Thule / Tepui Autana 3 Ruggedized: My Observations

[MOAK]

Sorry to bore everyone, once in a while I just gotta write, it clears my mind. Be sure to watch my vid though, kinda cool.

I ordered this RTT way back in October of 2020, direct from Thule. Thule promised that a container was on its way to the states and would arrive the 1st of November, or thereabouts. The first of November came and went and as I wasn't in any particular hurry I called Thule up just about the middle of the month. "Oh, we're so sorry but they sold out" was what I got. How is that possible? asks I. Quick thinking I surmised that they had wholesale orders to fill before filling any retail orders. I asked about this and was told that unfortunately, yes, 24 came in and they had to fill the wholesale orders. OK, not a problem, I get it. I then contacted the first reputable retail outlet, on line. They had 2 in stock, free shipping! I purchased one immediately and I took delivery about a week before Christmas. Cool, great timing, I had just finished modifying my trailer a few days before its arrival.

My trailer rack sits 6 feet off the ground and I'll tell you, 162 lbs of RTT is not easy for two old dudes to get it up and upon it. I'll strongly recommend either two physically fit people, ( me at 12 to 55 years old :) ) or just get three people to hoist the thing up. Once up, installation is easy. Center it on the rack, bolt it down.

Our first trip was a 5 week journey touring Bears Ears from north to south. The fun began at the Lockhart Basin Rd cutoff at the Chicken Corners intersection. It's rough, through there, meaning very technical. One section in a very narrow pass took our party of 3 more than 5 hours to travel about 100 yards. The Tepui was taking a beating, no doubt. We arrived at camp just in time to set up, eat, enjoy the stars for a bit and snooze away. We had practiced deploying and packing up the RTT several times at home and set up went off almost without a hitch. Packing up the next morn, went slow, but smooth. I won't deny there is a learning curve, but once in the groove, it becomes about a 20 minute process to deploy or pack, unless we are set up for basecamp, then it takes about 45 minutes to pack up if we hurry. We rarely hurry, so realistically to tear down our entire basecamp generally takes and hour and a bit more.
No loose bolts, no cracked floor, no damage whatsoever and we beat the hell out of it getting to camp. Here is but one technical section we encountered.

Over the next 8 nights and three different campsites we got really good a deployment and packing. No more hunting around for a site that one can pitch a ground tent upon. Just find a place to park the trailer, get it close to level, preferably with our heads an inch or two higher than our feet, perfect, I love this tent, slept like an old dog. The last three nights in Bears Ears we were in high winds. No rips, no tears, no sand. To top that off we stayed really warm. Warmer than I'd ever been in any of our ground tents.

From Bears Ears we made our way over to the AZ strip and Kelly's Point. Yet another very rough, very technical trail. The point is 100 miles south of St George, however, with our rig, pulling a trailer and our cameras, a trip that ordinarily takes 6-1/2 hours took us 8 hours to traverse. The first 2/3 of that route is either graded forest roads, or fairly smooth two track. I't the last 1/3 that things get rough and 1-5 mph is in order. Still, with leaf spring suspension, I'm beating the hell out of tent and trailer. Look, it was so rough that we snapped one of the trailer springs in half.
All in all we were off highway a little more or less than 550 miles and not one single bolt came loose, not one single nut loosened up and not a single frame fracture occurred on our Tepui RTT. I was impressed. We had also completed our learning curve.

This tent is by far and away one of the best investments I've made in equipment in my lifetime. It is every bit as well built and well designed as our Oztent Jettent25X. Except for a few, what I hope, are minor issues.

We just returned from a short trip up to the Adirondacks. It rained every day for 4 nights & days. I didn't expect miracles, but I didn't expect a wet sleeping bag either. The seam sealer failed and became slimy at the top corners and near our heads where the exterior array of D rings are sewn on. Water was running down. Some pinholes shone through the canvas and one of the layers of fabric has developed a void. Another very small NON-problem is the rubber feet, they keep falling off, and one of the rubber stoppers ripped through the sheet metal screw head.

I contacted Thule today and they want to file a warranty claim, on & on & on, not once addressing the problem or offering a solution. For me the solution is easy! Send me a tube of glue that will work to hold the feet on the ladder. Send me a tube of seam sealer, and sent me a patch kit for the canvas side. I even suggested this route to solve the dilemma. I considered posting up the letter, but I shall not, suffice it to say that I don't need or want extra rubber feet, new ones won't work any better, I already know why they fall off. I don't want a new canopy, I just want seam sealer and a patch kit. On second thought, I think I will post up the letters.

Hi Donald, Thank you for reaching out. We can begin by filing a warranty claim for the issues you are experiencing. Please provide a copy of your purchase receipt (or order ID # if ordered directly from us) and some photos of the failed seam sealer and the holes. Do you still have the ladder feet or do need a replacement set? The rubber can expand in colder temperatures and compress in warmer temperatures so this may cause the feet to loosen and fall off in different temperatures. We would recommend gluing those feet on if you tend to camp in a variety of temperatures to keep them attached to the ladder legs. We are happy to also send you a replacement set to either have on hand or if you'd like to try switching your feet out to see if that solves the issue. The ladder bumpers use small screws and we understand these can also detach occasionally due to the size of the screws used to secure them to the ladder. We have used Superglue on these bumpers to added extra security and that has worked with success. If you need an extra set of bumpers, we'd be happy to send a set to you as well. We will take a look at the missing seam tape and holes to find the best solution moving forward for those issues. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, though, Donald. We want to make sure you get taken care of so you can continue your camping adventures! Best regards, Britni Thule donald diehl July 22, 15:41 GMT Hello, I was very excited and still am about my purchase of the Autana 3 ruggedized. First of all, this RTT is as advertised, very rugged. I have no doubt that it will survive the gauntlets that we have and will continue to subject it to. So far, we have slept in it for a bit over 20 nights and have been very comfortable. The high winds of the Colorado Plateau didn't phase it. We learned after 3 nights at Kelly's Point Overlook that we had been subjected to 40 mph winds with 60 mph gusts. However, many little things are adding up. The ladder? Going from the humidity of Pennsylvania to southern Utah things began falling apart. The big feet at the bottom of the ladder began slipping off. Then the little rubber bumpers simply ripped through the sheet metal screws and are no longer usable. ( really, c'mon, sheet metal screws in aluminum to fasten what amounts to a rubber stopper? to a ladder rung?) I spoke to a rep a couple of months ago and they advised me to glue them on. I have a product called Goop, that might work, however the little rubber bumper stops will not glue, they will not even fasten any longer. Hmmmm, 2700 for a superior RTT and Thule cheaped out on the ladder? Hmmmm. Last week we returned from a trip to the Adirondacks. It poured down rain for 3 straight days, (off but mostly on). The seam sealer failed on the top corners at the foot end and at the attachment points for the exterior D rings near our head. The seam sealer that was used was just slimy, as if it never cured. There are also some very weak points in the fabric of the canopy. Sunshine comes right through multiple spots, maybe 1/2 to 1 mm holes and one rather large 1/4" x 3/4" area near a corner. Understand that I am not asking to return any of this, however, I'm comparing this tent to the quality of our Oztent. Which at 7 years worth of camping has never needed any seam sealer, parts that came apart because of shoddy quality control, or weak spots in the canvas. What is expected, you might ask? Maybe just a wee bit better than," you just have to glue the feet back on", which was the first answer about the rubber parts coming detached from the ladder. Maybe, a canvas repair kit, maybe some seam sealer, maybe some glue that will bind aluminum & rubber. Just maybe. $2700 should have garnered for me a superior product with an acceptable one or two flaws, but certainly not a laundry list. I'll await your answer, then I'll be posting up an unbiased review at Overland Bound and another on Expedition Portal. Thank you for your time. Be good; do good: Donald Diehl (aka MOAK)

 

[lhoffm4]

It’s good to hear they are attempting to work with you on the issues. Given the cost of these tents. With so many people buying them, it can come down to customer service as a deciding factor to which product and manufacturer one goes with.

I had an issue with my new tent, as I had purchased through a distributor, they are who I dealt with. They proved to be quite resourceful and helpful in dealing with the Manufacturer. My issue was resolved and I remain a loyal customer.

 

[MOAK]

I’m waiting now to see what will happen. Just make it right and I too will be a customer for life. In the meantime, it can be a bit frustrating at times.

 

[Old Tanker]

The challenge is finding a tent "manufacturer" that manufactures tents, rather than ordering them from a third world provider and then shipping them off as they arrive on the container ship. They don't build them, so they can't fix them.

 

[MOAK]

The challenge is finding a tent "manufacturer" that manufactures tents, rather than ordering them from a third world provider and then shipping them off as they arrive on the container ship. They don't build them, so they can't fix them.

Very true, however, years ago we attempted to pitch our big Oztent in heavy, heavy winds, I broke a buckle and snapped a stainless steel spring. MY FAULT, I attempted to purchase the necessary spare parts direct from Australia, as the distributors here had no access to spare parts. The Aussie folks would not let me pay for anything, two free springs, an extra strap and a new buckle. They wouldn't even let me pay for shipping. I'll find out in a couple of days how good the Swedes are. Curiously, even the Oz tents are made in China, it's all about QC oversight.

 

[MOAK]

Thule contacted me and after viewing the photographs are replacing the tent with a new one, along with new rubber stoppers and new rubber feet for the ladder. Good job Thule.

 

[MOAK]

Yesterday I installed the replacement canopy. I can only think that Thule understood there were more than a couple of bad tents in that batch, which is why they responded with a brand new canopy, instead of a repair kit. The original had two, three little things wrong with it that were obvious to me. Now that I have something to compare the original to, it is strikingly obvious how flawed it was. The replacement canopy’s fit & finish is easily as good as, if not better than our Oztent. I’m now confident that our money was well spent.

 

[H3lv]

That’s good to hear my Tepui Kukenam has been nothing but rock solid, although I bought as Tepui was in the process of being bought by Thule

 

[MOAK]

That’s good to hear my Tepui Kukenam has been nothing but rock solid, although I bought as Tepui was in the process of being bought by Thule

Yes, over my career I watched the corporation I worked for swallow up a multitude of smaller entities. Each time, QC fell off for a month or so, until the aquisitioned employees realized their compensation packages were actually better than adverstized. The first canopy was obviously manufactured to way lesser standards than Tepuis high bar.

 

[Pantaloons]

Yes, over my career I watched the corporation I worked for swallow up a multitude of smaller entities. Each time, QC fell off for a month or so, until the aquisitioned employees realized their compensation packages were actually better than adverstized. The first canopy was obviously manufactured to way lesser standards than Tepuis high bar.

I was aware that my bad experience with Thule was during the switchover but Jeez, for how many times I called them you would have thought they might have realized they had a very concerned customer. Im glad if they are doing "good" nowadays, but It was such a nightmare, Im not sure I can really get over it enough to give them another chance.

 

[MOAK]

Well, a nightmare for some is an uncomfortable dream that ends well, for others. Just last spring, while out west, a seam ripped on the annex, a short phone call, an email with photos and we had a brand new annex 5 days later. Now I have a faulty canopy & ripped annex up in the barn. I’ll dispose of it one day. Will I buy anything from Thule again? Probably not, but only because we no longer need anything they might have. Would I have purchased this tent from them knowing what I know now? Absolutely!