My Mombasa Roof Top Tent Review!

[Boston Mangler]

Here is my writeup with Pros, Cons, Fixes and Pics

UPDATE: I ended up mounting the tent to my Slee/African Outrack rack instead of the Thule bars and redid my writeup

http://www.yankeetoys.org/mangler/ctt.htm

Bottom line is that its a great piece of gear for the price ($393 shipped to my door). It will be even nicer once they "Fix" it!

Enjoy!

:beer:

[Ursidae69]

Great write-up, a nice real-world assessment. Having tested the ladder on Jeff's at the Trophy and having a similar build as you, I suspect you'll be doing a ladder mod sooner than later. For the price, I think it is all worth the extra effort. Good luck with it.

[Boston Mangler]

Great write-up, a nice real-world assessment. Having tested the ladder on Jeff's at the Trophy and having a similar build as you, I suspect you'll be doing a ladder mod sooner than later. For the price, I think it is all worth the extra effort. Good luck with it.

Thanks

The ladder is "Strong" enough, my issues with it are that its way over complicated for what it is! The pins and sliding parts arent really that necassary but make for a longer setup and too many pieces to lose and/or keep track of.

Also, It takes awhile to setup. We are only talking a few minutes here, nothing major, but i thought it should be mentioned!

:beer:

[adventureduo]

Looks good dude, mine should be here any day! WOOT! :victory:

[Boston Mangler]

I just added some more info and pics

[Scott Brady]

Great review. It looks like they beefed up the cover, cool.

[adventureduo]

Mine arrived today. Just got done installing it. Bolted mine straight to the INTI rack.
Drilled out the rivets on the factory mounting brackets and took them off. Also,
removed the eyelits that were on the bottom of the tent too. Drilled straight through
the floor and through the aluminum frame into my aluminum floor. Used two small
plates on the back with some large 3/4" self tappers and drilled them in horizontally.
The tent aint goin' anywhere.

More pics here..
http://community.webshots.com/user/socalxj

My fat ***** trying to break the d**n thing.
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3296/dsc01332mt8.jpg

GF helping out.. (such a great girl i swear)
http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/9004/dsc01326aw2.jpg

Takes 30 seconds to open..
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/6031/dsc01334ql9.jpg
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7367/dsc01317ml6.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5882/dsc01318vp6.jpg
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4938/dsc01319ju7.jpg


http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3623/dsc01343wx6.jpg

The left side of the rack back on fitting perfectly, still holding the wilson antenna.
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9233/dsc01350yb3.jpg


Drove home, barely even knew the thing was up there. The NATO cans already block the wind anyways. The tent weighs 120lbs.. so it's not even that noticeable in the top heavy category.


Stoked to try it out. Not stoked to get out of it in the middle of the night drunk to take a leak.

[Boston Mangler]

Nice Fit! Looks great!


Not stoked to get out of it in the middle of the night drunk to take a leak.

Ha! I agree, this should be very interesting!

Curious, how much space is there between the rack and the tent and how the cover fits? Are you able to get the corners underneath it for a snug fit? Some close up pics in the daylight would be great!

[adventureduo]

There's really nothing to take pictures of. The bolt just goes through the tent frame and bolts to my rack floor. If you look in the link i posted there is a pic of the bolt coming through the floor.

As far as the cover goes, no it does not tuck under the tent. The tent is mounted to the floor of the rack, so there's no gap whatsoever. The cover seemed plenty tight to stay on. Made it home and back into work today no problem.

I'll shoot more pics when i get time to open it up again. :victory:

[Kermit]

One of those may be my in future...Chad is getting back to me on price/shipping.

I was looking for a Wildernest...or perhaps a Flippac, but...:)

[Boston Mangler]

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7367/dsc01317ml6.jpg

Next time, dont open it so fast and you wont get the speed blur! :D

[kcowyo]

Not stoked to get out of it in the middle of the night drunk to take a leak.

And I'm not stoked for either of ya', but you both put up nice reviews. Nice pics and good detail too. I think for that price those were too good to pass up. Good score and I think it's cool you were able to get them for such a great price through ExPo.

You two still going to DV in January? That would be a good field test for the tents. :camping:

[Boston Mangler]

You two still going to DV in January? That would be a good field test for the tents. :camping:

It appears that a majority of the park is closed in mid winter. I would still like to do a cold weather trip SOMEWHERE though! Anyone got any ideas/and/or suggestions?

:camping:

[BajaTaco]

It appears that a majority of the park is closed in mid winter. I would still like to do a cold weather trip SOMEWHERE though! Anyone got any ideas/and/or suggestions?

:camping:

Sure (http://www.expeditionswest.com/arctic_ocean/) :ylsmoke:

[Kermit]

I would still like to do a cold weather trip SOMEWHERE though! Anyone got any ideas/and/or suggestions?

:camping:
Mammoth?
Big Bear?

[sleeoffroad]

Kevin,

didn't wan't to hijack your thread, but re: your comment on window sizes, the Technitop has pretty good window sizes as well.

http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/images/tents/technitop1.jpg

[adventureduo]

Next time, dont open it so fast and you wont get the speed blur! :D

Didn't even know i was getting my pic taken.



Yeah and next time i'll try and not smash by boss's finger too! LMFAO!

http://img327.imageshack.us/img327/7281/2222393460034696539spidmw9.jpg

[TACODOC]

Here is my writeup with Pros, Cons, Fixes and Pics

http://www.yankeetoys.org/mangler/ctt.htm

Enjoy!

:beer:

Nice writeup Rob! :tent:

[flyingwil]

Nice writeup Rob! :tent:

I think you meant Kevin?

Kevin = Boston Mangler
Robb = blupaddler

[Boston Mangler]

Kevin,

didn't wan't to hijack your thread, but re: your comment on window sizes, the Technitop has pretty good window sizes as well.


No problem Christo! That looks like a very nice tent and i like the "moonroof" feature as well!! Very nice and breezy indeed! :D

If i need to upgrade in the future, that one or the MyWay unit are tops on the list!


I think you meant Kevin?

Kevin = Boston Mangler
Robb = blupaddler

Its all good, we both have very sexy and similar rigs!

[slosurfer]

It appears that a majority of the park is closed in mid winter. I would still like to do a cold weather trip SOMEWHERE though! Anyone got any ideas/and/or suggestions?

:camping:

Not much wheeling, but yosemite in the winter would be a good cold weather test, plus not nearly as crowded.

[Boston Mangler]

Hmmmm

Excellent idea! Is it open?

Anyone interested??

:camping:

[TACODOC]

I think you meant Kevin?

Kevin = Boston Mangler
Robb = blupaddler

DOH!!!! Why is it Wil is always right there to bust my chops???

Those 'Cruiser guys all look alike to me:D

Sorry Kevin... :o

[flyingwil]

DOH!!!! Why is it Wil is always right there to bust my chops???

'cause I expect soo much more from you! Dave, you are slacking!

[TACODOC]

Dave, you are slacking!

Thats it! :gunt:

[blupaddler]

Its all good, with both have very sexy and similar rigs!


Yeah, BABY, Yeah!!! Damnn Sexy!!!


:ylsmoke:

[Boston Mangler]

Well, i did the real world test and slept in it last night with the girlfriend at the beach.

Definitely need something more sturdy then 2 thule load bars mounted to the gutter. The bars flexed and moved a little too much for my liking.

I am going to explore possibly mounting this to the rack and see what happens!

Hmmmm, trial and error! :D

[adventureduo]

Yep, those bars are too weak dude. Thats why i didnt even entertain that route when i already had a rack that would fit the tent perfectly.

Mount that puppy on your rack and be done.

If you go do any crazy wheeling, just pull the whole rack w/tent off the truck.

[Boston Mangler]

Mount that puppy on your rack and be done.
If you go do any crazy wheeling, just pull the whole rack w/tent off the truck.

Yes, that is probably my next project, possibly looking at these as well: http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/products_loadbars.htm

I was hoping to eliminate having the world most expensive "Tent Mount" and sell the rack, but now i am thinking of using that extra 10" or so to mount a PVC (or similar) water tank for a simple gravity shower setup!

I figured the aluminum frame of the tent would have plenty of rigidity but the frame itself was flexing as well! :confused:

Here is the diagram that Mel (owner of www.car-top-tent.com) sent me, with 3 support bars in the middle, i figured that should limit flex and such, but it doesnt

http://www.yankeetoys.org/mangler/tent_base.pdf


I picked up some 3/4"x3/4" aluminum square tubing that i am going to use between the tent and the rack to lift it up a little off the rack so,

1) i will be able to put the cover all the way on, and

2) so moisture doesnt get trapped between the rack and the partical board floor, destroying it!

Pics will follow

[Boston Mangler]

I wasnt happy with all the movement that i had with the tent mounted on the Thule bars, so i bit the bullet and mounted it to my rack instead.

Its kind of a waste of a perfectly good rack (it uses the entire thing) but its super sturdy and fits perfect.

I redid my writeup if you care to check it out:

http://www.yankeetoys.org/mangler/ctt.htm

[cruiseroutfit]

Great writeup!

I just spent 4 nights in my CTT on a trip in Southern Utah. Overall I am extremely happy with it... Its mounted on my trail trailer, so the existing ladder is more than adequate & sturdy. I found the Thule bars just fine for my wife & I, we slept comfortable each night :D. We did get nailed by a couple of snow storms, the first night I used a tarp over the tent, by morning we had ~3" of snow up there, shook it off and put the tent away. The next night the snow snuck up on us... shook it off before the sun came out and put it away :cool:

[calamaridog]

Great write-up Kevin. Glad to see you make use of the roof rack.

[Bella PSD]

Here is my roof top tent. Its up there but the rack is way to small. I will be building a new rack soon.
Louie

http://www.bellaphotographics.com/FordSuperDutyImages/Truck%20tent%20077.jpg
AND
http://www.bellaphotographics.com/FordSuperDutyImages/Trucktent107.jpg

Edit to fix dead links to images

[kcowyo]

Nice photos! Did I read somewhere here that you're a commercial photographer? Nice, nice stuff.

I've always liked the looks of those Ranch Hand bumpers on full size trucks too. Sure looks like a long walk up and down that ladder, but how could you pass up that price on the tent?

Hope you get to go out and enjoy it soon - :camping:

[blupaddler]

Nice!

BTW I saw your rig featured in the Diesel Power magazine. Congrats!!!

:26_7_2:

:clapsmile

[Bella PSD]

Thanks!I am a commercial photographer:ylsmoke:

Also, on the ladder. It is a long walk up. So long the ladder does not touch the ground!! I am working on a longer one. You can see it does not touch in the photo.

Louie

Nice photos! Did I read somewhere here that you're a commercial photographer? Nice, nice stuff.

I've always liked the looks of those Ranch Hand bumpers on full size trucks too. Sure looks like a long walk up and down that ladder, but how could you pass up that price on the tent?

Hope you get to go out and enjoy it soon - :camping:

[Desertdude]

Bella PSD - you photos are rich

---------------------

The next night the snow snuck up on us... shook it off before the sun came out and put it away

Damn Kurt, you folks from Utah are as rugged as our Canadian friends


:REOutCampFire03:

[adventureduo]

Great pics! Glad to see the tent handles snow just fine. I'll be testing mine for the first time this weekend.. i'll snap some pics!

[cruiseroutfit]

...Damn Kurt, you folks from Utah are as rugged as our Canadian friends


:REOutCampFire03:

Good trips don't wait :smiley_drive:

Just got back last night from another COLD trip to Southern Utah (playing around on the opposite side of Lake Powell as last weeks HITR trip). We were in and out of the snow all weekend :rally_guys:

[Poorboyota26]

Just found one on craigs list. How are they holding up?