Sunday, Feb 03, 2008 at 02:27
Hi Jason....
Yep, it is an ArmaDillo unit.
I ordered it last year and it was delivered just before Christmas. So far haven't yet used it in battle .... only the backyard to get the hang of it. This is a MUST DO step, as all CamperTents aren't born equal !!
Mine is the 12 ft model. I specifically chose this size on account of ' it's size!' I just love roughing it in comfort and here size does matter. Generally there is just me and the Beagle inhabiting it .... but always with provision for the missus. I'm not that silly.
SET-UP ; This is pretty much easy and is basically the same for all/most/some other tops .... ie park somewhere/ pull off the vinyl top [ plonk it over the front of your trailer or underneath] / loosen/undo the straps and pull up the first section.
[Facing the REAR of the trailer the tent opens to the RIGHT hand side !!] Important to remember this.
The rest is fairly easy ....... the set-up sheet that comes with the tent is best used immediately as
toilet paper !! Waste of space !!
Annex roof can be left off if required orZIPPED on simply as a full length awning ....... no ropes required unless very windy or you are a fussy coot who likes things s\ship-shape .... as I are !!
Iffen you put up the sidewalls, these are Velcro'd on.
Awning screen windows are large and very airy ....... great for flow-thru ventilation and light. Bed windows are nice and large, too. All screens have ZIPPED awnings, Velcro's at the bottom.
Poles are good, the awning roof ones are a little tricky to work out, considering you have used the instruction sheet for loo paper ..... there is no mention at all on the fitting of poles !
Stitching appears to be OK, but untested by me yet. Most all seams leaked, but this is normal. There are other threads here which you probably will have seen already.
Canvas is light but appropriate for the job. Flooring appears reasonably suitable for it's purpose.
FAULTS/FLAWS :
First, bear in mind that this is a relatively inexpensive unit, as opposed to a 'cheap' unit .... there is a difference. I imagine that most of these would not be apparent in a $4000-5000 unit !!
LACK of decent Instruction Sheet is not good ... I managed mainly 'cause I'd previously owned another unit.
FLOOR of the tent would be better served with higher side upturns [ or bucket concept] instead of floor and walls meeting at ground level .
LADDER to the bed is round pipe construction, thusly very hard on the feet. I intend ditching it and putting in a set of KMart folding kitchen Steps [ladder] which would also be useful for other things around the
camp. Climbing into the high bed would be painful and 'unsightly' to say the least , without this style of step.
MATTRESS is huge and really great in size, but too thin and needs to be augmented with egg-carton foam underlay .... then it would be perfect! But it is adequate , unless you are in the Sumo wrestler category!
SIZE : remember it is the width of your trailer PLUS 12 feet without the awning/annex. Not a problem for me as 98.25% of my camping is pure
bush camping [I go prospecting!] thus footprint area is not a consideration. I can't really see the footprint being a drawback in most caravan parks .... but my experience there is limited.
WEIGHT : the bloody thing weighs in at around 150 kgs PLUS whatever else you will load on top of the bed.
NO GAS STRUTS are supplied with the unit so iffen you want access to the inside of the trailer whilst travelling your missus needs really massive arm developement to hold all that up whilst you rummage around looking for your sunnies/fags/whatever.
If she lets go .... boom boom !!
But OVERALL :
I think is is a great tent for it's price and should be perfect as a first CamperTop, to learn the ways neccessary to make a good
camp. For overnight stops forget the awning .... only use it for longer stays. Poles come in their own bag, as does the ladder. There is a tentpeg bag with tons of pegs and adequate ropes/cordage to rope it down.
I would almost always rig up a LARGE silver Tarp as a fly, so useful for preventing condensation inside, keeping the sun at bay and preventing the bird deposits on the top of the tent. Some of the birds up here seem to subsist on a diet of araldite, black molasses and hydrochloric acid !!!
If yopu get top do the 'bush' thing this is the ideal and inexpensive solution. More than adequate for a family .... just barely OK for me and the Beagle !!!
Feel free to MM if you need more ............
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