What are the sub $1k options? Are they any good?

L

Longtallsally

Adventurer
So I'm a total RTT noob and only recently have decided to explore one as we sold our camper.

I have seen the Tepui, but their site now says it's sold out. Then I've seen the Smittybilt and Mombasa versions, but can't seem to find any other options. Are there any?

If I have to get a cheap Chinese made knock off, I really don't care, unless they are really bad. However, I'm not spending some of the- in my opinion- INSANE and absurd prices some of these companies ask. $2500 and up for a tent is beyond my acceptable disposable income purchases and would rather put that much to another camper. Even $1500 is exorbitant. Before the "you get what you pay for" comes out, my $100 Eureka Apex 2 has lasted close to 10 years of motocamping, so I don't get that there is that much unobtanium quality and tech in some of these.

So please forgive me if I sound harsh, but I'd like a stopgap to last a year or so before we decide on a new camper, and I guess I'd like to see if it is something I'd like.
 
T

TacomaAustin

Observer
@SnoViking - That's an impressive spreadsheet. - many thanks.

I'm still using a 4P ground tent, two cots and mattress pads. It would be nice to reduce the unpacking and packing up time.
 
L

Longtallsally

Adventurer
Yeah the only reasons I'm even looking at one as a replacement to our recently sold Coleman Evo 1 popup (in lieu of a new camper) are:

- Faster setup and take down
- Don't have to tow

In reality, (and justifying why the high prices are pretty silly to me) RTTs are really a poor option for many reasons:
- they kill economy
- they are annoying to get in and out of compared to a ground tent (this can be argued a bit, though, I'd think)
- they kill CoG (even if/when I get one, I'm not planning on taking it on the Rubicon for fear of increased rollover possibility)
- they are heavy
- they are noisy when in transit

It sounds like I really think they are a bad idea based on the above. On the contrary, I think they are uber cool. They look the part, are convenient, and it just looks like fun to have your own traveling tree house. But I'm pretty sure the economy hit is going to be the same behind our Jeep as with the 3k+ lb camper we towed. So why did we sell the camper? I really wanted lighter and easier. We were set on a tear drop, but then decided to renovate the kitchen. I don't think that needs explanation...

So then, here I am with minimal funds, and a continuing obsession with adventure, and even less time with 2 small children. Thus, I have to make compromises and find a good cost/benefit of functionality/quality to price.
 
Mass_Mopar

Mass_Mopar

Don't Litter
In your situation, I'd shop for a used one if you could!

We love ours. It's just the 2 of us and a dog though. 4 people certainly makes it a harder decision, as tents that have enough space are also more expensive and heavier.

SnoViking... great job on the spreadsheet!

20151116_070045b.jpg
 
L

Longtallsally

Adventurer
Oh yeah, I should have mentioned, this will be just for me and one kid, or me and mom- no need for a huge or elaborate one. If the entire family is coming, we have a really great ground tent, but the goal of this will be for quick getaways for whoever gets to get away and would be in addition to the ground tent, again, until another option can be seriously pursued.

So yeah, I've been looking for used ones a good bit with minimal success. I've also been looking for a good/cheap(ish) rack solution new or used as well. I don't want a rack on the Jeep full time as I don't need it and all of them make it hard to put the top down easily when we switch from hard to soft tops.

Bottom line, SnoViking's sheet is really what I needed and completely gets me rolling...
 
SnoViking

SnoViking

Adventurer
We have a really nice 4 person tent from REI and 2 cots. We were at the point that we either needed to buy another 2 normal cots for the kiddos (which the tent wouldnt fit BTW), buy 2 pairs of bunk bed cots ($600) or look into another options. My wife's a nurse (and got the short end of the stick this year) and has to work every other weekend. It will end up being myself and my two daughters for 90% of our summer outings. The 3 of us can easily fit into a 56" wide RTT. Plus theyre much easier to setup and take down (with the help of a 6 and 7 year old anyway). I tend to research the h*ll out of my purchases. As I said, the devil is in the details..... While most of the Chinese RTTs are probably made in the same factory, it's the small things that make the difference. The zippers, hardware, coatings..... and then there's the customer service. If you going to actually use your RTT, youll prob end up breaking/wearing out something. I ended up finding/scoring/lucking out on finding a used Tepui tent on craigslist locally. In the end, I was leaning towards either a Tepui or CVT anyway. The Smittybilt was temping but I was planning on buying it from a Brick and Motor joint just to make sure if I had any issues I had a person to work with.
 
S

sdlivin

New member
x2 on the tuff stuff tent. I believe I saw on Craiglist advertised for around 1k, and comes with annex. I believe a great inexpensive entry level RTT. They have relatively inexpensive awnings as well. Some of this stuff IMHO are all made by the same manufacturer with a different logo on them.

IMG_20151127_135734_168.jpg
 
L

Longtallsally

Adventurer
Well this was good to see this morning, the Ayer from Tepui looks to be back based on their site. They are local to me, so there are a lot of reasons why this is a good solution:

- post sale support
- no shipping
- they probably can help with initial mounting
- price is right in line with the Smittybilt for the most part

I also wanted this one as its lighter and smaller than other options. So I'm going to call them and see what's the scoop.
 
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