Camping this past weekend with James Baroud Nomad 160 Tent

OutdoorX4

Adventurist
Here's a shot I took this past weekend of our diesel Grand Cherokee outfitted with a James Baroud Nomad 160 tent. The tent, while expensive, is undoubtedly the most comfortable tent I've had the privilege to use. Everything about it is built extremely well and with the exception of a few things I would have done differently, it is an excellent RTT. Oh, and we enjoyed mountain biking as well. Good times! :)

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That'a an unusual configuration. How much of the tent footprint is usable with so much rake in the roofline?
 
What is different about this tent that makes it more comfortable, it is just a better quality mattress, or is there something different in the design
 
Good questions. The actual footprint is about 75% of what you're seeing. There's about 3-4' on both sides of the tent that extends out, much like a vestibule on a ground tent. As it is, the tent will comfortably sleep 3 adults or a car full of kids. I also chose to set it up in this configuration, rather than having it out over the hood, because I didn't want to inhibit my ability to open the rear cargo area by having the tent protrude above the rear hatch. The nice thing about this setup is it allows for access to the tent from either side of the vehicle with the overhang providing a small area (much smaller than a full awning) to provide some shade.

As for comfort, the mattress is extremely comfortable and soft with the shell of the mattress easily removable by zipper for washing after a couple days of camping and getting sweaty, etc. Also, and most importantly, the fabric is "aluminized" polyester which makes it 100% waterproof but also extremely breathable. The aluminum reflects the sun's rays so it helps keep the interior a bit cooler than other RTTs I've used that are poly-cotton.
 
I'm a big fan of the James Baroud line, any interior or detail pics?
 
Dave, I'll get some pics posted of the interior as soon as I get home.

I have only two "complaints" about the tent. First, the hooks that attach the ladder to the frame are plastic and the attachments on the frame of which the ladder hooks into are also plastic. I can see these breaking easily under load and would have been better as steel rather than plastic.

Also, the cover of the RTT when it's packed and loaded is black which absorbs heat. I think it should be grey or something else that doesn't easily absorb heat but also doesn't show wear/dirt. I'll be sharing this with the manufacturer directly but thought I'd note it here as well. Other than that, it's an exceptional tent.
 
Good points Frank. Yeah, all RTT's that employ a travel cover should be of a lighter color, more UV resistant material IMHO. On my Eazi-Awn 1600 that cover was my biggest gripe. Couple of seasons in the desert sun and it was toast.
 
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