Thule’s Acquisition of Tepui

[murps]

Came across this article and wanted to share it.

What Thule’s Acquisition of Tepui Means for Overlanding

The formerly family-owned company was launched in 2010 in Santa Cruz, California, and was acquired by Thule in December for $9.5 million, based on just $6.5 million in annual sales.

 

[smritte]

Thanks for posting this. I own a Tepui tent and when my cover had an issue they helped me right away.
Im not going to say the journalist who wrote it is "anti vehicle camping" but he sure seems to be anti RTT.
I hope Thule does right by this.

Scott

 

[murps]

Thanks for posting this. I own a Tepui tent and when my cover had an issue they helped me right away.
Im not going to say the journalist who wrote it is "anti vehicle camping" but he sure seems to be anti RTT.
I hope Thule does right by this.

Scott

you don't have to say it, i will ha. He does not hide his feelings in this article

 

[MazeVX]

It's hard to not say anything extremely unfriendly about the guy who wrote the article...
With the acquisition of tepui... Only time will tell the truth...

 

[Joel S]

I’m sure they’re doing this to compete with Yakima. And with a more wide reach of Thule “dealers” service and warranty claims would be much easier. But with acquisitions, MazeVX is right, time will tell. I’ve seen good companies acquire good products but every now and then, something goes south

 

[murps]

I always liked the price of the Yakima RTT but the reviews have kept me from every pulling the trigger. If Thule is trying to compete, hopefully they maintain the quality but lower the price. Here's hoping lol

 

[MazeVX]

I always liked the price of the Yakima RTT but the reviews have kept me from every pulling the trigger. If Thule is trying to compete, hopefully they maintain the quality but lower the price. Here's hoping lol

To me it seems like the prices in the rtt area are overall to high compared to other tents.
You can get a full Himalayan capable expedition tent for the price of a basic rtt.. That feels wrong.

 

[VCeXpedition]

I didn't get a sense that the author of the article is "anti vehicle camping", sounds like he does it himself. He just hates the idea of RTT's as a symbol of what overlanding is going to become, what he calls excess.

And by the way, how long does a "thing" like overlanding have to be around before it's considered to have caught on?
I've been overlanding for over 25 years, is that long enough? Have I caught on yet? Am I OK to call it overlanding or do I have to adopt another name that means the same thing?

I like this lifestyle, I own a RTT, I have it mounted on my trailer. I wouldn't put that much weight on my roof because it restricts where I want to take my vehicle, but my objectives and adaptation aren't the same as everyone else's, in fact we're all quite different. If someone wants to put one on their roof, (Landcruiser, Kia Soul, Civic, whatever) they must know (or find out quickly) what restrictions and limitations they create.
This is an education. I've learned almost everything I know the hard way, or by observation of someone else's hard way.

I think I like that Thule and Tepui will be a family, I am optimistic that it will be a good thing for both the design of new equipment, as well as for the hobby / sport / lifestyle we call overlanding.


Thanks for posting a link to the article.

FWIW. Dan.

 

[Anak]

He may not say it as gracefully as one could hope, but I think this:

The HyBox attempts to integrate an aerodynamic storage box—something Thule already has much expertise in—with a removable tent body. The design enables buyers to choose the utility of the cargo box for day-to-day use, then zip-in the tent before a camping trip.

and this:

If overlanding is going to stick around, then it needs to focus on enabling adventures, not simply selling people on an image. And, if Thule wants to be successful at selling people rooftop tents, it has to find a way to make its newly acquired product range more functional.

are the meat and potatoes of this deal. And I think that might actually be a winner.

I will also not that I do not have a RTT, and that is for the reasons he has given. Everything has its pros and its cons, and for me, thus far, the cons of a RTT have outweighed the pros. I do however own a couple of roof cargo boxes, (one Yakima and one Thule) and those get good use. I can conceive of a product design such as the article references that might push me over the edge into the realm of a RTT.

 

[spartancrating1]

The guy who wrote that article probably lives deep in the heart of San Francisco, drives a Prius, plays Fortnite online in his spare time, is a active board member within his HOA, has high blood pressure and probably couldnt make it up the ladder on a roof top tent[emoji1787][emoji1787] What a troll..

 

[Jginutah]

I thought that too, till I saw his Instagram page.

 

[Gary Stevens]

Here a quote that sums up the author ignorance. "They offer nothing but negatives over a well-chosen and expertly used ground tent, and are primarily sold to novice campers who don’t know any better." I have been doing this for oh over 30 years. I have done tents from one end to the other and I have never been more comfortable in my RTT.

 

[spartancrating1]

Yeah it was a pretty douchey article.

 

[Jkurubi12]

Not sure if the writer has taken into account that as we get older and life takes a toll on some our bodies, sleeping on the ground is not always the best option.

 

[spartancrating1]

Yeah I still ground camp when out in the backcountry hunting and I always find myself wishing I was in my RTT. I am in my 40's now and in great shape but even so sleeping on that memory foam in the RTT and the convenience of not having to mess with poles and trying to stuff a tent back in a bag is paramount. I will never knock tent camping on the ground and I think the author has it completely wrong about the type of people who are drawn to a RTT. Every owner of a RTT that I know has a deep seeded love for the roots of traditional tent camping and that's how we ended up with these things on our roofs. We are a different breed of people who enjoy the outdoors more than most and the adventures that comes along with owning one. There is something very neat about waking up 8ft off the ground in a treehouse like structure on top your favorite offroad rig. To be honest I dont think he has ever even touched one because they aren't that hard to deploy or put away. The other point he brought up was loss gas mileage and all I have to say is... What the hell is that![emoji23][emoji23] We all know what we are getting ourselves into when we put 37" tires on the Jeep or Taco and bolt the 160 pound sleeping bricks to the top.. If your worried about the mpg you need a different hobby!

 

[smritte]

The other point he brought up was loss gas mileage and all I have to say is... What the hell is that!

We all know what we are getting ourselves into when we put 37" tires on the Jeep or Taco and bolt the 160 pound sleeping bricks to the top.. If your worried about the mpg you need a different hobby!

To me, poor gas mileage means, buy a bigger fuel tank. Or am I missing something?

Scott

 

[spartancrating1]

Exactly my point.

 

[TRED LYT]

Here here to the owners of Tepui....self built business over 8 years and cashed out with $9.5M.....I love this country! I own a Tepui Ruggedized 3 man Autana and love it. I’ve also owned several sets of Thule racks as well as Yakima racks. Love the both. Seems like a great company bought a great little American brand.....hopefully that’s a good thing. Time will tell.

 

[sabjku]

I've been a Thule dealer for about 25 years. They're a fantastic company to deal with, and make a great product. This isn't their first acquisition of another brand. They've bought many others over the years and always took the product they purchased, invested good money into it, and made it even better. Thule has the money to do it. Also, nothing has changed at Tepui just yet. It's still all of the same people working there, in the same facility. I own an Autana, and they've always been more than helpful in situations where I needed assistance, and this will get even better with Thule overseeing things. This is a win-win for both companies.

 

[Mark D]

Very disappointed to see Overland Bound members name calling. I thought we were better than that. This is a guy pointing out the disadvantages of a RRT. He disagrees with you. For that he gets called names? I joined this organization back when Michael and Corrie (two of the nicest people I have ever met) were just getting things off the ground. Let us be the community they had envisioned.