Maggiolina Experts - does this look normal?

[lcgeek]

I just picked up used Maggiolina Grand Tour. I was looking at the door zippers and notice there is some grey fabric sewn in on both sides the prevent the zipper from being able to zip all the way down past the floor frame. Even if the grey material was not there, it seems there is not enough zipper rail for the zipper to close past the floor frame. Is this normal? Seems like windy and rainy conditions would allow rain to get in through past a flapping in the win outer flap.



Thanks
JT

 

[enzo]

I have a Grand Tour myself but can't remember how mine is sewn. I plan on camping sometime this week to try out my winter hood and can report back what I find.

 

[Lemsteraak]

Burnt orange zipper goes to the mosquito screen if I remember right.

Outside you have the storm door to keep the rain out.

I believe yours may have a "privacy door" on the inside, probably hiding under the mattress. It is like a Dutch door only going up half way. Allows you air and privacy from folks peering in to see what it looks like inside. You can also use this to help keep out any drafts that may come in under the storm door.

Some of the Maggiolinas have really complex door systems for air control and privacy. There are even special baffles to aid in keeping the fabric still in gusty weather. All this can be confusing as there aren't any owners manuals. It all becomes clear when you use the tent though.

 

[lcgeek]

I have a Grand Tour myself but can't remember how mine is sewn. I plan on camping sometime this week to try out my winter hood and can report back what I find.

Enzo, thank you - I would appreciate you letting me know what yours looks like.

Lemsteraak said
Burnt orange zipper goes to the mosquito screen if I remember right.

The red zippers shown are the full material doors, as you can see in the pic below, the inner zipper (black) is the screen.

I had a nice chat with Autohome US today to get their opinion. Very nice fellow. There only thought was somebody has modified, perhaps even replaced, the zipper. Maybe - but I am not buying that yet because the zippers are the same on both sides of the tent, why would someone need to modify or replace both sets of zippers in an otherwise good condition tent?

Separate question - how does one know when they have cranked the top up enough...is it just when the tent starts to feel taunt? I ask because perhaps I cranked it a tad too much such that the top is too high, and not enough zipper to come down to the floor edge?

Thanks!
JT

 

[Corey]

Separate question - how does one know when they have cranked the top up enough...is it just when the tent starts to feel taunt? I ask because perhaps I cranked it a tad too much such that the top is too high, and not enough zipper to come down to the floor edge?

Thanks!
JT

Watch how I set mine up, you will see me tapping it
Never over crank it, and the way I do it below shows you how to feel for it when it is taut enough.

 

[lcgeek]

Corey, thanks for posting the video. Any chance you could post photos of where you zippers align in respect to the lower frame top rail? Do they indeed come down past the top of the aluminum top rail, leaving no opening?

After watching your vid, I rechecked mine and had it cranked up about the same tauntness as you. I even backed it off a bit just to see what difference it made, and the tauntness actually does not affect the height of the zippers in respect to floor.

This one has me really perplexed. Here is another pic from the outside which shows not only is the grey fabric stopping the zipper from closing all the way, but even if the grey fabric was not there, the other side of the zipper is not long enough to reach past the frame rail. There is a good 3/4 inch of unzipped opening on both doors on both sides. Only thing I can figure is:
1. This is the way the tent is designed
2. Manufacturer defect on this particular tent with doors sewn in a bit off and/or original tent fabric not secured low enough to the bottom base leaving zippers a bit higher than floor
3. Original owner removed the entire tent fabric from the top and bottom fiberglass sections then cut about 3/4 inch of fabric the way around the top of the tent fabirc like a bad bowl haircut, then reinstalled the tent to fiberglass top and bottom with new rivets on top and clips on bottom. This is only way I can comprehend how the zippers can be left too high from the base, leaving a good 3/4 inch gap on ALL DOORS SIDES.
4. I'm and idiot and have missed something obvious

I think option 3 is a stretch - leaving me with option 1 and 2 to ponder. Option 4 is always a possibility Hoping someone can make sense of this and help me figure this one out

 

[Corey]

Corey, thanks for posting the video. Any chance you could post photos of where you zippers align in respect to the lower frame top rail? Do they indeed come down past the top of the aluminum top rail, leaving no opening?

I have mine all winterized now, I will not be opening it until around late March/early April to wash the sheets again and fluff the comforter out, and clean up any spider webs that get underneath the shell.

Here are two pics of mine though from a few years back when opened up, and the zipper does not go all the way down either.
Red zipper with about an inch of gray material at the bottom preventing it from going all the way down.
Never have I got rain in there from this, or bugs coming in.
When in bed at night, I tuck the gray material flap down between the mattress and lower shell frame.
I use the end windows to let in air to "breathe" during the night.

Hope these pics help.

 

[lcgeek]

thanks Corey. Your pics do help. They show your tent has the same grey strips of fabric at the bottom of zippers.

When I spoke to AutohomeUS earlier this week and showed them pics of my zippers with the grey fabric preventing the zipper from closing fully they said they had never seen any tent with this grey fabric. Odd. Mine has it, yours has it, and I wonder how many others. Maybe they changed design at some point? Mine is a 2007 i believe.

Also looks like the top of grey material on yours is a 1/2 inch above the aluminum trailing so I guess this is the way the tent was designed. After all the rage of these tents, I'm a bit disappointed that a design keeps zippers from closing completely.

 

[Corey]

Mine was made March of 2008, and Mike shipped it to a local dealer/installer as soon as they came into him.
I thought they were all designed this way.
Very happy with mine though, and like I mentioned, nothing gets in from that small gap.

 

[lcgeek]

thanks Corey and Frenchie. Good to know my tent is not an anamoly. Bad to know that this is the way the tent is designed. I had all zippers zipped as far down as possible and tucked down on both sides, and the fact is, there is still a gap there. A gap by design? Outside flaps are nice, but get blown around int the wind and leave the gap vulnerable to rain through wind. Odd.

I'd prefer to have to fumble with my a mattress a bit and have the zippers fully close the space, then have a gap, albeit "small". If you blustery winds and sideways rain - apparently this "small" gap DOES let in water. My wet sheet and mattress right at this zipper gap on the wind blown side can attest to it.

Maybe I'll never have a storm like the one that just pasted or maybe I will. I guess I'll add some glue-on buttons on the corners of the outside flaps to try to deal with it.

 

[Ace Brown]

Another reason they stop short is to help prevent the zipper from getting caught between the shells when closed. That could damage the zipper and aluminum rails. I have a Columbus which I just received in May and it has small plastic flaps on the zipper to stop leakage through the zipper. Not sure how effective they may be as I have yet to experience a hard wind-driven rain.


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[Colin Hughes]

Once I tuck in the flaps at the bottom of the tent, I don't find I have water issues. We were once camped on the cliff edge of the Atlantic Ocean and suffered a night of driving rain and wind. A couple of small wet spots, the size of a quarter is all the water we saw.