Curtis Olson
 | | 03/06/2007 1:19 AM |
 Alert | Craig - I actually don't recall the weather conditions were exactly; just mixed fall weather/nothing too extreme & I didn't know that the tent was fireproof, but I guess it wouldn't hurt. But the tent is very well constructed and the
rainfly extends almost all the way to the ground which ensures that none of the interior wall fabric is exposed to the weather. It is built similar to a 4-season/backpacking tent with the geodesic design; this makes the tent
extremely resistant to winds/snow loads. If you go to the Cabela's site, and look up the tent, it has 39 customer reviews with a 4.9/5 rating. To top it off, I've heard that Cabela's has a pretty good return policy - though I've
never had to return anything, so who knows...? The Hobitat just looks like it has some rather vertical faces on it that might not stand up to the winds you were talking about very well, though I've only seen the picture of it, so?
My dad actually has the older version that is now on sale for $249 ( I'm about to buy one for that price - thought it would put my lift further away, so most likely I won't) and he's got the "Extreme Deluxe Alaskan Vestibule" which is
almost big enough to be a tent itself - very nice when the weather is bad or when you've got a lot of gear to store. I think we actually set up the cook stove and a couple of chairs in there. Anyways, if you want to see it
set up, there house is just up on Bow Hill and I'm sure I could set it up pretty quickly on a nice day (don't want to get it all wet and have to dry it out again before I put it away). I also saw a couple of other tents on their site that
looked interesting | | | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 03/06/2007 2:16 AM |
Alert | Thanks Curtis. I appreciate all the additional info.
I was joking about the fireproof part. In the photo, the fire is about 1 foot from the tent wall.
Craig
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Michael Kronmal
| | 04/19/2007 5:12 PM |
Alert | Craig, Remember my tent? Its definately the ticket for you. Its a Sierra Designs Nomad 6.1. I can stand up with no problem. We use a queen size inflatable matress on a stand and have TONS of left over room. The vestibule/front porch is great and the rear vestible works just fine with a portapottie. http://www.epinions.com/content_154945293956 |
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1998 Disco 1
1999 Range Rover HSE Callaway #138
KC6YPJ
"Can I suggest something that doesn't involve violence, or is this the wrong crowd for that?" | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 04/19/2007 8:01 PM |
Alert | It's a beautiful tent, but it seems a little large. It might be the vestibules though. I have to admit that ever since Todd loaned me the rooftop tent, I've been less interested in the ground tent. The rooftop tents are just so easy.
Craig
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 04/19/2007 8:13 PM |
Alert | Craig, I am now officially a dealer for these - http://www.roof-top-tent.com/products.asp
There is a larger version coming out early summer that would better fit 3 people. I should have the tent in my hands early next week and can advise you of the quality. It is supposedly much better than their gen 1 tents.
I'll offer special deals for the group as soon as I can verify it is of high quality.
Stay tuned. We will also have an awning soon.
Todd | |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 04/19/2007 8:54 PM |
Alert | Todd,
Let me know if you need a tester for that tent. Seriously though, I'd love to use one for a weekend before plunking down the money for a relatively unknown brand. If it was nice, I'd of course give you a glowing customer testimonial for your website.
Craig
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Michael Kronmal
| | 04/19/2007 8:56 PM |
Alert | | I wouldn't want to be offroading with 120lbs on my roof! I do like the concept, just not raising my COG. | |
1998 Disco 1
1999 Range Rover HSE Callaway #138
KC6YPJ
"Can I suggest something that doesn't involve violence, or is this the wrong crowd for that?" | |
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Michael Kronmal
| | 04/19/2007 9:07 PM |
Alert | Posted By Craig Miller on 04/19/2007 8:01 PM
It's a beautiful tent, but it seems a little large. It might be the vestibules though. I have to admit that ever since Todd loaned me the rooftop tent, I've been less interested in the ground tent. The rooftop tents are just so easy.
Craig
The vestibules are very large, and of course optional. In order to get a tent you can stand in, its going to be a little roomy.
Nomad 6.1 6 Person / 3 Season
This tent has two large doors for easy entry/exit and two vestibules that both become awnings. Features include tons of gear pockets, Optic White Canopy and a Double Track Vestibule. Updates for 2005 include an increase of 30 square feet in the vestibule for standing up and a vestibule footprint.
Great for: Backpacking, Camping, Expedition
Trail Weight 22 lbs 3 oz
Fastpack Weight 19 lbs 0 oz
Packed Weight 24 lbs 16 oz
Packed Size 36" x 10"
Number of Doors 2
Interior Area 82 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area 45+ 21.5 sq. ft.
Peak Height 80"
Floor Type SuperSeal
Floor Material 70D Taffeta Nylon, 3000mm
Body Material 70D Nylon Rip Stop
Fly Material 70D Taffeta Nylon, 1500mm
Number of Poles 6
Poles DAC 17 Press-Fit
Features:
Adjustable Venting Rainfly
Color-Coded Webbing
Cup Holders
DAC Press-fit Aluminum Poles
Double Grommets
Double Track Vestibule
Fast Pack Footprint (compatible)
Gear Pockets
Locking Pole Tips
Optic White Canopy
Reflective Guy-outs and Zipper pulls
Stash Door
SuperSeal Floor
Swift Clips
Tent Guard with Ultra Fresh
Vestibule Footprint
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1998 Disco 1
1999 Range Rover HSE Callaway #138
KC6YPJ
"Can I suggest something that doesn't involve violence, or is this the wrong crowd for that?" | |
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 04/19/2007 9:18 PM |
Alert | I'm with you Michael, They have their application but off camber trail driving makes you a bit nervous with the heavier models. There are some less heavy ones available, I carry a 40lb version that Is pretty good at keeping the weight down, and Brownchurch makes a really lightweight one (15 lbs) but it uses the rack flooring.
If doing hairy trails, a ground tent is best. But then you are typically getting most of the gear out of the rig as well. | |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 04/19/2007 9:18 PM |
Alert | Let me know if you need a tester for that tent. Seriously though, I'd love to use one for a weekend before plunking down the money for a relatively unknown brand. If it was nice, I'd of course give you a glowing customer testimonial for your website.
I'm sure we can work something out. ;) | |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 04/19/2007 9:19 PM |
Alert | I don't offroad much with the whole family. My son occasionally goes with me and we use my Mountain Hardware Trango 3.1. |
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Andy Berglund
| | 04/19/2007 10:01 PM |
Alert | maybe you could include portal axles with purchase. that'd keep the COG down and add additional value to the tent.
a | |
I am loving the Gilmore Girls-Scott Williams | |
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Michael Kronmal
| | 04/19/2007 10:29 PM |
Alert | Let's compare the two so you get a better size feel. The Nomad is basically twice the size of the Trango.
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Sierra Designs Nomad 6.1
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Mountain Hardware Trango 3.1
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| Floor Area: |
82 sq. ft.
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48.01 sq. ft.
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| Floor Dims: |
116" x 107"
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92" x 82"
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| Ceiling Height: |
80 in.
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48 in.
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| Front Vestibule: |
45 sq. ft.
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18.30 sq. ft.
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| Rear Vestibule: |
21.5 sq. ft
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5.38 sq. ft.
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| Packed Weight: |
24 lbs, 16 oz
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11 lbs, 9 oz
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1998 Disco 1
1999 Range Rover HSE Callaway #138
KC6YPJ
"Can I suggest something that doesn't involve violence, or is this the wrong crowd for that?" | |
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Peter Carey
| | 04/19/2007 10:59 PM |
Alert | Todd, I'd be really interested in testing that side by side with the Eezi-Awn I purchased but have yet to use (but DID take out of the box yesterday!!). I'm trepidatious about a MUCH cheaper knock off but am also curious to see if it works before I dismiss it. I'd like to set them up for 3-4 days of NW rain and see what's what. I'd also likea 1.4M size.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind a second one forward on the truck for Sabrina and friends. If ya know what I mean (parents' tent......)
Scott Brady noted they will have a big ass roof top tent comparison in the first edition of their new magazine, Overland Journal. Doesn't include the model Todd is mentioning though but I know they talked with him for a good while at Sunset Mine.
As for weight....bah!!! I told Scott to upgrade the 110 to the HHHHHHD setup from OME and forget about it. Sure it won't help me from tipping over completely, but you throw a waterski rope on the roll cage and have someone pull on it and you're good. They actually sell those and people use them evidently in competitions (rock buggies). | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 04/20/2007 1:19 AM |
Alert | Michael,
I saw that the Nomad comes in a 5.1 size too. My biggest issue is setup/teardown time. When I started this thread I wasn't sold on rooftop tents. The idea of a big tent with cots, a big vestibule to hang out in, etc all sound really comortable. But having used one of the rooftop tents I realize what a pain it is to setup /tear down camp with a regular tent. I'd like to be able to move from campsite to campsite w/ ease. Granted, if I'm not going to go offroading I might as well get a tent trailer of some sort. So.... I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I want.
I'm thinking though that if I pull the roofrack off the truck and gutter mount the tent that I'll be at roughly the same weight I'm at now on the roof. My NWP rack has extra cross braces and 35 pounds of flooring. Add the weight of the sleeping bags, pads, etc and we will probably be closer to 150 by the time we are done. Not too bad, and I've emptied 1/2 of my lightweight load from the inside of the truck to the roof w/o requiring a roofrack to carry it.
Craig
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My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 04/20/2007 7:49 AM |
Alert | Diggin' the Avatar Peter!
It would be good to see the comparison. I should have the tent soon and we can figure outa time for you and Craig to test it. As it will be my personal tent I will be loaning you, how about not using it as the Parents Tent If ya know what I mean
Scott Chris and I discussed the Oasis Tent I carry more than this one. This one is brand new.
Todd | |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
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Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 04/20/2007 7:53 AM |
Alert | | SO you bring up a good question Peter, if they are of decent quality do you think the price would scare people away? | |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
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Peter Carey
| | 04/20/2007 7:54 AM |
Alert | I still say "bah" to worrying too much about weight on the roof, even if it comes back to bite me in the arse later. I guess if you plan to run Pucker Ridge or some such then you need to worry about it, but most of our trips with family (and thus the 'need' for the tent) don't include that kinda craziness. Take the picture below as a prime example of what most would call overloading the roof. Yellow Pelican - 75lbs Black Pelican you can't see - also 75lbs NATO cans - 120lbs Dry bags - 60lbs Odd thing on the other side that you can't see - 40lbs ==================== 370lbs on the roof And it handled well in Quilomene Now granted, in the "new 110" I'll have more of that liquid weight down low as well as stuff that is in the Pelicans (tools and recovery gear) so that'll help. But I'm still not worried about having a roof top tent up there. But that's just me. I'm crazy. | |
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Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 04/20/2007 8:26 AM |
Alert | Posted By Todd Eliason on 04/20/2007 7:53 AM
SO you bring up a good question Peter, if they are of decent quality do you think the price would scare people away?
Not if you put up a review with really good photos that illustrate exactly how good the quality is. Get out and test it, describe what works, what doesn't the way you do in person on your website and people will know exactly what they are getting. In fact, you may sell more Oasis tents simply because people will see that you have a range of tents and that you are giving them honest advice of the pros/cons of each.
You could also have a web store that allows customers to review or comment on the products (with approval). Add a Better Business Bureau logo to your website as well. All things that help people understand that you are an honest business (which you are). Craig | |
My Overland Adventure Blog | |
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Peter Carey
| | 04/20/2007 9:11 AM |
Alert | In my case, the cost and looking at past products. I'm trying not to sound snooty or snobby, but sometimes I am. They just weren't up to my quality standards. This new one might be different though.
Another reseller over on Expeditional Portal was supposed to review one but never did. If you can get a hold of one and give it a well written and unbiased opinion, be sure to post it over there since I know some are interested. Some are also ticked that they just ripped off the Eezi-Awn/Howling Moon design and made it with cheaper materials (at least that is the theory since no one had their hands on one). But then again, I remember when my parents paid $50 for a folding camp chair that now cost $12 because they are mass produced overseas. The first ones with teh good design will evenetually be overtaken by cheaper ones made cheaperly. At least with a lot of commodities. | |
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