Pulling the trigger on a RTT, any advice?

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jdunk

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I'm thinking that I may splurge and upgrade my roof rack and get a RTT before Off The Grid in September.

My goal is still to try and get my trailer late next year. I'd like to move the tent over to that trailer...

I don't need a ton of space, but I'm torn between the Mt. Shasta (Extended) and the Mt Rainier (Extended) models.

Initially, this would live on top of my '06 Jeep Commander eventually being moved to whatever trailer I end up with in the future.

Aside from general comfort and flexibility with the larger tent. I think that the extra 16" of width on the overhang would make for a much better inclement weather shelter even if I don't put the sides down.

My questions are...
  1. Does anyone have any thoughts on which tent they think would be best suited for what I'm doing
  2. If anyone has either of these models, are there any "gotchas", things that I would need to watch out for, or things that I should expect to purchase with them?
  3. Are there any others that I should strongly consider instead of these? I'm not stuck on either of the above, I just want to make sure that I get one that will last as long as possible before having to upgrade.
 
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jdunk

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It's made in the region, they have a good reputation for quality, and they seem to be priced pretty well.

I'm not stuck on the brand. If there is a compelling argument for another, I'd get a different one.

I'm not going to buy until late June/July.


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Lifestyle Overland

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We have the CVT Mt. McKinley and love it from a functional standpoint. However, after 20+ times of use we are starting to identify some quality issues. None of which would make us not recommend the brand, but some things to be aware of before buying. Unfortunately, there's not many options out there for the size tent we need so it's not like we can easily upgrade to a higher quality brand, however the smaller sizes are offered by several different companies so you have more options. My recommendation is to check out the tents 23 Zero are offering before deciding on the CVT. Here's the link: http://www.23zerousa.com/roof-top-tents
From what's I've seen, they seem to be slightly higher quality.

BTW, CVT is no longer making tents in the US, they are all made in China which may explain the decrease in quality since they have been in business.
I can't confirm where 23 Zero is made, so I'm guessing China also. However, their components seem to be of higher strength (Metal hinges for tent bows instead of plastic).
 
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23 Zero makes an excellent tent. This is the default tent on Turtleback Trailers now.
 
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94YJBeaver

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jdunk said:
I'm thinking that I may splurge and upgrade my roof rack and get a RTT before Off The Grid in September.

My goal is still to try and get my trailer late next year. I'd like to move the tent over to that trailer...

I don't need a ton of space, but I'm torn between the Mt. Shasta (Extended) and the Mt Rainier (Extended) models.

Initially, this would live on top of my '06 Jeep Commander eventually being moved to whatever trailer I end up with in the future.

Aside from general comfort and flexibility with the larger tent. I think that the extra 16" of width on the overhang would make for a much better inclement weather shelter even if I don't put the sides down.

My questions are...
  1. Does anyone have any thoughts on which tent they think would be best suited for what I'm doing
  2. If anyone has either of these models, are there any "gotchas", things that I would need to watch out for, or things that I should expect to purchase with them?
  3. Are there any others that I should strongly consider instead of these? I'm not stuck on either of the above, I just want to make sure that I get one that will last as long as possible before having to upgrade.
Click to expand...
I have the Rainer and love it...I do have the annex room. I do like the room that we have and it is nice to have the ladder that goes into the annex room. I originally wanted the bachelor but my wife talked me into the Rainer and I am glad. This tent is suited for me, my family and our adventures. You may be happier with a smaller on but I can tell you that I love the room. One of the reasons I finally went with CVT is because their head quarters are here in Bend and I talk to the owners all the time. I did research for about a year and finally pulled the trigger a few months ago and I am glad I did.


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94YJBeaver

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jdunk said:
If you talk to the owners, I'd be curious as to what they would have to say about the comments that the quality of their product has declined since they've moved their manufacturing...


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Well like most things consumers buy today...things are made in China...Bobby told me that it really bothers him that they can keep their price point low and manufacture in the US...Bobby also told me that if I have anything go wrong with any of their products, he would replace them no questions asked...I recently bought a 55" awning for my trailer...installed it and discovered it was too small so I took it back and replaced it with the 99" awning no question asked...although I had to alter the mounting brackets I just exchanged just the awning...they are good people...


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jdunk

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94YJBeaver said:
Yeah it's worth a shot...I love being able to go directly to the source is there are any problems


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I shot a message off to them. If everything stays sold out, the decision might be made for me.

The only think I'm still not clear on is the difference between the normal, and the summit models. Besides one being bright green and $600 more...
 
94YJBeaver

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jdunk said:
I shot a message off to them. If everything stays sold out, the decision might be made for me.

The only think I'm still not clear on is the difference between the normal, and the summit models. Besides one being bright green and $600 more...
Click to expand...
The summit series is a thicker material and the ladder is beefier...I know that they were snow camping in them this winter, testing them out and they said because of the thicker material they were a lot warmer.


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jdunk

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94YJBeaver said:
The summit series is a thicker material and the ladder is beefier...I know that they were snow camping in them this winter, testing them out and they said because of the thicker material they were a lot warmer.


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Good to know. I'll post whatever information I get as a reply.
 
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