M.I.A Tents - From the makers of Waterport.

Hey folks so I was going back and forth on getting a hard shell RTT that would fit the short bed Tacoma.

A few obvious choices, iKamper Mini, Roofnest Condor, Tuff Stuff Alpha II an DA Warrior.

Then I came to find the M.I.A Overlander Mini. To my surprise, its from the same maker of WaterPORT. I hit up the owner and he had one ready for me and got the deal done. Since he was local, Carlsbad CA, I had a chance to meet him in person and check out his warehouse in person.

I have to tell you the owner is really nice and helped us go through all the features and tips for install. You can tell the enthusiasm he has about his products which tells you he believes in them.

Ok first impressions of the MIA Overland MINI: it was really packaged well. It comes with a soft cover for the hard shell. The hard shell has 2 layers of removable plastic for extra protection. 4 gear bags, led light strip, comes with anti condensation mat, has an onboard awning pole storage. I matched it spec for spec with the iKamper mini. The MIA mini is thinner at 11.8 inches vs the iKamper mini at 12.5 inches. The MIA tent is heavier by 25 lbs and the reason is likely 3 things: it comes with built in Anti condensation mat, reinforced diamond plated floors, heavy duty all black aluminum ladder. An expected benefit is that I got better gas mileage driving with it in on. Obviously, the hard shell provides better aero than with just an empty bed. One con would be the strong odor of chemicals in the tent. I am airing it out overnight. There are also aluminum shavings you will need to vacuum as well. Both their Xl and Mini are sold out but I believe he said a new batch will be arriving soon.

I’m taking this set up to UTAH in a couple of weeks so I’ll have real world experiences for you. Check their site out - https://miatents.com/shop/. $2,700 for the Mini.

 

Does the hard shell have a soft cover underneath it when it’s open?

How thick is the mattress and anti condensation mat?

 

Under the shell it has a molded material liner similar to a roof liner in cars. They also have the thermal liner they sell separately. But the tent is new so it hasn’t come out yet. The mattress is 2 inches or so memory foam plus a quilted cover. The anti- condensation mat is integrated into the floor. It doesn’t move at all and has a rubberized texture to it. You can see and feel the space between the mat and the rtt floor. It appears to be mini baffles with air pockets in between. Picture above. I would say very thin a couple of CMs.

 

Gotcha. Thanks OP.

 

I’ll mess with it more tomorrow. I drove 4 hours round trip to pick it up at their warehouse. Tired. Let me know what you want to know and I’ll look for it.

To be honest I was impressed that it had awning pole storage built in. Lol. It doesn’t have that pull rope assist for climbing in and out.

 

got pics of the latches? those seem to be one of the big differences in the brands

 

what bedrack is that and how tall is the bedrack alone, then height with the tent?

 

Rci bedrack

 

thank you, let us know when you get the heights for reference!

 

Looks like the iKamper style without the locks. They put so much protective plastic, harder to remove around the locks. Lol

 

12 inches. https://rcimetalworks.com/product/05-19-tacoma-bed-rack/

 

Just came across this post researching these guys, so you have any updates?

Anything you really like or dislike about it? Super curious as there are virtually no reviews of these guys .

I finally got the go ahead to get on , so in between the desert Armor (which is back ordered to October ) , this, and the ikamper.

Thanks in advance !

 

So far so good. It’s obviously heavier than the ikamper mini but it is thinner. The latch is basically the same with the wire rope design but without the lock. The rubber sleeve that goes over the wire rope is a weak link I believe with all latch designs like this. It wears out but it is easily replaced. I like the matte finish of the shell. Glossy would just scratch up. Taking it to Utah this weekend so I’ll have more pics of it in the wild. I think their plan is selling it through Costco just like their Waterport.

 

Awesome, would love to see some more detailed pictures of it out in the wild! I emailed them and asked if they had a walk around/unboxing video; they don't, currently in progress. Would love to see pics of the tarp and windows; I'm up here in the PNW and camp year round. Thanks for the update

 

So got back from Toquerville Falls and Zion. Tent held up well. Nights got down to 50f and no issues with condensation and cold temps inside. I went on extremely rough off-roading and the tent/shell/mountings held up. Look at all the dust and none got inside the tent. The led light inside is dim but that's a plus if you don't want blinding lights inside. Since my rack is not cab height, I am unable to deply the awning poles on one side.

 

Thanks for the update! Great pics, love the long exposure!

So for the awning pole/window that you couldn't deploy; is that window still protecting you from the elements? You still have a window with a big screen right? (mine will be mounted at a height even lower than yours).

 

Yes. It has the zippered bug screen plus the inner zippered window flap. I’ll have more pictures up soon.

 

Loooks good!

 

Verrrrr nice!!!