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Date:         Fri, 6 Jun 2003 06:34:37 -0400
Reply-To:     SD Kraning <PopTop88@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         SD Kraning <PopTop88@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Side Tent on EBay/personal experience
Comments: To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Ron -

I will agree with you - I should probably give it a second or third chance. Afterall, I was trying to get it up all by myself (...b'dump) - I would imagine it would be much easier and more pleasurable with my lovely wife's assistance.

thanks for the encouragement and happy weekend!! : )

Scott

----- Original Message ----- From: "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 11:01 AM Subject: Re: Side Tent on EBay/personal experience

> > You could put it back up on eBay.............. > > > Heck, it might go for $600 the second time around. :-) > > Seriously, I would make these comments about the tent, having used it > myself as well as sold it: > > Advantages: > 1) Price - at $199 with sleeping cabin, it's half the price of the next > cheapest alternative. (Heck, the sleeping cabin alone is worth $100.) > 2) Extremely lightweight and compact - since it's vinyl and has > flexible poles, it packs so small that it easily fits under the rear > bench. Most heavier-duty tents (partially due to their heavier > construction) are 3-4 times as big when packed down. Yet when assembled, > this tent is actually bigger than most. > 3) Easy to assemble. I'll have to disagree with you on this one, Scott. > Having owned a number of both VW and aftermarket side tents, I find this > to be the easiest one to set up by far. Basically you just slide the > polls through the pockets as on a dome tent. It took me a while to > figure it out and set it up the first time I tried it; half that time > the second time; a quarter that time the third time. By comparison, my > other tent takes me forever every time, with the multitude of poles etc. > > > Disadvantage: > Quality control. The materials are fine. Nylon tents are commonplace in > camping stores because nylon is sturdier than it looks and very > lightweight. And mine has been set up in several very heavy storms and > fared well. But I am not impressed with the stitching quality. It seems > that the vast majority of them have some place or other where the > stitching is uneven or loose. I would recommend going over any weak > areas with a bit of thread just as a precaution. Also, we have had a > higher percentage of out-of-the-box defects than with other products we > sell. Not a lot, but more than normal. I mean completely obvious things > like a pocket for a pole being completely missing. (Of course we > exchange the product.) > > Summary: This is not a $500 tent (Or at least not unless you buy it on > Ebay. :-) It is $199 with sleeping cabin. So you have to keep your > expectations in line with the fact that it is half the price of the next > cheapest alternative. This is the Hyundai of side tents, not the > Mercedes.(Or Audi.:-) But there is a place for that. If you plan to use > it only a handful of times each summer, it will probably hold up well > for a long time with moderate use. And if you won't be using it heavily, > perhaps you can't justify the price (and packed-down size) of a more > expensive tent. So this is for you. On the other hand, if you plan to > use the tent heavily (camping every other weekend, etc.) you probably > should spring for a heavier duty tent. (I do sell a much nicer one at > $299 plus $100 for the optional sleeping cabin.) That one is practically > bulletproof and could be used every weekend for years without any > deterioration. (On the other hand it's also more than twice as big when > packed down.) > > Most customers have seemed to agree with this conlusion. We have sold a > ton of these. We've had several comments about the stitching quality. > But in virtually all cases, the customer has concluded by saying that > while this disappointed them, they would just fix it themselves as it > was faster/easier than sending it back, and that overall they were not > dissatisfied with the tent given the price. > > Incidentally, if you don't have a side tent, you really should consider > one. My family has been using one for years. It's like > doubling/tripling your living space when you camp. The biggest advantage > is being able to take all of your junk out of the van and keep it under > cover in the tent, so you have room to move around, cook, make the bed, > etc. in the camper without tripping over stuff. And on a rainy day it's > a godsend. Also our 5 year old loves playing in it! Plus, since it can > be used free-standing (you just zip up the access door to the van and > it's a freestanding tent), we can use it to mark our camping spot if we > drive off for a while. I've had about six or seven different side tents > over the years. They were all different and had their advantages and > drawbacks. But I wouldn't live without one. > > Our part number on the cheap tent, incidentally, is A0097. If you search > it on busdepot.com there's a picture there too. > > - Ron Salmon > The Bus Depot, Inc. > www.busdepot.com > (215) 234-VWVW > > _____________________________________________ > Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT >


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