Tent Trailers

[Bigwoodsman]

Anyone camp with a tent trailer? Considering one, would like to hear from people who use them. Looking at an older model with fridge stove and heater, would be mostly used for sleeping.

BW

[204ruger]

My wife and I had one for a few years
Pros:
-small, lightweight
-easy to pull
-small enough to store If space is tight
-roof over your head if ugly outside
-nice having a fridge and stove built in inside
-dry storage
-

Cons
-if damp or lots of dew outside the inside of tent trailer is the same at night (I’ve heard ones with a/c or vent fan not as bad.
-not enough storage once your camping style changes if it does
-if it rains when u take down u gotta set up when you get home to dry it out
-if you have small kids that go to bed early there isn’t much sound barrier
-if one person needs to pee in middle of the night the whole camper knows as u crawl over at least one other bed.

There’s more Pros and cons I’m sure
We liked our tent trailer ours for some reason we couldn’t get the humidity thing under control if it was damp outside everything inside was damp.
So we bought a walled trailer.

[Selkirk]

Originally Posted by Bigwoodsman

Anyone camp with a tent trailer? Considering one, would like to hear from people who use them. Looking at an older model with fridge stove and heater, would be mostly used for sleeping.

BW

We had one (Coleman 'Yukon') for over 11 years, before we moved on to a hard-side trailer. It was a bit o' work (packing / unpacking / keeping things dry / etc.), but we had A Lot O' Fun with it ❗

'Lots' of info here 👉 https://www.google.ca/search?source=...sclient=psy-ab

Happy Camping

Selkirk

[Lost Arrow]

When I was a kid living in Whitehorse we had a Lionel. We pulled that thing all over the Yukon and into Alaska.
We all had jobs when we pulled into a campground and we could probably be set up in 10 minutes. That was when the door was separate and had to be put in place as the roof was lowered into place.
The post above indicating the pros and cons is spot on.
My memories of camping are all good, that rig was a lot of fun. Great memories.
They wouldn't be my first choice now but they still offer up a great means to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
Good luck with your choice.

[DisplacedCaper]

I had a 1995 Dutchman for a couple of years. I miss the light weight hauling. I don’t miss how cold it got. There wasn’t any heat retention. The big pros were it got us off the ground and had some heat on the colder nights.


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[sns2]

We started with a tent trailer, moved to a hybrid, then to a travel trailer. I did not enjoy the tent trailer. If it's hot outside then its hot inside, same with cold and damp. Hybrid was nice as it had a bathroom and shower. It was great for what it was. As kids got bigger we needed more space, so bought a 27' trailer. They make really nice small travel trailers. That's the direction I would go.

[270person]

Not hauling much inside a tent trailer so if you get more serious about camping i.e. inverter generator, water cans, outside mats, firewood, coolers, camp chef, etc, it's all going in the vehicle you're towing with.

Like sns said above, they're hot, they're cold, and I hated the set-up. Plus a bear can eat your kids through a wall.

[Spidey]

I had this unit for a few years. It got into some places that travel trailers and motor homes wouldn't even come close to. We upgraded to a 27ft hard sided and had to adjust our excursion expectations accordingly.

Pretty much the same pros and cons as mentioned above, except that you can easily put a canoe. kayaks, bikes, or small tinner on top of a tent trailer.

Still wish I had that Baja...

[Stinky Buffalo]

When Incredigirl and I were looking into upgrading from our tent, we considered buying a tent trailer.

That was quashed when she told me about the one that her family had when she was growing up. I think she is still traumatized about all the new words she learned while her parents were setting it up and taking it down.

We are on our 2nd 18-19' hardwall. Gets a bit tight with all of us especially since the kids are all teenagers, but we spend most of our time outdoors anyhow. Plus it forces the kids to get along and play nice.

So nice to have a fridge and bathroom as well.

That being said, I really like the look of Spidey's former rig. Sometimes there are spots where I want to go where I dare not drag our trailer into.

[Dave P]

We had a big fancy tent trailer.

Lasted a year.

NEVER AGAIN haha.

No Interior Storage, Pain to set up.

Was nice I could fit in the garage though.

[Bigwoodsman]

Thanks for all the replies. After reading here and watching the youtube video's, I'll be taking a hard pass on the tent trailer.

BW

[fordtruckin]

MY family had one when I was growing up. A mid late 80s Coleman. True not much storage but I have fond memories of it. I was looking at one but the vast majority of campgrounds around me are hard sided only due to the number of bears around here. It does get you off the ground on something soft and warm but the camper doesn’t retain heat well. The small
Little bathroom porta potty was a bit of a joke so we never used it. Always set it back up to air out and dry after we got home. Very light weight considering and with neeer models they have the big storage area upfront on the tongue. Can put ole ty of firewood coolers and generators there. Some even allow for an atv etc..

[omega50]

Have a 60's Sears Tent Trailer. Wings fold out the sides and held up by prop rods.
About 25 years ago a better spot opened up at Beaver Mines across the road from us lakeside at first light.
No time to lose as the family was still asleep inside the trailer. I hooked up while still set up and moved it across to claim the site.

Adult kids still talk about that.
Looks just like this

[Dean2]

See you decided to go hard side, as they say in the fine dining restaurants "Excellent Selection Sir". I have hunted out of tent trailers, even as cold as -30. I have many great memories of those trips hunting where the accommodation was a tent trailer but honestly would have rather been in a good wall tent when it got below 0. I see almost no pros to tent trailers.

[Okotok]

Some years back, friends of ours had an old soft top tent trailer. One morning it seems they were a little over amorous and both tumbled out the end to fall butt naked on to the grass. The lady walking by certainly got an eyeful!

[riden]

Had a 2000 Coleman Cheyenne.

My family was young and so was I. Today I have a distinguished amount of grey..... on what hair I have left.

We couldn’t possibly use one today. When we camp today, we are a lot more comfortable and have more gear. There simply isn’t enough storage in them for what I do today. Storage is so bad, it’s a complete deal breaker for me.

That said, I have never slept better in a trailer than that one. Wifey and I loved the pull out beds. In those days, I felt like a king sleeping in that trailer. I bet my 50 year old back wouldn’t like the mattress as much though.

[EZM]

I have fond memories of the old tent trailer. It was our first camper when we came to Canada and the advantage is being able to flip the aluminum boat on top and get into some nasty places in the bush a regular hard side wouldn't be able to. This was the "olden days" before you had anything except those little puny caster wheels on the bottom so my uncle modified it into what today would be a "rough terrain" trailer - so this thing got dragged into some crazy places.

I remember the smell of the canvas and the fact that it you held your finger to the canvas while it was raining outside long enough, it would leak through in that spot - sharing a bunk with my brother who was a sound sleeper made for some great pranks.

All the bad things about frustrating set up, no storage, cold, wet, hot, etc.. are true - but they are still better than a tent in many ways.

I'd say you ultimately made the right move - a hard side should be a better option all things considered.

[Mr Conservation]

We had a Sportscraft tent trailer when I was growing up. Pulled easily behind the car, and could be fully set up in a couple of minutes. It stayed set up all summer in the backyard, as it was much cooler to sleep outside than in the mugginess and heat of the house.

Bought a Jayco 806 in 2010. Small enough to pull behind my Chev Colorado. Although it was rated for six people, it was usually only two of us. Two was plenty, because as others have stated there was really no storage space.

Traded it in last year on a 21 foot Jayco 175RD. Pulls easily behind my Tacoma, although you do notice it on the long hills. Plenty of storage space, along with the built in fridge, stove, hot water heater, furnace, and shower. The big reason for upgrading was that the wife wanted a trailer with a shower in it. I added a solar panel system to keep the battery charged up.

So far we have only been able to use it on one long trip. Our plans to do northern California, and the Oregon coast this summer had to be cancelled, but there is always next year.

Wife is happy with it, and that is what counts !!

Mr Conservation

[bat119]

My evolution of camping tarp-tent-tent trailer-truck camper- trailer

We used the tent trailer once for goose hunting in October almost froze to death the one candle power heater was so weak a damp sock draped over on Tuesday was still damp on Friday.

I'm sure the newer ones are better

[pikergolf]

We had a tent trailer growing up, seven of us in a little Sportsman. Nothing but good memories, the best was when it rained, something about the sound of rain on canvas. But hey, I was a kid what did I know.