Smittybilt Overlander RTT - Is Mine A Dud?

[WK2TRLHK]

Hey guys, so I purchased one of these tents a few months ago. Used it for a few trips and it worked great. Only problem was that the aluminum under the foam pad started to creek and pop. So i called SB and they gave me a warranty replacement.

After installing the new one on my jeep, I opened it up and started to crawl in. As soon as my foot left the ladder, it slid out on the pavement and the tent hyper extended, alot. I thought it was going to hit the side of my jeep (it didn't). I crawled back down and it slid right back into place. I checked the tongue and groove notch and it was fully in place. I then had my gf climb in who weighs significantly less than me and the same thing happened to her.

Called SB again and I told them about my issue and that I had always heard that RTT's did not rely on the ladder for support, that the notch and the straps were enough to hold the weight. They told me that was definitely NOT the case and the ladder is absolutely for support. His only theory for it sliding out and my old one never having an issue was that maybe the feet on the bottom of the ladder were made of a different material. One that isn't very "grippy" on pavement apparently.

Which kind of makes sense, but i still wonder why I've always heard otherwise.

Is it possible that "Most" RTT's do not require the ladder for support but SB ones do?

Has anybody else experienced anything like this with their SB Overlander RTT?

Should I call them back or should I just add some rubber to the feet and call it a day?

 

[shwane]

I've had mine for 5 months and camped in it a dozen or so times on cement, rocks, grass, etc.. and haven't had that issue whatsoever. I will say this, if the snap clamps aren't fully inserted into the holes in the ladder it will come down. I've had that happen as well, but it only dropped a few inches.

What's the angle of your ladder when you deploy it? Is it too steep maybe? Here's the angle I use, and have no problems

 

[AdvNerd]

I used mine about a dozen times back when I had it. Never had an issue and it was a champ.

RTT's definitely use the ladder for support. There is a tongue and groove piece of aluminum that helps support the center but there's no way that would support the weight of a person alone. That piece mostly keeps the floor flat and prevents buckling when you are kneeling inside the tent. The ladder is the only support for 1/2 of the tent. Imagine having a 3 ft long breaker bar with all your weight going to a 1/2 in aluminum groove. Sounds like the angle of the ladder might be a bit much for the ground, try to keep it as vertical as possible or look into a way of making the feet more grabby. I don't think you will get much different from another tent maker in that price range and tent style.

 

[flyfisher117]

Dumb Question, dont want to take away from OPs thread. Will deffinately report back how mine does on the pavement here.

I just got my overlander RTT. I havent opened it up yet since it takes up the whole spare room in my apartment lol. Is the ladder and everything stowed away inside of the tent? Anyone have any tips or tricks they found AFTER mounting to help make it easier/better?

 

[w_m_photo]

I've had 3 different RTTs... First was an ARB... great tent family just got too large. So, I gave that one to a buddy.
The second RTT was a Smittybilt XL tent. Much cheaper price than any alternative I found. That one only lasted one trip. Specifically, 2 nights! The first night I noticed when the tent was entirely set up correctly, the center part would not stay in the notch just as the OPs described when his ladder moved. Let me be specific. When the tent was set up correctly, that section would not stay in place with my kids in the tent. Let alone myself or wife in the tent. Then comes the second night... We had a rain storm, not an especially bad one... but more of a consistent rain all night. Not much wind, but lots of water. The tent could not be set up tight enough to make the water run off the top. In the end it buckled. Two of the poles broke! So... That tent was returned asap. The quality of build, design, and materials were not up to snuff.
And my current on is awesome. It is from Freespirit Rec. The center notch on the floor is much wider and deeper. It has never jumped or slid out of place on me. And I've had this one in both heavy downpours and very windy conditions. Never an issue at all.
So in short. You get what you pay for.

 

[Bootstrap Jack]

Hey guys, so I purchased one of these tents a few months ago. Used it for a few trips and it worked great. Only problem was that the aluminum under the foam pad started to creek and pop. So i called SB and they gave me a warranty replacement.

After installing the new one on my jeep, I opened it up and started to crawl in. As soon as my foot left the ladder, it slid out on the pavement and the tent hyper extended, alot. I thought it was going to hit the side of my jeep (it didn't). I crawled back down and it slid right back into place. I checked the tongue and groove notch and it was fully in place. I then had my gf climb in who weighs significantly less than me and the same thing happened to her.

Called SB again and I told them about my issue and that I had always heard that RTT's did not rely on the ladder for support, that the notch and the straps were enough to hold the weight. They told me that was definitely NOT the case and the ladder is absolutely for support. His only theory for it sliding out and my old one never having an issue was that maybe the feet on the bottom of the ladder were made of a different material. One that isn't very "grippy" on pavement apparently.

Which kind of makes sense, but i still wonder why I've always heard otherwise.

Is it possible that "Most" RTT's do not require the ladder for support but SB ones do?

Has anybody else experienced anything like this with their SB Overlander RTT?

Should I call them back or should I just add some rubber to the feet and call it a day?

You can run a safety strap back, from jeep tp ladder. ladder can't kick out then

 

[DawgRaider]

I have only used mine a few times but it has worked well for me
I will agree I had to make sure my ladder was locked in so it has a solid brace.

 

[totalnobody]

Yakima RTT here,

Ladder is most definitely a support.
straight up and down ladder to hard to climb up and get in, to much angle and slippage may occur.
never once had an issue with tongue and groove joint.

I would suggest ditch the SB and a few more pesos will get you a better tent.

ALMOST ALL OF SMITTY BUILT STUFF IS MADE IN CHINA INCLUDING BUMPERS (If not all)

 

[MazeVX]

Most rtt need the ladder as a support, I know only one that does not need the ladder, Autocamp tents from Europe.

I think I need to ad something... There are way more tents that doesn't need to be supported by the ladder, it's depending on the basic construction, not folding, no support...

 

[MA_Trooper]

I have the Overlander XL. Works great. I had the ladder kick out once (a problem that can occur with any of the tents on the market in this style). I drive a 98 cent tent stake in just infront of the ladder foot and problem solved. I'm not going to spend an extra 600 dollars to "potentially" fix a 98 cent problem. That is the only complaint I had with this tent.

Regarding working with Smitty? Their customer support is pretty damn good. Explain your situation and they will likely do something about it.

 

[Jason Harris]

My first experience in a rtt was in a tepui and my buddy didn’t have the latter slider latch and it feel like you decribed, I’ve always made shure the ladder was at a good angle and latch and I never had a problem with my smittybilt and I’ve prob used it more than most people

 

[talt2008]

I've had 3 different RTTs... First was an ARB... great tent family just got too large. So, I gave that one to a buddy.
The second RTT was a Smittybilt XL tent. Much cheaper price than any alternative I found. That one only lasted one trip. Specifically, 2 nights! The first night I noticed when the tent was entirely set up correctly, the center part would not stay in the notch just as the OPs described when his ladder moved. Let me be specific. When the tent was set up correctly, that section would not stay in place with my kids in the tent. Let alone myself or wife in the tent. Then comes the second night... We had a rain storm, not an especially bad one... but more of a consistent rain all night. Not much wind, but lots of water. The tent could not be set up tight enough to make the water run off the top. In the end it buckled. Two of the poles broke! So... That tent was returned asap. The quality of build, design, and materials were not up to snuff.
And my current on is awesome. It is from Freespirit Rec. The center notch on the floor is much wider and deeper. It has never jumped or slid out of place on me. And I've had this one in both heavy downpours and very windy conditions. Never an issue at all.
So in short. You get what you pay for.

What is the 3rd tent? I'm curious because I'm trying to figure out which brand to buy since they all have pros and cons. They all look the same, but I'm finding they are all completely different construction

Sent from my SM-G950U using OB Talk mobile app

 

[❤️Lovey❤️]

Never see

I've had mine for 5 months and camped in it a dozen or so times on cement, rocks, grass, etc.. and haven't had that issue whatsoever. I will say this, if the snap clamps aren't fully inserted into the holes in the ladder it will come down. I've had that happen as well, but it only dropped a few inches.

What's the angle of your ladder when you deploy it? Is it too steep maybe? Here's the angle I use, and have no problemsView attachment 54354

n this set up??? Looks cool but too complicated for me!!

 

[Kevin108]

Wherever you got that information, it is incorrect. The ladder is an integral part of the weight distribution and floor support.

If you are climbing in the tent without the support of the ladder, you are causing the damage.

The ladder has to be locked into the notches so that it doesn't extend or collapse without the pins being undone. If your setup is too short for the factory notches, you need to drill additional holes.

RTTs aren't for everyone. ¯\(°_o)/¯

 

[Craig M]

Sounds like people are talking about two distinct issues with the ladder. Is it collapsing (sliding together like when you are stowing the tent) or slipping out (ladder staying fully extended, but the bottom of the ladder is sliding away from the vehicle / mounting surface)?

Based on the description in the OP I would think it's slipping out, hence the comment on the 'grippy' feet. If that's the case, it may be that you have too much angle, so the ladder is more diagonal than vertical. You definitely don't want it perfectly perpendicular to the ground as that makes it very difficult to climb, but you also don't want it too angled where you don't get the support, and risk it slipping out. Especially on pavement and when you haven't tied out the guy lines. The stake solution is good on soft ground, though I don't know that you would have the slipping problem there anyways. I have seen people run a strap from the bottom of the ladder, back to the vehicle, to prevent it. This angle is about the lowest (least vertical) I have felt comfortable with in mine:




By the way, a lot of the support for that overhang also comes from the straps that tie together the bow poles inside the tent. Kind of like a suspension bridge.. That and the ladder is where the majority of teh support comes from, IMO, rather than the hinge itself. At least in the CVT Tents and similar (I assume the Smittybilt is the same design). The black straps in these pics:

 

[Kevin108]

I disagree that the black straps are for any support of the floor. The poles are too insubstantial to serve as structural members. They are strong enough, however, to hold tension on the fabric. The black straps link the poles together so that unfolding the floor opens the tent and pulls the fabric taut.

Your explanation of the ladder angle is spot-on though. The limitations of the extension ladder that comes with the Smittybilt and your CVT are why I swapped in a telescoping ladder from Tepui. It has bigger feet that are able to hold more traction, it's taller, it has a higher weight capacity, and each rung is a point of adjustment, so you are far more likely to find a good angle. They run about $150 and only require the drilling of a single additional hole in the tent floor.

 

[Craig M]

I could definitely be wrong on the straps.. It seems that way to me because when I am setting up my annex I will collapse the ladder, just letting it swing, so I can get the annex under it. I don't get in the tent like that or anything, but the height on my trailer is low so I can easily reach in, and that's when I have noticed the substantial tension on those straps.

I do agree that the bow poles are weak and wouldn't support much weight typically, though the straps are also out towards the edge, which will support much more than the center at least. And with them out by the edge, failure in the poles would most likely be by the vertical legs bowing outwards somewhere near their midway point. When confined by the tent material, that outward force trying to bend the poles is mitigated.

IDK, pure speculation and I'm not an engineer. I do think I have a pretty good understanding the effects of force, though.

 

[Kevin108]

Most of the support is between the hinge and the jaw, where the two halves of the floor lock together like tongue and groove flooring. You do bring up some good points though. With any given structure, the strength is in the assembly as a whole, not any individual component.

 

[MA_Trooper]

My thought on those straps was that they were more for canvas support. When I'm in the tent there is no real tension on them. As I was laying in a rain storm I noticed they did a great job of keeping the canvas tent material from sagging and letting water pool up. IDK. All speculation. But the straps don't seem to tighten up when there is weight in the tent so I'm not so sure they are really adding structural support.

 

[flyfisher117]

I disagree that the black straps are for any support of the floor. The poles are too insubstantial to serve as structural members. They are strong enough, however, to hold tension on the fabric. The black straps link the poles together so that unfolding the floor opens the tent and pulls the fabric taut.

Your explanation of the ladder angle is spot-on though. The limitations of the extension ladder that comes with the Smittybilt and your CVT are why I swapped in a telescoping ladder from Tepui. It has bigger feet that are able to hold more traction, it's taller, it has a higher weight capacity, and each rung is a point of adjustment, so you are far more likely to find a good angle. They run about $150 and only require the drilling of a single additional hole in the tent floor.

That is an awesome idea! I may have to upgrade ladders.

I had the roll pin that holds the pin "open" on the SB ladder fall out. I emailed them asking what size roll pin it was so I could replace it and they just sent me a whole new ladder but I may seriously consider upgrading to that ladder next year. We just struggle to get both feet of the SB ladder on the ground without digging little holes for them to sit in but so far have not had it kick out or slide on us even when we set it up in the drive way on concrete.