Rtt brands pros/cons

[fellglenn]

So I'm about to pull the trigger on my first Rtt. I've spent the last couple of years on a platform in a Silverado with a mid rise she'll and it was good and stealthy when needed, but unfortunately, accidents happen and ole red was in front of another car at the wrong time. Rest in Pieces

This go around, I'm going roof top tent as a platform in a taco is not quite as roomy for the lady and the toddler and me.

Most of what I'm doing is in the Southeast up logging roads, WMAs, National Forests or other primitive spots Down narrow roads with low limbs and such with the occasional stream crossings. It also hot and humid during the summer with a frequent heavy thunderstorm during the summer and the damp cool winters. As a big guy, I want something that can have great ventilation with or without a fan even on those heavy rainy nights and I need something that I'm not going to be waking up with a damp Matress either from a leak or sweat.

I've been eyeing the CVT extended MtMckinnley with the annex room for years as it seems size able enough for the three of us and 1 more soon. The older one will sleep on the ground or a hammock at some point.

So what are your thoughts on the different brands out there that have a similar size RTT with an area that I can use as an annex room?

I've been looking at CVT, Tepui, ARB & SMittyBuilt.

Your advise and any coupon hookups are greatly appreciated.

 

[justrom]

Read up on almost every brand here:
http://expeditionportal.com/buyers-g...oof-top-tents/

 

[Yarjammer]

For what its worth, Tepui, CVT, and ARB are fairly comparable as far as the tent itself goes. For personal support and replacement parts availability you can't go wrong with Tepui or CVT. ARB and Smittybilt are going to be more "corporate" in their support model; it will not be a direct or expedient process for most. Smittybilt is also a tier down in terms of the materials used more on par with TJM and the original ARB RTT.

Tepui Ruggedized & CVT Summit > ARB Simpson III
ARB Simpson III =Tepui & CVT (later non-ruggedized versions)
ARB Simpson II = Tepui & CVT (early non-ruggedized versions)
ARB Simpson I = TJM = Smittybilt

 

[Kevin108]

How many times a year do you plan on using it?

 

[fellglenn]

Read up on almost every brand here:
http://expeditionportal.com/buyers-g...oof-top-tents/

Thanks for the link on this. It is very helpful, but looking for some user real world feedback in addition to the details.

Yarjammer
For what its worth, Tepui, CVT, and ARB are fairly comparable as far as the tent itself goes. For personal support and replacement parts availability you can't go wrong with Tepui or CVT. ARB and Smittybilt are going to be more "corporate" in their support model; it will not be a direct or expedient process for most. Smittybilt is also a tier down in terms of the materials used more on par with TJM and the original ARB RTT.

Tepui Ruggedized & CVT Summit > ARB Simpson III
ARB Simpson III =Tepui & CVT (later non-ruggedized versions)
ARB Simpson II = Tepui & CVT (early non-ruggedized versions)
ARB Simpson I = TJM = Smittybilt

Thanks for this. It is most helpful

Kevin108
How many times a year do you plan on using it?

It could be up to 10-15 times a year, mostly 2-3 nights trips during all 4 seasons, but there might be a 1 or 2 5 nighters in it.
If it's comfortable as I've heard, I may sleep in it when at home, especially if I'm in the doghouse as I imagine it's more comfortable than a couch.

 

[TexasD-90]

Be sure to look into 23Zero tents. They are new to the US market but are an experienced adventure company from Austarlia. They have some key added features such as the snow pole (also great for rain), heavier material, more dense foam mattress and sky lights to name a few. In my opinion they are a step up from the competition, and I've personally owned several other tents.

 

[Utah KJ]

For what its worth, Tepui, CVT, and ARB are fairly comparable as far as the tent itself goes. For personal support and replacement parts availability you can't go wrong with Tepui or CVT. ARB and Smittybilt are going to be more "corporate" in their support model;

Zero complaints posted here about ARB support, a few about CVT so.... yeah...

 

[Box Rocket]

I'm happy to discuss Tepui tents with you and offer any help I can. I too have used a number of different brands of tents over the years and can offer a bit of input on those as well if you're interested. You're welcome to PM me or call my cell phone 801-710-8110 and I'll be happy to assist you if I can.

 

[Outside somewhere]

Being new to RTT's I will say there is no such thing as too much research. Check them out in person, even if it means you need to drive to do so. I am in Nc and had a hell of a time finding someone around here to let me look at their set up. I ended up talking to some people on another forum and a few were getting together out of state and invited me to come check their tents/trailers out. So much more informative than googling pictures or words on a forum. I ended up buying a second hand tepui tent that just happened to be a right place right time deal from a great seller (Thanks Chris) that was literally in my backyard. The tent is practically brand new, if someone spent more than 3-4 nights in it I would be surprised. Or maybe they were just anal retentive on their cleaning/storage etc. Either way it saved me a bundle vs new plus no shipping cost. I would suggest watching the for sale sections of various outdoor fourms, craigslist etc. My patience saved me almost $600. With that said having called tepui, cvt, arb as well as people that sell front runner and howling moon I rank the customer service of those companies as follows 1)cvt 2)arb 3)front runner and howling moon 4) tepui. The person I spoke with at CVT was awesome, answered every question I had in detail, for the questions he needed more info on he called me back within 15 min max. Now maybe the guy I spoke with at tepui was having a bad day but to be totally honest he acted like I was bothering him. If I had to make the decision based on the customer service alone I would not have bought a tepui tent. With that said having seen in person tents from most of the above they are all pretty much the same with slight exceptions in the materials used for the more ruggedized models. The biggest thing I would say is don't rush into it, be informed. There is no such thing as a dumb question. I've asked them all over the past two years lol.

 

[Kevin108]

After eyeing a Tepui Kukenam for about a year, I found the Smittybilt. I went with it just to start out with. For one, it was so inexpensive, I could afford it sooner than I expected. Compared to the cost of the Tepui, I got the Smitty tent and awning and still had about $250 left over.

I kind of felt like you couldn't understand what the advantages were of the more expensive models unless you had a baseline of what to expect. Also, I wasn't sure just how much use it would really get. I don't hesitate to spend more for better quality and durability for something that sees frequent use.

I've got about 7 nights in the Smitty so far. Initially I disliked the ladder, but have since determined it to be fine. Other than that, I have no complaints.

 

[Kerensky97]

Since the main brands (ARB, Tepui, CVT) are pretty similar I was mostly worried about price. The Tepui Kukenam has the same footprint as my normal camping tent so I went with that and Box Rocket was able to get a better price for me than anywhere else. So far I've been very happy and have been trying to squeeze as many camping trips in as I could just to make use of it.

 

[Trophycummins]

I have a smittybilt. Its not mounted yet but initial impressions from opening it up and playing with it are very good for the price.

 

[Box Rocket]

Being new to RTT's I will say there is no such thing as too much research. Check them out in person, even if it means you need to drive to do so. I am in Nc and had a hell of a time finding someone around here to let me look at their set up. I ended up talking to some people on another forum and a few were getting together out of state and invited me to come check their tents/trailers out. So much more informative than googling pictures or words on a forum. I ended up buying a second hand tepui tent that just happened to be a right place right time deal from a great seller (Thanks Chris) that was literally in my backyard. The tent is practically brand new, if someone spent more than 3-4 nights in it I would be surprised. Or maybe they were just anal retentive on their cleaning/storage etc. Either way it saved me a bundle vs new plus no shipping cost. I would suggest watching the for sale sections of various outdoor fourms, craigslist etc. My patience saved me almost $600. With that said having called tepui, cvt, arb as well as people that sell front runner and howling moon I rank the customer service of those companies as follows 1)cvt 2)arb 3)front runner and howling moon 4) tepui. The person I spoke with at CVT was awesome, answered every question I had in detail, for the questions he needed more info on he called me back within 15 min max. Now maybe the guy I spoke with at tepui was having a bad day but to be totally honest he acted like I was bothering him. If I had to make the decision based on the customer service alone I would not have bought a tepui tent. With that said having seen in person tents from most of the above they are all pretty much the same with slight exceptions in the materials used for the more ruggedized models. The biggest thing I would say is don't rush into it, be informed. There is no such thing as a dumb question. I've asked them all over the past two years lol.

You are literally the first person I've heard complain about the customer service from Tepui. I'm curious who you spoke with at Tepui. Feel free to PM me if you're willing to share that information. Thanks

 

[smd3]

I have an ARB Simpson III, and a CVT Mt Ranier Standard.

CVT's customer service is excellent. I called several times when deciding which tent to get, as well as with questions about the annex room. I haven't called ARB, but the local distributor that I bought it from has been excellent.

The construction of the ARB is slightly better, but it's mostly little things. The material, including the cover, is slightly thicker. The supports/frame of the ARB has a mandrel bent, as opposed to crush bends, slightly better plastic clip hardware, and the corners of the base seem like better plastic. All fit and finish type stuff, minor. The CVT is built well, and I have zero issues with the quality or build.

The mattress in the CVT is softer than the ARB, something I was concerned about, but I've actually grown to like better.

I do like the entrance to my CVT better. It isn't under an overhang, like the ARB. I find this makes getting in and out a bit nicer, but makes the annex less useful.

 

[Outside somewhere]

You are literally the first person I've heard complain about the customer service from Tepui. I'm curious who you spoke with at Tepui. Feel free to PM me if you're willing to share that information. Thanks

No need to PM, I think people should understand why I said what I said. I am not sure who I spoke with @ tepui, I think the person mumbled his name but I cannot recall it. It was a guy on the afternoon of 7/18/2016 at 3:34pm. Judging by his voice I'd say white, no older than 45 but no younger than 25. Very disinterested in speaking with me as you can see by the length of the conversation. I called to get some guidance on what roof racks they could recommended. I figured surely as long as tepui has been around and having a showroom that the seller of the tent would have some knowledge to offer on racks that work better or not so well for their products. I can't be the first person to ever put a gran sabana on a JKU. Or maybe I am. As a matter of fact it's the same question I asked to you. I had asked you to see about some pictures or any info you could find on JKU's with a grand sabana mounted did I not? I never heard back from you about that so I decided to call the company directly.

Some other things I wanted to ask were to see if I could get some clarification on the anti condensation mat. I wanted to know if it would work properly with a mattress other than the supplied one from tepui was on top of the anti condensation mat, something like a memory foam set up or would that additional mattress need to go on top of the tepui mattress. As well as to find out someone's take on the weatherhood. If it would only be recommended for seriously snowy/cold conditions ie: would using it when expecting warmer heavy rain cause excessive moisture to build up inside the tent and if I should just stick with the provided rain fly. And lastly to get more info on the power pack system as I am new to solar power. I wanted to know if it was something that was only used with the goal zero system.

The first question I approached with the person was about racks and the answer I received was "well it doesn't matter, some cross bars would be fine. Thule, yakima etc are fine" I said I was more interested in finding out about if anyone there knew of a gran sabana being used on a full rack system and if some racks were better than others. The person sighed and said "well yeah, any of those would work to" So I thanked him for his time and hung up because I wasn't going to waste any more of my time with someone who obviously could care less. As to the first person to complain that's not what my research indicated. I came across at least 10 people I spoke with in person who owned or had owned tepui products who didn't have positive experiences with tepui either. I own the product now so I really hope it is 100% trouble free as I am not the original owner and I'd hate to think if their employees are not interested in someone looking to purchase their product what serice I would receive trying to correct an issue for a product I bought second hand.



The flip side of that was the call to CVT. As you can see from the amount of time that call lasted that person was interested in delivering quality customer service, put me on hold to find out different things he couldn't answer, gave me the contact info for my nearest dealer etc. He answered every question I had and then some.

Just my experience.