Tepui Tent RTT
- Thread starter INSAYN
- Start date
drifter_r6
Observer
If possible I'd like some info on the CVT vs Tepui comparison also. Thanks,
grogie
Like to Camp
I took my Ayer out for the second time last weekend. I'm calling it my treehouse on wheels. I love this tent (oh and the trailer). It was just a comfy night, and the next morning I had a beautiful view to wake up to. I seriously had the tent packed up in five minutes when it was time to go home. Try that with a ground tent.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
PM sent
Why is the Tepui Ayer 35 lbs lighter than Kukenam? I know it is a smaller tent in general but is it lightly built? In terms of materials used?
Grogie, I love your setup. Do you happen to have pics of the tent with someone in it? Have you tested the Ayer in heavy rain/wind conditions? Any feedback on that?
Thanks.
Grogie, I love your setup. Do you happen to have pics of the tent with someone in it? Have you tested the Ayer in heavy rain/wind conditions? Any feedback on that?
Thanks.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
There is no difference in material used on the Ayer. The smaller footprint makes for weight saving in the frame, the canvas, the cover, the bows. It all adds up. I've had my tent in heavy rain and it has never leaked. I'm very pleased with them in the rain. As for high winds, I've had mine in some windy conditions but nothing crazy. If you check Tepui's FB page you'll find a video from a month ago when they did a Death Valley trip. They had a big sandstorm come through their camp. Winds over 100mph. They all huddled inside their tents through the windstorm with no problems. Little noisy, but no problems with the tents.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Just wanted to point out one minor difference between CVT and Tepui tents since I've got an example I can show. This shouldn't be a dealbreaker for anybody but just something worth pointing out. There is pretty big difference in how the travel covers fit between the two tents. The CVT covers in general fit much looser than the Tepui covers. The tighter fit on the Tepui can occasionally make it more difficult to zip the cover closed particularly if you like to leave your bedding etc inside the tent when you close it up. The CVT on the other hand might not have the difficulty of zipping, but the looser fitting cover makes for a lot more billowing and flapping on the highway. This could have a small impact on fuel economy but that would be so minor IMO its almost not worth mentioning. The part worth mentioning is the flapping of the cover creates friction points and wear points on the cover where it rubs and smacks against the tent and ladder underneath as well as the straps that go on the outside of the cover. This flapping will accelerate the wear of the cover and potentially lead to a leaky travel cover. I'd rather deal with a more difficult zipper that I can remedy by removing my bedding from the tent, than a loose cover that I don't have a remedy for. The tighter fitting Tepui cover with the lower profile telescoping ladder has dramatically less flapping and billowing, and therefore less wear on the cover. Like I said this shouldn't be a dealbreaker for anyone but something to keep an eye on so you don't find yourself headed to your favorite campsite in a heavy rain only to find your cover has leaked and now your mattress is all wet before you climb into the sack.
Look at that balloon on this trailer.
Look at that balloon on this trailer.
stingray1300
Explorer
This brings me to my next RTT project. When I was at Tepui picking up my tent, I saw an ABS (plastic) beta version of what I can only describe as a "nose cone". So even though the Tepui is only 12" high (CVT is 15" due to the ladder), it does have a squared profile, and will affect mpgs no matter what we think or say 
. So, as soon as I get my tent mounted next week, I'm going to design some sort of fairing that will keep the tent more aerodynamic. Add to that, in the case of wind storms/etc., it should help keep the leading edge of the cover more protected from road grit and debris.
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Anybody else make one I can copy? :sombrero:
. So, as soon as I get my tent mounted next week, I'm going to design some sort of fairing that will keep the tent more aerodynamic. Add to that, in the case of wind storms/etc., it should help keep the leading edge of the cover more protected from road grit and debris..
Anybody else make one I can copy? :sombrero:
Box Rocket
Well-known member
A fairing is a good idea for a roof mounted tent. Are you mounting on top of a shell on your F150? If you don't have a shell, you could use a bedrack and keep it below the roofline. I don't notice any drop in mpg with my tent mounted the way it is.This brings me to my next RTT project. When I was at Tepui picking up my tent, I saw an ABS (plastic) beta version of what I can only describe as a "nose cone". So even though the Tepui is only 12" high (CVT is 15" due to the ladder), it does have a squared profile, and will affect mpgs no matter what we think or say
.
Anybody else make one I can copy? :sombrero:
grogie
Like to Camp
I see that there was another reply. My tent is too new to tell you about rain and wind from personal experience, but seems to be well made.
The Ayer is not huge inside. I'd describe it like sleeping in a double bed (width wise) but longer. I'm about 5' 11" and I can sleep length wise just fine without touching the ends. It will be cozy with my smaller wife. I don't think the Ayer would be a good choice for a large couple. I did have a harder time finding the right sleeping bags. I first looked for a double with good padding, however most doubles are much too wide. I ended up finding a double that is just about the right width, but it's not all that thick, so I also bought a couple of mummy bags. The double, or the two mummy bags will be used for extra padding. The pad it comes with the Ayer is okay, but no 2" pad is going to offer a lot of padding other then for a kid.
What I like about the Ayer is it's size as it's mounted to the lid of the trailer (trailer's lid is 5' x 3'). I have two gas lifts on the lid (one that is for 150#s, one that is for 200#s), and I'm able to open the lid with or without the tent open. Larger tents would be too heavy to get the lid up with the tent closed up. I don't plan to spend a lot of time in the tent anyway. Here is with the lid and tent open:
I'll also add that as said, the cover is nice and tight. I am able to leave at least the double sleeping bag folded up inside the tent when closed up. It has cinch straps to tighten the tent down, and the cover has a nice, larger zipper that easily zips. No effort is required unless you have left too much inside.
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stingray1300
Explorer
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Yes, I have a shell. Mounting below the roof line is a GREAT idea! But when my wife and I travel, we are usually gone for a month or so at a time, so you can imagine the payload in the bed of the truck...:Wow1:
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Here we are last year in Capitol Reef NP -before the RTT-:
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stingray1300
Explorer
Bump
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Considering the Hypervent would cost me $144 and the DryMesh is $89 for essentially the same product, guess which one I'm going to get...(?)
Will be calling them next week.
stingray1300
Explorer
Memory foam pad sale
I just got my 2" memory foam pad in the mail today. Not really worthy of posting, except that after searching all over the place, and couldn't even find anything less than $100 (at Costco, no less), I found THE pad on www.overstock.com It had one of the highest review rating and was $76 SHIPPED. (I had to pay tax though) - but $76!
.
Here's the one I got, if anyone's interested:
http://www.overstock.com/Bedding-Ba...efccid=JXKWGFQTXV72JUCBKNGEUKAPZI&searchidx=3
In case anyone was looking...:wavey:
I just got my 2" memory foam pad in the mail today. Not really worthy of posting, except that after searching all over the place, and couldn't even find anything less than $100 (at Costco, no less), I found THE pad on www.overstock.com It had one of the highest review rating and was $76 SHIPPED. (I had to pay tax though) - but $76!
.
Here's the one I got, if anyone's interested:
http://www.overstock.com/Bedding-Ba...efccid=JXKWGFQTXV72JUCBKNGEUKAPZI&searchidx=3
In case anyone was looking...:wavey:
osidepunker
Adventurer
Unpacked and checked out my new Tepui Ruggedized XL RTT today. First the negatives:
1) There were small aluminum shavings and dirt everywhere. I literally took everything out and vacuumed it for a solid hour. Took an upholstery vacuum fitting to every square inch of fabric and every crevice.
2) I will have to replace all the hardware. They cheaped out on the bolts and locknuts. Some of the locknuts are missing the plastic because they are so cheap. Well at least this way I can be confident that all the hardware is stainless and secured properly.
3) The plastic tabs that are supposed to hold the anti-condensation pad to the base were mostly all broken. Not a big deal since I dont think this pad should be fixed to the base. Probably why the tabs broke in the first place. Seems to me like the pad should be able to slide slightly when it gets folded. So I yanked them all out.
Now the positives:
1) Its not as heavy as I first thought. At least 50lbs was packing. They used some 1/4" fine particle board on both sides for protection. The box was trashed, but no damage to the RTT. So kudos to Tepui on the packing.
2) I inspected every square inch of this tent. Not a single stitch was wrong or incomplete. All fabric ends and junctions were properly sewed. All the zippers looked good. All the screens feel sturdy. No tears or imperfections in the fabric anywhere. Speaking of the fabric...
3) The fabric is super thick and tough and soft to the touch. I've never felt anything like it. It feels cozy and safe. All the supporting tubes are wrapped and there are no sharp edges anywhere that might compromise the fabric. I took some closeups of the fabric trying to give you guys an idea of how thick it is. The rainfly is stupid thick too. Feels like it belongs on a boat or something
4) The rods for the rainfly and awnings are sturdy and have a nice little plastic cap so they aren't sharp. Its the little details that are making the difference here.
5) The hinges have nice flaps in the fabric for access, sealed with velcro. They have plastic caps on the bolts to prevent chaffing the fabric.
6) The ladder feels sturdy and compact. Seems like it should work out ok. Im kinda worried about how it will do in the sand...
My overall impression is that Tepui went out of their way to spec high quality materials and parts. They are being assembled in China, so there are some minor quality issues. As I understand it, they have a QC guy in china who is supposed to be paying attention. It shows. In some previous reviews I have read, the buyers had a few more problems than me. So they are improving. However, the quality issues are very minor. I am extremely happy with this tent and I cant wait to tighten it up and get it on the trail!
Ok, on to the pix. Let me know if you have any questions or want a specific pic:
1) There were small aluminum shavings and dirt everywhere. I literally took everything out and vacuumed it for a solid hour. Took an upholstery vacuum fitting to every square inch of fabric and every crevice.
2) I will have to replace all the hardware. They cheaped out on the bolts and locknuts. Some of the locknuts are missing the plastic because they are so cheap. Well at least this way I can be confident that all the hardware is stainless and secured properly.
3) The plastic tabs that are supposed to hold the anti-condensation pad to the base were mostly all broken. Not a big deal since I dont think this pad should be fixed to the base. Probably why the tabs broke in the first place. Seems to me like the pad should be able to slide slightly when it gets folded. So I yanked them all out.
Now the positives:
1) Its not as heavy as I first thought. At least 50lbs was packing. They used some 1/4" fine particle board on both sides for protection. The box was trashed, but no damage to the RTT. So kudos to Tepui on the packing.
2) I inspected every square inch of this tent. Not a single stitch was wrong or incomplete. All fabric ends and junctions were properly sewed. All the zippers looked good. All the screens feel sturdy. No tears or imperfections in the fabric anywhere. Speaking of the fabric...
3) The fabric is super thick and tough and soft to the touch. I've never felt anything like it. It feels cozy and safe. All the supporting tubes are wrapped and there are no sharp edges anywhere that might compromise the fabric. I took some closeups of the fabric trying to give you guys an idea of how thick it is. The rainfly is stupid thick too. Feels like it belongs on a boat or something
4) The rods for the rainfly and awnings are sturdy and have a nice little plastic cap so they aren't sharp. Its the little details that are making the difference here.
5) The hinges have nice flaps in the fabric for access, sealed with velcro. They have plastic caps on the bolts to prevent chaffing the fabric.
6) The ladder feels sturdy and compact. Seems like it should work out ok. Im kinda worried about how it will do in the sand...
My overall impression is that Tepui went out of their way to spec high quality materials and parts. They are being assembled in China, so there are some minor quality issues. As I understand it, they have a QC guy in china who is supposed to be paying attention. It shows. In some previous reviews I have read, the buyers had a few more problems than me. So they are improving. However, the quality issues are very minor. I am extremely happy with this tent and I cant wait to tighten it up and get it on the trail!
Ok, on to the pix. Let me know if you have any questions or want a specific pic:
