[tcb] Re: Bus Depot Add-A-Room Side Tent Review
- From: James Dwan <james_dwan_2000@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:51:10 -0800 (PST)
Thanks for the review, I have been on the fence about which one to buy for a
while now. i looked at Just Kampers I think. I saw one one that actually had
what appeared to be a porch, can't remember where I saw it. I'm either going to
get a side room or an awning this year with my refund. I like the Fiamma
ones.http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.phpid=4292&category_id=277&category_parent_id=
Did you look at Eurocampers.com?
--- On Sat, 2/19/11, kelly dosch <kellydosch@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: kelly dosch <kellydosch@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [tcb] Bus Depot Add-A-Room Side Tent Review
To: "Texas Coalition of Buses" <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Saturday, February 19, 2011, 10:35 PM
In case any of you have been considering selling a kidney to buy one these
rudely over-priced tents, I highly recommend it.
I think it is really every bit as good as they claim, if not better.
Is it really over $400 worth of tent? Not by any stretch. For that money one
might expect a Sherpa to carry it for you. But they have cornered the U.S.
market so it's all about supply and demand.
Does you want one or does you don't?
I searched long and hard and finally found some side tents across the pond.
They had some interesting tents but they don't ship to the U.S.. I checked the
prices of a few remailing services, did the math, and one might as well get
plowed by Bus Depot for all the trouble it was worth. Plus, Europeans are not
terribly concerned with having a floor in a tent. That just doesn't fly down
here
with the swarms of mosquitoes.
The Bus Depot tent makes an impressively snug fit against the bus and has a
bottom curtain so wind, bugs and varmints don't just wander in underneath.
The canvas is thin but stronger than your average tent. The poles are built
like a tank.
These tents are built to last.
It actually packs down a bit smaller than they estimate and the tent, poles,
and ropes and stakes are in 3 different bags, so you can spread them throughout
the bus more efficiently than if it were all one huge mass.
It is heavier than all hell at 85lbs, but most of the weight is in the poles.
(which is a relatively small bag that will disappear, flush, in the front
cargo rack) They are very heavy duty and built to last. Since It is something I
want to last as long as my bus I cannot fault them for that. The poles are the
cornerstone of the tent and it is safe to say they will last forever.
The extra "changing room" is on sale, but I don't recommend it. It literally
takes up half the tent. If you are shy about changing with your guests it is
easier to just do it under the blankets or in the john at your campground.
I didn't pay over $400 for a tent just to use half of it to change my pants
in.
I just wanted to give everybody my two cents worth because it is a lot of
cash to drop on a product from a company that offers no reviews. They don't
even have many pictures and the ones they have are crappy. I don't even think
the one in the picture was entirely set up. It looks like a big potato sack. It
really tightens down much nicer than the pic.
All told- Are they overcharging us? Hell yes. But it did just turn my tiny
Campmobile into a virtual cabin, adding 100 square feet of living space.
Their profit margin must be shameful, but if you are camping with more than 2
people I still think it
is worth it.
And if you still want a changing cabin, just get the $35 Coleman shower. At
least you can bathe in it as well.
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