**Tepui RTTs and Accessories**

[Kade.Tang]

Hi Adam,
I have a tacoma with Thule racks on it. Will it hold an Ayer securely or do I need something more robust? Thanks

I have my Adventure SOLE RT (ayer size) on yakima core bars with no issues.

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[Climberclimb]

I have my Adventure SOLE RT (ayer size) on yakima core bars with no issues.

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Kade.Tang that's good to know! Thanks for the reply. Cheers

 

[LumberJesse]

If you are traveling solo or with one other person, the Ayer is a nice choice, especially for the size of car you're using. All of the tents with the exception of the Baja Series are full 4 season tents and are very durable. Lifespan is somewhat dependent on the type of use and conditions along with care of the tent being the biggest factor. With proper care there's no reason for these tents to not last many years. Anecdotally, I can say that my first Tepui tent was a standard Autana model that I used heavily in a wide range of conditions. I had it for two years before I sold it to upgrade to a Ruggedized model. When I sold it it was still in like new condition and sold for almost what I paid for it. That was 5 years ago and the guy that bought it is still using it regularly and the tent is still in great shape.
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Proper care of zippers etc and avoiding having the tent damp when put away to avoid mold will go a long way to helping it to last for year. Of course, if you camp in the rain/snow you'll have occasion that the tent needs to be put away damp. When you return home or as soon as you're able to open up the damp tent and let it air out and dry completely will help to avoid mildew and mold.
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Lastly, Tepui stocks a wide range of spare parts in the case that you ever need them. There is essentially any part of the tent that can be individually replaced if need be.
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There currently is not a Ruggedized option for the Ayer, but the standard models like the Ayer are definitely durable enough to be used on offroad vehicles and in tough conditions.

I appreciate the direction! I'll pretty much be living out of whatever I end up with during my off-weeks while I guide, so I'm definitely trying to make a good call. Thanks!

 

[Cletus26]

Hi. I recently purchased a Tepui Autana. So far I love it other than getting the cover back on. I've watched videos but most don't have the extra overhang at the entrance. Just looking for any tips/tricks for getting it folded down flatter and easier

 

[Cletus26]

I have an Autana Ruggedized mounted to bed bars on a Toyota Tacoma pickup. Even with sliders to stand on, I've found that having a small, folding stool makes it much easier to fully tuck the fabric of the tent body, which in turn makes it much easier to zip the cover.

I also don't leave much on the fixed side of the floor before folding, and I make sure that anything a little bulky like pillows goes towards the outside edge so I can compress it better. If you leave any loose items on the folding side, they'll slide into a lump at the hinge point and make it more difficult to fold up the tent.

Once the fabric is tucked, I fasten the side straps in two passes, as that seems to compress everything better than trying to suck the straps down tight in one pass. I've never tried it (or needed to), but a good, ratcheting load strap could be used at the non-hinge end to aid in compression. I'd be very careful about using one, since it could easily damage the tent. If there's that much stuff in the way, it'd be better to remove it from the tent, IMO.

The quickest method I found to get it tightly folded for easy cover zipping is to get atop the folded tent so my body weight does all the work. This may not work well for some vehicle configurations, some people may not want to hop up there, and a non-Ruggedized version may not support a person's weight well when focused on a small area.

Hope that helps!

Definitely helps a little. Do you tuck the overhang into the tent before you fold it or after?

 

[Box Rocket]

@DoorDing and anyone else considering the new Luxury Mattress. I was at Tepui HQ on Friday and was able to check out the luxury mattress first hand. It is without question a better mattress than the standard ones and is definitely more firm than the standard one. The foam used is a higher density than the standard mattress which gives it the additional firmness. The top .5" layer of latex is very soft and makes for a nice feel to the mattress. If you only looked at the luxury mattress you may not notice much difference but comparing it side by side to a standard mattress there is a distinct difference in feel.
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I'm having one sent to me today for my Autana Ruggedized. Really looking forward to it!

 

[ian408]

@DoorDing and anyone else considering the new Luxury Mattress. I was at Tepui HQ on Friday and was able to check out the luxury mattress first hand. It is without question a better mattress than the standard ones and is definitely more firm than the standard one. The foam used is a higher density than the standard mattress which gives it the additional firmness. The top .5" layer of latex is very soft and makes for a nice feel to the mattress. If you only looked at the luxury mattress you may not notice much difference but comparing it side by side to a standard mattress there is a distinct difference in feel.
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I'm having one sent to me today for my Autana Ruggedized. Really looking forward to it!

What? You were in the hood?

I notice a few folks are using tie downs on the ladder side of the tent. Any ideas on how to do that? Seems like a good idea for the windy conditions.

 

[Box Rocket]

As I mentioned, I was in Santa Cruz last week and was able to meet with the Tepui team for a while. Lots of good ideas flowing over there and some exciting new stuff coming. I happened to show up as they were filming a video for a new announcement.

 

[Box Rocket]

Speaking of new ideas, the Zipper Gimp system looks like a great idea. If I ever have to replace a canopy, I'd probably want to retrofit the base to ZG. An all mesh canopy would be very nice on some trips.

Will Tepui allow new buyers the option to upgrade to the luxury mattress? I would've ordered mine with one if it was available.

I'm not sure about optioning the luxury mattress at initial purchase. I'll have to check on that. My guess would be no, since it's kinda like the grey and black covers. They are all packaged with the tent so changing one out for the other would mean unpacking the tent, then packing it up again. There would probably end up being costs added to replace boxes that were torn during unpacking and for the packing straps etc that would be cut. Minimal costs but still time.

 

[Box Rocket]

I wondered if that'd be the catch. I remember being impressed with the packaging - it saved mine from what looked like a solid hit to a corner. Maybe they could allow a swap at home base in Santa Cruz for those making a local pickup.

I'll give you a call tomorrow about an order.

I'll be here when you're ready.

 

[PirateMcGee]

I would love to see more tents in the vein of the James Baroud Horizon Vision....

Thin when packed, single wall so no messing with a fly, light, durable.

Could go even thinner and lighter and utilize an inflatable mattress with down insulation and maybe an anti condensation mat.

 

[ttengineer]

I would love to see more tents in the vein of the James Baroud Horizon Vision....

Thin when packed, single wall so no messing with a fly, light, durable.

Could go even thinner and lighter and utilize an inflatable mattress with down insulation and maybe an anti condensation mat.

I just signed up for the iKamper kick starter, it seems to share many qualities you just pointed out.

I would absolutely LOVE to see someone do a joint venture with exped or thermarest for an insulated air mattress in a RTT. Hell maybe they would make one in popular sizes if enough people email them. These 2"-3" foam mattresses are garbage compared to what a 3"-4" air mattress can provide. Plus they are waterproof by design and will hold their shape/plushness. It's an obvious move if you ask me.


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[PirateMcGee]

I just signed up for the iKamper kick starter, it seems to share many qualities you just pointed out.

I would absolutely LOVE to see someone do a joint venture with exped or thermarest for an insulated air mattress in a RTT. Hell maybe they would make one in popular sizes if enough people email them. These 2"-3" foam mattresses are garbage compared to what a 3"-4" air mattress can provide. Plus they are waterproof by design and will hold their shape/plushness. It's an obvious move if you ask me.


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That's a hard shell that weighs 150lbs and is almost 13" thick. Cool but not in line with what I'm looking for.

 

[ttengineer]

That's a hard shell that weighs 150lbs and is almost 13" thick. Cool but not in line with what I'm looking for.

My bad. I was thinking the horizon was a hard shell.


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[Box Rocket]

I just signed up for the iKamper kick starter, it seems to share many qualities you just pointed out.

I would absolutely LOVE to see someone do a joint venture with exped or thermarest for an insulated air mattress in a RTT. Hell maybe they would make one in popular sizes if enough people email them. These 2"-3" foam mattresses are garbage compared to what a 3"-4" air mattress can provide. Plus they are waterproof by design and will hold their shape/plushness. It's an obvious move if you ask me.


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the iKamper is definitely not was I would call a "lightweight". I was able to see the prototype first hand during the Outdoor Retailer show. Some interesting ideas and I will give them credit for exploring unique design rather than just playing copycat like so many other brand tents. There were still some quirky issues that were in the model I saw. I haven't seen the final production version in person yet to know if they've addressed any of those issues or not.
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As was mentioned, sleeping comfort is very subjective and different for everyone. I've never really had a complaint about the foam mattress in my Tepui tents and I've always been quite comfortable. But.....I did just receive my new Tepui Luxury Mattress last night! Very excited to try it out. It's clearly better than the standard mattress.

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The issue with any air mattress is failure and leaks. It's always a risk regardless of the quality. Personally, I'm in favor of a quality foam mattress in a RTT over an air mattress for that reason. There is nothing about a foam mattress that can fail when you're out in the middle of nowhere for several days.
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As for low profile, the upcoming Tepui White Lightning, hardshell is only 8" thick! That is by far, the lowest profile roof tent on the market. Plus the integrated roof bars make it rack ready so that bikes, kayaks, boards or whatever you want can be carried on top of it. I was able to see the first one off the production line last week while I was at Tepui HQ and it's an exciting tent for anyone looking at hardshells.