Description
The Hard Shell
The hard shell of the James Baroud Discovery Evolution is manufactured in fiberglass fortified polyester and the bottom has provisions to hold the aluminum ladder. The aluminum ladder is included with the tent.
Automatic Opening & Closing
We promise you that not only is there no other tent that opens as easily and as quickly on the market today – but closes as well. Opening the tent is automatic and nearly effortless thanks two AL-KO struts that opens the tent automatically in 5 seconds. All you have to do is release the catches! Closing the tent is nearly as easy – just close the top half of the shell and by hand and the fabric sides are automatically drawn into the hull by the elasticized seam. Secure the latches and you’re done. All in all – it takes around 15 seconds to completely close and latch the top shell to the bottom and you’re ready to continue down the trail!
Durability & Weatherproof
No one wants to be caught in a storm while in a rooftop tent. Combine heavy rain with high winds – it makes even the toughest adventurers cringe. While we hope you never find yourself in the situation, you can sleep in confidence knowing that James Baroud tents are waterproof and tested up to 74mph (120Km/hr).
The Canvas
The canvas material of the James Baroud Discovery is dark gray made of six (6) aluminized coats that reflect the sun’s ray. This is critical as in warmer climates a rooftop tent without the ability to reflect heat and air ventilation will turn into an oven. The canvas is also UV resistant, 100% waterproof but allows air to circulate to resist mildew – a common occurrence with other materials in wet climates. All seams are doubled for the utmost ruggedness and are 100% watertight. The inside of the canvas includes two removable pockets and a storage net on the ceiling. Three zipped canvas doors with a double slider are fitted with insect screens to keep those pesky bugs out. A window with an insect screen is integrated to the back door with an eave to protect from rain.
The Mattress
The mattress is made from a high density foam and comes with a heavy duty zipped cover.
Lighting
The tent comes with a 15 high intensity LED indoor light which doubles as a removable rechargeable flashlight. All wiring is supplied with the tent. The flashlight has an unbreakable polycarbonate lens and a battery charge indicator.
Ventilation
If you’ve owned a rooftop tent or known someone who has; you know how hot a rooftop tent can get. You also know how one that stays on the roof may develop a mildew smell. Standard with all of our hard shell tents, the James Baroud Discovery Evolution comes with a silent MCV (motorized controlled ventilation) which is powered by a 24 hour life battery which can be recharged by an integrated solar panel kit. This MCV has the capacity of 11.6 M3/mn (2905 UK gal/mn) and prevent all condensation and remove stored heat to avoid moisture and mould. A second propeller is supplied with reverse blades to act as a fan. The fans are easily exchanged from inside the tent.
Warranty
5 Years
Raul Martinez –
Adventure Ready is an awesome shop. These guys know their stuff and went out of their way to help me out. I purchased the discovery model a month ago and have basically been living in it the last month in Seattle. There are some spots on the ceiling that gets wet near the vent. It may not necessarily be something that affects all models, maybe just mine. The rest of the fabric in the ceiling stays dry, however, the rear door fabric (usually the one that gets pounded the most when it rains) gets wet internally as well. I usually have the vent on to try to keep away condensation and the sides stay dry internally so I’m not sure what it is. May just need some waterproof spray or I might have a bad seam on that door.
The tent pops open in seconds. Closing it isn’t as quick because you have to stuff the tent fabric inside the fiberglass hulls (the built in stretch seams don’t really work that well) but it’s still less than a minute. The vent is super quiet and gives you a nice option to switch the blades around to work as an exhaust, if needed. I have it mounted on Rhino Rack Vortex bars on an ’03 4Runner. The standard size gives me half the sunroof to still enjoy and I can easily jump into it without the ladder at 6”2″. For the price, it would have been nice if it came with a lock and a waterproof bag to hang your dirty shoes outside but I guess JB has that accessory for mo money. 6’2″ is THE MAX height for fitting in this thing comfortably. Anyone taller should probably get the bigger one. The mattress is comfortable enough alone but even better padded.
I did hit a steel low overhang sign my first week (not being used to the higher overhead height yet). I expected the fiberglass to be cracked but nothing happened to it at all! Thank God. Don’t tell me fiberglass is weak, this thing is solid. And I think once summer comes around that the fiberglass will be a better climate compared to aluminum.
Overall, I’m very happy with the JB line and am considering getting the Evasion model for the panoramic views. I have to give it 4 stars until I figure out the getting wet part, unfortunately.