Influencer I
It seems that several folks rolling through here have roof top tents from James Baroud, but there is little in the way of user reviews posted. While I in no way feel qualified to voice a comprehensive long term review, I offer here a favorable first impression for those shopping for a home away from home.
I ordered the tent in September, receiving it in January. Yes, a bit of a stretch in delivery expectations, but I didn't take into account that Portugal takes the whole month of September off. Well, maybe not the whole country, just that part that builds these tents. Having ordered it in black I'm guessing this constituted a special order. There were communication issues with the distributor, but in the end I was very well taken care of.
The tent arrived well packaged and in excellent condition. Installation was straight forward and required only minor modifications to the mounting hardware supplied. Three friends and a few basic tools are all that are needed to secure the tent to your existing roof rack.
There is a little added wind noise at highway speeds, but that's what XM radio is for. Handling and braking distances will change with the added weight, but that is to be expected with most vehicles. With my 4runner and its modifications the difference is minimal. It's not a sports car so I don't drive it like one. After a few weeks with the tent loaded on top I hardly noticed it.
Deploying the tent takes just seconds and having your bedding already in place makes it easy to roll into camp in the dark and just turn in for the night. The mattress is very comfortable and the tent is extremely roomy for solo travelers. Couples will find it cozy. At 6' tall I have plenty of room to stretch out.
The tent is tested for winds up to 70mph according to the propaganda, but I can only attest to it enduring winds of 45mph. A pressure change roared through the Deschutes Canyon early Monday morning waking me from a sound sleep. After ascertaining that there were no issues to be concerned with I rolled over and went back to sleep.
Packing the tent away is a little more involved and takes a few additional minutes to complete. With practice I have it down to 4 minutes, providing I remember to collapse the struts before stowing the ladder away. My first attempts were considerably longer. Watch the YouTube videos on the subject.
The solar power fan that exhausts the tent is an added feature that shouldn't be underestimated. The tent stays very dry inside as condensation is vented out at all times. The fan pulls air through two side vents when in the closed position, keeping away that musty tent smell. This many not be an issue in many parts of the world, but in our cold damp weather here in Oregon the fan is something to appreciate. The rechargeable LED light is handy too.
Pros
Seems to be very well made. Easy to deploy, easy to pack away. Very, very comfortable. More aerodynamic than canvas RTTs. Solar vent fan. Looks cool. Storage on top for 65lbs of stuff. (I carry a table, TREDs, Water and Gas). 5 year warranty.
Cons
Price. They don't give them away, as shown you're looking at $4000. Availability. Could be an issue if you don't like ordering off the menu. And that's all I got for now.
While my intent here is to provide a personal opinion on this tent, as mentioned earlier this is a first impression review and is subject to many more years of testing before I can fully endorse this product. I plan on getting started on that program as soon as I can reload the 4Runner.
You can read my in-depth review with additional photos on my personal blog and I will be happy to answer any questions offered here. I would only add that driving around with this tent mounted has started many conversations with complete strangers. Twice in the last 24 hours I've been stopped on the street and asked questions about the tent. Even the cable guy followed me into my driveway yesterday to enquire about the tent. With fresh mud, dust and dead mayflies coating its shiny black finish I opened it up and let him check it out. For a Jeep driver he wasn't a bad guy.
I ordered the tent in September, receiving it in January. Yes, a bit of a stretch in delivery expectations, but I didn't take into account that Portugal takes the whole month of September off. Well, maybe not the whole country, just that part that builds these tents. Having ordered it in black I'm guessing this constituted a special order. There were communication issues with the distributor, but in the end I was very well taken care of.
The tent arrived well packaged and in excellent condition. Installation was straight forward and required only minor modifications to the mounting hardware supplied. Three friends and a few basic tools are all that are needed to secure the tent to your existing roof rack.
There is a little added wind noise at highway speeds, but that's what XM radio is for. Handling and braking distances will change with the added weight, but that is to be expected with most vehicles. With my 4runner and its modifications the difference is minimal. It's not a sports car so I don't drive it like one. After a few weeks with the tent loaded on top I hardly noticed it.
Deploying the tent takes just seconds and having your bedding already in place makes it easy to roll into camp in the dark and just turn in for the night. The mattress is very comfortable and the tent is extremely roomy for solo travelers. Couples will find it cozy. At 6' tall I have plenty of room to stretch out.
The tent is tested for winds up to 70mph according to the propaganda, but I can only attest to it enduring winds of 45mph. A pressure change roared through the Deschutes Canyon early Monday morning waking me from a sound sleep. After ascertaining that there were no issues to be concerned with I rolled over and went back to sleep.
Packing the tent away is a little more involved and takes a few additional minutes to complete. With practice I have it down to 4 minutes, providing I remember to collapse the struts before stowing the ladder away. My first attempts were considerably longer. Watch the YouTube videos on the subject.
The solar power fan that exhausts the tent is an added feature that shouldn't be underestimated. The tent stays very dry inside as condensation is vented out at all times. The fan pulls air through two side vents when in the closed position, keeping away that musty tent smell. This many not be an issue in many parts of the world, but in our cold damp weather here in Oregon the fan is something to appreciate. The rechargeable LED light is handy too.
Pros
Seems to be very well made. Easy to deploy, easy to pack away. Very, very comfortable. More aerodynamic than canvas RTTs. Solar vent fan. Looks cool. Storage on top for 65lbs of stuff. (I carry a table, TREDs, Water and Gas). 5 year warranty.
Cons
Price. They don't give them away, as shown you're looking at $4000. Availability. Could be an issue if you don't like ordering off the menu. And that's all I got for now.
While my intent here is to provide a personal opinion on this tent, as mentioned earlier this is a first impression review and is subject to many more years of testing before I can fully endorse this product. I plan on getting started on that program as soon as I can reload the 4Runner.
You can read my in-depth review with additional photos on my personal blog and I will be happy to answer any questions offered here. I would only add that driving around with this tent mounted has started many conversations with complete strangers. Twice in the last 24 hours I've been stopped on the street and asked questions about the tent. Even the cable guy followed me into my driveway yesterday to enquire about the tent. With fresh mud, dust and dead mayflies coating its shiny black finish I opened it up and let him check it out. For a Jeep driver he wasn't a bad guy.
