I thought you said the Maggiolina could be left out in the snow?

[Desolation]

Wow! So what will you do?
Fab up a supported roof structure? I can picture a tube frame transferring the load to the trailer frame and skinned with Aluminum or possibly a composite material.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Just to be sure we're clear, it doesn't appear to have been damaged. I did go and look during the daylight and can't see anything, but I'm reserving judgement till I can open it up and get a real good look.

I dunno what I'll do just yet. First thing I'll do is put some stuff up there to "stuff" the inside so that it won't collapse as easy. I'll be clearing the snow off after every storm. I'll see how that seems to go. If I still see the sides puckering out before I clear it after every storm, then I guess I'll have to take it off and put it in my shed for the winter. I don't know how many "puckerings" it can take before it gets damaged.

 

[Desolation]

Filling the inside is a good idea.
You could also bend up a temporary roof to dump snow, set it in place maybe retain it with ratchet straps, then simply remove it for use... Just a thought.
Glad to hear there is no damage!
Hate to say it but I have learned at your expense, I will look hard at the roof capacity as we can/have easily get 2+Feet in 24 hours.

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

It took, by your estimate, 600lbs of weight and appears to be undamaged. Yet, there is a problem?

At some point, you have to accept that mother nature has more in store than what any company can build for.

So I guess at some unknown point the snow load will become too great. Rather disappointing.

Isn't this common sense? Exactly how much weight should this bear before it's ok to buckle?
I would be happy it survived and simply cover it w/ a peak.

I'm not being argumentative. I know it reads that way but I'm not- just saying that, basically, $hit happens.
here is a friend's Magg xl

 

[R_Lefebvre]

It took, by your estimate, 600lbs of weight and appears to be undamaged. Yet, there is a problem?

That was my estimate, assuming the snow had the same density as pure water which is a bit of a stretch... the dealer estimated 200lbs. Either way that snow fell overnight. That's the problem.

If it was a case where we'd had some crazy snowfall that flattened all the temporary garages and plastic play structures in the area... then I'd accept it as a freak of nature event. But this wasn't a rare occurance. Probably happens once or twice a year on average.

Isn't this common sense? Exactly how much weight should this bear before it's ok to buckle?
I would be happy it survived and simply cover it w/ a peak.

Uh, I dunno. I have one of those temporary garage shelters up at the cottage that can go for weeks at a time with heavy snowfall without collapsing. I'd have thought this would at least be similar.

I'm not being argumentative. I know it reads that way but I'm not- just saying that, basically, $hit happens.

I hear ya, and I don't want to people to misread what I'm saying either. I was surprised and disappointed at what happened, and I'm just warning others... pay attention to the snow load. Don't take it for granted.

 

[Co-opski]

Lots of good info here. I'm keeping an eye on this because of the maritime snowpack I see and I'm kicking the the idea of a Maggiolina for the truck.

 

[BlueHZT60]

So I guess at some unknown point the snow load will become too great. [/quote]

The large maggiolina roof is pretty thin on the non-structural areas - maybe about 3 regular business cards. So, ....

Was the mattress frozen solid? Was the interior full of mold?

I've had a large maggiolina for over 12 years now. The first couple years I stored it outside uncovered. Ice dams are what will really mess with the Maggiolina - where the water catches and pools on the large roof. First time the interior was full of mold one week before a big trip. I used Autohome's patch kit (the boat epoxy stuff), scrubbed the interior, ripped out the pressboard wood trim, put in pine trim, washed the mattress cover (foam inside was still dry), and off I went.

Three years later, a bigger ice dam and the mattress was frozen solid inside. That prompted a real repair with basically a fiberglass structural belt across the entire step up area in the lid. It's been stored covered (wood and tarp, or inside since).

The newer and/or different models with the bumped up lids will naturally shed water/snow/ice and should not be as big a deal.

As for snow load, if it's outside, I regularly sweep off the snow. The repair process takes a lot of my time and I don't like sanding fiberglass, so I try to avoid it these days.

Bob

 

[007]

OP, Thanks for sharing and I commend you for keeping your cool through this!:ylsmoke:

 

[elysium]

A few observations (not to get people riled up).

1)

Let's see exactly what kind of damage we are talking about, what your model loosk like, etc... Right now, we're all just guessing based on word pictures.

2) Perhaps others have thought this, but it seems odd that one would buy a tent named "Safari" and expect it to handle snow loads. In hindsight, it would seem like something that would have set off some bells if I lived in a cold environment.

Again, not to get people riled up, but it does seem that many folks have used maggiolina airland RTTs without issue, so this particular situation seems like just an unlucky combination of multiple variables (wrong tent in the wrong climate, left outside, etc...). Perhaps it was an autohome canada issue in terms of disclosure at initial sale (who knows), but the title of this thread should be changed to include the words "Safari" and not just maggiolina. Otherwise, the thread implies that all maggiolinas have this issue, when it seems, it's really just a subset of the tents designed for hotter climates. I know you meant well to let other owners know about this possible issue, but now that we know some more, it seems like it's not all maggiolinas.

 

[skysix]

What I'd be more concerned with is what snow load the roof can take when it is UP (and someone is sleeping inside!)

Winter and snow more months of the year than not in the NWT...

 

[R_Lefebvre]

A few observations (not to get people riled up).

1)

Let's see exactly what kind of damage we are talking about, what your model loosk like, etc... Right now, we're all just guessing based on word pictures.

2) Perhaps others have thought this, but it seems odd that one would buy a tent named "Safari" and expect it to handle snow loads. In hindsight, it would seem like something that would have set off some bells if I lived in a cold environment.

Again, not to get people riled up, but it does seem that many folks have used maggiolina airland RTTs without issue, so this particular situation seems like just an unlucky combination of multiple variables (wrong tent in the wrong climate, left outside, etc...). Perhaps it was an autohome canada issue in terms of disclosure at initial sale (who knows), but the title of this thread should be changed to include the words "Safari" and not just maggiolina. Otherwise, the thread implies that all maggiolinas have this issue, when it seems, it's really just a subset of the tents designed for hotter climates. I know you meant well to let other owners know about this possible issue, but now that we know some more, it seems like it's not all maggiolinas.

Sorry, I didn't take any pictures. Too dark, and I was too freaked out.

I believed the "Safari" was simply a colour variation on an otherwise standard tent. I have no reason to believe otherwise. I specifically asked the question to Autohome and they did not answer it. If I had found out that it was in fact different, I would probably like to exchange it as I was never informed of any limitations when I bought it. I'll continue to assume it is a colour variation on the Airlander until I hear otherwise. As stated early, it has the exact same dimensions, and exact same weight as an Airlander. I also expect the Grand Tour is not much different. I wouldn't consider changing the title until we know for sure which models share the construction.

As I said, this could go either way. If they're all the same (other than the Extremes) the info is valid. If the Safari is weaker than all the others, I should like to exchange it.

Lots of good info here. I'm keeping an eye on this because of the maritime snowpack I see and I'm kicking the the idea of a Maggiolina for the truck.

Maybe look at the Extreme version? I considered getting the Extreme Forest at the time, that's another attractive unit.

What I'd be more concerned with is what snow load the roof can take when it is UP (and someone is sleeping inside!)

That's what I want to know!

At the time I was deciding, the extra warmth of the Mag was a big factor for me. But if I find out I can't use it when there is risk of "winter mix", that kinda makes it a moot point.

 

[tdesanto]

If you didn't quite get the answer you wanted from Italy, I'm surprised the vendor you bought it from hasn't helped you track down the answer. I think you still deserve the answer to your question about whether the Safari is simply a color variation of the Airland.

 

[Corey]

If you didn't quite get the answer you wanted from Italy, I'm surprised the vendor you bought it from hasn't helped you track down the answer. I think you still deserve the answer to your question about whether the Safari is simply a color variation of the Airland.

That would be AirLander.
It was posted in here earlier that the AirLander is the model from Italy, and the AirLand (also built over there) was specked out by Mike and Rich from AutohomeUS.com to be better suited for our snowy/cold weather here.