So I did a review on this tent a while ago where I actually recommend it. A few months later it has broken and I've since got a warranty replacement. Stickers!!!!!! overlandtravel...
Kings reply: “At this stage we aren't aware of any major faults with the Kwiky pop up tents, thank you for the feedback i have passed it on to Produc development.”
“At this stage we aren't aware of any major faults with the Kwiky pop up tents,..." Really? When multiple owners experience the same issues from the one product, in my book, that is a major fault. It's either caused by using the wrong material for the purpose or its a design problem (or both). I too was eyeing this pop-up RTT, but I'll hold off for while, until I really need it. Hopefully by then Adventure Kings would have released a version 2, or I'd get a higher quality one.
Thanks for the update, unfortunately before seeing this i had already glued my solar cells down (worth nearly as much as the tent). The tent hasn't even made it to my vehicle yet and i could see stress marks on the corners. So i decided to remove the top and find out why. What i found is when the frame is bent to form the corner, instead of a nice flat surface on the outside edge, it collapses in the centre so the outside curve is a u shape. When corner rivet is fitted there is a gap of about 4mm behind it with the raised edges either side preventing the top from mounting flush to the surface. So when it is fitted it stresses the plastic either side of it, cracks are inevitable starting from the rivet hole. I recommend removing the corner rivet as they are not needed and seal the hole with silastic. This should remove a major stress area and prolong the life of the tent. Keep up the great work.
Janne K - So far no issues with the tent. While i had the top off (easy to do just remove all rivets) i added foam tape in areas that had large gaps between the top and frame. Also i ran an aluminium strip around the outside of front of the top, glued on with silastic and re-riveted through original holes. Only put about 5000km on it on both good and bad roads due to COVID 19, no issues so far. As it is a 'cheap' RTT, i am happy to modify to prevent issues. As a precaution, I also cut some PVC pipe and slotted it, so i could clip them on the strut rods to prevent them from collapsing in high winds due the extra weight of the solar cells and wiring on the roof.
I've also got a cracked kwiky but I'm not worried about it. When the time comes, I'll be replacing the plastic roof with a fabbed up alloy one. I'm not spending 3-4000 dollars more when the issues are all only with the tops
@@OverlandTravellers I was planning on making a new top before the cracking became a thing anyways as I wanted to be able to mount about 300watts of solar. About enough to run the travel buddy oven and fridge, even when parked up for a few days
@@jaydenribchester6742 the struts that are in the tent now take around 40-45kg of direct downward pressure to collapse, I've already had one out to measure. Just needs some maths done once the new top is built and she'll be good to go. I also seen how thick the plastic is when I was drilling holes to mount my 250watt panel, I doubt that the plastic is light but I will keep track of weights when I do it
Trent Turnbull I used one on a 7 month trip around SA, WA & NT. Just beware of the the strut hinge, I had two snap half way through my trip. The strut was fine, the centre hinge is the weak point. They posted out 2 new strut assemblies, so I commend them on that. Also, as we’re discussing problems with this tent, I had an issue with the fly screen zip towards the end of the trip. If you’re like me and only enter / exit through one side (awning other side), it means that those zips cop all the work and a zip that goes around a bend is a recipe for failure. Just my 5 cents.
I saw this tent on Alibaba as a private label product. What immediately gave away as a warning sign was that the shell is made out of ABS composite. ABS is notorious for degradation under UV exposure.
Im going to try possible reinforce the shell with raptor rubber coating or a fibreglass thick respray ,is the sun starting the cracks followed bye vibrations, I think the mounts it sits on should have good rubber to help ,I even think paint the roof with some protective paint well prevent sun fatigue ect
We asked the kings guy when we bought our swags why they are so “cheap” and he said it is because they are the largest manufacturers of canvas so they must get it really well priced so I wouldn’t say that they are cheap and nasty due to their price so you don’t need to spend 4 times the price it is just a shame that it broke and hopefully they will do something to fix it.
Great Update. This is the kind of info needed - real testing in the field. Was torn between this Kings Kwiky and the top dollar $5k Bundatec Bundutop. Think I will drop the extra coin to get the Bundutop when I do my build. Kings Kwiky still seems like a good viable budget option $1.1k if they have fixed the cracking issue IMO.
Bundutec have a lite version that is under 2 grand. As far as I know it's basically the same thing but just lighter lol. Which is actually advantageous for 4wding ya know less weight on the top and all that
I recon as a preventative just bend some alloy flat bar around the corners and clamp and sikaflex it on. may just give enough extra support to prevent future cracks.
Not a company I want to deal with, responding like this: “At this stage we aren't aware of any major faults with the Kwiky pop up tents, thank you for the feedback i have passed it on to Product development.” I prefer a company that acts responsible when their product faults.
Has anyone considered the cracks may occur because its painted black which attracts heat? The Aussie sun is merciless in summer so why not paint the casing white in order to deflect some of that heat? Just a thought?
Probably a good idea to coat it in some UV protective coating like Armour All, especially given it's black ...and anything black pretty much dies in the sun. Even something like a Raptor coating could help strengthen it.
@@Aidan.17 - They have redesigned/re-enforced the corners of the fibreglass on the mark 2 model, based on the reports of cracking in the first version. There is a RU-vid video describing it somewhere, but I don’t have time to look for it at the moment. If I found it, you should be able to without much trouble.
I personally don't have any Kings Gear, their equipment may not be A grade but they are good value for money, and perfect for those budgeting.To be fair, have seen more people using their gear without failure that what I have seen fail.
I literally just watched the first video last night (enjoyed it) and this second followup video popped up just now. Thanks for the followup. Cheers and all the best :)
If anyone gets caught with an RTT out of warranty and has this plastic cracking problem, one thing that might help is Bondic plastic welder. As long as it is in areas that are not structural support, then it will fill cracks pretty well. (Just apply it out of sunlight as UV is what sets the stuff).
I've had a Kings Weekender soft RTT for a couple of years & a bunch of other Kings gear & never had a drama. Had a tear in the tent cover & they replaced it under warranty all I had to do was email them a photo & they sent out a new one.
gday matt and hollythis is Andrew I caught up with you at parrachilna a couple of months ago and after talking to holly about the quikky rtt and watching your first review I decided to give roof top tent {the tourer model} that I had on top of my 4wd at the time to my son who is just starting off with the camping bug not that I had any problems with it it was just a pain to set up and pack away on overnight stops-so anyways I got a quikky rtt from kings and am going to try it for a while and see how it goes I think I will look into some preventive measures to try and stop it happening to mine I will let you know what ideas I come up with and see if I have any problems-so cheers to you both and happy camping-andrew
They were better with warranty in the past on genuine warranty, they have however gotten much worse.. the company I work for took on selling the Kings gear a while back and they are terrible to deal with .
Their good with their returns because they get it alot with their stuff ! Would be interesting to see how many times people ask for replacements or money back on products
My biggest issue with Kings/4WD Supastore is not so much their products, which I’ve found great value for quality, but their delivery mechanism. When I got some drawers for the back of my fourbie, they took over a month to come (ie not 8-10 business days), during which they were actually on a truck for 4 days to get from Melbourne to Perth and then back to me in Kalgoorlie. (It’s always too much to hope that they’ll be dropped off in Kal on the way past.) Why they needed to sit in Perth for 24 days before being loaded onto one of about 5 road trains a day that do general freight to Kalgoorlie remains a mystery. Particularly when the volume of their product being shipped to Kalgoorlie keeps one bloke very busy. A mate of a mate does nothing else except deliver their products in this town of 30,000, so you wouldn’t have thought it would be that hard to get their delivery chain better organised. If they wanted to.
Will definitely be buying one now thanks for the update only a weekend warrior will be perfect for me I reckon and kings have always been pretty good for warranty’s
Nonesense they’ve been utter shit on warranties, this is definitely a result for the better, we tried it when 4wd supacentre kicked off and and the cheap racks and what not are all knock offs
Thanks for this. I actually had a Bundutop for 3 months and ended up returning it for a refund. Tears in the canvas after opening it just a few times due to poor workmanship and sharp edges on the aluminium braces. Not great in high winds, the awning poles bend very easily. It also ended up with severe leaks on the roof. 5 x the price of the Kwiky and still crap in my opinion. So who knows what the best option is.
You did well getting a warranty replacement tbf, Kings aren't well known for that side of things but maybe they're changing. Glad you had a speedy solution & hopefully this one holds out for the rest of your travels 👍
@@OverlandTravellers Yeah, think it may have changed for the better. I've only got the 7" spotties but tried to get the harness replaced as there was no continuity from the relay positive & they asked if it was fitted by a professional. I let them know I'd checked it before fitting (boring engineer type) & they just ignored me after that. Can't fault the lamps though, they've survived 2 years of abuse so far.
Seriously? It’s a $1000 bucks and made in China for about $200 bucks. What did you expect? It’s cheap plastic so it’s bound to fail. Roof top tents are great, but don’t go cheap!
David Handley yeah mate.... just as I said in the video a few times it’s cheap stuff so you’d have to expect a few breaks and inconsistent gear. I knew I’d be dealing with broken gear on the trip.... but for the price it’s been good gear for a first go at building at touring rig.
Jay mind ya business... I was thinking the same but a lot of people had the exact same issue. Kings actually changed where the straps that connect to the shell to the frame.
@@OverlandTravellers Good to know. Thanks for the review. Being that these are probably made in China I'm hoping to be able to find a dealer here in Taiwan.
I've been planning to get one for a while, and just noticed on their website they have a new aluminium one, that at least looks stronger, and comes with a thicker mattress, would be interested to see that properly if you get your hands on one
Might have something to do with the extra mattress and gear you keep inside? Try using Armour oil on the corners frequently so the sun doesn’t make it brittle.
I wonder how many of the ones that have had problems, have also had additional mattresses added, and whether this may be causing issues due to the extra closing prsssure.
Would a belly strap or two take some load off the corners? Seems that the current straps are all in the corners and that's where all the tension/load would be. Load + vibration = cracks?? Just thinking out loud 😊
Heh mate definitely a shame they don't hold up mine is under 8months old and done the same thing only been on my ute 4 outta the 8months only used it 5 times also. Im really careful with all my gear too. but yes king's have been good in arranging store credit so I can just get the tourer tent with the hope it's will hold up better . definitely will miss the pop up ease of it all but never mind .safe travels guys enjoying watching ya adventures
@@OverlandTravellers yes mate I could have but I still want a rooftop tent so as I said I will be getting the other king's clamshell type tent for now as I can't afford the 3 to 5k mark for a hard shell one ATM
Whats with all the canvas hanging out?doesn't look right to me and top looks to be sitting at a angle when viewed from rear,is it packed up correctly or that the way it is?
I had this tent and have sent it back with a full refund. 1st time it broke the gas strut let go, and i hadnt even used it. The second time it cracked on every single corner, and have only slept in it twice.
Maybe even get some corners fabed up out of alloy and get it mounted in each corner then do the raptor liner over the top of it. As an ex boily I don't think it would cost you more than 200 bucks for the 4 corners to be fabed up out of alloy
I've got the same car but a single cab and I'm planning on getting an RTT. Do you think a custom canvas cover would help protect it from UV and potential cracking? I know it's an extra thing to do but if it means extra life out of it then it's a win. Or should I go the clam?
Hey mate! I couldn't go past the pop up style tent, so quick and easy. But the next tent I will get will be the new Grand tourer aluminium tent from kings. I'll give it a solid go and do a review on it. If you think you can prevent the tent from cracking go for it. Only problem if you do it and then it still cracks you may void the warranty. So its hard to say.
Well they replaced it for free and that good customer service, I personally wouldn’t own a roof to tent cause of my arthritis and age, I bought the swag and have had no probs, I’ve had to do a replacement warranty on a lead to my 60litre fridge , no probs at all,
Loving your work! If you were to do it again, would you repeat the Kings tent with its issues and trust the warranty for when it inevitably breaks or splash the cash on a bundutop or ikamper?
I am thinking about making a hole on top and adding an AC unit ( like one of those RV rooftop low profile units) installed weight is about 70 pounds, if you divided into the fourth Strat it’s about 20 pound each strut. Based on your experience with the pop-up power, do you think it will be able to handle the extra 70 pounds, 20 pounds per strut? Or do you recommend I replace the struts to handle more weight to be as if nothing was up there?
Ill be honest, I don't think it would work. I think it would leak and the structure of the tent itself is pretty poor and I think it would crack really badly.... and you won't get warranty on it.
Hey Mate, Are you still using the Kwicky ? Did you have any issues with condensation on the underside of the roof in the mornings, I have the mk2 version, I think they have done a good job now with the tie down points, will wait to see if any cracks develop, I was thinking of lining the underside with marine carpet to stop this condensation buildup ??
Buy quality, buy once. The fact they have a good return policy is great. Sounds like they do A LOT of returns, but what’s your time worth if you have to replace 5 cheap crap awnings or RTT’s instead of one good one? 🤦♂️ There’s no excuse for poor workmanship.
Thanks for the video. I was just about to pull the trigger on the kwiky but will hold off for now i think. Wonder what the cause was..do you think maybe the sun had something to do with it,as in making the plastic brittle?
Hey Matt! What do you think of the new grand tourer that has just been announced? Think it will be a good improvement on the issues you experienced with the kwiky?
I've just gotten one, the mounting brackets seem pretty shit. My rack looks similar to yours, have you had any dramas with the brackets? My back one would be lucky to be 70% slotted. Don't want the bastard to fall off on the highway!
@@OverlandTravellers I'm leaving for w.a from vic on Thursday, I'll be checking my bolts every piss stop at this stage, might get a crossarm welded in the middle once I get there, seems alright so far....except I don't have a 350mm mattress like some ;)
Tony Stakes mate I’m so sorry. That’s why I tried to do a follow up as soon as it happened to me. Just keep an eye out for the cracks and as soon as they appear trade it in and get your money back.
Did they call back yet? They have to give a complete new replacement after sourcing new stock near you. How long does a phone call take to do this. 5 mins.
GGFCHMMAL I went to the store today and spoke to the same girl I bought it from yesterday. She said to send photos and she will raise a claim. She didn’t know how long it takes. It’s less than 18hrs I bought. Weird
@@JustAnotherReviewwithAlek Going by other channels I'm sure you'll be right. Others stating warranty issue fixed at no cost to them. Just your precious time and an inconvenience.
Old mates upset a $1000 rtt wouldnt last fulltime living 😂 the MKII is great had it for yrs never an issue if you wsnt quality then be prepared to sell a kidney to pay for a 5k tent
Its nothing no one doesn't already know.. all that budget shit you got is bound to break travelling around aus... its budget shit its meant for the weekend warrior not fulltime touring
