Small camper. Information or experiences wanted.

[Oldskool 6,644]

51 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Always ready for any Redsquare folk!!

 

Great to see the trailer is going well. 

 

More gatherings to come here next year.  

@OldWorkHorse @Stepney @AHS @WheelhorseBob @Chestnut @Oldskool

 

Gotta get all the local ish folks together. 

Hope to make it there this year.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

On 6/30/2020 at 2:05 PM, ebinmaine said:

Trina is looking into getting us a small camper. Basic reasons:

So her mom can go with us and have a place to watch the dog and hang out.

We'd be able to keep all of our camping gear in its appropriate place without having to load and unload the car every time we go.

 

Doesn't matter if it has a bathroom because we can get a porta toilet... 

 

MUST be less than 1800 lbs.

 

Pop-up trailer?

 

Small truck slide in that we could put in our utility trailer?

 

I don't mind a hard-sided trailer at all but ones that are that small seem to be ultra expensive.

 

 

Thoughts? Advice? Questions?

 

 

Give a lot of thought about heating it first.

[ebinmaine 67,686]

7 hours ago, DennisThornton said:

Give a lot of thought about heating it first.

We don't camp in the winter so heat won't be an issue for us. 

We tent as low as 25 or so. Been colder. 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

3 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

We don't camp in the winter so heat won't be an issue for us. 

We tent as low as 25 or so. Been colder. 

I didn't notice when the thread started and I didn't get further into it.  I hammocked for the first time this year and got chilly below 60.  A down underquilt got me lower but an early snow ended my hammocking.  I do intend to get back out there before spring.  I really enjoy the outdoors.

[ebinmaine 67,686]

41 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

I didn't notice when the thread started and I didn't get further into it.  I hammocked for the first time this year and got chilly below 60.  A down underquilt got me lower but an early snow ended my hammocking.  I do intend to get back out there before spring.  I really enjoy the outdoors.

One of our hiking buddies tried using a hammock last fall.

He was mildly successful with a temperature that may have been about 50 or so?

He did find that he was a little colder than he would like to have been.

 

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

22 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

One of our hiking buddies tried using a hammock last fall.

He was mildly successful with a temperature that may have been about 50 or so?

He did find that he was a little colder than he would like to have been.

 

 

A friend managed well below 0F with a MSS, Military Sleep System and a realy nice underquilt.  I have the MSS but I sitll need a thicker underquilt.

[Chestnut 315]

Looking forward to a get-together this year. 

No discussion of a camper here.....yet. Loading the camping gear at start of trip and storing it at the end can be quiteaa project. Getting in and out of the tent on bad knees is a project, too, especially the backpacking tent.

4 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

We tent as low as 25 or so. Been colder. 

 Sounds like last Sept. in Baxter. Glad I dragged out the down jackets.

[ebinmaine 67,686]

37 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

get-together

If you're headed my general direction never worry about packing any gear. If you want to stay outside in a tent we have more camping equipment than three normal people.

 

We've been well known in the past to have a friend or three, or five, over to visit while hiking or whatever.. You'd be welcome to stay in the building on a nice air bed or something like that.

 

Food is never an issue either because between my Trina and @JCM Jim's Patti there's always enough to feed a small battalion even though there might only be seven or ten people. 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,686]

1 hour ago, DennisThornton said:

 underquilt.

I started getting into camping back in the summer of 2013. Before that I had only been once and it was probably 30 years prior. 

 

I can't believe I missed it in all the stuff I've read and watched but I never knew until this past fall that any sort of sleep system/ sleeping bag / ground mat / whatever... is rated with and underlayer of R4 insulation value

[WHNJ701 4,165]

Haha camping, I used to go alot when I was a kid, last time I slept in a tent was Woodstock 1999.  

I love the outdoors hiking, fishing etc but day trips only.  I could never sleep right on the ground, I will take the hotel, with a pool, bar, and somewhere warm

[ebinmaine 67,686]

5 minutes ago, jabelman said:

on the ground

In the interest of full disclosure we don't sleep on the ground.

 

We have a very large tent because I am not small and I like to be able to stand up and walk around and we use a queen size double height air mattress

 

[Chestnut 315]

 

1 hour ago, jabelman said:

I could never sleep right on the ground, I will take the hotel, with a pool, bar, and somewhere warm

Haven't done a Beach 'n Backpack vacation in a few years, but with some luck maybe this year. The challenge - 2 people, 4 bags (that fit in checked baggage), 2 weeks. One week in a beachfront (or mountaintop, whatever suits you), the second week wandering around the countryside in a car or on foot. Hotel definitely optional but usually needed every few days for cleanup. View from "home" week 1 and view of "home" week 2.

Week 2 daytime around 90 and skim of ice on the water in the morning.

 

[ebinmaine 67,686]

7 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

 

Haven't done a Beach 'n Backpack vacation in a few years, but with some luck maybe this year. The challenge - 2 people, 4 bags (that fit in checked baggage), 2 weeks. One week in a beachfront (or mountaintop, whatever suits you), the second week wandering around the countryside in a car or on foot. Hotel definitely optional but usually needed every few days for cleanup. View from "home" week 1 and view of "home" week 2.

Week 2 daytime around 90 and skim of ice on the water in the morning.

 

Week two looks pretty entertaining

[Pullstart 62,921]

19 hours ago, Chestnut said:

 

Haven't done a Beach 'n Backpack vacation in a few years, but with some luck maybe this year. The challenge - 2 people, 4 bags (that fit in checked baggage), 2 weeks. One week in a beachfront (or mountaintop, whatever suits you), the second week wandering around the countryside in a car or on foot. Hotel definitely optional but usually needed every few days for cleanup. View from "home" week 1 and view of "home" week 2.

Week 2 daytime around 90 and skim of ice on the water in the morning.

 

Where was ya?  Looks like a fun trip!

[Pullstart 62,921]

So, when you started this thread EB, you were looking for a camper idea and I had a camper.  How are you faring on your search?  Now that our camper is in Lake Okeechobee, we’ll need something in the next four months or so for camp season!

[ebinmaine 67,686]

3 minutes ago, pullstart said:

So, when you started this thread EB, you were looking for a camper idea and I had a camper.  How are you faring on your search?

We've only been looking off and on. As with many things we're finding that the campers or utility trailers that we're looking at are more often than not somebody else's crap that they think is worth unobtainium level pricing.

 

We are just kind of keeping our eyes open and checking online every day or three. 

[Chestnut 315]

11 minutes ago, pullstart said:

Where was ya?  Looks like a fun trip!

First week was in Puerto Penasco on the Gulf of California. Second week was a loop drive around Arizona from Phoenix. picture is in the painted desert/petrified forest. In that environment I can only carry enough water for an overnight. so we did day hikes and single overnight hikes. 

 

[Lee1977 6,673]

Get a small lite trailer and build a Teardrop trailer on it. Trina could knock it out in no time.

[Pullstart 62,921]

On 1/12/2021 at 7:49 AM, pullstart said:

So, when you started this thread EB, you were looking for a camper idea and I had a camper.  How are you faring on your search?  Now that our camper is in Lake Okeechobee, we’ll need something in the next four months or so for camp season!

Well, we ordered our new Toy Hauler today.  40’ long, but my garage is only 13’!  

 

 

It will be here before the Big Show!  Yes!

[ebinmaine 67,686]

32 minutes ago, pullstart said:

Well, we ordered our new Toy Hauler today.  40’ long, but my garage is only 13’!  

 

 

It will be here before the Big Show!  Yes!

EXCELLENT!!

 

We've still not made a purchase. 

Seen a few. 

Still leaning the way of the @JCM. 

Utility trailer converted. ...

 

 

[Pullstart 62,921]

26 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

EXCELLENT!!

 

We've still not made a purchase. 

Seen a few. 

Still leaning the way of the @JCM. 

Utility trailer converted. ...

 

 

That is surely a nice way to go!  We had such a nice camper and do camp often enough, we can’t quite give up the full kitchen, bathroom, etc.  this one even has a 1/2 bath from the garage!  It has a full rubber floor in the garage too, can be washed down with a hose, say if a machine happens to have a plowed field stuck to it, etc.

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Depending on what ya like to have and how often you use it.

A selfconverted Utility Trailer ain‘t be the worsest idea.

also depending of you need for comfy.

 

Max buyed last year his Car Trailer new,

that was after he‘s compared about 50Trailers from new To used and he got the same experiences as i do.

 

Used Trailers he found was once completley overpriced or badly raped or until  just trash

because they must be complete reworked to become a usable Trailer.

Than you need so much parts, so buy a new is sometimes the better choice.

 

[ebinmaine 67,686]

2 hours ago, Tractorhead said:

buy a new is sometimes the better choice

We've been finding the same. 

Used trailers in decent condition are nearly as much as a new one. 

For what little difference there is we would certainly buy new. 

 

Perhaps this spring....

 

[JCM 9,198]

From what I have read about the BS it is usually hot or rains. Decided on a low budget awning to help keep some sun off of the entry side and also a place to sit under for shade or rain. Patti and I set this up this afternoon and made a huge difference not being in direct sunlight. We also received a 10 minute shower and shed the water well. Just a small addition to the conversion from a work to camping trailer, but every little bit hopefully adds to more comfort.

[ebinmaine 67,686]

10 minutes ago, JCM said:

From what I have read about the BS it is usually hot or rains. Decided on a low budget awning to help keep some sun off of the entry side and also a place to sit under for shade or rain. Patti and I set this up this afternoon and made a huge difference not being in direct sunlight. We also received a 10 minute shower and shed the water well. Just a small addition to the conversion from a work to camping trailer, but every little bit hopefully adds to more comfort.

 

Just showed this to BBT. 

We're both pretty impressed. 

 

She says bring it up here for it's "tweaking voyage".