Member III
That's got to be rough breaking the Tipi down everyday to move to the next campsite....
Which RTT to buy???
- Thread starter Erick05GX
- Start date
solo its like 2 hours.... :)That's got to be rough breaking the Tipi down everyday to move to the next campsite....
Member III
I have the Odin Designs Type E and am really happy with it. It is basically a Tepui tent (made at the same factory with the same materials depending on model). The two big factors in the original purchase was location (the company is in Castle Rock CO, about 40mins from home) and that they offered a color combo of gray and black... something I've not seen offered any place else (the Tepui Ruggedized Series offers it now, but not sure if it was out when I was looking at them). Odin Designs also offers a lifetime guarantee on their RTTs.
While the tent is great in its own right, it was Reuben, the owner of Odin Designs, that has really made this purchase a great one. He was overly helpful during the purchase period and even more so after the sale.
This helpfulness is not related to any issue with the tent. Some of you might be have read my Overland Alzheimer's: Death Valley thread. When I talked to Reuben late last year to see if he had any awnings in stock, without hesitation told me that he would not sell me one, but would instead loan me one for this trip. He said I should spend the money on gas and other things that would make the trip happen/better. Fast forward a couple of months and I was able to source an off road trailer for the trip. With the extra space I now had, I wanted to give my dad a better sleeping arrangement. I contacted Reuben to ask if he might have a demo tent I could barrow, he again came through without hesitation. When I went to pick up the demo tent last weekend, it turned out to be his personal tent and we pulled it right off his Taco and onto the trailer.
I can't think of any other time in my life a business owner has gone so far out of his way to help me out at a loss of revenue to himself. He could have easily just offered me a discount on the awning or even another tent just to be nice to a customer, but instead he went all in on me and my family. You can bet if Reuben sells it and I need it, I'm buying it from him.
While the tent is great in its own right, it was Reuben, the owner of Odin Designs, that has really made this purchase a great one. He was overly helpful during the purchase period and even more so after the sale.
This helpfulness is not related to any issue with the tent. Some of you might be have read my Overland Alzheimer's: Death Valley thread. When I talked to Reuben late last year to see if he had any awnings in stock, without hesitation told me that he would not sell me one, but would instead loan me one for this trip. He said I should spend the money on gas and other things that would make the trip happen/better. Fast forward a couple of months and I was able to source an off road trailer for the trip. With the extra space I now had, I wanted to give my dad a better sleeping arrangement. I contacted Reuben to ask if he might have a demo tent I could barrow, he again came through without hesitation. When I went to pick up the demo tent last weekend, it turned out to be his personal tent and we pulled it right off his Taco and onto the trailer.
I can't think of any other time in my life a business owner has gone so far out of his way to help me out at a loss of revenue to himself. He could have easily just offered me a discount on the awning or even another tent just to be nice to a customer, but instead he went all in on me and my family. You can bet if Reuben sells it and I need it, I'm buying it from him.
Explorer I
My buddy scored a Tepui at REI's sidewalk sale. It had one corner that was a bit munged up from shipping, but he got it for $475!
I'm going to wait a few months until he realizes he doesn't use it, and try to buy it off him!
I'm going to wait a few months until he realizes he doesn't use it, and try to buy it off him!
Everyone is talking about how great Tepui’s customer service is.. that’s awesome but that makes me wonder why everyone has to deal with their customer seevice
Traveler III
You know what I like best about Tepui? Zipper Gimp technology. Nobody else has that and it's awesome.
After so many grueling hours of reading reviews, forms, etc.. I finally went with Tuff Stuff RTT. I am so happy I made this purchase instead of going with the super expensive Tepui. I am not going to be camping at the Arctic circle or traveling from Alaska to the Bahamas either. I started out Looking at Tepui and thought I was going to purchase "The Best". After reading posts, forms and watching youtube videos about ALL RTT's, I came to the conclusion that Tuff Stuff had all the proper sealing, rain, wind, snow... Attributes that the other "high end" tents had. I have spent three camping trips in this tent in Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico and not one regret with my purchase. Slept like a baby in it. Performed flawlessly in rain and high winds. The only alteration I performed was I brought a cordless drill with me and drilled two holes in the ladder to lock it in position for the hight I have the tent at from my off-road trailer. Well worth the money, would purchase it again in a heartbeat.
I would put this up against a Tepui any day.
Hope this helps and saves you some $$.
iKampers have swappable mesh/canvas tops... and use zippers. Does "Zipper Gimp" technology do something more?
Traveler III
Whoops! I admit when I'm wrong, and I'm wrong then:) Didn't realize that! Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
I do really like the feature. It works, and it's very useful, especially in a climate like we have here in the Mid-Atlantic-cold winters, and nasty, humid high temp summers.
Bottom line on RTT's - whatever brand we each decided to purchase is probably the brand we feel partial to, or feel is "the best". And let's be honest, most of the soft RTT's like CVT, Tepui, Tuff Stuff, ARB, and some others mentioned in this thread, all share the same platforms. They're basically the same tents, made to different material specs, but not all that drastically different. They all use ripstop materials of different weight, have taped seams, comfy mattresses, etc.
I've been in the bicycle industry for over 25 years and it's the same thing with all the big MAJOR companies in our industry-Trek, Specialized, Giant - the big players that keep the industry driving forward.
I don't really intend on swapping canvas tops but I like that the material is easily removable for repairs, cleaning and modifications of the canvas and zippers. I ripped canvas and broken zippers in the past.
I need to rewatch Pulp Fiction to attempt to answer this question.
How much did the Odin run you? Great story!I have the Odin Designs Type E and am really happy with it. It is basically a Tepui tent (made at the same factory with the same materials depending on model). The two big factors in the original purchase was location (the company is in Castle Rock CO, about 40mins from home) and that they offered a color combo of gray and black... something I've not seen offered any place else (the Tepui Ruggedized Series offers it now, but not sure if it was out when I was looking at them). Odin Designs also offers a lifetime guarantee on their RTTs.
While the tent is great in its own right, it was Reuben, the owner of Odin Designs, that has really made this purchase a great one. He was overly helpful during the purchase period and even more so after the sale.
This helpfulness is not related to any issue with the tent. Some of you might be have read my Overland Alzheimer's: Death Valley thread. When I talked to Reuben late last year to see if he had any awnings in stock, without hesitation told me that he would not sell me one, but would instead loan me one for this trip. He said I should spend the money on gas and other things that would make the trip happen/better. Fast forward a couple of months and I was able to source an off road trailer for the trip. With the extra space I now had, I wanted to give my dad a better sleeping arrangement. I contacted Reuben to ask if he might have a demo tent I could barrow, he again came through without hesitation. When I went to pick up the demo tent last weekend, it turned out to be his personal tent and we pulled it right off his Taco and onto the trailer.
I can't think of any other time in my life a business owner has gone so far out of his way to help me out at a loss of revenue to himself. He could have easily just offered me a discount on the awning or even another tent just to be nice to a customer, but instead he went all in on me and my family. You can bet if Reuben sells it and I need it, I'm buying it from him.
What rack is that inside your shell? Looking to do something similar since I hate to lose my camper.
I second the Wild Coast Tents products. I have run a WCT Big Sky since summer 2017. It has a ton of features, is made from high quality materials, and includes the full annex (which as far as I know from my research in 2017 is something very few providers offer). On top of that, their customer service is second to none and they have the experience to back up their product.
Anybody have any familiarity with Grand Terrain Tent Co? I love the low stack height, especially considering how tall my rig already sits.
Products
The slimmest, best looking, electric, and rugged hard shell roof top tents on the market! Ready to camp with just the push of a button!
www.grandterrainco.com
I've looked at the Odin Designs tents before online but now I can't seem to connect to their website. Anyone know if they are still in business?
World Traveler III
