After a year plus of ownership I felt it was time for a comprehensive review of the Autohome Magglionia Extreme Roof Top tent...
Well, around 2011, my wife decided to go back to school and further her nursing career and because of this our travel time was severely curtailed. As we were not going to be using it we sold our Fleetwood E1 trailer that we hauled around for family travels out in the boondocks. Ever since we had been pondering what our next traveling set-up would be. And we were going to do it based on being a travelling couple instead of a roving family of four. Though we will always leave some wiggle room for extra gear if the kiddos tag along.
Well after looking at all the camping options Michelle said she’d like to try out a RTT. And since we had a trip at the end of April 2012 planned for a tour of the Mid-South she wanted me to procure one to use on that trip for us to try out. My plan was to pick up a used budget RTT like the Camping Lab, Tepiu or Mombosa, try it out for the week and if we didn’t like it we’d just sell it again. Even if we lost a little money it would be cheaper than motel rooms for a week. A fabric folding tent would work well on my secondary lower rack and be able to flip up between my tall stanchions so that was an advantage. But I’ve seen folks rip their covers, tear straps and I’ve listened to tents flap in the breeze as I was following others down the highway not to mention tent’s rustling in the wind once they’re set up.
So after a bit of searching I had the stumbled onto to a "used" Maggiolina Extreme Small RTT that had been used for a magazine review and had only been slept in for two nights. Autohome didn't want to ship it back to them and were looking to cut a deal to somebody to take it off their hands. They made us a very good offer on basically a brand new tent and we couldn't refuse. So here’s the end result…a virtually new “used” tent on the back of Fafhrd…
I never even considered one of these tents as they are a high end, pricey tent, but I was really attracted to its design. Mainly the hard cover construction. Here in the East I’ve seen tent covers ripped by hugging trees so having a hard sided tent offers some advantage. Also the big bonus for me was storage. We live right next to a trout stream and critters run amok everywhere. You can’t let anything sit for a couple of days without some critter getting into it. I had visions of opening a tent in the woods only to find it chewed to bits and the interior covered in pellets. So after discussing the advantages and disadvantages of hard side and soft sided tents Michelle and I decide to go for Maggiolina
Purchased in early March of 2012, the Maggie has accompanied us on numerous trips that varied to roaming explorations to base camping for float trips and backwoods meet-ups. When travelling we have it mounted to a lower, bed mounted rail system with keeps the tent below the roof line of the cab of the truck making for a streamlined set-up. Driving with the tent mounted on the lower racks you don’t even notice that’s it is back there other than the blocked view out the rear window. There is no real discernible difference in gas mileage between having the tent mounted or unmounted when there is a comparable load-out of gear under the cover of the truck. This is way better than the three or four mpg loss that would happen when we use to haul our Fleetwood E1 trailer around. So far we’ve spent about 30 days or so in the Maggie and we are very happy with our purchase.
We mount the tent with the bulge (highest bit) to the rear of the truck so as to make access to the raising/lowering crank as convenient as possible.
*Set-up is fairly quick. It takes me 45 seconds to spool up the top and just a couple of minutes to set the ladder and zip up the doors. Ingress is fairly easy, but care has to be taken as to not bring crub inside the tent with you . Bags and pillows can be left inside ready to go. Normally we use a couple of Marmot down bags and we each have a fleece bag too to layer with. Pillows are Cabela’s travel camping compression units and work real nice. Everything tucks in nicely as you close the tent down as long as you leave the bedroll neatly laid out. Closing down the Maggie is just a bit slower as you need to see that the fabric folds and tucks down nicely and that the fabric doesn’t get caught in the scissor mechanism. Yet I can lower and stow the tent in just a manner of minutes.
*The materials used in the construction of the Maggiolina are top notch. The tent fabric feels hefty and substantial and is of better quality than the fabric used in our old E1. The zippers are heavy duty and work fast and well with no snag ups. The roof has a headliner in it that has a nice feel and actually contributes to keeping in the warmth and helps deaden outside noises. The mattress is comfy but a little soft for us. We found that placing a couple of cheap closed cell foam sleeping pads (bought at Wally World) under the mattress made a huge difference in comfort. Interior wise there are two storage pockets to each side of the walls and a big gear storage loft at the low end of the hardtop. We use the storage loft to store jackets and sleeping bag cases plus random reading materials and occasionally shoes. The side pockets we use to hold reading materials, glasses and the stuff from our pockets (ie keys and pocket knives). There is also a rotating LED light that does a great job of lighting the interior, though its touch operated and sometimes it takes a tap or two to engage it..
*When it’s in use it functions great. Having camped on the windy shores of Cape Lookout on the Outer Banks of North Carolina we found that the Maggie shed the gusting winds like they were not even there. We were in constant 20 to 30 mph winds with gust up to 40 mph and the only thing we noticed was the soft tingling of the window zipper pulls against the zippers themselves. We wouldn’t even know that it was that windy outside if we hadn’t stepped outside for yourself. Also we have noticed that the Maggie really retains heat and when we have used it on chilly nights the tent stays considerably warmer than the outside temps. This is the first tent that I ever seen Michelle stripping of layers of sleeping bags instead of huddling underneath every available cover and blanket. Rain sheds off nicely and it has proven to be very bug proof, just make sure you tuck in the entrance doors well. My wife likes her mobile loft...
*The rack is useful and can serve a number of purposes. It is conservatively rated at 44lbs at the factory but I’ve seen folks hauling canoes or throwing full sized spare up there and they have reported no problems. I am using Thule base foot mounts and rail system to mate to the factory rack tracks. When travelling with the kayaks I use the rear rack on the Maggie and a cab mounted load bar on the truck to spread the loaded weight around. This has worked very well so far.
*Ours is the small model of the Extreme line. Dimensions for the tent are as follows....Weight 143 lbs.: Exterior Dimensions Closed...W x L x H 51” x 82-3/4” x 13" Exterior Dimensions Open...W x L x H 51” x 82-3/4” x 34-1/2”.
*I’m pushing 5’ 11” and fit fine but if your over 6’ tall you aint gonna fit. I weigh between 190 and 200lbs depending on the time of year and Michelle is on the petite size so we fit just fine side by side and have plenty of room to roll around and shift position throughout the night. With the low ceiling height you can sit up but changing clothes is a wiggle and giggle affair. We pack an EZ-Up canopy along on our trips and use the wall addition to turn it into a kitchen/living room/changing room to compensate.
*Entering/exiting in the rain is a choreographed dance as there are no overhangs to protect the entrance ways in driving rains. We have draped our Kelty tarp over the Maggie on really rainy trips to solve this but I need to mount an awning to on side to be a final solution for the rain. At least with the cargo rails it will be easy to do.
*When not in use it the Maggie gets lofted of the back of the truck with a Thule load management lift and stays secure to the garage rafters with some safety straps for added security. I can mount or remove the tent by myself in about ten minutes using this system.
*To aid getting in and out of the tent and to give us a nicer way to remove our shoes before entering the tent I fabbed up some "porches" to either side. This system has worked great and gives us extra hauling space.
*All in all we are very happy with our purchase but with all things there is no one right answer. Future plans call for the addition of an awning and to mount the Maggie to a trailer for quick trips and ones where we will be base camping or hauling a bunch of boats. Having to take along more than two kayaks on a trip leads to logistical problems for us. When we are exploring we’ll mount the Maggie to the truck for convience and maneuverability and have a trailer as a option for base camping depending on the style of trip we found ourselves heading out on.
So in the end we can say that the Maggiolina Extreme is Clan Haggis approved.
Well, around 2011, my wife decided to go back to school and further her nursing career and because of this our travel time was severely curtailed. As we were not going to be using it we sold our Fleetwood E1 trailer that we hauled around for family travels out in the boondocks. Ever since we had been pondering what our next traveling set-up would be. And we were going to do it based on being a travelling couple instead of a roving family of four. Though we will always leave some wiggle room for extra gear if the kiddos tag along.
Well after looking at all the camping options Michelle said she’d like to try out a RTT. And since we had a trip at the end of April 2012 planned for a tour of the Mid-South she wanted me to procure one to use on that trip for us to try out. My plan was to pick up a used budget RTT like the Camping Lab, Tepiu or Mombosa, try it out for the week and if we didn’t like it we’d just sell it again. Even if we lost a little money it would be cheaper than motel rooms for a week. A fabric folding tent would work well on my secondary lower rack and be able to flip up between my tall stanchions so that was an advantage. But I’ve seen folks rip their covers, tear straps and I’ve listened to tents flap in the breeze as I was following others down the highway not to mention tent’s rustling in the wind once they’re set up.
So after a bit of searching I had the stumbled onto to a "used" Maggiolina Extreme Small RTT that had been used for a magazine review and had only been slept in for two nights. Autohome didn't want to ship it back to them and were looking to cut a deal to somebody to take it off their hands. They made us a very good offer on basically a brand new tent and we couldn't refuse. So here’s the end result…a virtually new “used” tent on the back of Fafhrd…
I never even considered one of these tents as they are a high end, pricey tent, but I was really attracted to its design. Mainly the hard cover construction. Here in the East I’ve seen tent covers ripped by hugging trees so having a hard sided tent offers some advantage. Also the big bonus for me was storage. We live right next to a trout stream and critters run amok everywhere. You can’t let anything sit for a couple of days without some critter getting into it. I had visions of opening a tent in the woods only to find it chewed to bits and the interior covered in pellets. So after discussing the advantages and disadvantages of hard side and soft sided tents Michelle and I decide to go for Maggiolina
Purchased in early March of 2012, the Maggie has accompanied us on numerous trips that varied to roaming explorations to base camping for float trips and backwoods meet-ups. When travelling we have it mounted to a lower, bed mounted rail system with keeps the tent below the roof line of the cab of the truck making for a streamlined set-up. Driving with the tent mounted on the lower racks you don’t even notice that’s it is back there other than the blocked view out the rear window. There is no real discernible difference in gas mileage between having the tent mounted or unmounted when there is a comparable load-out of gear under the cover of the truck. This is way better than the three or four mpg loss that would happen when we use to haul our Fleetwood E1 trailer around. So far we’ve spent about 30 days or so in the Maggie and we are very happy with our purchase.
We mount the tent with the bulge (highest bit) to the rear of the truck so as to make access to the raising/lowering crank as convenient as possible.
*Set-up is fairly quick. It takes me 45 seconds to spool up the top and just a couple of minutes to set the ladder and zip up the doors. Ingress is fairly easy, but care has to be taken as to not bring crub inside the tent with you . Bags and pillows can be left inside ready to go. Normally we use a couple of Marmot down bags and we each have a fleece bag too to layer with. Pillows are Cabela’s travel camping compression units and work real nice. Everything tucks in nicely as you close the tent down as long as you leave the bedroll neatly laid out. Closing down the Maggie is just a bit slower as you need to see that the fabric folds and tucks down nicely and that the fabric doesn’t get caught in the scissor mechanism. Yet I can lower and stow the tent in just a manner of minutes.
*The materials used in the construction of the Maggiolina are top notch. The tent fabric feels hefty and substantial and is of better quality than the fabric used in our old E1. The zippers are heavy duty and work fast and well with no snag ups. The roof has a headliner in it that has a nice feel and actually contributes to keeping in the warmth and helps deaden outside noises. The mattress is comfy but a little soft for us. We found that placing a couple of cheap closed cell foam sleeping pads (bought at Wally World) under the mattress made a huge difference in comfort. Interior wise there are two storage pockets to each side of the walls and a big gear storage loft at the low end of the hardtop. We use the storage loft to store jackets and sleeping bag cases plus random reading materials and occasionally shoes. The side pockets we use to hold reading materials, glasses and the stuff from our pockets (ie keys and pocket knives). There is also a rotating LED light that does a great job of lighting the interior, though its touch operated and sometimes it takes a tap or two to engage it..
*When it’s in use it functions great. Having camped on the windy shores of Cape Lookout on the Outer Banks of North Carolina we found that the Maggie shed the gusting winds like they were not even there. We were in constant 20 to 30 mph winds with gust up to 40 mph and the only thing we noticed was the soft tingling of the window zipper pulls against the zippers themselves. We wouldn’t even know that it was that windy outside if we hadn’t stepped outside for yourself. Also we have noticed that the Maggie really retains heat and when we have used it on chilly nights the tent stays considerably warmer than the outside temps. This is the first tent that I ever seen Michelle stripping of layers of sleeping bags instead of huddling underneath every available cover and blanket. Rain sheds off nicely and it has proven to be very bug proof, just make sure you tuck in the entrance doors well. My wife likes her mobile loft...
*The rack is useful and can serve a number of purposes. It is conservatively rated at 44lbs at the factory but I’ve seen folks hauling canoes or throwing full sized spare up there and they have reported no problems. I am using Thule base foot mounts and rail system to mate to the factory rack tracks. When travelling with the kayaks I use the rear rack on the Maggie and a cab mounted load bar on the truck to spread the loaded weight around. This has worked very well so far.
*Ours is the small model of the Extreme line. Dimensions for the tent are as follows....Weight 143 lbs.: Exterior Dimensions Closed...W x L x H 51” x 82-3/4” x 13" Exterior Dimensions Open...W x L x H 51” x 82-3/4” x 34-1/2”.
*I’m pushing 5’ 11” and fit fine but if your over 6’ tall you aint gonna fit. I weigh between 190 and 200lbs depending on the time of year and Michelle is on the petite size so we fit just fine side by side and have plenty of room to roll around and shift position throughout the night. With the low ceiling height you can sit up but changing clothes is a wiggle and giggle affair. We pack an EZ-Up canopy along on our trips and use the wall addition to turn it into a kitchen/living room/changing room to compensate.
*Entering/exiting in the rain is a choreographed dance as there are no overhangs to protect the entrance ways in driving rains. We have draped our Kelty tarp over the Maggie on really rainy trips to solve this but I need to mount an awning to on side to be a final solution for the rain. At least with the cargo rails it will be easy to do.
*When not in use it the Maggie gets lofted of the back of the truck with a Thule load management lift and stays secure to the garage rafters with some safety straps for added security. I can mount or remove the tent by myself in about ten minutes using this system.
*To aid getting in and out of the tent and to give us a nicer way to remove our shoes before entering the tent I fabbed up some "porches" to either side. This system has worked great and gives us extra hauling space.
*All in all we are very happy with our purchase but with all things there is no one right answer. Future plans call for the addition of an awning and to mount the Maggie to a trailer for quick trips and ones where we will be base camping or hauling a bunch of boats. Having to take along more than two kayaks on a trip leads to logistical problems for us. When we are exploring we’ll mount the Maggie to the truck for convience and maneuverability and have a trailer as a option for base camping depending on the style of trip we found ourselves heading out on.
So in the end we can say that the Maggiolina Extreme is Clan Haggis approved.
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