polling maggiolina airtop owners regarding the seal between the shells

[STREGA]

wish i had seen this earlier!!! i have a airtop on its way as i type to mount on a congo cage on my 2012 rubi 2dr. very expensive unit to have this many problems? whats this about the doors not closing completely? and the seal leaks? isnt that the idea to have a weather tight case on the roof with dry bed inside? and when ur in it it should be at least as good a door as a standard ground tent? so its open on the bottom? ******!! mybe i will refuse delivery? but then im setting up a tent on the ground again !!! arrrhhgg I'll be baaack!!!

I'am not having any problems (see post #23), it took me a couple days to get use to the way the door flaps/screens work after using a Ezi-Awn RTT, but never had any wet bedding after almost 2 full weeks of camping with rain everyday. I'am pretty sure under those conditions I would have been drying out bedding between rain storms if we had been tenting on the ground, no way I will ever go back to a ground tent.

 

[yotajorge]

thx for the info

ok so I do alot of 1-2week trips since im retired, mostly linking offroad trips across the backcountry trying to pretend the paved sections in between dont exist! setting up and striking camp every nite especially in the AM is a PITA. and trying to find a good spot to lay on in the first place. ive done this all my life and its gettin on me so i hope this $4k dollar bed is worth it. they look pretty cool and yes i expect to have to stow it properly. and at 5'6 it will be a reach but nothing comes without a compromise. looks like they do a good job not showing the intrusion into the sides of the matress vs the ends but its gotta go somewhere. i had the med on order but the wait into sept had me twitchin so i took the small in stock. might end up leavin the old woman home. oh well. it should be here monday or tuesday and i will give a full report either way. im a toolmaker by trade and did alot of technical mountaineering, solo sailing, scuba diving, etc so i am not new to adventure and i tell it like it is, like it or not!! this looks like the best way to do this so i will make it work. hasta lavista, baby

 

[spressomon]

^ FWIW all the mattresses in the RTTs I've owned were way too firm for me. Since its just me solo I'm using, in the new Columbus, my Exped Megamat 10 in leu of the foam mattress they come with and its uber comfie. Even though I'm a long time user of Exped mats, for backpacking, etc., I wasn't aware of the Megamat 10 until earlier this year...thanks again hoser for that tip!

You'll also want to leave your new Maggiolina open for a few days...longer the better...to alleviate the fiberglass outgassing smell...

Have fun with your retirement travels and explores!!!

 

[Corey]

I wonder how that would be on top of the stock AirLander mattress?

 

[spressomon]

I'm a side sleeper and the Exped Megamat 10 is the best most comfortable inflatable I've ever slept on. A night's rest atop it is on par with our expensive home mattresses. With it in place and without the foam mattress they come with I can close my Columbus without deflating. However I do leave both the inflate and deflate valves open so the mattress can equalize when we go from sea level to higher elevations. It would be perfect if they made them to fit the actual width but again since its just me solo its not an issue.

I use my OBA to gently inflate the Megamat as needed...the foam pillow inflator they include demands too much time and patience for me

 

[Lemsteraak]

yotajorge, you are actually lucky the med wasn't in stock, from what you say, I think the small will be a better fit with your lifestyle.

I had a Large Maggiolina Adventure, a very cool tent, and I thought bigger is better. Back then about 20 years ago the largest tent only cost a few hundred dollars more, so why not get the large one? How wrong I was, even thought the Maggiolina was pretty revolutionary, it weighed 165 pounds, OK for an expedition truck but not for my mid sized wagon. Still, not so bad but it wasn't needed, small is a better tent for two people. When it is cold, the tent is warmer because of less space to warm up. I have a small on full time and don't ever notice it is up on top. Through the years, I've seen a lot of folks trade for smaller tents but I've never seen anyone trade for a larger one. Think of these tents like a sleeping bag, you don't buy the biggest one, you find the one that fits the conditions you plan to encounter.

'spressomon, I really like the idea of the inflatable to give some extra loft. The Maggiolina's mattress is thicker than the one in the Columbus, or it used to be, so not so much may be needed. I've always added something extra for cold weather with the Columbus. Normally it isn't much of a problem because below freezing I change from sheets and blankets to a cold weather bag. The Columbus' shell is pretty low profile so you can't add much without having trouble closing the tent up, the inflatable idea is really good if you need a little extra cush. I'll second the suggestion to open the new tent and let it breathe a few days, unless you are a fan of "new car smell".

Oh, and lastly, yotajorge, since you sound like a skilled craftsman, you will enjoy improving the tent. I've found that the tent is 90% there, but there are always thing I like to do to personalize the tent. Make it your home.

 

[yotajorge]

thanks again for the input!! im still waiting on word for delivery? website says this is 119 lbs but freight bill online says 255!! must be a big crate! or its more than likely heavyer than advert and a big crate. the congo cage is around 110 so full up im figuring 250 on the roof to be sure. i know i will feel it on corners and off camber trails. and the 13inches plus 4-5 of cage = 18 or so added height will all combine to make some more negatives on the compromise scale!! ahh the **** we'll do to get off the ground. but i never could get that rv i sold up a jeep pass.....si have these rei 3.5" x24 inflatable pads we been using in the tent and they are amazingly comfy.i may try to add those if theres a problem, tho not much helps with my back these days. played too rough i guess. im more trying to figure a way to prepare coffee in bed w/o getting out first!!

 

[STREGA]

The 119lb figure does not include the ladder from what I was told by the Autohome guys. The 255 lbs crated sounds high but maybe it is correct as they do crate it well to get it to its destination in one piece, trucking companies can be brutal in their freight handling.

I have my Airtop on a FJ Cruiser and do trails such as Black Bear, Poughkeepsie Gulch and Scohfield pass with it and have not had any issues on those trails. I do have a stiffer suspension (OME) setup that helps in making me feel comfortable driving harder trails. My wife and I both slept well with the mattress that comes with the Airtop and I have back issues like you. If you figure out how to have coffee in bed when you wake up (with out making the wife do it) please share how you do it! :elkgrin:

 

[yotajorge]

its here!

so my monster crate arrived, here are some first impressions. the original topic of this thread was the seal, or from what i can see the lack of one!! i totally expected to see an automotive style tubular rubber seal like on a car door run completely around the inside perimeter of the shell. not. its pieced together flat stick-on foam 2 layers in small areas 1 in others and none or gaps in others , particularly on the leading edge corners?!?! so yes there will definately, no doubt be airflow with whatever dirt, water, bugs it contains coming thru the gap to be stopped only by the fabric. id put my rep on this. physics no. common sense. also some one mentioned the old style rough fiberglass interior. under the matress its still rough. no attempt made to cover this or the protruding hardware etc. seems pretty lame. wont be long til that rock hard matress has serious abrasions thru the cover. could be solved with a thin layer of something. like the condensation mat. $300 option. oh well. flaps. lots of flaps. no instructions for the flaps. some are obvious to tuck under the matress to keep bugs out, but a complete zip around would be better. just sayin. others up high make no sense yet but its still on sawhorses so i will report back after use. the pillows are worthless in my opinion. unless i use them to fill the giant spaces in the matress that are there to house the mechanism when its folded. these reduce the width at the head and foot of the bed to 38" for 20" each end!! really tight for the recomended 2 adults!!! the matress ends up shaped like a chevron? think chevrolet emblem. as for the wise suggestion to carefully open to see how its packed so i could learn the proper way, andrew at autohome said they are all unpacked here to inspect b4 shipping out. sorry but that seems unlikely since all the tape would have to be removed as would the million staples in the box. i saw no evidence of that but whatever. anyway, enuf bitching. am i slightly disappointed? yes. would like to have seen one b4 putting out what amounts to $4k after alls said and done. are there better options? not to my knowlege. so i will make it work, its still camping after all!! just think there is alot of unknowns that are cleverly avoided in the adverts. nice looking model tho in the vids. kinda keeps your eyes off the tent! now to get that stuff all mounted on my roof......

 

[Corey]

I never used my tiny pillows, get yourself some Kings.
I have that Autohome mat, was not $300 though, forget what it was.

 

[yotajorge]

i think you have one of the orig crank style? does it have a true gasket around the inner perimeter ? or the pieces-parts like i described on mine? just wonder if its gonnaleak at hiway speeds in the rain. i cant imagine it wont!! there is simply no seal here. add to that the lack of the old style metal cam-locks being replaced by flimsy plastic rachet straps? i may have bought into an unproven new idea. doesnt seem to close very well. loose and out of alignment. just not at all impressed. also pretty flimsy when erected. can imagine it 6ft off the ground at 12000 ft elev in 50mph wind! im thinking i shoulda gone with the proven design of the extreme. just noticed in the info it came with the condensation mat is not recommended for this modeldue to closing issues?? web site says its an accessorie. piss poor info all around. no instructions for this wierd flap on the upper rear door with orange velcro? all the other velcro is black so.....******? the ground tent is starting to look oh so much simpler!!

 

[Lemsteraak]

Hi Yotajorge,

Yes, I have noticed a trend to lighten up the Maggiolinas, they used to be made of polyester resin and now they are more high tech and lighter. Like I said, very little in the way of instructions and they are usually out of date.

Let me go into my "Dr Science" mode here. One caveat, I haven't seen one of the new AirTop tents yet but I can tell you that Maggiolinas do not have a seal. Let me repeat that, no stinking seal. They are designed to not need one. Everyone pinches the fabric between the shells, I've done, you will do it, so what you see, that goofy weatherstripping isn't a seal, it is a sacrificial strip so the fabric doesn't touch the rough edge of the roof, when the fabric is pinched. Try not to pinch the fabric.

OK, let me explain the detail of the design to keep water out, since I hope i have established that there is no stinking seal. The base of the tent has the alloy "Z" channel that fits up into the roof when closed. Let me bring in a visual aid.



This is a cross-section, of the edge of the roof, sorry about it being so small. It is a very old drawing, it is an very old design, Oh and ignore the rope stuff, for expedition use. The fabric attaches to the roof on a separate flange that comes down from the roof. The bottom "Z" flange fits between that and the roof's drip rail or outside edge. The idea is to keep dust out, water is easy, it is heavy. If you have ever seen a trailer being towed on a Mexican dirt road, actually you can't see it, way too much dust. So, dust and water have to follow a torturous path to get in the tent. It is simple, it does work, let's have no more talk about seals.

The goofy flap thingys above the side doors, you can thank Frenchie LeChance for that, he just about lived in these tents, and yes, he is a very goofy guy. Your clue is that it comes into play in very high winds. Your homework is to figure out what it does and how it works, and why. No fair asking the guys at AutoHome here in the US how it works, you can ask but I don't think even they can tell you.

 

[Corey]

yota, yes, mine is the crank up style.
If I had to replace mine, I would get the exact same one.

I believe mine also has a weather stripping seal all the way around like Rich stated.
Have not really paid much attention to it.
I do know that I do not get any water or dirt inside when the roof is down, and mine has been outside 24/7 since spring of 2008.

 

[yotajorge]

pics i sent to mike

ok thanks guys. i guess thats the way it is. if id a seen one i doubt id have bought it! i talked to mike at ah usand sent a bunch of shots of the upper corners inside. tere are big gaps in the neoprene weather stripping. seems like it would be easy enuf to fill em. i just got my rack on so as soon as i can get a hand im mounting the rtt and then im gonna give it a hell of a workout. if they are all this way it must be ok. again thanks for the great responses!! gotta love this social media, power to the people.

 

[yotajorge]

ps

as you can see all corners are like this and i have to think at highway speeds in a downpour water will migrate in big time and move aft to then soak into the matress and bedding. if they put this in why the hell not just complete the course all the way round? tme will tell and so will i! udates to follow.:snorkel: