I had a chance to spend the weekend in my CVT Mt. Baker. My first real experience with it. Overall, I can say that I would be pretty pissed if I paid full price for this unit. At the 40 percent discount, it comes in at a price point that otherwise cannot be beat and is worth dealing with the issues. I was originally looking at the Alu-Cab but cannot justify 3k for a tent. QC and attention to detail are pretty well off on this unit, and are frankly unusable. For example, the net on the interior of the roof is so weak that even a sweatshirt flexes it enough to where it slides out the bottom of the net with the roof popped. There is NO seamtape anywhere on this unit and am concerned that there will be leaks in heavy storms, but time will tell. There are two buckles to hold the tent closed on the front, but these are not needed as the tent does not lift in the front. The mattress is rock hard, but this is personal preference. I already spoke to the bag issue in the previous post. The logo was peeling. Some of the fabric cuts are off, which do not effect the performance, but attention to detail make or break a product and having extra fabric at the seams makes it look cheap.
I do not care for the latching design and will be changing it in the future. The buckles with strapping is not very efficient and a strange design to be honest. The unit comes with a shoe bag to hang outside but there are no hoops to hang it nearby the ladder. You would have to put the shoes out another window and hang them off the ladder mounts. The netting in the windows could be finer mesh for no-see-ums. I also wish the windows rolled up instead of down. This puts the fabric within the traffic while getting in and out on the ladder which I am sure will cause more wear and tear over time.
I am nit picking the unit, but these are things that I would want to know before shelling out big bucks for a tent. I was originally looking at used ones but they were selling for more then new with the discount so I opted for new. I personally was expecting more from a CVT branded unit. I have seen people order tents directly from Ali Express and am certain they would be of similar quality. The unit came with a manual for Tuff-Trek tents, so it is clear they are just outsourced to any buyer. Another small detail that makes the opening experience feel cheap.
What I LIKE about the unit. Setup is quick and efficient. Lifts do the trick nicely and am curious about their longevity. ABS seems to be decent quality, base is sturdy and heavy duty. I like that it comes with the cold weather insulated walls. This is VERY nice and the tent remained warm for hours after the sun went down. The unit is pretty light, which is nice for reducing weight up top.
For the price with the discount, it is a fine tent that I would purchase again. It needs a little fine tuning to my liking and will be adding mounting points for the shoe bag and a mattress topper. I will try and cinch up the netting on the ceiling to aid in holding gear in place, but that is a minor inconvenience. I have zip tied the unused buckles down so they are out of the way. I may remove them in the future. The ladder is of good quality and am pleased with that. I have had some buddies whose ladders were junk with misaligned holes etc.
Overall, for a budget minded traveler who is willing to overlook small imperfections. Pick one up used or on sale. I would not recommend full price. I will update once I go through a heavy rain.
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