Desert Armor - Tank RTT and others

Yeah the issue with those tents is you pay $700 for a hardshell RTT...then another $6-900 for shipping...to the nearest LARGE port, another $1-300 for the actual nearest port to you. Its another $2-700 to have it delivered to your door. You also have to pay a tribute to the pirates intercepting incoming shipments (yes I am talking about the customs fee you need to pay). Now, this is me talking in Texas 1 hour from the nearest port which is pretty active. If you live more inland or don't have an active port at all in your area the costs are only going to go up. In the end any damage from shipping, any imperfections, anything that doesn't line up you have to let the sales person know and they usually get back to you, but its a hassle dealing with the Chinese. Their way of doing business is very different from ours and they sometimes just simply choose to lose you as a customer rather than try to help you. I actually had a Chinese no name product shipped to me and it ended up in some town 8 hours away. I showed them all of the information and how that wasn't the address I ordered it to. I asked for a replacement and was just told to buy another one. I was upset and out $60. I can't imagine how livid I'd be if I was out $1600-$2600.

Just go to silverwingtrailers.com and get a blemished tent shipped to the nearest terminal to you for $1400.

 

Very good points. It does help a bit if you can communicate in mandarin which helps negotiate and avoid some of those fees mentioned or at the least you can find better avenues. The biggest pain is when you deal with the customs/taxes. Either way, cheaper at the end of the day if your willing to put in the leg work.

Silverwingstrailers.com. I'll have to check that out. Haven't seen it before. Good info!

 

I wish I saw this damn thread 6 months ago when I ordered this. Now I'm here with a shipment confirmation for the Tank finally lol. Weird timing, that's for sure. ETA for shipment is the 31st. I'll make sure to fill you guys in with my experience. FYI, after a few weeks from purchasing, DA came out and said they went with a new manufacturer for the shell and that all the welds are far superior and QC is top notch. We'll see. Crossing my fingers I don't get the POS looking tents y'all got. If so I'll be returning it ASAP. $3400....like mentioned by OP, warrants a perfect tent. I've got a smaller YouTube channel where I'll definitely be doing a walk around so people can get a good idea what we're getting without any paid promotions. Seems like all the stuff on youtube (very limited) were paid by DA.

 

It says something that I'm more nervous than excited to open this up

 

Thinking happy thoughts for you! Hope everything is perfect, definitely let us know.

 

So during my break I got it out of the box and gotta say, first impressions with the packaging was a relief. Lots of padding to protect the tent. Haven't looked over it yet but with a quick glance, everything looks good. Some minor dents on the shell of the tank that would only be noticeable with a light shining down on top of it. The welds are far better than the first ones shipped out. Not perfect but not anything to complain about.

 

That’s good news!

 

Am I closing this incorrectly or are these still being built with big gaps that lets debris fly into the tent? You can easily see the mattress here. Everything else looks great. No metal shavings inside. Still need to get in it and look more closely but it's 12 degrees over here in Utah so it'll have to wait

 

Yes. That’s the way it looks.

 

You got any tips for all the desert armor tent owners to seal this? I recall you posting something about that, just can't find it.

 

Surprisingly it won’t get that dirty.

but you can replace the seal trim with…
Car Door Rubber Seal Strip Trim Seal with Side Bulb for Cars, Boats, RVs, Trucks, and Home Applications, Car Weather Striping (20Ft)

$21 Automotive Weather Stripping Car Door Rubber Seal with Side Bulb for Cars, Boats, RVs, Trucks, Buses and Home Applications, Car Seal Strip (20Ft)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082KVSPWF

something like this.

 

Okay, thanks man. I'll go ahead and order this. Here in Utah we've got so much dirt and dust in the mountains and desert so I'll definitely need this.

 

Yeah I’ve been there. I still think you’d be surprised.

I’d make sure you do some research. You want the thickest possible for those corners.

 

Did you attach it to the shell or the base? I'll report back if this actually works

 

Zero need to seal. My Warrior has seen some of the dustiest stretches of roads out in west Texas. Zero dust intrusion. It has also seen miles and miles of beach sand with no intrusion. Water...it has been through monsoon type rain coming home from beach on several occasions. Zero intrusion.

Good luck.

 

Interesting. I'm still gonna seal this off for peace of mind. Seems odd to have the inside of a tent exposed. Even when it comes to keeping insects out.

 

I’ve never had issues with this either. But I get piece of mind.
Pull the existing one off and install new.
Probably only need it on the corners. Make sure you get a thick side bulb.

 

Definitely seal it as well as you can. The Warrior is a completely different shell than the tank, this tent will get dirty unless you're camping in the Walmart parking lot. I run my ikamper on a trailer, so it gets a good coating of dust anytime I'm off pavement, but nothing inside. If you're mounting it up top it may not be as bad, but will still get some dust. Also, if you store the tent on your garage floor when off the rig, like alot of people do, mice can get in that bad boy and do some damage.

 

Good to know. If you ever get a second to snap a photo, could you take a picture of the bottom corners of your ikamper, like what I posted. I'm really curious what they look like.

 

The iKamper is similar to the Warrior. The plastic top follows the contours of the base closely, giving a fairly tight seal when closed. Unfortunately the Tank lid is not the same shape as the base.