Questions for AT Summit owners

[beneng_jr]

I've never seen one in person and had questions about the fabric and and bed:

- How much light comes through that fabric? And for those with thermal liners, are they truly light blocking?
- I saw that the fabric does have some cotton in it- can it potentially soak up water in heavy rain?
- Is there really enough room to leave thicker sleeping bags (like a -20) and pillows in the bed with the lid closed?

Thanks

 

[Groverland]

I've had mine for a few years now so I should be able to answer pretty well.

1. Very little. I have the thermal liner and it does a great job helping me sleep in lol
2. Yes. You have to make sure you air it out once home or at your next stop or you will get the mildewy smell. Probably the same with any rooftop tent- even if they're nylon.
3. I leave a 3-season bag and my Exped(deflated) up there with no problems. Pillows I stow below because I like a nice soft, fluffy pillow.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask! It's in my biased opinion the best topper on the market and you don't see that many out there.

 

[Bergger]

We've had a Summit for just over 3 years now. We love it. Yes the fabric does a good job at keeping light out but if you want it very dark get the thermal liner. It does a great job blocking light, heat in the summer and cold in the winter. We leave ours in year round.

I've had ours out in some very heavy storms and have never had water soak through the fabric. But it can get wet in a heavy rain so I would make sure it is dry if you plan on having it closed for a while. The fabric is really nice and heavy but dries extremely fast with any amount of sun and or breeze. I looked at most of the available campers of this type and really think this fabric is better than others out there. After two years of use I did have to seal the seams as I had some water leak through them in a very heavy downpour. It is easy to do and only takes a couple of minutes.

We have the factory mattress, a foam egg crate topper and a Exped megasleep duo bag on the bed and it closes just fine. A deflated exped with even more bedding will also fit on the bed with the top closed. When we go on extended trips of a week or more we usually use the exped set up. Since I am taller I also had them move the bed platform 6" towards the rear to give my big feet more room. This also created a 6" space at the front where we are able to keep a folded up blanket stored which is nice. However with the heater option we never have to use the blanket.