Letsgoaero ArcRV shelter review
I was asked by several folk that knew I purchased this system for my LTV so, here is my $.02. To be fair, I provided the manufacture my review before I ever posted but never heard back from them.
Purchased the Letsgoaero ArcRv system even though I could not find any real reviews on line. I really wanted one and could not wait to get it. The plan was to put it through its paces on a long month of adventure riding in NM, UT and CO. This system should allow us to shelter our bikes, my dog and simply for a bit of extra space. Really want to sleep with my doors open without getting eaten by bugs. Here is my first review performed in my driveway at home.
Out of box, everything looks great. Just about like any tent set up…..so I thought.
Included instructions: Not sure who wrote the instructions but they must have been late to a meeting because they didn’t spend much time composing it. If I had a product I was manufacturing, the last thing I would want is my customers getting frustrated trying to set it up. $.08 worth additional paper and some photos would do a world of good. Maybe even a Youtube video..
DO NOT TRY TO INSTALL IN ANY KIND OF WIND BY YOURSELF.. Plan to set this up with no wind UNLESS, you have three folks helping you….This is not a one man job even witn no wind. As well, you will need a ladder to set it up, not a step stool, a ladder.. You will have to carry a ladder everywhere you go if you intend to set it up.
Check all parts. I found a broken saddle clamp on one of the poles. As well, I found a small hole above the screen right out of bag.
RV adapter: My plan was to use this on the back of my Sprinter Leisure Travel van as the adapter is able to stretch around the vehicles opening. What I found is the adapter (skirt) is too short to fit around the open doors and still go under the bumper. This leaves the issue with getting in and out of the back of the van. The adapter will not fit under the bumper and you have to step on the skirt to use the bumper as a step. Problem is, if you step on the skirt, the entire thing simply pulls away from the vehicle.. FRUSTRATING to say the least.
The skirt attaches to the shelter (once it’s built) via C clamps that attach to the shelter poles. When you look at the product on-line, it looks like it zips on just like the other options the company offers but nope. A zipper would have provided a closed system keeping bugs out and the hooks they use do not.
Shelter itself: Again, this really takes two (3 if any wind) folks and a ladder if you don’t want to ruin your day. This alone makes me want to return it. It is not easy to keep the poles together when installing to say the least. Get one pole together and others fall apart. Maybe if I was setting this up in an indoor space with no wind at all, it might be a tad bit easier. For instance, they use webbing with plastic C clamps to attach them to the poles. Anytime you move the “frame” (poles) around the C clamps slide out of place. It’s the same with the saddle clamp poles. While installing, the design is so loose they simply fall out of place again and again. When you try to drape the tent over the frame, you better have folks holding the frame together or you know what, yep the poles fall apart. This is where we had to find the third neighbor to help hold it together.
Shelter built and neighbors release. Now that we got the shelter set up, it’s time to attach it to the adapter (skirt). I built the shelter within a few feet of the adapter to make it easy to move into place, so I thought… Should have asked the neighbors to hang around.. As soon as I moved one of the sides closer to my Sprinter, the poles started to fall apart and I mean fall apart. The plastic C clamps simply pulled out of the poles. Some had old glue in them and some did not. I had to take an hour and glue them all on using Gorilla glue and waited for them to dry. Once dry, I tried again to move the shelter four feet. Again, poles just fall apart. So, move it 6 inches and put the poles together again..and so on and so on..
Finally, its close enough to attach it to the RV adapter and this is accomplished using the plastic C clamps. Once all clamps are in place, I opened the back of the Sprinter doors and find more issues. First, the skirt pops off the Sprinter as it is so tight. Second, the top of the doors hit the shelter and will most definitely cut right thru through the material. So, I had to tape rags to the tops of the doors to act as a buffer. This also creates another problem. Now that the doors are open, the bottom frame of the shelter has lifted off the ground a few inches and of course, the poles are falling out again. This is because the open doors are taller than the shelter. You could move the shelter back a bit to a higher point but the skirt will not allow it. At this point I am wondering if it’s all operator error or just a design not thought out well enough.
Opening/closing doors, again adapter falls of vehicle. Also, you must move the “ceiling” poles around as the doors hit them. If you do not plan to open or shut the doors after install then you are good. Not sure who would do that though. If you wish to close or reopen the doors, you will need someone outside on a ladder to hold the poles up when moving the doors. As well, be prepared for other poles falling apart as you move the upper poles to close/open doors.
Overall, I sure am disappointed beyond. This could be such a great product with some tweaking but as is, it’s more of a frustration than an asset while traveling. It will not be making the trip with our group.
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