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The Avalanche Tent And Camper

M

motorman

GUEST
hello, has anybody bought a tent from chevy are a camper if yes do they fit snug and how much for the camper. ;D ;D
 
I have the tent and it works fine. I bought the mattress also. As an afterthought you can buy an air mattress cheaper elsewhere. I am not sure what you are refering to "camper"


Gary
 
hello, as for camper top that fits over the bed, i seen it on the catalog, i wonder how much.
 
I think there is one member on here that has the camper top. I think he said it was around $3K for it. Snugtop is the manufactor of the top. Do a search on the accersory page and there is more info on it.
 
Dear Gary,

I am thinking of buying the tent. How long does it take to set up and how long to take down.

Thank you.

Al
 
Re: the camper top....It is made by snugtop....they have a website www.snugtop.com.. shows the AV with a capmer...I have one on order. Price depends on how close you are to your Chevey Dealer, as this is the only way they market the top..Price here top,intallation,taxes,shipping....$2300.00....Should be here in bout 2 weeks....
 
I have had a GM/Snugtop canopy on my Avalanche for about three months and it is fabulous. ?I needed more carrying capacity and my panels leaked, so it was the perfect solution for us.

The water seal around the bottom of the canopy is invisible and HUGE. ?Absolutely no water leaks.

The color match is perfect (Victory Red).

The most interesting part is the excitement that the rig incites. ?Folks thought the Avalanche was cool. ?The Avalanche with the Snugtop often gathers crowds of people when I park it. ?They've never seen anything like it and they LOVE it!

Price was $1950. ?The Snugtop was ordered through my GM dealer and delivered to my local Snugtop Distributor. ?The Snugtop Dealer charged me $60 for a flawless, very careful installation.

The canopy installs using existing holes and can be removed easily, with the correct equipment.

Interestingly enough, when I mentioned the Snugtop on this Board, you'd have thought I'd farted in church. ?Apparently, a lot of Avalanche owners mod like crazy, doing things that have no apparent useful purpose, but a canopy is absolutely not an option. ?

A few guys thought it was a good idea, but the silence was profound.

The Snubtop and Bedslide, in my opinion, are the ultimate mods for the Avalanche.

I have some photos posted on PictureTrail (I think the address is www.picturetrail.com/stevetimm) that shows what the Snugtop really looks like. ?The photo in the GM brochure and on the Snugtop website suck.

Hey, we hunt and we need the extra covered waterproof carrying capacity, ?Our Avalanche/Snugtop is perfect for us. ?And, in the end, that is all that truly matters.

Steve
 
Irontrain,

The Snugtop adds about three inches to the height, so it wouldn't work for you.

I would suggest buying the basic Bedslide, just to get the frame. It comes with a cheap plywood and cheap carpet. The "Weatherdeck" option gets you a little higher grade of plywood (maybe) that has been sprayed with a rubber compound. The Weatherdeck is about $150 more and, in my opinion, not worth it.

The frames are the same and the frame is what is important.

Anyway, I'd buy the basic model and throw away the decking. Then, I'd go out and buy a sheet of the umpteen-ply Siberian exterior ?-inch plywood. Cut it to fit and apply one of the brush-on bed liner products. For 50-60 extra bucks, you'd have a Bedslide that was much better than the Weatherdeck version.

By the way, when you get your Bedslide, you'll want to cut the rear bolts (that hold the deck to the frame) to length. They extend about an inch beyond to nuts and snag blue jeans and other stuff. Anyway, I took a hack saw and cut them flush with the nuts and filed the burr.

What really impresses me about the Bedslide is the side thrust bearings. The thrust bearings make it easy to slide out the deck with the AV on an extreme sidehill (it runs on its edges. Pretty neat.

I also added two medium-sized drawer handles to the back of the deck metal. This really helps open the Bedslide when the AV is nose down. You have about 1?-inches of clearance between the rear of the deck and the tailgate and it is a very worthwhile modification.

We also put a carpet remnant over the Weatherdeck. Makes it look nice, but we'll have to change it after hunting season. By the time we haul six deer, four antelope and a couple of elk out of the bush it will be pretty bloody, no matter how careful I am to tarp them up.

Best of luck with the Bedslide. It's a fabulous option.

Best, Steve
 
Irontrain,

The Bedslide attaches at two hardpoints: the two lower front bed tie-downs. The tie-downs are still operant, but the torx bolt that holds them are used to hold the Bedslide in place.

The rear bar of the Bedslide frame rests on the rear of the bed. I put heavy felt under the bar, so it wouldn't eventually wear through the paint.

Clearance on both sides is approx 1?-inches. Clearance on the midgate (I haven't measured it) is a cople of inches. Clearance on the tailgate is about 1?-inches (enough space for the drawer handles I added).

Yes, I removed the rubber mat - and good riddance. I was forever drying the condensation from under the mat. And it was WAY too sticky.

Now, without the mat, I can easily vacuum the bed every couple of weeks and it is dry as a bone. The mat would have served no purpose, other than the aggrevation of condensation.

The Bedslide weighs 170-some pounds and it is silly to leave the mat in. The drawer of the Bedside is now the bottom of the bed.

By the way, I find that it is nice to be able to hide valuables UNDER the Bedslide. On a recent trip, I carried a rifle and a handgun totally out of sight and they were as safe as could be. Wives also have the habit of taking purses and then wanting to leave them in the truck (under the bedslide is a great hideout).

I made a pact with myself: Every truck I have from here on will have a Bedslide. I feel that strongly about it.

You'll love this option.

Steve
 
I recently purchased the tent. We're going to try it out this weekend. We did a dry set up run last week and it took less than 15 minutes. Does anybody have any helpful info on use of the tent or extras we might need. I alredy have an air matress.

Bryan
 
Actually, I have wanted to purchase a Snugtop shell for my AV even before I purchased my AV but when I discovered the hefty price I considered it to be a bit price gouging if you ask me ($2300 + $400 S&H) :8:. I only hope for more 3rd party manufacturers, if only to drive the price down. However they do look nice.

I would like to see a group buy offered on something like this but I don't think that is very likely with the response you say you have received.

I purchased the tent and air mattress and am happy with both of them, they work and fit fine however I would like a Snugtop so I wouldn't have to setup each time I go camping.
 
Ok, regarding the hard top XUV from Snugtop, it appears to me that the installation of the top negates the use of the side hatches - ie. they can not be opened with the top attached.?????
 

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ou.sooner said:
I recently purchased the tent. ?We're going to try it out this weekend. ?We did a dry set up run last week and it took less than 15 minutes. ?Does anybody have any helpful info on use of the tent or extras we might need. ? I alredy have an air matress.

Bryan

Well now your touching on a question I can answer from my other website!

The Avalanche bed tent solves a TON of problems of putting the tent on the ground. You don't need a tent footprint to protect the bottom, you don't need to seal the bottom seams. You can use the rear map lights as tent lights if you open the midate. Now all of that is the good news.

Now here are the complexities of the bed tent. First, it's a long way down and a long way up from the tailgate. Especially when your 1/2 tired, it's dark and your bladder is full. Consider bringing a foot stool or small folding ladder to aid with issue.

Second is where on earth to put your other stuff. The good news is if you open the midgate you can move your camp supplies and cargo into the cabin - but if that still isn't enough room you're going to have to stow it under your Avalanche to protect it from the elements. You might want to consider getting some durable weather resistant or weather proof duffles to store your gear in and place them under the tailgate in the evening. A cheap $4 to $8 tarp, secured with some equally cheap tent stakes so your tarp doesn't flap in the wind will keep the dirt off - wrap 'em up like a burritto in the tarp and it will take quite the storm to soak your gear.

You'll also probably want to invest in a tent dust pan and brush. You can use a regular dust pan and brush but the ones made for tents that you can get at REI, EMS, or other outdoors stores have finer bristles on the brush and a smaller, lighter pan. Trust me, you'll get dirt in your tent going in and out and this set up makes cleaning a lot easier.

You also might want to consider setting up your tent and giving it a light mist of water (empahsis on mist). Crawl inside and look for any leaks or drips along the seams. No such thing as a 100% waterproof tent out of the box, I don't care if you're spending $700 + for a four season Walrus or Mountain Hardware unit to go into death zone, you need to seal 'em up. You can buy seam grip at REI or any other half-way descent outdoors store. Always follow the owners manual on the tent, they may have specific instructions.

Finally, what ever you do, make it a habit not to touch the inside walls of your tent, ESPECIALLY when wet. The oils in your hand will attack the weather repellant in the mateial. If you touch the inside and the outside is wet, even with dew, you can create a capillary effect that will cause a permanent leak in that spot. YIKES!

You can find more information on tent care at my other website:

click here to visit OutdoorPlaces.Com
 
wow, great post - I feel like I need to camp in My Av now, with all of my new knowledge. Seriously, great info, I am now re-considering my earlier dismissal of the tent notion . . .
 
CHOPFE,
Yes, the Snugtop lays right over the side storage boxes and totally eliminates their use.

At first, I thought this was a big deal. Later, when I put all the stuff I had in the storage boxes in a single milk box, I felt a lot better about the situation. I then realized that the contorted shape of the side boxes didn't really efficiently store stuff.

With the Bedslide, the milk box full of needful things (chains, jumper cables, etc) is in the front of the bed, well out of the way, yet much more available than it ever was in the side storage areas.

If you look at the way the wonderful Snugtop is made, it was quite necessary that it be made to ride on top of the storage areas. The canopy's base completely laps over the top of the bed wall. It isn't a little contace, it's a lot. With large area comes total waterproofness and excellent weight distribution.

The more you look at it, the more you realize it is superbly designed.

Believe it or not, GM/Snugtop is not ripping the AV owner. Snugtops are very expensive canopies, the Rolls Royce of their kind. Similar Snugtop canopies for short bed trucks are priced similarly to the XUV.

Having said that, I totally agree with one of the previous posts (by Planet Express) that a GM dealer wanting $2,300, plus $400 S&H is a total rip. hey, the MSRP is $1,950 and if a GM dealer can't work at RETAIL, he should get out of the friggin' business.

I'm sure that someone will make a cheaper, less well-made canopy for the Avalanche. And there will be a market for them. Given a choice, I would still go Snugtop - and it is available now.

I paid $1,950, plus $60 for installation by the Snugtop dealer. I feel it is very much worth the price and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Steve
 
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