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Hard shell rooftop tent

BarnesH

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I have fitted the ARB esperance RTT supplied by LVB Overland in Doncaster UK who were extremely great to deal with. I also bought the awning from them.
 

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Tom109

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I have fitted the ARB esperance RTT supplied by LVB Overland in Doncaster UK who were extremely great to deal with. I also bought the awning from them.
Looking forward to full report once you've spent some time with the Esperance....
 

Luc Cornelissen

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Hello, does anyone knows if I put the Maggiolina RTT from 2.15 m on the Black Sheep roof rack , I can still open and remove the safari windows?
 

ErnieB

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Hey there! I have MANY nights in AluCab tents both the 3.1 and the 3R. Nothing is perfect but I have been extremely satisfied with the quality.
A few things I like:
  • Aluminum shell handles the elements well and when pointed into the wind is extremely quiet in windy weather.
  • The double wall fabric is very taught when the tent is deployed and does not flap much in the wind.
  • Easy to deploy and stow makes for quick set up and tear down in adverse conditions or if you just want to pack up and roll out for the day.
  • Customer service here is the states is awesome through OK4wd or Expedition Superstore.
  • Strong enough to mount their 270 awning which is one of the best on the market.
  • Mounting options through AluCab that keep the tent as close the roof as possible.
  • Ladder has angled steps and is comfortable to stand on and easy to deploy.
What I don't like:
  • Not much actually.... I had an early model that had a small leak due to installer not sealing it properly when drilling the awning mounts. No issues with the 3R.
  • I guess it's a bit heavy but when I crawl in that thing after a day on the trail it feels like I'm in a substantial structure and I sleep like the dead.
  • USB and 12v ports are velcro'd in and always come loose.
  • Wish they had an external method to stow the ladder under the tent.
 

RYAustralia

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Hello, does anyone knows if I put the Maggiolina RTT from 2.15 m on the Black Sheep roof rack , I can still open and remove the safari windows?
I have the exact same conundrum. I like the black sheep mounting system. I like the air-sky360 RTT from Autohome. Wondering about overhang /space to open windows. I believe there will likely be about 15cm overhang of tent base from back and still clear to open the safari windows. Still not 100% sure yet - I’m still in research /measuring phase! Anyone have any experience of this please let me / us know. 😀
 

Luc Cornelissen

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If you finished your research cabn you let me know. Thanks.
I am still in doubt between James Baroud Odyssey and the air sky 360.
Thanks
:)
 

AndreOne

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Hi all, interested in your experience with rooftop tents (RTT as I learned).
I have an older Maggiolina hard shell rooftop tent. Used that in the past on my VW bus and like the concept of a hard shell design that opens parallel.
My tent has entries on both sides but not at the rear. And you already guess it: that just does not match with the ordered Trialmaster having the cool ladder at the back… 🫢
So tent with separate ladder at the side can only be a compromise for some time.
Has anybody experience with RTT with entry at the back? Which model would work well with the grenadier setup?
Does it work to step from ladder directly into RTT without stepping onto roof edge? Or do I need to forsee something there?
I plan to use crossbars, maybe 3 for offroading. When aftermarkets provide an option for crossbars fixed to IG side rail I might go for that instead of rain gutter mounting.
Thanks for your views.
Hi Deepblue, I have an Autohome AIRTOP XL. I use a lateral ladder to get into the tent: it is very comfortable
 

alexandruast

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I want a roof top tent and need help, because I live on both of the extremes of the RTT setups.
It's for my girlfriend and both of our kids mainly. If I go by myself, or with girlfriend, or with my kid, we sleep in the car and don't need an RTT.
On one side, I'd love to have minimal weight on top so I was thinking about iKamper 3.0 mini at 57kg planted on 3x Thule crossbars.
But... on the other (expensive) side, in the shadows, lies Alu-Cab Gen3-R :)
Of course, with the IG specific mounts, solar panel, bed recliner, bed table and 270 awning plus walls, at a whooping 140kg on the roof and 9k EUR less in the pocket. BUT it looks , operates and feels amazing, and some part of me desperately craves for it. Ultimate confort!
I am experiencing difficulties in making my split-brain personality decide on the two extremes, so please help.
 

RYAustralia

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I see someone said their full size iKamper clears the safari windows and has no overhang - that is 196 cm length. Autohome Airtop 360 is 210cm length. So 14 cm overhang at most - not too bad, I can live with it. I'm in the process of ordering mine, planning on mounting on the Leitner load bars. Won't be here till Feb (special order) so can't show pics yet...
 
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