Thanks for the replies thus far , some great ideas Injave not thought of , this group Rocks...
As for my take on the treeline series of RTT . First a little background , I must admit I had a bit of analysis paralysis when doing my research including visiting several showrooms and talking at length to each vendor. I live near Bend, Oregon so very familiar with CVT and Free-spirit tents. It’s not that I dislike Tepui, Free Spirit or CVT but the Treeline RTT had what I was looking for.
After researching and climbing in each of these tents I had my choices narrowed down to a few , non ruggedized ( 3 season ) tents
- Tepui Kukenam Sky
- CVT Mt Rainer
- Free Spirit High Country series
- Treeline Mesquite
All are great tents don’t get me wrong , but here are my deciding factors.
-Treeline has a honeycomb base , the others are layered . The treeline base can carry more weight and has a better insulating value , better build in my opinion .
- The treeline Rainfly has a clear PVC window so you have views out the skylight when the Rainfly is on , the only other tent that had this was the CVT ‘ stargazer’ series .
- the treeline has a ‘rounded design’ when deployed helping keep rain/ snow from accumulating on the tent . When inspecting the other tents and doing walk arounds in person the other tents had areas where their were ‘pinch points ‘ of square design where water or snow could puddle up.
- I went with the larger footprint of 72” by 96” , just wanted more room :) and the tree line had this abailable.
- the tents I mentioned above all come with a 2.5 or 3 inch mattress . The Treeline comes with a 2.5 inch mattress with a waterproof cover where the other do not.
- the rain fly when deployed ‘ surrounds ‘ the front and back doors , with windows. The other tents just cover the top of the front and back doors not the sides( with exception to the CVT). This is a nice touch.
- Cusotmer Service , this is a Canadian company out of Alberta , I found them very responsive to email , almost always replied same day with answers to my questions ( which at times was me getting into the weeds) :) , but they were AWESOME! Even shot some video for me and emailed back .
Price - price point for all these tents were pretty much in the ballpark , I did work with a vendor out of San Francisco that stoped carrying these tents ( not cost effective as these are made in Canada and shipping rates and tariffs made it cost prohibitive) he gave me a heck of a deal WITH free shipping .
For me the devil was in the details and thoughtful design. One can say that all these tents come out of the same factories in China , but from what understand Treeline spent time looking for a good manufacturing plant to adhere to their design and QC , and it shows .
Just my 2 cents and I am extremely happy with the tent , the RUNNER UP was the CVT Mt Rainer , similar build but would of compromised a bit with it .
