polling maggiolina airtop owners regarding the seal between the shells

[Mike S]

I have discussed the Air Top problems that we have seen on a few tents with the factory. Of course, they are Italian and have been on vacation from the week before Christmas until the 9th of January... but they jumped on the issue right away this week.

They have been very forth coming with their responses.

1. They have seen this issue on some Air Tops.

2. They are providing US with a fix to the foam sealing gaskets. I should have these in a couple weeks. Please contact me if you are having these issues. If not, you need not be concerned, but please read on.

3. The fit and function of the current Air Top hard shell requires care in closing at the front. If the top and bottom shell are not carefully aligned there may be leakage into the front fabric of the tent. Perhaps the reason that I have not seen the problem is that I have been careful to align and close the front first, then the rear. Just a thought. The new closure latches are NOT the problem.

4. There is now a new mold that incorporates some tweaks to assure that the fit at the front of the Air Top is more positive. This should completely eliminate the problem.

Thanks for your patience.

Mike

[spressomon]

That's good news Mike! Having them admit they are cognizant of the issue is 3/4 of the battle

[Mike S]

That's good news Mike! Having them admit they are cognizant of the issue is 3/4 of the battle

Dan, AutoHome Italy has been very responsive in the 10 years or so that we have been dealing with them.

[kilimats]

Hey Mike,

I am also experiencing this leak on my airtop tent, I sent you a PM thanks

[kramme]

Trust this is ok to post here, figured many Maggiolina Airtop owners may be looking and be able to help or Mike

Not sure if this has happened to others, but shortly after I purchased my Airtop I opened up the top to find I had several small tears (rips) in it on the side. Apparently when tucking in the sides they can get in the path of the "scissors mechanism" (it is right over that area). I will take a pic in the next few days to show this.

Is this something that anyone else has experienced? Is Maggiolina is aware of this issue? I am not comfortable to use it again until it gets repaired to avoid further damage. Any suggestions? It was suggested to iron on a patch. If I do this, would I do this patch on both sides of the fabric? If any other ideas let me know, camping season is coming up and ready to use to my Penthouse again on my Element.

[Mike S]

I will be happy to help you with materials and repair advice.

IT IS IMPORTANT - WITH ANY ROOF TOP TENT - TO USE CARE TO AVOID PROBLEMS FROM IMPROPERLY STOWING THE TENT FOR TRAVEL. The rougher the trail, the more care required.

[Lemsteraak]

Hi Kramme,

I've always thought the Element is the perfect platform for a Maggiolina. We set one up for off-road use a few years back. I think even Truck Trends picked it up. It was really sweet.

KC's Element.jpg

I don't know if this helps, the older Maggiolinas used a proprietary fabric made by Bayer of all folks. It looked and felt like regular canvas but was synthetic and had thousands of holes, it was really a tight mesh. The advantage was it really breathed well but the drawback was it didn't handle chafe all that well. You really had to be careful not to pinch the fabric between the shells. I did see one especially beat up 35 year old Maggiolina in Idaho years back. There were several holes in the fabric and I told the owner he could have the factory make up some new panels and it would be like new. He said he thought of it but since it didn't leak, why bother? The point is, the walls are vertical so you shouldn't have any problem with leakage from small rips. I would suggest not to worry, don't change your plans, use the tent and repair it when you have some downtime.

[kramme]

Thanks Lemsteraak, for your comments, the Element has worked well for my camping needs. Most of my ideas came from this website. I will be at the Expo in May (my 1st one) and am bound to even get more gear and ideas.

Mike thanks for the comments, I will contact you tomorrow (Mon).

[Fresno]

Mike, thanks. What a beautful tent.

[Mike S]

Ron

The tent is always supplied with a ladder. Apparently this didn't get done when you picked up your tent.

Call me and I will get on in UPS for you.

Mike