Walker Tent/Awning for T@B 400 Experience

knoxville1915

@Ratkity
After having the Walker Tent in a box for over a month, we finally had the opportunity (and TIME...more on that in a moment) to erect it. It is wonderfully well made and provides a large enclosed, protected space. It includes all the front and side panels and curtains as seen in this picture. It does not come with flooring, so you will need carpeting of some sort. Some things to know before getting this for your 400:
1. You can only use it if the ground permits stakes. As you can see from the picture, we did not stake the walls down, just the storm straps and corners. It was not windy by the time we were finished erecting it, so we decided to forego fighting with the dozen or so stakes in the rocky ground.
2. You will need a ladder or step-stool of some sort to pull the awning along the Keder rail over the apex of the arc. I backed up my Tundra and stood on the tailgate to be able to pull the awning along the highest portion of the Keder rail. Unless you can get up to where you can pull the awning straight towards you along the rail, it won't budge (only took 45 minutes to figure that one out..once I did, the awning slid easily along the railing).
3. You need two people. If there is ANY wind of any sort, the tent will act like a giant box kite. Attempting to secure the poles that run from the trailer to the door side of the tent is not fun when the tent wants to lift off he ground!
4. The first time you want to erect this tent, plan on A LOT OF TIME (a few hours). There are a lot of parts to this tent that must be assembled (you know..."some assembly required") including clamps, poles, clips, tie-downs, etc. that, once assembled, can be left in place for the next time you use the tent. The instructions are not the clearest, but you will need them; this is not an intuitive project.
5. Be patient! It will be worth the effort. We were beginning to regret our purchase when we couldn't get the tent to budge along the Keder rail. Once we solved that, we had other obstacles to figure out, but we did and we are very glad we persevered...you will be, too!

I will more than happy to answer any questions anyone has about this product. I may try to put together an assembly video to help others navigate the instructions.

PJ123

Whoosh!  Thanks for the leg work knoxville1915!  DW and I about to pull the trigger on a Walker as we have, from time to time, included grandkids "on our many travels". We like the idea of the extra room, security,yada,yada but may have to rethink the Walker because of ease of use, time, etc. hmmmmm.  Thanks Agaiin!

Intrinsic

Where did you get your Walker tent?  The NuCamp store only shows the tent for the 320.

Thanks

TABaker

You may need to lubricate the keder rail so that the tent slides a bit better.

ScottG

The Walker tent was discussed recently in another thread and if I recall correctly someone stated it does not include or offer screen panels for the openings.

Can you confirm this? It looks like a fantastic enclosure (I actually like that it has no floor) but in my neck of the woods insect screening is non-negotiable!

jkjenn

I live the look of the Walker tent, a lot, but I have heard it would be very tough for one person to put up.

Homebodyatheart

@knoxville1915 a carefully applied stream of silicone spray along the inside of the keder rail will make sliding anything along much easier! Thanks for the great review!

dogmother

I have the "OLD" Isabella tent room. I have always been able to put it up by myself. The key is to lubricate the keder rail with silicone spray. We actually had TWO of these. Just sold our 2005 T@B and gifted them one of the Isabella's (no poles) and kept the other for use with our brand new T@B 320S.

waterlilykc

homebodyatheart- your comment about using silicone really helped.  a million thanks. you cant imagine how hard we struggled before i got on the forum and found your post. lol. learning curve can be steep. i cant imagine putting it up by myself tho.  any hints of manhandling all that fabric by myself would be most appreciated.

Lesley_and_Ian

We bought a used Walker tent and just put it up today for the first time.  Advice here was invaluable.  When we put the silicone spray in the kedder rail it was easy to thread the tent through but I think it would be almost impossible for one person.  Ours has a floor but I am a bit worried that there is not much ventilation and only one tiny bug screen.  Has anyone found a way to add bug screens to the windows?  I just emailed Isabella in the UK to see if they have any ideas.  I am seriously considering cutting the plastic windows so they will roll up and then adding bug screen.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Lesley_and_Ian, the Walker tent looks great, but the vinyl windows as you noted do not allow for ventilation.  I would find somewhere that does marine upholstery/boat covers or an awning shop and see if they can alter it for you, before you slice and dice😝. They should have the correct sewing equipment for something that heavy.

dogmother

Walker tents are NOT made by Isabella! Just this week we bought a Isabella awning tent from a new US distributor in Vancouver WA. Have not put it up yet, but will post photos when we do. The main reason for buying the Isabella tent is they have a large screen in one of the windows (much like our "original" Isabella as pictured a couple of messages above.
Here is what the new Isabella looks like: 
and here's their screened window:

reedd

dogmother said:

Walker tents are NOT made by Isabella! Just this week we bought a Isabella awning tent from a new US distributor in Vancouver WA. Have not put it up yet, but will post photos when we do. The main reason for buying the Isabella tent is they have a large screen in one of the windows (much like our "original" Isabella as pictured a couple of messages above.
Here is what the new Isabella looks like: 
and here's their screened window:

Dogmother, 
Ooohhhhh, this is really nice!   Who is the distributor for the Isabella in Washington?  I look forward to your review of the awning and thank you!  

dogmother

The Isabella distributor in Vancouver WA is Elwell Corp. Here's their website: http://elwellcorp.com/isabella

We met Ken Elwell at a recent RV show where he had the T@B tent/awning set up. We live 1-1/2 hours from their warehouse so were able to pick up and save shipping. Still pricey...more than the Walker at over $1800, but it's what we wanted. We do SOOOO much travel that it's worth it to us. When you travel with two golden retrievers, you can't put a price on comfort and space. It does not come with a floor, but we already have a carpet we use. 

reedd

Thank you for the information.  Both the Walker and Isabella awnings appear high quality and the only reason I hadn’t gone with the Walker yet was because of the lack of screens and ventilation so this might be a better option. Very nice and congratulations!   I would also like to hear what Lesley and Ian find out about adding the screens to the Walker.

ColleenD2

dogmother, can you talk more about the no floor? What about bugs? What about rain? Does it get hot in there? They are so beautiful compared to PaHaque but I can’t imagine not having a floor. Thanks!

Lesley_and_Ian

We set up our new, to us, Walker tent twice on a recent trip.  Here is what we learned:
1. We color coded the posts and it helped a lot.
2. We can set it up as an awning, without the front and side walls, in about 10 minutes.
3. It really needs two of us.
4. We used teflon spray in the keder rail and it worked a treat.
5. Our Walker tent has a floor, it is not attached but is a good thick floor mat.  You can buy them on the website.
6. We did not use the side and front as it would be really hot and we were camping the end of May in a heatwave.
7. I contacted Isabella and found out that the parts are not interchangeable.  Then I contacted Walker to see if they sell screen sides.  They do not, but we discussed them selling me the zippers so i could make my own screen sides.  No reply from them yet. 
8. I am also contemplating contacting a sail maker to see if they can take the side window and add screen to it.
9. It is a really nice tent awning but it is heavy and would be hard to put up and take down when wet.  We decided to put our roof box on and store everything in it which worked well.

I'm not sure I would buy it again but we got it for a good price.  In order for it to be functional in our summers I do need to sort out the screen walls.  Hope this is useful information.

dogmother

Thought I should add our recent experience with the Isabella tent on our 320S. The quality is outstanding. There is no floor but with the bottom "flaps" tucked to the inside and our woven camp mat laid on top of the flaps, you have a good barrier to critters. It does have ONE window with a screen...two would be better. We were camped on the banks of the Columbia River Gorge and it was rock solid in the legendary Gorge winds. First time setup took us about 45 minutes. Next time will be quicker as we won't be stopping to read instructions I didn't bother with installing the curtains this trip. It was great to have the extra covered space as we had heavy rain and high winds one day. 
Would we buy it again? If we were just camping in sheltered areas and in moderate temperatures, the lighter weight (and much cheaper) tents would suffice. BUT.....we are out in all kinds of weather (including snow) and the heavy duty Isabella is up for the challenge. A small ceramic heater would warm the space up quickly. Leave the T@B door open and the A/C can cool down the T@B and the tent. For us, it's a winner. But the cost and weight may not justify a light duty use. Isabella (and Walker) tents are made for the UK and European market, where giant motorhomes don't exist. People set these tents up once for their month long vacation so they have the room to enjoy their stay. They have to be built tough for this kind of extended use (people and tents!). The lightweight nylon tents wouldn't make the cut with that kind of use. We're pleased with it.

Screen


Happy campers

Lesley_and_Ian

Great advice about setting up the tent and leaving the door open to allow the T@B a/c to cool the tent.  Definitely worth a try. Thank you.  We have not used the curtains yet either.

reedd

Thanks for the update on both the Walker and Isabella tents and they are very nice! The Isabella Sun Canopy looks very similar to the canopies that some people have with the older Tabs and I do like the support structure on these better than the Pahaque awning and tent.  I watched a YouTube video on setting up the canopy, not the deluxe tent, and it is pretty impressive.  I wrote to the Elwell company after dogmother posted that the Isabella is now available in the US and below is their response.   

On Jun 13, 2018, at 5:57 PM, <nelwell@elwellcorp.com> <nelwell@elwellcorp.com> wrote:
Hello Debra,

 Thank you for your inquiry about the Isabella products! I am Nicole with Elwell Corporation and we are excited to let you know we have started bringing the Isabella Camp-let experience to North America! I have recently joined the team as the project manager. Thank you for your patience as we have completed this process and we are ordering our first inventory. Part of my job will be streamlining this process for customers here in North America, making your access to these products faster.

 I see you asked about the sun canopies for a T@B 320 Outback on the Isabella website. There are two options: a sun canopy ($599) and sun canopy deluxe ($1799) for the T@B 320. You can find more information and pictures on our website: http://www.elwellcorp.com/isabella

 Our first container of inventory will arrive approximately the first part of August. While we have ordered a full container, there will be a limited supply of inventory in the beginning. If you would like to order either product, we can notify you when they arrive, and you can purchase one at that time. Shipping costs will be determined from our warehouse in Vancouver, Washington.

 If you have any questions, you can reply directly, and I’ll be happy to give you any more information you need.

 Thank you!

 Nicole Elwell

North America Isabella Project Leader

nelwell@elwellcorp.com

 

ColleenD2

dogmother a couple of questions. One, so with only one screen and not cooling it with the A/C, would you say it’s warm in there? Is it comfortable just hanging out in the evenings in there?

And Two, do those smiling happy yellow/orange furry things come standard or is that an accessory I need to ask for when I order? They REALLY sell me on the tent. How can I resist those smiles?!

dogmother

Colleen,

It would depend on the outside temperature and if you were setup in the shade. Have only used this new tent one week, but our old "original" Isabella was much loved and used. I really don't recall ever being too hot in the tent...but we didn't use it while camping in Arizona. We also try to avoid camping during the summer when parks are so crowded. Lots of time in Washington, Oregon, Montana, BC and Alberta. ALWAYS was a great place to hang out and for the dogs to feel "at home". My golden retriever club hosted the Golden Retriever National Show one year. While there were lots diesel pushers and 5th wheels with slide-outs, people congregated in our tent room for drinks at the end of the day. They (lovingly) dubbed our Isabella tent the "TP slide-out" (TP="trailer park" . If I didn't need the A/C on, just opening T@B windows and the door would bring a draft thru the tent.
Here's the old Isabella from Dutchman days. We also have the Flower Power awning and the silver awning. We will put an awning up on one side and the tent on the other...double slide-outs

Oh...the smiling critters did not come with the tent but similar models may be available at your local Golden Retriever rescue.
Sincerely,
Diane

dogmother

Colleen,
I just noticed where you live...yes, you'd probably be hot in the tent without A/C. We were more concerned about having a warm DRY place here in Washington

ColleenD2

Thanks so much for all of this information. One more question about sidetents, has anyone used them on the non door side? I can’t find anything by search but I am not sure what words to even use. We want to bring nieces and nephew camping and thought the “wrong side” might be a good place to set the tent up for them as a room. Could we run the cord and hoses behind I guess is one consideration. I wonder if the brand of tent would change anything.

maddmike

Pricy but good to have options. 

Do you know I’d this works on the CS?

dogmother

Colleen,
The Walker and Isabella tents are "shaped" to fit the door side of the T@B (the poles and fabric). Wouldn't fit properly on back side of T@B. I don't have experience with other brands. If you are putting the kids on the back side with no entrance to T@B, you'd do better just getting a regular freestanding tent at REI and putting it wherever

dogmother

Maddmike,
You need the Keder rail to attach tent to side of T@B. I'm not sure the clamshells have the rail. Someone here will know

atlasb

Wonder about having the side tent on the drives side.  A/C , and Alde exhaust on that side.

Sharon_is_SAM

I have seen owners place the PahaQue awning on the driver side and tent on the door side.  Gives you a lot of outside storage and extra sleeping options.

@madmike, there is a keder rail on the CS driver side.  I wouldn’t use a tent there, but a PahaQue awning or visor works.

ColleenD2

Good to know. I don’t really want to buy something they will use once or twice, just didn’t want to have to crawl over kids if they went to bed earlier.

maddmike

dogmother said:

Maddmike,
You need the Keder rail to attach tent to side of T@B. I'm not sure the clamshells have the rail. Someone here will know

Yes, the CS has the rail. I currently use it for my visor. I was going to order the PahaQue tent ($740 for the CS model as they custom make it) but always looking at other options.