Smittybuilt rtt??

[irish1371]

that is why i posted here about their rtt. I really was hoping someone else would give it a go. I have used their products befre and really the only issue I had was their powder coating sucked. peeled off in the complex corners on a front bumper.

I have done powder coating for a job so I know it can be a real pain and unless your an experienced worker then I can see this happening a lot. I think it will be hit or miss with their stuff and you do get what you pay for. I have used their winches and at the time I needed one and could only afford theirs. Now that I can afford other options I did not go with one of theirs. But the one I had never failed it just never shined either.

 

[enzo]

It's another rebranded chineese made tent. lol You get what you pay for.

 

[Krytos]

It's another rebranded chineese made tent. lol You get what you pay for.

Truest adage ever uttered. Buy once, cry once.

ARB recently pulled all stock/recalled all their SWAG and Roof tents to make sure they're certified fire retardant; Now when you climb into a Simpson or Kakadu, there's a huge label you can't miss stating this fact. Who knows what the Smitty/CVT/Tepui tents are made of.

 

[naked]

Almost all of the RTT sold in the US are the same Chinese rebranded ones. (Tupei, CVT, ARB, etc). You could get the arb simpson ii / cvt mt. shasta / tupei autana for $400 on alibaba.com (min order of 4.). The brand these models are sold under is almost irrelevant.

 

[mikeJKUR]

Truest adage ever uttered. Buy once, cry once.

ARB recently pulled all stock/recalled all their SWAG and Roof tents to make sure they're certified fire retardant; Now when you climb into a Simpson or Kakadu, there's a huge label you can't miss stating this fact. Who knows what the Smitty/CVT/Tepui tents are made of.

The majority of ARB products sold in Australia are made there but their exported products are built in Thailand.

 

[Lecoq]

If you're looking for something not made in China you better have deep pockets.

With the amount of goods manufactured in China nowadays, I feel it comes down to quality control and customer service. From Iphones to rooftop tent it all comes down to how involved companies want to get in the process. I'd rather buy a North American made product if I can but sometimes it's just not in the budget.

I recently borrowed a Tepui Ayer from a friend to try it out and see if I really wanted to go the RTT route. It's their base model tent and he's had it for about 2 years. Still in great shape and I was impressed by the build quality of it. Nothing was loose or broken and it's cosmetically pretty much the same as it was when new.

Would I rather have a Maggiolina or Roost? Of course I would. I also wouldn't mind spending half that for a good product with after sales service and using the rest of the cash for a rear bumper or something. Having said that, some people will spend 100 nights a year in their RTT so it's easier to justify spending the extra money. For me it's probably going to be 20-30 nights a year.

 

[parapyropig]

Are my eyes seeing what I think they're seeing? It looks like something akin to the Tepui Kukenam.

 

[dwvninety]

Smittybuilt RTT fabric is a little thin. I have actually seen one and have been in one, this was in a Jeep convention. I own an Ironman RTT and the fabric is much thicker. I think Ironman now has China make their RTT.

 

[Septu]

It's another rebranded chineese made tent. lol You get what you pay for.

Almost every RTT on the market is Chinese made.

 

[enzo]

Almost every RTT on the market is Chinese made.

Yes that's correct but my Maggiolina was made in Italy (fabric is made in Germany). Howling Moon, Eezi-Awn and Hannibal which are made in Africa. I've owned 4 RTTs so I think I know tents.