ARB Rooftop Tent - Opinions From Owners
Submitted: Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 04:24
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Topend
My wife and I are going to have a look at an ARB rooftop tent. I would be interested in any opinions.
We would still carry our Freedom Family Tourer tent and use the rooftop tent for a short overnighter or in croc country.
Topend.
Reply By: Member - Troopytrek - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 06:00
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 06:00
G,day Topend We know two people who bought them . They apparently used to be made in South Africa but now have moved production to China. Neither of them were happy with the quality of the stitching etc. Both have been big ARB supporters so were suprised with what they found When the opened the campers up. one of them wasn,t interested in any remedies just wanted there money back the other was in discussions with arb as to what they could do because they still want the tent just want the regular ARB quality.
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Reply By: Peter 2 - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 08:39
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 08:39
Buy an Aussie made one from Shippshape?
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Follow Up By: troopyman - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 10:41
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 10:41
They look awesome .
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Reply By: Steve - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 11:10
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 11:10
Buy an Aussie Traveller...the best by far and made in
Brisbane....they have a web site and I had one for 8 years ...it was the best there is, no question ...strong,
well made and quality....not to mention that it is far more usefull as it has a room as
well...eat in out of weather , change , wash etc...and waterproof ..even in tropical downpours and all night howling stuff !!!
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Follow Up By: Peter 2 - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 11:50
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 11:50
Agree totally, exactly why we bought a Shippshape with the added bonus that the tonneau becomes an awning or side wall and the inside remains dry!
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Follow Up By: Stu-k - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 12:27
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 12:27
How much they charging for them?
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Follow Up By: Dingo77 - Friday, Apr 13, 2007 at 08:18
Friday, Apr 13, 2007 at 08:18
G' Day guys,
I just found this thread and wanted to know where I could get a shipshape tent or if there was a website.
I've run a search on Google but only get links back to 'exploreoz'.
cheers.
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Follow Up By: Peter 2 - Friday, Apr 13, 2007 at 08:46
Friday, Apr 13, 2007 at 08:46
www.shippshape.com.au/
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Reply By: Member - 'Lucy' - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 13:04
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 13:04
Very interesting comments above.
The original ARB roof top tent was made by Open Sky in South Africa and is a re badged Open Sky Howling Moon made to ARB specs. (Just a little lessin quality but still a superb product).
I have an a Open Sky Howling Moon roof top tent and have made direct comparisons to the ARB and discussed it with and ARB dealership.
It would appear that ARB may have decided to 'source' this particular product from China ( like a lot of others) instead of Sth Africa.
Whatever, I can stae that if you want the best quality and service backup then the Howling Moon is the way to go.
AND
they make a 1200 x 1600 as opposed to the standard 1200 x 1400, which is something not advertised and that most punters are not aware of.
Their National Head Office is baout 10Km south of me in
Melbourne , which is a bonus as I can just drop in any old time and shoot the chit or buy.
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Reply By: Motherhen - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 13:11
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 13:11
My son bought from eBay, and is very pleased with the quality - certainly as good as buying in Oz.
Site Link
See thread 41833 - Extract from replies: "Same bloke sells them through the trading post for $750 as
well. Same design as the ARB
Pilbara which is more than twice the price. Older ARB tents were a much thicker and higher quality material. Now they use a ripstop or facsimile thereof and are sourced from China. These tents are primarily the same. Pretty good value."
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Reply By: Middle Jeff - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 18:09
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 18:09
Hi Topend
I have the howling moon version, which is great. I have the one with the awning over the ladder and also the room that hangs off it,
mine opens over the back so the room hangs behind and you unzip the big access door and I open the rear of the car into it, also the floor zips out so I unzip it a 1/4 of the way and turn back the corner put a mat down and use my Colman hot water thing to have a shower, then straight to bed without going outside. The howling moon only weighs 60Kg and is really
well made,
well ventilated with big windows that can be fully open even in heavy rain, a fly that keeps the tent cool and dry and a ladder that is comfy to use with nothing on your feet.
Have fun
Craig
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Follow Up By: canpin - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 19:21
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 19:21
Craig,
I assume that you have the "Tourer" model, can you tell me what the mattress size is? Also what price approx did you pay for the tent?
Cheers
Craig
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Follow Up By: Middle Jeff - Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 23:36
Saturday, Mar 31, 2007 at 23:36
Hi Craig
Yes it is the Tourer and it is 2.4 X 1.4 I put one of those egg crate style overlay and can just get a good quality queen size fitted sheet over it. I was lucky and got it on ebay from some one who used it for one night and then went out and brought a Winnebago, only paid $1200 for the lot.
Have fun
Craig
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Reply By: Topend - Sunday, Apr 01, 2007 at 09:04
Sunday, Apr 01, 2007 at 09:04
Thanks for the replies.
I looked at the other rooftop tents that were recommended above. They do look very good but I was after something on a smaller scale. We also want to use the front part of the roof rack so these rooftop tents are too big for our needs.
Both the guys we are travelling with have the same tent from Ebay that was suggested. They are cheap but have the same fabric as a K-Mart tent. We want something a little more durable.
We had a look at rooftop tents at TJM, Opposite Lock and ARB. We still like the ARB rooftop tent so we may go against the grain here. I like the light colour (cooler) and the extension over the ladder. The fabric was a little heavier than the equivilent at TJM and we did not see any defects with the example on display.
Thanks again,
Topend
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