CVT Mt. Shasta Extended Summit Review

Hey guys, so I have recently been rigging up my ’17 Off-Road Manual Tacoma for a bit of overlanding. After setting the truck up with some K02’s, Front Runner roof and bed rack I happened to come across a CVT Mt. Shasta Summit for sale locally that was only used 2-3 times and less than a year old. I went to check out the tent, and it was truly in like new shape as described. Needless to say I had to own it(even though I was going to go with the standard model of the Shasta). I also own a Mt Rainier standard model so I will throw in a few comparisons in as I go.

I just came back from a 3 night camping trip with the new tent. The trip included a day of fair sunny weather, a day night of heavy rainfall & wind, and a day of VERY humid drizzly weather. Perfect for testing out a new RTT! Here are my thoughts on the Mt. Shasta Extended Summit:

Main features:
Tent material is absolutely phenomenal and is very water proof. In comparison to the standard model it is supposed to be about 30% thicker but in real life feels about twice as thick. In strong winds this defiantly helps keep the tent steady as well as the all metal brackets. The better framework of the summit also helps keep the tent from flexing if you are sitting inside leaning on the frame. Having a water proof mattress on the summit is a God send in wet weather! The anti condensation matt did do its job in keeping the floor dry. Speaking of condensation the thicker material does seem to make it a bit more of a problem at night as the roof and walls did seem to get more moist then in the standard version of the tent. Folding up the summit is defiantly more of a chore because of the thicker material. The metal floor of the summit does make the tent heavy, and I guess stronger, but in use I could not tell any difference.

Size:
Size wise the summit is plenty big enough inside for two people. If you have a small child, it will work well as well. For anything more then that the Mt. Rainer is A LOT bigger inside and can fit up to 4 people if you are willing to be nice and close The annex room on the extended version is much more usable especially if you have the tent on a bed rack since you can actually stand up in it where the opening is for the ladder. A standard cot does fit easily in the annex of the Mt. Shasta.

Finer details:
The built in light of the summit is absolutely great to have! The dim control on it is amazing and gives you a wide range of light output. The only down side on the Tacoma is that you do not have any way of powering it. The cigarette lighter is what it plugs into but you need to have the ignition on for that to work… I will be just powering it with my RavPower battery. Having the frame wrapped in fabric on the summit is very nice. It’s a minor detail but makes the tent feel much nicer inside. I have not used the shoe attachment yet, as I did have the annex setup but I guess it’s a nice feature in wet/dirty conditions.

Issues:
The mattress on my Mt. Shasta seems to be ever slightly too long for the tent and wants to bow up about 1-2” on each size when the tent is unfolded. Once you use it for a bit it does settle down. This was never an issue with the Mt. Rainier.

My Mt. Shasta ladder side mesh door is SUPPER tight when closed up. It also has about 7 small holes all on the bottom of the door in the mesh material. I’m almost certain that the holes formed from it being so tight when closed. Considering that this tend is essentially new, this is a major bummer!!! I have not tried to contact CVT to see if this is something they will warranty.

Conclusion:
I’m totally stoked about the CVT Mt. Shasta Extended Summit and honestly very happy that I went with the Summit. It just feels like a premium product and I feel like It’s more of a 4 season tent vs the Standard models being a 3 season tent.

 

Awesome write up! Looks great on your truck!

 

Sweet! I have the Mount Rainer summit series. love it besides it is a little difficult to put away. Have any of you had that issue?

 

I do find that tucking in all the fabric on the Summit line is a lot more difficult. What I found works better then trying to shove it in is to first slightly open the tent and then tuck the fabric. The standard material is much, much easier in this regard.

 

How about zipping the cover up? Does yours get stuck at all?

 

The zipper is just something you need to get a hang of I find. I can close it pretty well now that I know how to work it.

 

I emailed CVT about the mesh net issue a few days back, still waiting for for a reply.

 

Hello Vlad and Natalie,

Looking to get a CVT tent soon and I'm going to get a Shasta Series. Name of my dog and home town so it seems fitting. I still trying to decide between the Pioneer and Summit Series. Just wondering if the extra 1k is really worth it, especially being that i live in southern California most of the year. Just wondering if the Ladder, Bed cover and the thicker material are really worth it being I don't need to pay extra for USB port and light. Any idea how I can get on a group buy? Thanks

First post on Tacoma World

 

I honestly think that in socal the regular model will be all you need. You guys just really do not get much wet/cold weather there to justify the summit.

 

Yea the regular model will definitely be plenty for you! However the summit series does trap in a ton of heat and it does come with some extras like interior led and some usb ports but honestly you most likely will not be using those couple of things.

 

This review make me happy I went with the summit series Mt Rainier over the standard. Excellent review!

 

Good to hear! BTW I got an email from Bobbie at CVT and we are working on getting the screen issue figured out.

 

Glad to see you use your annex even for just the initial outing, got a demo tent from Boulder Outdoor Products that came with an annex but the rack in building is only 12" higher then the bed rails so I didn't think it too practical but seeing that picture makes me more confident to take the time and set mine up when the rack is ready

 

Thanks for the review. I have been looking at a similar set up. Particularly a mid-height bed rack like yours and a RTT. I wanted a RTT like this one that has some overhang which creates a roof. I noticed in the pictures that the distance from ground to base of the tent is not that high. I tall would that be on a stock truck? Did you find going in and out of tents annoying or difficult? Was the annex useful at all? I assume there isn't much room to stand tall under it... Thanks.

 

I have mine on a canopy and I have just enough clearance to walk under without ducking. I'm 6'0 tall and tend to duck anyway because it's real close. The annex is useful if you plan to stay in the same spot a couple nights in a row. Otherwise not really worth the effort. My truck is stock height.

 

Nice setup. May I ask how much and where you got the tent since we're both locals. Unfortunatelt I do not have the $ for canopy. Yours would be the ideal setup thouhh.

 

100% agree with all of this! One thing that I will add is that if you do have the extended version the anex is a bit more useful as you can stand up in the overhang area. In general the anex is a chore to setup and really I would not bother for a single night unless the weather was really nasty and you need the extra room to change/store gear.

 

BTW, I want to throw out a shout out to CVT for amazing customer service! They replaced my tent because of the defect my fists tent had. I now have the stargazer version and absolutely love it as it lets in much more light. I will never buy any other tent but a CVT as the customer service is amazing!

 

thanks for this

 

Awesome review, thank you!