Roof Top Tent issues

[xpdishn]

I recently bought a used Roof Top Tent, have used it quite a bit and really like it.

But a couple of problems have reared their ugly heads. I am hoping that others here can chime in if you have had the same problems and what you did to fix them.

The first is the cover zipper, actually the zipper on the tent itself, at the corners. The sewing has failed which prevents the cover from zipping all the way closed. My wife will be resewing the corners to see if that will take care of that problem.

The second are the plastic clasps that tension the rain fly to the tent. Pics below. We had a windy night and the next morning discovered that the metal stays had come out the pockets in the tent. That's when we found the broken clasps. I tried to tighten the stays by pulling of the straps and with very, very little tension the bottom part of the clasps broke. The amount of tension could be described such: 'By just looking at them, they broke." The pics should show the problem:

General view of the rain fly and tent

The next 3 show the broken clasps:

This one totally broke, though it doesn't matter if it is a partial break or total, they don't work in doing the job.

Those clasps are critical in keeping the rain fly and the whole tent together. Hopefully there is a solution for this.

It seems to me that the plastic is not UV resistent and shouldn't have been used in the first place. Metal clasps should have been used.

I am e-mailing Roof Top Tents with the same info to see what they say.

Any feedback will be appreciated.

Curious: is this tent the same as Camping Labs? Mombasa?


Gary

 

[adventureduo]

Few things i've noticed on our Mombasa Exp. Series RTT.

Always keep the zipper well waxed. It prevents the zipper from jamming and in turn making the cover pull on the sewing.
I used to spray ours down with a silicone spray after every dusty trip.

Careful on pulling on any of the buckles hard. They're not made to be yanked down, they're more for tightening.. then snapping them. Not like a tie down or a pull down. I agree metal would be much better fitted. It could have been that just the sun got to one of the buckles with age like you said. I know that our tents rain fly buckles never had a single problem , but i also never adjusted them. I know others that over tightened them and they broke. But regardless, they can be had at ACE or any other hardware store for $0.40 or so. Maybe carry a few?

There's also a source for metal buckles that i will dig up and see if i can find for you. They're a little spendy when buying one at a time, but like you said, well worth it if that's the last one you buy.

Careful on the cover too. Sometimes, if you have sleeping bags inside the tent it will keep the cover tight. But too tight can make it wear funny. Also, with nothing in the tent it may create a balloon effect where it will rip the corners too. I've found that usually one regular 2 season sleeping bag and two small pillows works perfect. We were on our third cover when i sold our tent recently. We finally stepped up to a thicker denier cover that was a tan color. The two gray covers didn't really cut it. Also, each cover comes with a new zipper track. I'd see if you can get a replacement set. One last thing on the cover, make sure to put your hand through the cover as you go, right in front of the zipper. If you get the zipper caught in the canvas it will ruin your day and most likely ruin the skirt on the tent. There was a patch on ours because of this. They do not like each other AT ALL.

Shower/changing room. Just make sure you take your time routing it through the extruded aluminum channel. The fit seam WILL RIP if you pull it through aggressively.

Lastly, on the ladder. And this goes for all the hardware. Make sure to double check them after long washboard roads and such. Even with the nylocks they sometimes come loose. I replaced ours twice in 2 years. Also, the little rubber circle covers in the ladder rungs will fall out every once in a while, totally cosmetic. But still bugged me.

Hope this helps a little and please let us know what Car Top Tent (mombasa) says. I'd be interested in hearing how they take care of you.

 

[xpdishn]

Gary, etc, etc.

.

I posted and thought better and sent PM

 

[Errant]

I have a Mombasa, purchased in April of this year. Haven't experienced any of those issues with mine, and have used it in pretty strong winds along the Colorado River. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

If your wife isn't able to repair zipper, new cover can be purchased, which would include the portion of the zipper that goes in the channel on the tent base. As for the fly tensioners, they can be easily replaced with something you think would be more suitable.

 

[JDaPP]

http://www.brigadeqm.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/store/level4c.tam?M5COPY.ctx=30059&M5.ctx=30059

Should fix part of the problem if you want just replacement parts for the clips.

 

[xpdishn]

http://www.brigadeqm.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/store/level4c.tam?M5COPY.ctx=30059&M5.ctx=30059

Should fix part of the problem if you want just replacement parts for the clips.

DaPP, just what I was looking for.

Duo, if you can find the metal ones, a link would be great. I'd rather buy metal, they will last.

The wife and I have an idea in lieu of the whole zipper thing. I think Eeziawn RTT has a bungee type of arrangement for tightening the cover onto the tent. We are going to try to sew wide belt loops around the perimeter of the cover, problably 3 per side, find a long enough nylon strap to go completely around the cover and then a snap system, such as above, to provide enough tension to keep the cover on. We see a need for plastic (plastic again, arg) corners so the cover will not tear or wear a hole at those points.

Anyone see a logic holes in this?

Gary

 

[adventureduo]

Duo, if you can find the metal ones, a link would be great. I'd rather buy metal, they will last.

Will do!

The wife and I have an idea in lieu of the whole zipper thing. I think Eeziawn RTT has a bungee type of arrangement for tightening the cover onto the tent. We are going to try to sew wide belt loops around the perimeter of the cover, problably 3 per side, find a long enough nylon strap to go completely around the cover and then a snap system, such as above, to provide enough tension to keep the cover on. We see a need for plastic (plastic again, arg) corners so the cover will not tear or wear a hole at those points.

Anyone see a logic holes in this?

Gary

No problem in that logic that i can see. The Eezi awn uses a built in ratchet strap, you could look into that too. Feed it through a belt loop and just ratchet it down. Maybe sew in some foam in the corners to keep from pulling too tight on the cover?

You may have to do some bungees over the top to keep it from ballooning also.