Agreed. And understood. Perhaps I was a little general when I said "South African". Perhaps I should have said, "Howling Moon"I respectfully disagree. I purchased a Technitop tent several years ago because it was commonly reviewed and regarded as the very best RTT here and in other forums/publications. While it was a nice tent, I found the quality of stitching, the plastic components on the frame and the installation of essential hardware weren't that great. When I see that sort of delta between reviews and the actual product, it's hard not to conclude that there's a lot of actual and potential customers out there a little bit blindly enamored with a "lifestyle".
i am genuinely interested though; what "lifestyle" are you meaning, when you refer to "blindly enamored with a "lifestyle". Do you mean the RTT lifestyle? The expo/overland/car camping lifestyle?
As to the OP's original point. A $500 Everest-style tent has very little in common with a RTT, and some RTT's are more expensive than others. I think you can get a RTT for around the $800 mark, that will probably serve quite well. But if you do come up with a plan for a dome tent on a platform, please do show us. I've certainly tried to wrap my head around it a few times.