4x4 Colorado Nimbus RTT installed - review & photos

[chorky]

Not often am I completely blown away by products especially these days. So when I see a product, especially an expensive one, that has outstanding quality, and exceeds my crazy amount of OCD and often times unreasonably excessive expectations, I can't not talk about it.

One benefit of staying home sick is being home for deliveries. I know it would be better to do a review when it is installed, but I just cannot wait to talk about this product. This is the Nimbus tent from 4X4 Colorado. They are a relatively new and smaller business out of - Colorado. I have been looking at this one in particular for a year now, and have looked at several others in detail as well. But, I have to say that this is by FAR the BEST put together roof top tent I have seen. Those who know me personally know that with my crazy OCD and often times excessively high expectations I spend hours upon hours upon hours in research and diving into the intricate details of products to make sure that money is spent on quality products. Especially when it comes to things in the cost category of a RTT. 4X4 Colorado delivers without question.

I will try and do an actual video and full review writeup on my build thread (https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/destination-unknown-2022-jtr-journal.66430/) but for now here are a couple points that I think sets them above and beyond other options.

• All aluminum construction - this is super important because, in the inevitable situation it bumps against a tree or branch, it won’t crack. Maybe bend some, but fiberglass and cracks equal a good amount of work, grinding, glass laying, and painting to repair and ensure sound structure. So, at only 10 pounds more than others in it’s class - aluminum is a FAR better material to use especially for ‘overlanders'.
• Base plate is some type of honeycomb aluminum plate - this is critical for me personally as I probably will have to drill through it to mount it to my canopy which has a super oddball style mounting option and the canopy company I think went out of business.
• Good solid brackets for tightening it down.
• All mating surfaces of aluminum structure are sealed with some type of black silicone - this to me is preferred over a gasket because it means it is easily repairable and maintainable over time
• Solid gasket around sides to prevent water intrusion.
• Canvas material is thick - and has a waxy feeling coating (forget what they told me it was) but it resembles waxed canvas and is CLEARLY substantial compared to standard tent fabric
  • It is water resistant (on top of what canvas already does) and has a UV resistant coating
  • This means it likely is also quieter in the wind - think about the difference in sound on a windy day of your back yard Walmart tarp compared to your 20 year old weathered canvas tarp
• Operation - this is a clamshell design BUT it also opens up front. Similar to the James Broud style. I like this style a LOT as, personally, I hate the idea of a standard clamshell that will pinch your feet or head. This provides for so much more room and comfort and allows for a front window for better ventilation and 360 degree views. They do also offer a side open style that offers a lot more room for those with families or who need a smaller footprint, as well as a option that opens straight up for even more interior room than the Nimbus.
• Sleeping pad - I probably will still add a blow up pad in the future but the one included is plenty thick - thicker than most backpacking mats, and your not on the ground, its nice and soft, with a anti-condensation mat underneath like most tent’s. However, the pad in this one is cut out to accommodate the scissor style hinge system - something not a lot of people probably think about. More of those small details.
• Included hardware - they include a small wrench for install. No big deal to most, but its the little details like this that I think set companies apart because it means they are purposefully trying to think about all the different aspects, not just of selling a product but making sure people can use and install them as well.
• Color - I absolutely LOVE the tan/brown color of the tent fabric. So many other options use standard grays, or bright yellow and red - to me are kinda obnoxious and more of a ‘hey look at me’ thing. Grey is just dull. I like brown because it resembles the environment this tent is intended to be used in - the woods. There are opportunities here for maybe some cool scenery designs using a combination of the existing tan and adding green fabric coloring, which would be super sweet (so 4X4 Colorado if you are listening) but overall I like the color a lot more than competitors. And the canvas is quite thick, so even though it’s not a ‘blackout’ I have no doubt that it will block 80% of the sunlight in the summer when fully closed up.
• Did I say all aluminum? And considering it is all aluminum, it is still relatively light compared to other options which are about the same weight but using fiberglass.
• Removable canvas - the top of the canvas is zipped in by an actual zipper. The bottom used to be but there looks to have been a manufacturer change so it is held in place now by a L track, channel, and some rivets it appears - meaning, for someone like me that undoubtedly will cause damage to the canvas at some point in time, it will be relatively easily removable for replacement or repairs. Other manufacturers seem to bond or use hidden rivets making removal and repair quite difficult, so again thinking about the future and long term maintenance and repair of a product they sell - this is outstanding! And because it is thick canvas instead of normal tent material, even if it did get ripped or torn, it won't necessarily require an immediate repair to prevent it from totally tearing apart - a big benefit of canvas.
• Internal hinges and struts - this, to me is HUGE. I know, I know there are a lot of naysayers about this saying the fabric will get caught, pinched and torn. And over time yeah I'm sure it will. HOWEVER the benefits far outweigh the cost in that the hinge system is protected, the strut is protected. So you don't have to overly worry about a branch knocking off a strut and destroying the mount it adheres to, or bending the hinge system so that it doesn't open well anymore. It is also protected from the elements, and since mine will be on 100% full time due to bodily issues and lack of a garage, this will offer good protection in the 9 months of winter in my area.
• Ventilation - more little things but the tiny ventilation window thing I think is an excellent idea and it appears one can hook up a fan or something to it, so if it is cold out, which it is in the Rocky Mtn’s, windows can be closed but ventilation can still be had.
• Catchphrase - they put the same on their tent via a bonded aluminum panel as on their website. Maybe dumb to some people. But “Life is a Beautiful Ride”. And I really like this because it is a subtle reminder whenever you open/close the tent to kinda step back once in a while among all the crazy hustle and bustle of, everything going on in the world and realizing that, no matter your situation - there is always some bit of beautify in life to be seen and to not let that slip by. So when I saw this plated to all 4 sides of the tent, it just made me smile.

Now, there are a few things, like with anything, that I think could be done a tad bit better or different, but honestly they are so minuscule compared to the positives I don’t really think it’s even worth mentioning (unless the company wants to know). Some things are simply manufacturer related, most of it are things nobody would even notices unless you are extremely OCD and literally look at ever inch with a flashlight like I do.

However, compared to every other review of every other roof tent that I have seen - I truly believe this is the best product available, and it is WAY cheaper than the, typically regarded best of the industry James Broud option, and it is on point cost wise and weight wise compared to other ‘competitors’. But honestly, I don’t think this tent even has a true competitor to be honest.

And lastly I have to say that through all the phone calls and questions and time that I bothered the staff with, they never tried to rush me off the phone, they were always available, quick to respond if busy, and even if physically working still took time to have discussions with me about their product. This is hands down amazing service and shows they truly care about their product much more than just making a ’sale’. It’s always great to support companies like this.

Sponsored

 

[False]

I’ve been loving the design of this tent since I first saw it online. I really appreciate a review from someone who has their money sunk into it instead of an influencer who got it for their broadcast capabilities. Looking forward to seeing it installed!

 

[Camaroboi13]

You forgot to mention it was $2800 dollars ?

 

[Jglad15]

You forgot to mention it was $2800 dollars ?

Cheaper than most hard shell tents though if someone is interested in buying one. 171lbs is also on the heavier side too for a rtt.

 

[RudeJeepin]

Come on now, you can't give us all the pros and not the cons.
Sometimes it's the list of cons that help me decide what product to go with.

 

[Camaroboi13]

Cheaper than most hard shell tents though if someone is interested in buying one. 171lbs is also on the heavier side too for a rtt.

Most hard shell tents are priced horribly. This product, among others, should be priced under 1000 dollars. I can’t stand what the industry does to this stuff, yet people keep paying for it

 

[chorky]

Most hard shell tents are priced horribly. This product, among others, should be priced under 1000 dollars. I can’t stand what the industry does to this stuff, yet people keep paying for it

While I agree that EVERYTHING is way over cost (heck the house I bough is literally twice what it should have been and since I redid the roof, sewer, plumbing and electrical, everything else still being 100 years old, the 'value' almost doubled from what I paid for - insane), I think that under $1,000 is, not appropriate or feasible - at sub 1K this product simply wouldn't exist. I mean, 15 years ago, I picked up a very high quality backpacking tent that was over $500 bucks (and saved probably 3 years for) and that was well before this crazy economic stuff happening. And that was a small 2 person piece of fabric. This has aluminum, struts, hinges, thick canvas, and is large - I would bet you the materials alone are 1,000 bucks if you tried to source them independently. Is it 'excessive'? Absolutely... our entire national economy is excessive in more ways than one. But, I mean, the other option is to just not get one. I find more value in buying a product at this price range knowing it's design will last a good amount of use, and by it's design is relatively easily repairable and maintainable compared to others, than buying a 'cheap' $1,800 dollar unit from home depot that will probably fall apart in a year or two. Thats why I spent an entire years worth of research, reading, calling, discussing, watching, before settling on this tent. I'm not arguing here by any means. Our Gladiators also shouldn't necessarily be the same cost as my dad's first house he bought either - but look how many on this forum by them. By that token I would not find it appropriate to see a Gladiator at $20K either though.... It's all economics. Everybody wants more money at the cost of someone else right? I mean, for a person to make more money at their job, one of 3 things have to happen - the products sold have to be sold at a higher cost (or volume usually equals lower quality), other jobs have to be paid less or eliminated, or the product has to use cheaper quality components. It's just economics as much as I hate to say that because I am equally frustrated at current prices of everything nation wide - we just can't have super high quality products with high quality designs and high quality components that are Walmart costs when everybody in every industry wants to make more money for themselves - I'm no exception and I am a government employee who is paid easily 10K a year less than my skillset and level of responsibility should place it at - but do you want to pay more taxes so I can have a pay raise consistent with my skills and responsibility - I don't.... Unless...everything is outsourced and our supply chain issues show how well that is working. Plus that just means that other countries, who don't have the worker protections we have in the US, end up forcing their workers to work even harder for even less and in even worse environments. It can be looked at another way as well. Would you personally be willing to cut your paycheck down by, say, 10-20%? And then is it reasonable to expect the entire nation to do the same? That's sorta what would have to happen for prices of everything to come down. I am absolutely NOT trying to make any type of argument in favor or agains - that's just the observation I have come to realize the last 5 years or so.

But I digress - part of it too is these things are by NO means a necessity. 20 years ago when I was all into camping, RTT's were not a thing. Pull behind pop up tent trailers were the thing but they weren't cheap either. A person can, for the most part, easily go camping with a ground tent, a cooler, a Coleman flashlight, and a shovel. Nothing in todays realm of 'overloading' gear is necessary. But - for people like me with various disabilities, this luxury will afford me the ability to actually go camping whereas otherwise I probably would do maybe one 4 day camp trip a year.


So since cost (and weight) is most certainly a SIGNIFICANT aspect - and I will not disagree, here is a little comparison.

• 4x4 Colorado Nimbus (other tents available) - $2,795 and 171#'s

• James Broud - often considered the 'best of the best' but I would argue against - $4,585.50 and 165#'s
• Roof nest Falcon 2 - $3,595 and 160#'s
• Alu-Cab Gen 3.1 - $3,999 (down from MSRP of $4,199) and 110 pounds
• GoFast Platform RTT - $3,999 and 135#'s
• Smitybuilt hard shell - $2,799 and 160#'s
• Smitybuilt Overlander - $1,325.99 and 138#'s

These prices obtained from various vendors or direct

By FAR, class to class, the 4x4 Colorado beats these others in price, even smittybuilt! - and in my opinion, quality of materials and design. The only real 'competitor' might be Alu-Cab just because of a weight situation but then you don't have the advantage of the additional front height so your feet or head are cramped in from the clamshell. However, even with the heavy 171 pound weight (which is my least favorite part) it is not random - canvas is thick, aluminum construction is stout, hinges and bracketry are strong. I have a very difficult time understanding why the GoFast is almost 140 pounds when it uses super thin tent fabric, and two slim pieces of aluminum - I mean its literally nothing, and weighs the same as the smitybuilt full canvas tent? The baseplate for the Nimbus is a type of honeycomb aluminum. I think the only weight could be reduced is - removing the pad for an inflatable option, reducing the thickness (and thus quality) of the canvas, swapping aluminum out for fiberglas or plastic. The frame no doubt is the heaviest part (aside from the honeycomb alum base) as it is a form of extruded aluminum. The top aluminum panel is probably only, well who knows how thick maybe 1/16 inch? So that's not a lot of added weight. The canvas no doubt is also heavy - however, I personally do not want a loud thin tent like fabric so that extra canvas weight to me is worth it.

All in all, price and weight compared - and looking at the design and quality, I stand by it being above the rest. But that's one man's opinion among many. My post here is not to try and 'sell' the company although I would like to see them succeed. I am not affiliated in any way and I did not receive this for free at all. In transparency I did get a little discount for being a veteran but most companies do that so it shouldn't be a factor. I just think, that for the price and quality, you can't go wrong, and since they are not super well known and I haven't seen anyone else talk about them, feel that their product should be shared.

 

[chorky]

give us all the pros and not the cons.
Sometimes it's the list of cons that

Valid and fair point. I was attempting to keep the post length short since I just copied it elsewhere, but had to edit for length anyway. Keep in mind I just was delivered and unwrapped this morning so it will be a few weeks or longer till I am able to actually get it on the Jeep. But thus far here are the con's - to me personally

• Cost - it's expensive. But really, is that a valid con? Economy is.....weird and crappy. And as much as I would love for this, and the gladiator, and everything to be cheaper, everything is expensive - but for this to be cheaper, my pay also probably would be less - inflation just sucks. Even Smittybuilt's hard shell is the same price!
• Weight - this is my first, and biggest, and most important gripe. Obviously not big enough to stop me from spending my hard earned money on this vs a competitor. But 171 pounds is, in fact, HEAVY. I already have a 170 pound canopy (RLD) - although that's comparable to others. But, looking at other options, of the same 'class' 171 pounds is in the same ballpark. And I think the higher quality materials make up for it. But still - I am concerned of overall weight and no doubt will need stronger springs before mounting this to the truck comfortably. So I guess lift will come sooner than initially planned.
• Seal - I don't have a great picture but where the shells come together is a rubber seal to prevent water intrusion. It's decent but not great. I did see somewhere on FB someone had issues with leaks driving interstate speeds in a rainstorm I think it was. But I'm sure any tent would have that problem. The seal isn't perfect because it does sit on top of the canvas flap that is used to prevent water (from rain or snow) from getting past the mating point of canvas-to-aluminum (most tents have this type of flap over the mating point). But still, I am concerned here because, for my situation, the tent will be a permanent mount - meaning I won't be taking it off in the winter - most likely. So I will have to come up with a solution for this somehow and already have a relatively simple idea that just requires some thin 5" rubber that will wrap around the whole tent.
• Hinges - double edged sword here. I do prefer internal hinges and struts to keep them away from branches and weather. However, it undoubtedly causes friction when opening and closing against the canvas. now the canvas is thick but I have no doubt in time it will wear - will it wear enough for a tear or hole? Who knows. But, other tents have similar issues and their own wear points. One cannot expect a material to constantly bed and rub without consequence. And canvas is surely more wear resistant than tent fabric. However - I absolutely did not want a standard clamshell, and hear from friends with personal experience that the full straight up lift kind are terrible in the wind - so this was an acceptable compromise to me. The frabric is not super tight agains the hinges - but there is some friction when closing and opening.
• Overall 'finished' state. Being OCD as I am, first thing I did was look at EVERYTHING and fully remove the bed to see mounting positions and engineering of stress points. Doing this I found some areas that didn't fully get painted perfectly. I believe it is anodized aluminum. But, 99% of people won't ever even see the paint issue I mention as most dont look that close in the tiny nooks and crannys. And it's probably a manufacturer thing that maybe the next tent or batch does not have. The other thing that was a little annoying is it wasn't fully clean. As manufacturer goes, holes are drilled, bolts and rivets are used - and I did see some flakes of aluminum here and there where maybe the person doing the vacuuming didn't get every single corner. Again - most people wouldn't ever even notice or care. I do. And when I do my installs of product I quite literally do white glove tests where it applies.... So the tiniest spec of dust would have me speaking about it.
• Canvas adhering to the tent - this one is actually pretty annoying and arguably the second most important con right below weight, and the person I spoke with at 4X4 Colorado was kinda confused as to the situation. The tent is designed for the cavas to be zippered in - not bonded or riveted like many others. From pictures and the one or maybe two videos you can find of this tent, the top and bottom of the canvas zips into other canvas flaps that are riveted into the tent body. The top of the canvas, as in my picture, shows the zipper. The bottom however, does not have one. I specifically like this very aspect of the tent significantly. But, there could have been who knows the reason the change. 4X4 Colorado wasn't aware and said the last batch had the zippers - and also that I was the only one who called about this specific topic. So.....supply chain? I mean we all have heard of various Gladiators arriving without certain items that they were supposed to have - due to 'supply chain' issues. This is very annoying to me - not so annoying that I would go through the hassle of returning or exchanging, but certainly annoying enough to complain about and list as a pretty significant con as the original design was to have the whole thing zippered in. But not the end of the world because if I do have to remove the canvas for repair in the future - it's gonna be a pain in the butt no matter how it goes about and is going to require more involved processes than just unzipping and sewing in a patch - I mean 10 years from now who knows if this company will still be around - hopefully....and by then who knows if anyone will even want to or know how to sew in a canvas patch or just make a new surround entirely. So....if the hinges cause wear that is, in my opinion, premature, then it will become a problem for sure and I will be contacting the company regarding it to figure a solution. But my expectation, and hope, is that won't be a need for at least 5 years - by then, my medical situation might not even allow me to camp anymore anyway.
• Rain fly - the rain fly (black portion) on mine did not have the plastic see through 'stylight' as shown in the pics on their website. But, honestly, that doesn't matter to me. And really I'm kinda glad because every plastic type window I have ever experienced degraded and turned yellowish over time. So I would prefer to just not deal with that anyway. A con because not as shown, but not really a con for me specifically because I'm glad it's not there.
• Light - there is an integrated LED light which is neat. It has 3 or 4 brightness levels, but even the brightest is really not super bright though. It is wedged into some C chanel toward the front of the tent. I think it would be far better to have 2 LED strips on the sides instead the one in the front where theres the least amount of space. However - that's where, for me, my head will go - so it will work ok. Removing this and putting in another option on each side instead of the one up front will probably be my first modification.
• Weight - did I say weight already? Gonna say it again. It really is a big downfall. But honestly, at 160 pounds for a fiberglass option from smittybuilt, or 160 pounds for the Falcon 2 from Roofnest with tent fabric - I think an extra 11 pounds is ok. If 11 pounds is a make or break situation for somebody, then theres a bigger problem with the RTT option as a whole and they need to go back to the drawing board. It would be a bucket list item to do the Rubicon trail some day - but the honest reality is 95% of the time I will be 'camping' via forest service roads, which around here are all graded roads, and the other 5% will be in some 4x4 situations but not nearly hard enough to be worried about tipping. If you see the things Matt at Ozark Overland Expeditions and Brad at Trail Recon have done - I really don't plan to be in those hard core situations often at all because they are rare in my area and I would have to drive 2 days just to get to a trail like that anyway. Now if Alu-Cab would have made their clamshell more of a 4 sided lift hybrid like the Nimbus (the one I have) or James Broud, then I might have gone with Alu-Cab because it is noticeably lighter at 110 pounds - then again, $4,000 for their tent is EXCESSIVE. However, the compromise there would be tent fabric and no side channel from the extruded aluminum as they appear to use a one piece stamped aluminum which specific holes for mounting their specific options - so any other accessory would require drilling through the tent - which is just not cool. Now as compared to some people running the Alu-Cab camper, pushing 460 pounds just for the camper itself - at 346 pounds canopy and tent combined, I am still over 100 pounds lighter than that option. Even for those running the Alu-Cab tent or the GoFast platform tent - I'm willing to bet once they add in their lithium batteries, and side shower, and side awning (which I don't have), and and and other overloading items - I would argue I might still be below weight of a lot of those folks. Not saying this is a 'better' option. Just a different option. Still - I would be ecstatic if it weighed only 100 pounds or less.....but that's just not going to happen even with a cheapie full canvas tent like Smittybuilt that weighs 138 pounds - for a basic true to the word tent.

 

[Camaroboi13]

If I needed a roof top tent I would be willing to bet you $1000 I could replicate this tent for under a grand. Not even an issue whatsoever.

 

[chorky]

If I needed a roof top tent I would be willing to bet you $1000 I could replicate this tent for under a grand. Not even an issue whatsoever.

Thats fair. I wish you luck if you ever go that route and be sure to post up any builds along the way they would be awesome to follow. I tried replicating almost exactly the rear seat delete of goose gear and after seeing the cost of extruded aluminum and associated components opted to do a much simpler and all wood method. But. I dont have a shop to do high quality fabrication. So there is that. With the right tools and a shop, man 90% of these components I would make myself as well.

But, side by side this option is cheaper than most on the market.

 

[Jglad15]

Most hard shell tents are priced horribly. This product, among others, should be priced under 1000 dollars. I can’t stand what the industry does to this stuff, yet people keep paying for it

Here is your cheaper tent!

https://inspiredoverland.com/products/io-lightweight-rooftop-tent/

 

[chorky]

Here is your cheaper tent!

https://inspiredoverland.com/products/io-lightweight-rooftop-tent/

Man I bet that fabric being so loose makes all sorts of crazy noise in the wind. And that vinyl/fabric outer over....pvc? I'd have some concerns about that longevity and waterproofness.

But - I will say it's ingenious toward keeping things light! And that's awesome especially for people with kids and all sorts of extra kid weigh to haul. Nice to see so many options on the market these days.

 

[Jglad15]

Man I bet that fabric being so loose makes all sorts of crazy noise in the wind. And that vinyl/fabric outer over....pvc? I'd have some concerns about that longevity and waterproofness.

But - I will say it's ingenious toward keeping things light! And that's awesome especially for people with kids and all sorts of extra kid weigh to haul. Nice to see so many options on the market these days.

Yeah prob nice to have for small camping trips with kids and stuff, but no way I’m taking that on a trail and tearing the material. At that point it’s 1k towards a legit tent. Def a cool idea!

 

[chorky]

Yeah prob nice to have for small camping trips with kids and stuff, but no way I’m taking that on a trail and tearing the material. At that point it’s 1k towards a legit tent. Def a cool idea!

It is - I went and watched a couple videos of it last night, and this is why I love this forum, so many great exposures to things and people sharing. Anyway - this tent would actually be the perfect option for my dad! I might get him one for Christmas!

 

[chorky]

For anyone searching this tent and reading this thread in the future, I have more information in my build thread.

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