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Friday · 02-12-2009, 09:44 PM

I've posted in the classifieds, but if anyone has a line on the tent from a dealer that is looking to get rid of one, or any other accessories, drop me a line. Even though I bought a new Basecamp, since the tent was not a factory option, they want $1565 for the tent (!). $1000 for the tent is already too much, which is what the factory option price is.

I've tried Kelty, and they only sell it to Airstream. I've tried Airstream, and the only sell to dealers. So, if anyone can help out...

Also, I've looked at a couple of the 'Sportz' SUV tents online. They are meant to hook up to the back of a Explorer and such... anyone know exactly how big a hole I need to get around the ass of a Basecamp? (mine is still in transit).

Merci!

redstart · 02-13-2009, 04:38 AM

If you can't find it, you could try Cooke's Custom Sewing.

Cooke Custom Sewing

A lot of people on the canoeing forums (canadian canoe routes) use them for tents etc and are *extremely* happy.

SteveH · 02-13-2009, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Also, I've looked at a couple of the 'Sportz' SUV tents online. They are meant to hook up to the back of a Explorer and such... anyone know exactly how big a hole I need to get around the ass of a Basecamp? (mine is still in transit).

I had one of those that I modified and made fit to the side of a teardrop trailer that I built, and I think it would fit just fine. You would probably have to fabricate something to make the "sock" stay attached to the Basecamp, but other than that, would work fine.

Dennett · 04-03-2009, 10:43 PM

Hi Friday, it’s me again. We have a Sportz tent for the VW Eurovan Camper that we use to tow our Basecamp. The tent is roomy and well made, and FAR less expensive than the Kelty tent. It also has a rain fly, which the Kelty does not. We have all the other Kelty accessories, but passed on the Kelty tent. Although we have not yet had an opportunity to try the Sportz tent on the Basecamp, we’ve used it lots on the VW Eurovan and think the tent will fit just fine on the Basecamp.

We’re going to find out for certain this summer!

Best regards,
Dennett

sc27sailor · 04-28-2009, 11:30 AM

Dear Kelty Tent searcher,

We have a 2007 Base Camp and would be happy to discuss our observations about the tent before you purchase one! Write back if you want to chat!

Barry

Friday · 04-29-2009, 08:21 AM

We had such a hard time locating the tent, that we ended up buying it with the trailer (except it was an added 'part'). It ended up being quite expensive... $1600 Cdn... so that really stung. But, we figured there might not be a chance to get one in the future. We are just getting nice enough weather here to set it up and check it out.

I'd be interested in any tips or feedback though. I was disappointed to find it has no fly, and am looking at a Kelty Noah tarp to use instead.

In hindsight, I suppose I should have given the Sportz tent a try, as their rep in Canada said they'd send one for the cost of shipping to try.

But, as the Basecamp is all about 'cool', there is no doubt the Kelty tent is the coolest...

How do you find the rest of the Kelty gear? Worth the investment? What exactly do you get? I'm curious about the 'gear pole storage' especially.

Thanks!

Airhog1 · 04-29-2009, 10:02 AM

I think the gear pole storage is the best options that Kelty offered with the Basecamp. Everyone I ordered had that option if nothing else!

G

sc27sailor · 04-29-2009, 10:47 PM

Dear Friday,

We should talk more! We just sent our tent to the Kelty Warrenty Center in Colorado for repairs. The tent poles were too long due to the tent material shrinking! We are waiting for the tent to arrive back in California.

We are also looking to obtain a rain fly. I asked Kelty if they would make one since they had the tent. Kelty indicated that they do not manufacture special orders! Kelty did give me the name of an group that might create one in Seatle, Washington called Rainy Pass Repair @

Friday · 04-30-2009, 10:20 AM

We just set ours up yesterday to try it, and it was really, really tight... i thought we might rip it, but we got all the poles in. I was hoping it would stretch in the sun, but when we took it down at the end of the day it was still super-tight.

Is there a lifetime warranty on it, like their other gear? For the money, they should have an advance-exchange program for it...

After looking at the material closer, it looks like it is a good water-proof material... the rear-facing window is a poor setup with no deflector and the panel on the inside... we'll see how that works.

Do any of the AS dealer-related folks on here care to order me any more of the Kelty gear? PM me and we can discuss...

sc27sailor · 04-30-2009, 10:52 PM

Friday,
Kelty reported to me that they made about 200 Air Stream Base Camp tents. As for the Warrenty, they have been very responsive (takes a long time) to making the necessary repairs to our tent. They did shorten the poles by about 1 inch. We ripped the pole strap attempting to put up the tent. We are still waiting to get the tent back from Kelty to see how it has been improved. As for the water proof aspect of the tent, I do not think it is a four season tent! I did mention that we are working on a homemade rain fly. We will let you know how it goes!

As for the Kelty Gear, give them a call. I do believe that they sent all materials to Air Stream in Ohio. You can call Air Stream Parts or try the Internet.

sc27sailor · 04-30-2009, 11:02 PM

Can someone brief me or direct me to specifics on this issue with the Base Camp sink leaking? I seem to have seen a posting about possible fixes for the sink. Not sure how to find them again!

We have not yet had any leaks, yet, we want to be prepared should one arrise or fix it now.

In addition, we are wondering how many Air Stream Base Camps were made in the two years of production?

Friday · 05-01-2009, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airhog1

I think the gear pole storage is the best options that Kelty offered with the Basecamp. Everyone I ordered had that option if nothing else!

G

Can you describe what this is, or post a picture? I'm interested in getting it, if I can find a dealer to ship it up here...

lokomonkey · 05-25-2009, 06:27 PM

Ours came with the kelty tent, under bed luggage, kitchen cabinet storage and the gear pole storage. I wouldn't bother with the under bed luggage - it is made to fit under the beds, but you can just use similar sized duffels. I have found the kitchen cabinet storage and the gear pole storage useful.

Oh, and we had the same problem with the tent being super-tight on the poles...we just dealt with it and it hasn't ripped yet.

Friday · 05-26-2009, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lokomonkey

Ours came with the kelty tent, under bed luggage, kitchen cabinet storage and the gear pole storage. I wouldn't bother with the under bed luggage - it is made to fit under the beds, but you can just use similar sized duffels. I have found the kitchen cabinet storage and the gear pole storage useful.

Oh, and we had the same problem with the tent being super-tight on the poles...we just dealt with it and it hasn't ripped yet.

Any chance you could take a couple of pictures of the gear pole storage and cabinet gear? I have to order it from the 'states (I am in Canada) and it is very expensive from Airstream... any dealers on here that can help me out?

lokomonkey · 05-30-2009, 05:25 PM

We have it in storage until our next trip, I'll take a photo then. If it is really expensive, I don't know that it's worth it. Its kind of like one of those things that they make for closets that hang on the pole and has shelves.

kimlangin · 07-21-2009, 09:13 AM

Help - I have a 2007 Basecamp. The tent is great in fair weather. We enjoy the extra room and have it set up as a sitting area to use at night away from the bugs (with a couple of pillows near the stairs so they don't come in from underneath). I have been using the tent for 2 summers but now it has started to fall apart. I have a pole that is split and 4 rips that I have duck taped (looks great). In a strong rain storm, it leaks so bad I end up with 6 inches of water inside the tent. I know leaking has always been a problem. Anyone have any suggestions, I am wondering if it is even worth contacting Kelty/Airstream to see if they would replace the tent or if there are other options available.

Friday · 08-06-2009, 11:47 PM

I believe Kelty has a lifetime warranty against defects, which split poles or seems would typically be... We just used our tent for the first time this week in Whitehorse, Yukon... and had the typical issues with space by the sides and the gaps around the fold-down steps. We had only a light rain one night, and just a few drops inside the tent.My suggestion would be to look at a fly or tarp. Kelty makes a model called the Noah, in different sizes, that might work. I think it is a generally poor concept to have a big tent like this with no provision for a fly (and then charge $1500 for it to boot).We used a 50% sun-blocking 'tarp' under the tent. It is porous and allows any moisture under the tent to escape, but still provides abrasion protection for the bottom. We do not have a fly yet... but I'll be trying to figure something out before our next trip...

kimlangin · 08-08-2009, 08:00 AM

We have a home grown design for a fly that covers the tent, Bascamp and provides a covered area for sitting. What we did was use 1 1/2" PVC piping to create a T bar like brace across the top of the Basecamp using the steel rails on the top to secure the PVC. Then using a 15 ft x 30 ft blue tarp and 6 tent poles and tie downs for the ends. This is a low cost solution {$30}. I have some ideas to improve upon it maybe buying a light weight material for the tarp, parachute material and attaching the front poles to the steel lower rails on the base camp to create an outrigger type pole setup.
The T-bar is the key to this approach in my mind. The Basecamp has 2" steel rails on top, by using 2" to 1 1/2" T PVC connector and cutting the T connector so it clips onto the steel rails, which to my surprise makes a tight fit so no drilling or screws are required. Then using 2 more pieces of PVC-T connectors of 1 1/2" size and 1 1/2" PVC piping (16 ft is enough) and cut to length required. I cut two pieces to 1 ft lengths for the upright pieces this allows enough height to clear the antenna and allow enough air space to allow moisture to escape from between the tarp and the Basecamp. I allowed 5 ft to create an overhang over the sides giving you a covered area along the Basecamp and tent; this keeps our grill table and stuff under cover during rain storms. Front to back of the tarp can be adjusted as you like but with 30 feet to play with; we had the tent under cover and another 8 -10 ft behind it for more covered space. This design held well in 2 very bad rainstorms with wind. I realize this may be hard to visualize and even harder for me to explain so if interested write us back and we can arrange to get pictures to you to better see what we have done.

bizcamp · 08-17-2009, 06:55 AM

I have the tent option but keep it packed and haven't even used it yet. I prefer the popup canopy tents that you can get at Dicks sporting goods. On sale it was $87 with $10 off for the 12x12. It takes 3mins. to set up and the screenwall and sidewall attachments are cheap and easy to attach. The 12 footer is just tall enough that it fits in the groove for the BCs tent. This configuration has alot of room to leave stuff out and covered. Motorcycles, chairs for four friends, grill and my portable table fit easiely under the canopy and it gives me a room off my basecamp. I can leave the doors open on the BC and with the screen curtain walls on the canopy I don't have the bugs. I use a big piece of astroturf for the floor and it works well to keep the dust and debris from making it to the inside of the BC. All in all, I think this is a simple, lowcost, better solution for my style of camping with friends.
Bizcamp

ArveeBob · 09-09-2009, 04:59 PM

I have all the Kelty accessories including the tent...As to that it was expensive and the strap that wraps around the groove in the Basecamp broke on first use.The floor will get holes if you don't use an underlayment and the top will rip if you don't figure out how to secure the doors(sharp corners).