I've got my first ever tent...

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GLOCKer

Rank IV

Pathfinder II

1,209
Marietta, Georgia, USA
First Name
John
Last Name
Battersby
I bought a used SmittyBilt Overlander tent this past weekend. It's in mostly nice condition with a couple of small flaws that I will need to fix.
2020-11-17 12.31.54.jpg

First off, it's got a little mildew on it in spots. I assume this is from not being properly aired out after a camping trip? I was planning on buying some Star Brite Mold & Mildew Stain Remover spray. Does anybody have any better suggestions for cleaning up the fabric?


The next issue was it was missing parts of the mounting hardware. I'm working off the assumption that a lot of tents run a pretty standardized mounting setup, and I ordered this ARB kit from Amazon:


I just want to confirm it will fit the bill. I have the parts that slide into the rails under the tend, but the bolts I have look too short and I don't have the flat bar that secures it to the rack.

The tent also didn't have any kind of lighting or power installed in it, and I believe it came from the manufacture with some sort of 12v run up to the tent and maybe LED lighting. I'd be interested in seeing what you guys have set up for that. I have a quiet dual fuel generator inbound for powering a fridge/freezer overnight as well as a small AC unit (Don't judge, fat boy needs his AC at night!) and phone charging duties. I also have a solar light I can potentially charge during the day to keep in the tent in the evenings. But I would still like to see if there is a better way for me to be doing it!

And lastly, the travel cover is showing some wear. I'm going to try to use some sort of shoe goo to clean up any breaches in the cover to keep water from intruding into the tent while it's parked on my truck. Has anybody ever had to replace one of these covers? Where do you source them?

Other than that, I would greatly appreciate any advice you could offer on how to deal with one of these things! Thank you!
 

RVA Overland

Rank IV
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,315
Brandermill Parkway, Midlothian, VA, USA
First Name
Eric
Last Name
Rudolph
Member #

3226

Have not had the bolts out in a while, but they are only about 2inches long if i remember correctly. As far as the flat stock that goes under your racks cross members you should be able to source some from HD or Lowes. The tent came with some very long USB cables so can run power from the vehicle up to it and it came with an LED light strip that is about 3' long that used 12v. I use a 12 phone charging battery to power the light strip typically. I will have the tent out this weekend and get some actual measurements of things if needed. For the cover, I believe you can order direct from Smittybilt. They may also have the other parts you are missing.

The kit you show looks like it has everything you would need to mount it.

UPDATE: The cover part number is 2783-03 and can supposedly be bought through 4wheelparts. Not on their site though.
 
Last edited:

smritte

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,827
Ontario California
First Name
Scott
Last Name
SMR
Member #

8846

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KO6BI
My RTT wore out the cover zipper and the manufacture went out of business years ago. Thats when I discovered most RTT's are close enough in size that you can use another manufacture's cover. If your going to keep the cover, wash the zippers and get lube for them. Candle wax or bar soap works great. The dirt/dust that gets in them is what kills them.
 

GLOCKer

Rank IV

Pathfinder II

1,209
Marietta, Georgia, USA
First Name
John
Last Name
Battersby
My RTT wore out the cover zipper and the manufacture went out of business years ago. Thats when I discovered most RTT's are close enough in size that you can use another manufacture's cover. If your going to keep the cover, wash the zippers and get lube for them. Candle wax or bar soap works great. The dirt/dust that gets in them is what kills them.
Thank you! I never thought of that. It's probably a good idea to get some zipper lube on a new one as well.
 

GLOCKer

Rank IV

Pathfinder II

1,209
Marietta, Georgia, USA
First Name
John
Last Name
Battersby
Have not had the bolts out in a while, but they are only about 2inches long if i remember correctly. As far as the flat stock that goes under your racks cross members you should be able to source some from HD or Lowes. The tent came with some very long USB cables so can run power from the vehicle up to it and it came with an LED light strip that is about 3' long that used 12v. I use a 12 phone charging battery to power the light strip typically. I will have the tent out this weekend and get some actual measurements of things if needed. For the cover, I believe you can order direct from Smittybilt. They may also have the other parts you are missing.

The kit you show looks like it has everything you would need to mount it.

UPDATE: The cover part number is 2783-03 and can supposedly be bought through 4wheelparts. Not on their site though.
I'm keeping my eye out on the internet for a replacement!
 
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