*THE RTT Owners Thread (With BS)*

Guess who was delivered two new Special Edition Tepui Ruggedized tents today.

 

I'm wanting a Autana, is the teloscope ladder removable and easily able to install?

 

It's not too hard to remove. You could always mod the mounting to make it quick release too. This isn't the best photo but you can see the brackets for the ladder. Just a couple bolts for each bracket. You're still going to be a very tight fit and I can't guarantee you'll fit in your garage even with the ladder removed.

 

You'll just have to air down before pulling into the garage each day

 

Thank you for that pic. I'm going to wait and see if anyone can post up real height measurements too. I don't mind taking ladder off and on whenever we will use it, probably like every other month or so since my wifey is a bartender and her weekend schedules are usually pretty busy.

My parking lot is flat and that's the lowest point I have to clear. Bed rack is a Pelfreybilt Aluminum one, no real chance in cutting it down and finding a good Hawaiian welder to redo it.

 

I would if my truck wasn't being used everyday, I really thought about that....lol


I see the CVT are listed at 11" for the Cayley which would looks good, wonder if their ladder is easily removable??

 

yea the ladder on the CVT is easily removable. It uses two small bolts that could prob be replaced with pins instead.

 

If you do a little fabbing you could gain an inch or so by removing the rails that bolt up under the tent and attach it to the rack. You can gain another half inch or so by removing your bedrail caps and allowing the rack to sit directly on the fenders. Removing the ladder still leaves the 2 brackets sticking up pretty much as high as the ladder itself, and without the ladder they would protrude into the cover and probably go through it eventually. Taking these on and off would be tiresome since you have to reach into the tent to get a wrench on the bolt heads.

 

The measurements I gave you are pretty "real". Closed tent height is 12", the ladder is 2.5" thick at the thickest point but also has a small 'bumper' that holds it up off the tent base so plan on 3-3.5" for the ladder.

 

Just get a smaller truck.......... or a bigger garage......

easy ........

 

If it were me I definitely wouldn't risk it. 12" is a real measurement from the manufacturer. I am guessing that most manufacturers are measuring too when a tent is fresh out of the box and has been packed away for awhile. This means 12" is ideal. Start sticking bedding in there and throw in a few trips where you dont meticulously pack the tent to make sure everything is even and all the fabric is tucked in efficiently and you will definitely be over 12". Plus, the fabric of the cover isn't always going to lay flat against the tent. One little ripple or fold in the cover that sticks up and you will be rubbing it on the garage. I wouldn't plan on keeping the tent on full time unless I had 14" of clearance and that is with the ladder removed.

 

Just don't park in the garage. Done.

 

i dont know if i would want to leave that on my vehicle full time anyway. The elements will eventually damage it, plus its not the most aerodynamic thing, and it is another 100 lbs that would be constantly sitting on my shell. I dk if you daily drive your vehicle but i would not personally want it on my truck. Just my 0.02

 

Apples to oranges. His is mounted on a rack, not on a shell so the weight won't be an issue and it looks like it will mostly be below the roofline of the truck so won't have bad aerodynamics.

As for the elements, they actually hold up pretty well outside long term. I have several customers who leave their tents on year round and park outside. The thing that will show effect from the elements first will be the webbing straps. Fabric pieces are most susceptible but the PVC covers hold up quite well.

 

I am keeping mine on pretty much full time now. I will remove it if I need the rack for other purposes but for most of the summer it will stay on the truck. I really don't notice much of a difference in fuel economy with the tent on or off. I hit about the same mileage before I have to fill up regardless. I do however, have my tent about as low as it can possibly go though and have other cargo in front of it that deflects the air over the tent.

 

That tent is really low profile. Mine seems to ride high for some reason. Now that you mention it i got about the same fuel economy as well on our trip. I have 4 eye hooks in the cieling of my garage so i just back in to the garage and hoist it off pretty easily. I also use my rack for other things on the daily (bikes, kayaks, wood, metal, etc).

 

Yeah my truck won't even fit in my garage without the tent. #townhome problems. When I have a real house the tent will probably be more temporary and I will have a setup like you are mentioning.

 

is that the original cover for that tent?

 

Who is rocking a condensation mat under their mattress by the way? Does it work?

 

I have the Kukenam Ruggedized RTT and yes the condensation mat works well. It allows any moisture under your mattress to evaporate. I had condensation on the floor and none on the bottom of the mattress. Tepui's condensation mat is 1/2" thick which provides space from the mattress to the floor, allowing the floor and mattress to breathe/air out.