mikeyb1976
Member
We bought a Tepui Autana 3 a few weeks ago and installed it this weekend. This is our first RTT after, like most people, sleeping like plebians on dirt most of our lives in tents (sarcasm). I'm excited to use a RTT for a whole myriad of reasons, like most of you have already shared. I read up on the Tepui here and a few other places, so I kinda knew what I was getting into. But really, there was some info that was missed. But overall, I think online user help was very good.
In case someone asks, "why a Tepui?" Well, because of this place. Price was a consideration, but I wasn't going to go the real cheap route. That eliminated Smittybilt, and it's less-than-stellar reputation on here. I wasn't a fan of the Yakima tent, either (plus I'm a Thule fanboy lol). It was down to Tepui or CVT. CVTs were heavier, iirc. Also, they do not have a customer service approach like I see and hear from Tepui. Also, Tepuifest.
I'd like to share my initial experience with our tent, so others can learn as well.
Deets:
Tent: Tepui Explorer Autana 3
Rig: '12 Ford Expedition EL
Rack: Stock roof rack & rails (capable of 200# dynamic)
tl;dr: Mount on a roof rack system, not a stock system because of tight reach spots. Some things take practice. Go thru opening/closing the tent. Tepui instructions aren't the greatest. Get spare hardware, just in case. Overall, I give it a 7/10 experience. Definitely room for improvement, but not totally an unpleasant experience.
1. Getting the tent
We bought the tent from REI (on REI card, dividends galore!). Some slight misinformation between parties, my wife thought REI would help install it. They only help load the tent in/on vehicle. I doubted they would help install, so I was not surprised when they said no, they'll only help load.
2. Unloading and prepping the tent for install
I was able to unload the tent by myself. Shipping weight of 150# isn't that bad when you have leverage. Unboxed the tent on the garage floor (a table would be better). You unbuckle the straps and open the tent just enough to pull out all the parts and pieces. Hardware, rails, bag, stakes, cover, annex, and annex tub are all inside the tent.
The first thing is to pull the plastic protective film on the base. The first actual work is to install the base rails on the tent base that will mount to the roof rails/rack. This is pretty easy. 4 bolts that go from the inside of the tent, through the base, into a nut that's in a enclosed channel in the base rail. It's nice that you only need to use 1 wrench at a time.
To make it easy to lift and maneuver, I removed the mattress pad. Without the awning and pad, the basic tent is relatively light. Easily managed with two people. At this point, I diverge from the steps Tepui supplies (which, honestly, really need work).
3. Installing the tent - aka, Getting it on the roof
My wife and I took the tent onto our front patio, which is about 2.5' above our driveway. I backed the truck next to it so we didn't have to lift the tent very high or climb on ladders. This was because my wife has a vestibular disorder and gets vestibular migraines, which drastically affects her balance. Safety first, last, and always, right?
With the tent on the roof, I adjusted the roof crossbars and placed the tent in the best place; for me I wanted most of the tent above and in front of the rear axle. The problem with going too far forward would be the installation of the rear clamps (more on these later).
Fitment- On a stock Ford Expedition roof rack, the tent *just* fits on the crossbars inside of the plastic edge pieces. The crossbars fit into this mounting sleeve/collar, I guess you'd call it, that mounts into the rails. The sleeve/collar takes about 2" off the crossbar on each side, so we were able to place the tent right between those sleeves/collars. The tent opens over the side, so we can still get in the back of the truck through the liftgate. It also did not require cutting the mounting rails. Which that might be a possibility for some, depending upon which method you use and which direction you want the tent to open, and I don't remember reading about that possibility.
4. Tying it all down
If anyone has a stock Ford Expedition roof rack, do not think you should use this rack. Go buy a roof rack system from Thule/Rhino/Yakima. Why? The Ford rack sits too low for quick clamping. You can't get to the bolts from the sides, only front and back. Even then, it's a super PITA. My wife did most of the ratcheting because her smaller hands. Protip: Install the inner bolts (from the center of the tent) with the clamping plate on the bolt with the nylock nut and roughly 3/4" - 1" threads showing. Then install the outer bolts. It'll be much easier when it's either a tight fit or a long reach - or both, in our case.
Install issue- Our tent somehow got up on the shoulder of the sleeve/collar. When I shifted the tent back onto the cross rail, the nut somehow skipped half a thread. It started to strip out the inside of the channel piece. So we had to take it out and try to get it off (it wouldn't). Cut the bolt in half, went to the hardware store and picked up a replacement bolt, lock washer, and nut. Of course they were out of nylocks, and they don't sell individual pieces. But I have spares! I think Tepui should include a spare or two of the little mounting plates the bolts go in; they can be easy to strip if you're not careful. Steel > aluminum.
An improved clamping method would be very much appreciated for low-clearance and/or long reach installations.
5. Finishing touches
While my wife bolted down the tent, I installed the ladder. Pretty straightforward. You do not need to install it before you put it on the roof (it's just another 15-20 pounds you don't need to lift). Look at the pictures for the correct order of bolt-mount-plastic washer-ladder-washer-nut. While the hardware comes pre-attached for all the pieces, that does not mean the order as assembled out of the box is correct.
6. Practicing with the tent
We pulled the truck to a level-ish spot and opened the tent. It takes a little effort to get the hinge piece all the way in, at least in our non-flat area. The Autana, with the covered entry, has a nifty aluminum U-shaped tube that slides into some plastic mounts and that angles upward at about 45-degrees. This isn't included in the instructions. There are no velcro straps or pockets for this tube to mount to on the tent, it just kinda sits there. The bottom of the tent just kinda flaps there, unless the annex is installed.
The rods to hold the flaps and rainfly out were pretty easy to install, from either the ground or from within the tent. Lots of zippers and stuff inside to play with for your optimum ventilation/closure. After removing the protective plastic film, we threw the pad back in and velcro'd it back in place (nice touch).
My wife is sensitive to smells, so we let the tent air out overnight. Not a bad idea to do, even I could smell the plastic/foam/canvas. The next afternoon we put a sleeping bag up there and began to close it up.
7. Closing up the tent
The ladder is an awkward mess. For us, because the truck is so tall, about half of the ladder has to be extended to get the leverage to close it. Then you have to go on the other side of the truck, climb up and collapse the ladder the rest of the way. There's also a strap that holds the ladder to the tent base. This is a good idea, but Tepui did not apply sound logic here. To clasp the snap buckle, you have to be able to reach to the middle of the tent. Not that easy to do. It would be a whole lot better if the buckle was shifted all the way to either end.
Stuffing the tent inside the base was pretty easy to do. The cover was very easy to install; I had it sitting in the hot sun while we closed the tent up. Basically, on the hinge side of the tent, there is a curved channel that one side of the cover slides into. This way you never have to completely remove the cover, and it never gets lost. Then you connect the zipper and go around the base. The zipper was very smooth and I did the trick of keeping a finger inside the zipper as I went, to prevent catching a piece of tent.
After the cover is zipped, I threw the cover straps over the tent, and we buckled them, and connected the "hook & loop" portions. All done. Pretty easy, once you get some practice with it.
8. Thoughts
We have a little step stool that I'll probably bring for backup. We have a hitch step and a step bumper which helps on the back. I'm ordering a step that goes over the wheel, too. That should make it easier to put the tent away.
Get a fan for inside the tent. We left the rainfly on, mesh up, windows down. A ~90-degree day and the inside was pretty toasty. Opening the mesh windows made a huge difference in airflow. Having a fan inside should make a big difference. I know many have suggested this as well as interior lights.
We have a 4" foam mattress topper we thought about throwing in, instead of the stock Tepui one. The problem is the notches around the frame mounts. I'm sure it wouldn't affect the tent, but I'm sure the mattress would lose against aluminum. We don't really need to tear up a mattress; besides, the stock one seems firm enough. I'm pretty sure the 4" mattress would fit when folded up, too. Maybe not with bedding.
We're going to get some non-slip tape for the ladder rungs. Just for that little extra grip.
When I take this off (I'm planning on building a trailer for this), I'll do everything I did to make it lighter to install. Then I'll just unscrew the tent base from the mounting rails and remove the tent. Then I'll unbolt the mounting rails from the roof rack. It'll be much easier that way.
In case someone asks, "why a Tepui?" Well, because of this place. Price was a consideration, but I wasn't going to go the real cheap route. That eliminated Smittybilt, and it's less-than-stellar reputation on here. I wasn't a fan of the Yakima tent, either (plus I'm a Thule fanboy lol). It was down to Tepui or CVT. CVTs were heavier, iirc. Also, they do not have a customer service approach like I see and hear from Tepui. Also, Tepuifest.
I'd like to share my initial experience with our tent, so others can learn as well.
Deets:
Tent: Tepui Explorer Autana 3
Rig: '12 Ford Expedition EL
Rack: Stock roof rack & rails (capable of 200# dynamic)
tl;dr: Mount on a roof rack system, not a stock system because of tight reach spots. Some things take practice. Go thru opening/closing the tent. Tepui instructions aren't the greatest. Get spare hardware, just in case. Overall, I give it a 7/10 experience. Definitely room for improvement, but not totally an unpleasant experience.
1. Getting the tent
We bought the tent from REI (on REI card, dividends galore!). Some slight misinformation between parties, my wife thought REI would help install it. They only help load the tent in/on vehicle. I doubted they would help install, so I was not surprised when they said no, they'll only help load.
2. Unloading and prepping the tent for install
I was able to unload the tent by myself. Shipping weight of 150# isn't that bad when you have leverage. Unboxed the tent on the garage floor (a table would be better). You unbuckle the straps and open the tent just enough to pull out all the parts and pieces. Hardware, rails, bag, stakes, cover, annex, and annex tub are all inside the tent.
The first thing is to pull the plastic protective film on the base. The first actual work is to install the base rails on the tent base that will mount to the roof rails/rack. This is pretty easy. 4 bolts that go from the inside of the tent, through the base, into a nut that's in a enclosed channel in the base rail. It's nice that you only need to use 1 wrench at a time.
To make it easy to lift and maneuver, I removed the mattress pad. Without the awning and pad, the basic tent is relatively light. Easily managed with two people. At this point, I diverge from the steps Tepui supplies (which, honestly, really need work).
3. Installing the tent - aka, Getting it on the roof
My wife and I took the tent onto our front patio, which is about 2.5' above our driveway. I backed the truck next to it so we didn't have to lift the tent very high or climb on ladders. This was because my wife has a vestibular disorder and gets vestibular migraines, which drastically affects her balance. Safety first, last, and always, right?
With the tent on the roof, I adjusted the roof crossbars and placed the tent in the best place; for me I wanted most of the tent above and in front of the rear axle. The problem with going too far forward would be the installation of the rear clamps (more on these later).
Fitment- On a stock Ford Expedition roof rack, the tent *just* fits on the crossbars inside of the plastic edge pieces. The crossbars fit into this mounting sleeve/collar, I guess you'd call it, that mounts into the rails. The sleeve/collar takes about 2" off the crossbar on each side, so we were able to place the tent right between those sleeves/collars. The tent opens over the side, so we can still get in the back of the truck through the liftgate. It also did not require cutting the mounting rails. Which that might be a possibility for some, depending upon which method you use and which direction you want the tent to open, and I don't remember reading about that possibility.
4. Tying it all down
If anyone has a stock Ford Expedition roof rack, do not think you should use this rack. Go buy a roof rack system from Thule/Rhino/Yakima. Why? The Ford rack sits too low for quick clamping. You can't get to the bolts from the sides, only front and back. Even then, it's a super PITA. My wife did most of the ratcheting because her smaller hands. Protip: Install the inner bolts (from the center of the tent) with the clamping plate on the bolt with the nylock nut and roughly 3/4" - 1" threads showing. Then install the outer bolts. It'll be much easier when it's either a tight fit or a long reach - or both, in our case.
Install issue- Our tent somehow got up on the shoulder of the sleeve/collar. When I shifted the tent back onto the cross rail, the nut somehow skipped half a thread. It started to strip out the inside of the channel piece. So we had to take it out and try to get it off (it wouldn't). Cut the bolt in half, went to the hardware store and picked up a replacement bolt, lock washer, and nut. Of course they were out of nylocks, and they don't sell individual pieces. But I have spares! I think Tepui should include a spare or two of the little mounting plates the bolts go in; they can be easy to strip if you're not careful. Steel > aluminum.
An improved clamping method would be very much appreciated for low-clearance and/or long reach installations.
5. Finishing touches
While my wife bolted down the tent, I installed the ladder. Pretty straightforward. You do not need to install it before you put it on the roof (it's just another 15-20 pounds you don't need to lift). Look at the pictures for the correct order of bolt-mount-plastic washer-ladder-washer-nut. While the hardware comes pre-attached for all the pieces, that does not mean the order as assembled out of the box is correct.
6. Practicing with the tent
We pulled the truck to a level-ish spot and opened the tent. It takes a little effort to get the hinge piece all the way in, at least in our non-flat area. The Autana, with the covered entry, has a nifty aluminum U-shaped tube that slides into some plastic mounts and that angles upward at about 45-degrees. This isn't included in the instructions. There are no velcro straps or pockets for this tube to mount to on the tent, it just kinda sits there. The bottom of the tent just kinda flaps there, unless the annex is installed.
The rods to hold the flaps and rainfly out were pretty easy to install, from either the ground or from within the tent. Lots of zippers and stuff inside to play with for your optimum ventilation/closure. After removing the protective plastic film, we threw the pad back in and velcro'd it back in place (nice touch).
My wife is sensitive to smells, so we let the tent air out overnight. Not a bad idea to do, even I could smell the plastic/foam/canvas. The next afternoon we put a sleeping bag up there and began to close it up.
7. Closing up the tent
The ladder is an awkward mess. For us, because the truck is so tall, about half of the ladder has to be extended to get the leverage to close it. Then you have to go on the other side of the truck, climb up and collapse the ladder the rest of the way. There's also a strap that holds the ladder to the tent base. This is a good idea, but Tepui did not apply sound logic here. To clasp the snap buckle, you have to be able to reach to the middle of the tent. Not that easy to do. It would be a whole lot better if the buckle was shifted all the way to either end.
Stuffing the tent inside the base was pretty easy to do. The cover was very easy to install; I had it sitting in the hot sun while we closed the tent up. Basically, on the hinge side of the tent, there is a curved channel that one side of the cover slides into. This way you never have to completely remove the cover, and it never gets lost. Then you connect the zipper and go around the base. The zipper was very smooth and I did the trick of keeping a finger inside the zipper as I went, to prevent catching a piece of tent.
After the cover is zipped, I threw the cover straps over the tent, and we buckled them, and connected the "hook & loop" portions. All done. Pretty easy, once you get some practice with it.
8. Thoughts
We have a little step stool that I'll probably bring for backup. We have a hitch step and a step bumper which helps on the back. I'm ordering a step that goes over the wheel, too. That should make it easier to put the tent away.
Get a fan for inside the tent. We left the rainfly on, mesh up, windows down. A ~90-degree day and the inside was pretty toasty. Opening the mesh windows made a huge difference in airflow. Having a fan inside should make a big difference. I know many have suggested this as well as interior lights.
We have a 4" foam mattress topper we thought about throwing in, instead of the stock Tepui one. The problem is the notches around the frame mounts. I'm sure it wouldn't affect the tent, but I'm sure the mattress would lose against aluminum. We don't really need to tear up a mattress; besides, the stock one seems firm enough. I'm pretty sure the 4" mattress would fit when folded up, too. Maybe not with bedding.
We're going to get some non-slip tape for the ladder rungs. Just for that little extra grip.
When I take this off (I'm planning on building a trailer for this), I'll do everything I did to make it lighter to install. Then I'll just unscrew the tent base from the mounting rails and remove the tent. Then I'll unbolt the mounting rails from the roof rack. It'll be much easier that way.