So lets begin, at the beginning! (Beware this is a long post!) First of all let me say that the owner of Camping Labs, Fernando, is an awesome guy. He has been nothing but helpful to us since day one, and is not just a business owner but an off-roader himself cruising the Florida coast in his 4 Runner.
A little background on why we chose this tent. We had been looking at RTT's for months, going back and forth, checking out different models in person, reading and re-reading the tent reviews in Overland Journal. When it came down to it our absolute favorite was the Autohome brand of tents, especially the Columbus and Maggiolina. However, we found that there were two things we just couldn't deal with when it came to the Autohome: losing all of our roof rack space and the price (now over $2k).
When it came right down to it, price was the biggest factor for us. After comparing all the tents and seeing some in person we just couldn't justify spending $1500+ on a tent, and on some of the models we weren't quite understanding what we were getting for that price. After speaking with Fernando and researching his company we felt like we were getting a great deal. We went and checked out a friends similar version of this tent, the "Car-Top-Tent" Mombosa and after seeing theirs in person we pulled the trigger and had Fernando ship us the tent!
It arrived a week later, and as soon as we opened the box we were impressed with the quality. We were pleasantly surprised to find the materials were thicker and the way things are stitched and connected to frame were much more well done than on the Mombosa, so we knew we got our money's worth. We ordered up the ARB Touring rack to mount it to and were ready for our first adventure with it.
One thing we did notice when putting it together was that the ladder had been slightly damaged in transport, and one of the locking holes was drilled off center. We contacted Fernando and he sent us another ladder right away to replace the broken one. Not only that, but when he sent us the tent, he had noticed in pictures of our truck that we had a lift so he sent us the ladder extension at no extra charge. He also sent along a packing blanket to use over the ladder to keep it from damaging the cover. One major complaint with this model of cover that comes on both the Camping Lab and Mombosa is that it is too thin and rips easily. We have not used the packing blanket once, and those who were on the Chiricahua trip know how dense the trees were and we have but one tiny hole in the cover so far.
Fernando has informed us that they will be getting the new and improved covers soon, hopefully within the next month or so.
Set-up of the tent is super easy and takes about 3-5 mins total. You unzip the cover which hangs off the side, pull the ladder down and unfold the tent. You have the option of attaching the hooks for keeping the rainfly and windows open on all sides, one side or not at all if you like. Here are some pictures of our first time using it when we went to the Chiricahuas:
One thing I was really surprised about was the weight factor. This tent comes in around 100 lbs, and I was really happy with how well the truck responded with the weight on the roof. This tent has been attached to the roof since we got it and we haven't had any noticeable tipping or response issues with it either on the street, the freeway, dirt roads or rock crawling.
I'm sure having it attached to the ARB Touring rack (which keeps it about 3-5 inches closer to the roof of the truck than a normal rack does) is a big help and I highly recommend this rack to anyone who is thinking about going the RTT route. The only downfall to this was mounting it...it was a *****! This is no fault of the tent though, its just the way the ARB fit-kit is designed to follow the curve of the FJ roofline. There are no issues attaching it in the back because you have a nice big hole to stick your hand in:
But this is where you have to try to get to it to attach it from the front:
Our major issue so far with the tent has been the padding. This tent comes with a 3 inch pad, compared to most other tents which come with 2 inch. Good right? Well not necessarily. First of all this foam is pretty thick. It's kind of hard and doesn't compress easily. Now maybe if you are a 400lb guy it might compress for you, but we didn't have much luck with that. This also created a problem of what you can store inside. One of the major advantages to having a RTT is being able to store your bedding/sleeping bags inside, so when you wake up and are ready to go you just fold up the tent and you are done! Well, its not impossible with this tent, but its not easy either. We had initially purchased a new Kelty double sleeping bag to use, but it was so thick there was no way to close the tent! We were however able to pack away our backpacking sleeping bags in there but not much else.
I spoke with Fernando about this issue and it seems when he was in the design process with this tent he told the manufacturer he wanted a thicker foam than what comes with all of the other tents, and that they kind of went overboard. They are hoping to correct this issue with the next set of tents, but for now this 3 inch foam mattress is what comes with it. There are some options: You could not use sleeping bags like some people do and just use sheets and blankets. You can take the foam mattress out and use a blow up mattress, which we did when we went to Williams. Or you can do like we have done in the meantime and just buy a new foam mattress. We have a friend who works at an Upholstery shop and had him order us a new piece of foam and cut it to size. The removable, washable cover was transferred over to the new foam, and we went to Cabelas and purchased another new double sleeping bag. We can now fold the tent up with the foam and the thick sleeping bag no problem!!
So what does this all mean to you? Here is my breakdown so far.
The Good:
Economical
Super easy set-up/tear down
Store your bedding inside for more room in truck
Rainfly is attached already, but it is removable
4 inside pockets for storage
2 windows and 2 doors for optional light
All windows and doors have covers and bug netting
No more clearing rocks/ground for a space to set-up
Enough space for 2 adults+1 child/dog
Stays pretty warm
Can be very dark-beware of sleeping in!
Changing room available which attaches to bottom of tent
Gives you options! Makes it easy and convenient to stop for the night almost anywhere.
The Bad:
Cover hangs on side of truck, may block access to doors unless rolled up somehow
Some dust can get inside cover if traveling in dusty areas-only on bottom of outside, not inside tent
Can be very dark-beware of sleeping in!
Can be difficult to mount to roof rack depending on model you have
Zipper of cover can get caught on material of RTT if not tucked in
May be difficult for one person to take on/off vehicle because of weight
Large, so may find it difficult to store
Overall we are VERY happy with this tent! So much so, that Josh and I have become reps for Camping Lab!! We will be heading to Ouray as official sponsors to show off the tent, along with changing room and Camping Lab awning which should be arriving this week. Look for my reviews on that soon. Fernando has been kind enough to donate all three items to the raffle at Ouray, so buy your raffle tickets!!
I had planned on doing this review long before we became reps for the company because I wanted to help be a resource for RTT's. I know what we had to go through when choosing a tent, and it is even more difficult when there isn't a store locally that you can go look, touch, jump around in and compare. There are a few local companies who sell various tents (Sierra Expeditions, Expeditioneers) and have their own personal tents for you to possibly look at. If it wasn't for Wil, JP and Lance allowing us to check out their tents at various times we probably never would have been able to make a decision, because it's a little different when all you have to look at is pictures! I highly recommend anyone in the market for a RTT to shop around...its a very personal thing and whether you are investing $800, $1500, or $2000 it should be exactly what you want it to be. Anyone here is more than welcome to come to our house or stop us at an event and check out our tent, we will be more than happy to show it to you.
I'll be continuing this review after our next journey into the Colorado wilderness before Ouray, and I look forward to hearing what Mike has to say about his Camping Lab tent during his adventure on the Continental Divide!
Current prices +shipping:
RTT $800
Awning $250
RTT changing room $80
RTT ladder extension $40
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