Roof Top Tents? Which one?
- Thread starter ArmyTaco
- Start date
OverlandZJ
Expedition Leader
cruiseroutfit said:
Thanks Kurt.
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
flyingwil said:
Wil,
I'm starting to think about a RTT and was doing a little reading up. I went to that link and it seems to support the mombassa tent, not the Eeziawn. I'm confused. The article does seem to say it is a little lower quality, but I was confused with what you were trying to say in regards to the mombasa vs eezi comparison.
jerdog53
Explorer
Well this to is something I am interested in more information of, i do have a hard time with the price of most of them and no real time experiance around them I find it hard to swallow. The Rack Tents seem like a good starter/ once or twice a year tent and I see no one has talked about the ARB tent or is it too new?
:camping:
:camping:
cshontz
Supporting Sponsor
jerdog53 said:
I run an ARB RTT and am extremely satisfied with the shelter and comfort it provides. It is nearly identical to the Mombasa, but ARB claims to have improved materials (I've never seen a Mombasa to compare).
The annex enclosure around the top of the steps on this particular model is nice. You can leave the door open through the night without having to worry about precipitation.
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
cshontz said:I run an ARB RTT and am extremely satisfied with the shelter and comfort it provides. It is nearly identical to the Mombasa, but ARB claims to have improved materials (I've never seen a Mombasa to compare).
The annex enclosure around the top of the steps on this particular model is nice. You can leave the door open through the night without having to worry about precipitation.
That sure does look clean! Nice! :bowdown:
jerdog53
Explorer
cshontz said:I run an ARB RTT and am extremely satisfied with the shelter and comfort it provides. It is nearly identical to the Mombasa, but ARB claims to have improved materials (I've never seen a Mombasa to compare).
The annex enclosure around the top of the steps on this particular model is nice. You can leave the door open through the night without having to worry about precipitation.
I am interested in the ARBs it is a nice looking set up!
SOAZ said:
I was lucky enough to be present when Todd made the above-mentioned comparison between his RTT and an Eezi-Awn. This was great for me as I was in the market for a roof tent. I don’t think, however, that his review was intended to show one tent as superior to the other; rather, it was just to point out differences and similarities so potential customers could make an informed decision. My impression was the RTT offered an excellent value for the money. Based on watching friends who have used the RTT regularly over the last year, it seems to be performing just as well as other [more expensive] brands.
Some have suggested the RTT should be limited to occasional use – I disagree. The issue is not how many times you use it a year, but how many uses you get before replacement or repair is needed. In time, we may find that owners of the less expensive RTT actually have paid far less on a “per use” basis than the “higher quality” Eezi-Awn (et al) tents.
Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely pros and cons (er, trade-offs) with each tent – both in manufacturing design, utility, and materials. The RTT definitely seemed a bit more updated and better engineered to me. In contrast, the Eezi-Awn seemed like it was assembled in someone’s garage using parts from the local hardware store. This isn’t necessarily bad, just different. For example, while the RTT has some really well-though out and hand features lacking on the Eezi-Awn, the materials and parts of the Eezi-Awn probably make field repairs a bit easier and thus it might lend itself more readily to rental pools and commercial applications. On the other hand, owner’s tend to treat their personal equipment a bit better than borrowers so a RTT in the hands of the typical purchaser might not need repairs nearly as often as one that is abused in the wilds of Africa by guides and tourists.
To be fair, I have witnessed issues in the field with both the RTT and Eezi-Awn and would suggest that most of the complaints I’ve heard are more likely due to unrealistic expectations than one being better than the other. To be sure, spending upwards of five times the cost of a ground tent will NOT deliver a roof tent with a similar increase in protection and durability. It’s just a different experience with a different set of problems and possibilities.
When all was said and done, I felt the RTT was definitely the more prudent use of family funds. Of course, we ignored that and ended up with an Eezi-Awn because my wife thought the tenting material would be more durable and, more importantly, might do a better job of blocking out the morning sun so she could sleep in a bit longer. Yes, I do think you get what you pay for, but in this case, I don't think I'm getting twice the smiles-per-minute of the RTT.
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
Great post thank you.
Thats what I was guessing. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.
The RTT is odd in that a few different sites seem to show it as their own and its hard to find out that its actually Mombasa etc. Plus with the couple of updates it seems like depending where you look, its slightly different.
I'm guessing if I were to order from rtt it would be the most updated with the better ladder etc.
Thanks for the info. Eezi awn's look more sturdy and I like the fabric from seeing them, but the extra money is not even an option unless I find a deal used. :rappel: :camping:
Thats what I was guessing. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.
The RTT is odd in that a few different sites seem to show it as their own and its hard to find out that its actually Mombasa etc. Plus with the couple of updates it seems like depending where you look, its slightly different.
I'm guessing if I were to order from rtt it would be the most updated with the better ladder etc.
Thanks for the info. Eezi awn's look more sturdy and I like the fabric from seeing them, but the extra money is not even an option unless I find a deal used. :rappel: :camping:
I just received my RTT today it is the Expedition series (Mombasa) with the changing room and I'm extremely happy with my purchase its a great design ,light,easy to set up 3 minutes and well worth the money . I know after talking to Mel that they will soon have a more breathable material as an option . I have seen a Hannibal Rtt and I can't see were the justification of spending an additional $500.oo is. I can say if your going to live in a tent all the time than a heavier material may be needed but for the weekend camper this tent will do more than just fine IMHO.. Thanks Mel for bringing us a great value..........:bowdown:
cruiseroutfit
Well-known member
jerdog53 said:
Its actually been discussed quite a bit, here are a few:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6736
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10374
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11295
The Howling Moon, Mombasa Expedition (RackTent), and the ARB Simpson II (also other rebadges) are all the same design & construction. Where the differ is the material used (Mombasa has a new material choice out too), also the quality seems to vary between the units I've seen firsthand. Hardware is identical between them, same mounting extrusions, etc. LMK if you have any specific questions, I've got several different tents here including the ARB and the Mombasa Expedition.
Lemsteraak
Adventurer
Hi Guys,
I'm new to the group and if it is OK I'd like to give my 2 cents. I've been involved in rooftents for many years, used to bring in Zifer rooftents, you know them now as AutoHome. Yes, they finally discovered marketing and have set up a brand name. I personally think it is great that we have rooftent in general and that we have such a broad choice now.
I've worked with Zifer's designers and they are very picky, yes, sometimes very opinionated, well they are Itallian. You need to think of AutoHome (Zifer) as a design firm, and very modest about their achievements. One of the recent new tents is the "OverLand", brand new design?, hardly, cutting edge? I'd say yes, certain aspects. Zifer has been making this tent for a long time, it was even written up in the "Whole Earth Catalog"
Here is the link - http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000146.php
Just who is "Air Camping"? - Ziffer, It's true Air Camping is a division of Zifer. AutoHome is the division that makes the tents that they feel are perfected. If it carries the "AutoHome" label, you know it is a well designed "safe" tent. It took Zifer four years to redesign the Air Camping tent to become the AutoHome "OverLand". They just weren't happy with the design, and as you can see the "Air Camping" tent is considdered to be brilliant. An example, try climbing up into a folding tent with the ladder on a hard surface, like asphalt, pretty scarry - the ladder slides out. The "OverLand" has a redesigned ladder that will not slide. I believe the ladder on the "OverLand" to be the best in the business, and yes, everyone is copying it now.
I think it does bother Zifer when their designs are copied, but I think it challenges them to make a better rooftent. That is all they do, rooftents, so after 50 years in the business, they make some good ones. Unfortunately, there isn't a perfect rooftent for everyone, the challenge is to find the one that works best for you. Yes, the ones that come out of China are very inexpensive, but my Zifer tent that I brought in over ten years ago is worth much more than I paid for it. Their new ones are better and worth more.
Rich Haslacher
I'm new to the group and if it is OK I'd like to give my 2 cents. I've been involved in rooftents for many years, used to bring in Zifer rooftents, you know them now as AutoHome. Yes, they finally discovered marketing and have set up a brand name. I personally think it is great that we have rooftent in general and that we have such a broad choice now.
I've worked with Zifer's designers and they are very picky, yes, sometimes very opinionated, well they are Itallian. You need to think of AutoHome (Zifer) as a design firm, and very modest about their achievements. One of the recent new tents is the "OverLand", brand new design?, hardly, cutting edge? I'd say yes, certain aspects. Zifer has been making this tent for a long time, it was even written up in the "Whole Earth Catalog"
Here is the link - http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000146.php
Just who is "Air Camping"? - Ziffer, It's true Air Camping is a division of Zifer. AutoHome is the division that makes the tents that they feel are perfected. If it carries the "AutoHome" label, you know it is a well designed "safe" tent. It took Zifer four years to redesign the Air Camping tent to become the AutoHome "OverLand". They just weren't happy with the design, and as you can see the "Air Camping" tent is considdered to be brilliant. An example, try climbing up into a folding tent with the ladder on a hard surface, like asphalt, pretty scarry - the ladder slides out. The "OverLand" has a redesigned ladder that will not slide. I believe the ladder on the "OverLand" to be the best in the business, and yes, everyone is copying it now.
I think it does bother Zifer when their designs are copied, but I think it challenges them to make a better rooftent. That is all they do, rooftents, so after 50 years in the business, they make some good ones. Unfortunately, there isn't a perfect rooftent for everyone, the challenge is to find the one that works best for you. Yes, the ones that come out of China are very inexpensive, but my Zifer tent that I brought in over ten years ago is worth much more than I paid for it. Their new ones are better and worth more.
Rich Haslacher
