was not to silicon the zipper. If it jams, it could cause even more problems by the zipper separating more-easliy in the future. Just wipe it good with a wet cloth when if feels like it is dragging some.