TEPUI Roof Top Tents and Gear

Cool. Yeah I load mine solo all the time. Not the easiest thing to do but possible.

 

Howdy guys. FYI I will be in Australia this week, returning on 5/25 and I'll have limited access to email and messages. If you have questions about the tents etc I'll respond as quickly as I can either when I have internet or when I get back. If you need immediate help, you can always call the Tepui shop number 800-301-9874

 

I own a Kukenam Ruggedized and this tent is top notch. The workmanship with all the sewing, stitching and seams that are smooth and watertight is totally high quality. Me and the wife were at Overland Expo Friday to Saturday. It rained all day Friday, snowed all night. The tent was covered with snow and sagging, but held strong. We did have condensation on the inside of the tent fabric, but that is common with 2 bodies warming up the inside of the tent. Inside we were warm and dry, slept like a baby all night. The conditions outside were not so great. Wet and muddy as hell! If you have any questions regarding this tent please read the review from Chazz Layne below or visit: http://tepuitents.com/




The Kukenam XL Ruggedized
Published by Chazz Layne on March 16th, 2015Tagged: aluminum, camping, Kukenam, mattress, roof, rooftent, rooftop, ruggedized, sleeping, Tent, Tepui, trailer
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About the Author: Chazz Layne
Chazz Layne is an adventurer, designer, and photographer based in Prescott, Arizona. Since early childhood he's had a passion for travel and exploration, a passion which continues to fuel both his creativity and modern nomadic lifestyle. In addition to his work in design and photography, Chazz is an associate editor with Expedition Portal and regular contributor to Overland Journal. You can connect with Chazz or learn more about his activities at chazzlayne.com.

Ive never been a fan of rooftop tents, and frankly, I’m still not. Oh they’re an excellent solution in an area where wildlife is a concern, but I’ve always preferred either the stealth afforded by a ground tent or the warmth of a hard-walled camper. I suppose that’s why this review was handed to me—disliking the general concept means I have no bias toward or against any particular manufacturer’s tent.

Tepui is an example of a manufacturer that listens: they’ve done a great job accepting customer feedback over the years, and answering that feedback with a continually improving product line. The Kukenam XL Ruggedized is one such creation, its feature list reads like the wishlist from a certain forum thread. If my feelings on the matter of roof tents ever change the Ruggedized line of Tepui tents will be on my short list.


The Kukenam XL Ruggedized is no lightweight. It’s a massive tent that weighs in at over 200 pounds (with annex) and provides more than fifty square feet of sleeping space when open. Even closed, the tent’s sizable 76″ x 48″ x 12″ bulk has a staggering presence, and it looks right at home on a large overland vehicle or trailer.


The first thing to catch my eye when we sliced open the box was the Kukenam XL’s shiny metal floor. Most manufacturers use wood here, and though I’ve never seen wood become a problem it’s nice to see the added durability of aluminum finding it’s way onto roof tents. D-rings are present at each corner of the aluminum floor and make a great place to hang lanterns or muddy boots in camp.

The next thing I noticed was the sharp looking black transit cover. Tepui included generously sized Velcro corners to ease zipping and unzipping of the cover, which double as a catch to keep the zipper pull tidily tucked away while on the road. The zipper is heavy duty, but it would have been nice to see a ratchet-and-strap method used for securing the cover (in fairness, most manufacturers use zippers here).


Removing the cover reveals not two, but four compression straps securing the clamshell shut. Enough space is provided to keep bedding in the tent when folded up. An additional strap runs down the center of the folded tent to keep the ladder from bouncing around on the trail. A half-inch anti-condensation mat is included and does an excellent job keeping the underside of the mattress dry even in foul weather.




Setting up the Kukenam XL goes as quickly and as easily as can be expected with a tent this large: extend the ladder, use it as leverage to flip the tent over, secure the ladder, then place all twelve of the support rods. Total setup can be done by one person in under five minutes. The extra four support rods add welcome additional support to the rainfly against wind, and help guide runoff away from the doors. Setting up the ladder takes a little practice to get perfect, but it’s extremely sturdy, provides a sure-footed grip, and extends to a generous 8.5 feet.

Tear-down takes a bit more effort and a little more time since there’s so much air to evacuate and so much fabric to tuck into the folded frame—it’s simply the price one pays for this much sleeping space. The process is basically a reverse of setup, and can be handled by one person in well under ten minutes.


Climbing up the ladder to enter the tent there’s a triple set of loops on either side of each door, perfect for keeping a flashlight and slippers handy for the inevitable 4am nature call. Moving inside the cavernous tent reveals pockets, and pockets, and pockets. There are so many pockets on the walls of this tent that even the pockets have pockets—my nightstand at home isn’t this organized. The pockets on the sides are spread wide and low to leave plenty of space for the large windows, while the pockets at the ends are stacked two rows high and feature a pass-thru behind them for storing longer gear.

The mattress is thick and comfortable, and the walls thick enough to maintain a reasonably comfortable temperature with two people on a 30°F night. While staring up from the mattress I noticed another nifty feature: integrated air vents near the top of both side walls. While they don’t completely eliminate condensation inside the tent, they do keep it controlled enough to keep the doors and windows fully closed during a storm.



We could not have asked for better testing conditions during our evaluation: it rained the entire weekend, so much we had to move our camp due to flooding. With so much rain and temperatures dipping below freezing we were able to fully evaluate the potential for leaks and condensation issues: there were none. Even after hurriedly folding the tent up in the rain, moving camp, and setting back up the interior remained dry and we slept comfortably through the night.



More information and full specifications on the Kukenam XL Ruggedized, and Tepui’s other tents and accessories, can be found on the Tepui website.
http://tepuitents.com/

 

Hey Box Rocket,

Had a quick question. Overall, I'm very pleased with the tent. However, I've got a broken buckle that goes across the ladder, and one of my velcro straps is nonop. It looks like when the factory went to singe the end of the velcro strap, they overdid it a bit and about two inches worth of the velcro doesn't work. As a result, as soon as I hit the highway this weekend on a trip, it flew off, and the long strap with the D ring pelted the side of my truck going 65mph, leaving a little ding. Luckily I was able to come up with a quick solution cutting two small holes in the straps and using a small carabiner to hold the two together. I guess these things happen, but with the ruggedized I guess maybe I had hoped for a little more. There was also a cut in the fabric and some stitching that was pulled out upon opening the box, but at this point I'm more worried about the velcro and buckle.

Should I go thru Tepui for the chance of getting this sorted out under warranty or thru you? Again, overall it's a great product. Chances are I just got a bit of a dud, which I suppose happens.

Thanks so much,

Andrew

 

PM Sent

 

Box Rocket,

I saw this is another thread...

Does this mean that Autana Ruggedized is now a Sky configuration as default? Just want to confirm because that would make me very happy!

 

The Sky feature is now standard on Kukenam and Autana models (except for the Ruggedized versions).

 

Not surprised. I love the sky feature a lot with these warm nights.

 

Hey Box Rocket, since so many of these tents are being mounted on trailers these days, can you ask Tepui if they'll make a shorter annex, or one that's adjustable in length?

Trvlngnrs

 

Of course. I think there have already been conversations about that, but I'll bring it up again.

 

Camping on the way to Rock Therapy....

 

Eric....always the rebel.

 

**Announcement**
Tepui Tents will be a special event this weekend at Bass Pro Shop in Manteca, CA. They will be set up at Bass Pro Shop and showcasing the Kukenam Sky and Autana Sky with both models available for sale through the store. You can find Tepui there from 9AM to 5PM on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
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Take your camping experience to the next level with one of these awesome tents. There are adventures waiting for you.
If you are in the area please stop by and check out the tents in person, and this is a great opportunity to pick one up if you've been on the fence about getting one!
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Bass Pro Shop is located at:
1356 Boss Pro Drive
Manteca, CA 95337
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Kukenam Sky

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Autana Sky

 

Any plans to offer it as an option on the ruggedized in the future?

 

Not as yet. If that changes I'll announce the change.

 

Just curious to see if anyone has ever tried this out. I want to get the awning walls for a awning and mount it off the back of the shell to turn it into a truck tent. Does anyone on here know if the door in the wall is big enough to fit around the tail gate. Here is a link to show what I am talking about. http://tepuitents.com/collections/accessories/products/awning-walls

 

Haven't ever tried it with the awning walls but the Tepui Autana Annex works perfectly to do what you are saying. I set it up like that and let some cousins sleep in the bed of the truck. It didn't rain or anything so I am not sure how well it would seal up but the size was perfect. I image the awning and awning walls are pretty close to the same size.

 

Hey everyone who is following this thread, I wanted to put a little information out there that many of you may not be aware of. With the hot summer months ahead many of you are looking at ways to keep your tents cool and comfortable.
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The Tepui Weather Hood is a great way to beat the heat. If you've seen these before you are probably aware that they are a good way to help keep your tents warm in the winter. But did you know that the aluminized coating on the weather hood will also reflect heat away from the tent in the summer time? These Weather Hoods can be a great addition to your summer adventure and can help keep you comfortable on that dream camping trip you've spent so much time planning. Check them out on the Tepui website here : http://tepuitents.com/collections/amenities/products/protective-weather-hoods
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Doors can be opened just like the original doors. But there is potentially a bit less airflow without window openings. But the ability to reflect heat can hopefully cancel some of that out.