REVIEW: CVT Mt. Bailey RTT

by: Andy Lilienthal

SPECS

Price: $795.00

Size: 48″W x 96″L x 45″Ht. (Open) Actual sleeping footprint, 48″W x 48″L x 11″ Ht. (Closed)

Weight: 96lbs – Will hold up to 450 lbs

Base Materials: Aluminum frame, joists, sheets and insulated foam

Internal frame: 3/4″ aluminum

Ladder: Sliding adjustable aluminum ladder

Fabric: 280g Poly/Cotton Rip Stop Fabric. W/P PU coating, Breathable and Mold Resistant with UV Protection

Rain Fly: 420D Poly/Oxford PU

Mattress: High density foam 2.5″ thick

Travel Cover: Heavy duty PVC

 

If you don’t have a vehicle large enough to sleep in, rooftop tents can be a good option for camping on the go. They mount to your vehicle or trailer’s roof rack, are quick and easy to setup and take down, good in foul weather, and let you camp off of the ground where you don’t have to worry as much about water, mud, or bumpy, uncomfortable ground.

Bend Oregon-based Cascadia Vehicle Tents, also known as CVT, offers a host of roof top tents in a variety of sizes to accommodate just about any need and any vehicle. One of their newer tents is the two-person Mt. Bailey model. This compact unit weighs 96 lbs. and is 48”x48”x11” when closed for transport, making it ideal for smaller vehicles or camping setups, such as our Suzuki Sidekick and small Dinoot trailer.

Assembly

There is a bit of assembly required before you can use the tent. CVT actually includes 10mm and 13mm wrenches with the product, but you will need a drill with a Philips Head bit to install the self-tapping screw into the aluminum base. Although the tent usually includes instructions, ours was missing. No worries, though, CVT provided us with a manual. We also found some on the Internet, too.

Once unboxed, the aluminum mounting rails bolt to the tent’s aluminum base using the included hardware. The rails can be mounted in different configurations depending on which way you want the tent’s ladder to come off of the car or trailer. After attaching the rails, my wife and I hoisted the tent onto our trailer’s Thule rack (with square crossbars). We then began installing the simple, strong mounting brackets, which slide into the mounting rail’s chase, bolting to the crossbars like a U-bolt. There were some compressed metal shavings in some of railings’ chases, but they were easily cleaned up using a flathead screwdriver.

 Next we affixed the included extendable ladder to the tent base and bolted it to the frame. The ladder has two functions: One is to create leverage to help open the tent. The other is to, of course, get into the tent. The tent comes with a thick black PVC cover to keep the elements from getting to the tent when traveling.

Setup

Setup is extremely simple. Begin by removing the zippered PVC cover, extend the aluminum ladder, then using the ladder as a lever, tilt the tent open. Think of it as a giant inhabitable pop-up book. You adjust the ladder to its correct height, make sure it’s at the correct angle to where it’ll support the tent base, and setup the window awnings.

The tent is made of 280g poly/cotton rip-stop fabric with a weatherproof polyurethane (PU) coating, which is breathable and mold-resistant. The rain fly, which covers the top of the tent, is 420D poly with an Oxford PU coating. The material feels durable and well made, although there were a few loose threads where some of the seams were finished; nothing a quick trim couldn’t fix.

The Mt. Bailey tent has four openings. The two side windows have zippered screens and zippered clear plastic windows, which allow the tent to do well in rainy or snowy conditions. However, you can also have the windows completely open, even without screens for a more open-air experience. The main entry by the ladder has a zippered screen and zippered canvas cover allowing for either good airflow or a nice bit of privacy. The opposite end has the same setup.

Each of these openings has an awning above it that are held open by two rods. These rods—a staple feature of many RTTs—simply slide in openings on the tent’s aluminum base, get bent to shape, and hook into grommets on the awning. All of these openings have grommets and ties that allow you to secure the screens and canvas flaps in both open and closed positions. There are also small triangular vents on the sides above the windows for circulation; these are protected by small covers to prevent rain from entering.

When set up, the tent is 48” wide and 96” long and has adequate space for two people. I did notice a fair amount of metal shavings scattered throughout the tent from the manufacturing process, which I vacuumed up. Speaking of mattresses, the tent comes with a removable high-density 2.5” foam mattress held in place using Velcro. The mattress’s cover also can be removed for washing. One thing of note: I don’t recommend entering the tent without the mattress in place. I did and slightly dimpled the aluminum base with my knees as I crawled in to vacuum out the aforementioned metal shavings under the mattress. While it didn’t do any real damage, it is a point to note.

Teardown is just as easy as setup—it’s just the opposite as setup.

Our First Night

My wife and I stayed on our friend’s property outside of Issaquah, Washington on our first night in the tent. We crawled inside for the night and stashed things such as wallets, pocket knives, glasses, and mobile phones in the four hanging pockets affixed to the tent walls. There are hanging grommets all over the place designed to hold rolled-up windows. However, we found them convenient for hanging lightweight things like keys on carabineers, headlamps, small LED lanterns, or even watches. When open, the tent has a length of 8’, so were able to stash our backpacks and shoes at the end of the mattress.

We used our sleeping bags in the tent and found the combination of sleeping bag and foam mattress to be comfortable, even though there is only 48” of width. For comparison’s sake, this width is in between a twin bed (39”) and a full bed (54”). I’m a side sleeper and my wife is a back sleeper, and we both had enough of room. Let’s put it this way, however: You’d better like the person you’re with in the tent because it is cozy.

There was a heavy dew the next morning, and the rain fly was covered with moisture, but none of it made it through the tent. One thing we didn’t expect was condensation from under the mattress. Likely the heat from our bodies and the cold morning air (and the heavy dew) created moisture between the tent base and the foam pad—something we were told was common on RTTs.

After a few setups and teardowns, my wife and I were able to set the tent up in 3.5 minutes, and we could likely do it faster with more practice.

I found the Mt. Bailey CVT roof top tent is the perfect size for our compact camping adventures. It’s comfortable, durable, convenient, and easy to setup and take down. With an overall weight of only 96 lbs., it’s ideal for those looking for a light, small rooftop tent option.

Andy Lilienthal is a blogger and writer, and operates the website Subcompact Culture, which is all about small vehicles.