Any tent trailer owners out there?

[mickeywho?]

We've decided it may be time to "upgrade" our camping trips and thought that a pop-up tent trailer may be a good option for us. Any fellow campers own one? Any recommendations...suggestions to look out for...features you love or wish you had? Any regrets with yours? Ideas for a starting point for shopping for one? Did you buy new or used and privately or from a dealer?
Any help useful!

 

[dis_guy]

We've decided it may be time to "upgrade" our camping trips and thought that a pop-up tent trailer may be a good option for us. Any fellow campers own one? Any recommendations...suggestions to look out for...features you love or wish you had? Any regrets with yours? Ideas for a starting point for shopping for one? Did you buy new or used and privately or from a dealer?
Any help useful!

Hi MickeyWho?

We have a 2007 Clipper (Viking) 1285ST which we bought new in '07.

We looked at used ones and somehow $3000 for an ancient one with tons of patches and lots of rust on the frame didn't seem like much of a deal. Newer ones were on the surface better but we saw one for $5000 with the inside canvas covered with black mould. I didn't even go into that one.

In the end with our already planned vacation time approaching, we looked at new. By July they were really picked over and literally the only 2 tent trailers in the entire area were two of the 1285 STs. It has two king-sized end bunks, a slide out dinette which could sleep two more and a couch/daybed that can sleep one more. We have pressure water, a water heater, furnace, fridge, outside shower, oodles of storage with 3 compartments accessible from outside, and more space than 4 people and 2 dogs need. We do not have the cassette toilet, just a portapotti that lives in a corner. The lack of built in toilet gives us another storage cabinet.

It was way, way, more than we really wanted to buy but after a couple of years we haven't regretted it once. It seems huge but when you're stuck in the rain, it really isn't. The slide out dinette seems like overkill but it gives us a fair bit more floor space for the pets. One feature that we love now are the insulated bunk ends. We were out over the long weekend in snow, sleet and temps around -10 at night but we were never cold even though the furnace ran almost continuously during the night.

In my opinion the dealer is more important than the brand of trailer. Mostly all these units are at the economical (cheap) end of the scale so you will have something fail, eventually. A supportive dealer makes all the difference here.

The downside is the weight, GVR 3420 lbs, which tows very easily behind our Jeep Commander.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have. Hope this helps.

Check out: http://www.popupportal.com/

 

[mickeywho?]

That helps big time!!
I was looking at various models and see some have the slide-out. My dh keeps saying - "think worst camping conditions and wonder if we could be comfortable...thunderstorm and stuck indoors, mass of mosquitoes and blackflies and stuck indoors, to cold to sit around the campfire and stuck indoors" I'm thinking the added slide-out would come in handy then!
Do dealers have decent warranties? If we buy in June and use it for 5 or 6 camping weekends this year, pack it away for the winter, and then open it up next spring to discover something didn't quite survive storage would it be covered?
I see some are listed as canvas and others vinyl...is there a difference that you know of?
Would you mind sharing the name of your dealer and if you were happy with them?
Thanks!

 

[dis_guy]

That helps big time!!
I was looking at various models and see some have the slide-out. My dh keeps saying - "think worst camping conditions and wonder if we could be comfortable...thunderstorm and stuck indoors, mass of mosquitoes and blackflies and stuck indoors, to cold to sit around the campfire and stuck indoors" I'm thinking the added slide-out would come in handy then!
Do dealers have decent warranties? If we buy in June and use it for 5 or 6 camping weekends this year, pack it away for the winter, and then open it up next spring to discover something didn't quite survive storage would it be covered?
I see some are listed as canvas and others vinyl...is there a difference that you know of?
Would you mind sharing the name of your dealer and if you were happy with them?
Thanks!

I actually sneered at slide outs, water heaters, etc, but I have to admit they are nice creature comforts. We usually get electrical sites though we don't bother with water and sewer hookups. You can run the furnace on the battery but a night like the ones we had last time would kill the battery pretty fast.

Warranty for our unit was 1 year. You can buy more, it's up to you. Our dealer (Outback RV in Edmonton) was really very good with warranty service. They fixed an alignment problem with the slide out, replaced the outside shower faucet (our fault, our cost) fixed a sticking lifter, and replaced the plastic panel on top of the front storage trunk (it cracked and leaked- they caught that one). Other than a hassle over scheduling the panel replacement, it was all good.

Our experience has been that simple units (no water heater, shower, hand pump water, simple water tank, etc are really easy to get ready for winter. The more things you have the more work to winterize. An easy solution is to have the dealer do the winterizing, that way if something is damaged, they repair it. We store ours in an unheated storage building for the winter. A storage concern is keeping moisture out of the unit. Leaks are obvious (cover or store under a roof) but keeping it dry can be a challenge in humid locations, not a problem in dry Alberta. Your dealer can advise you there.

I'm not sure how the new canvas tents are but back in the day, when I was a kid, if you slept against the canvas in the rain, you'd get soaked. Ours is a vinyl product that has worked just fine and is supposed to be mildew proof. We've been happy with it.

 

[SandraC]

We bought a new tent trailer from Heimstra [sp?] in London, Ont in 2003. LOVED IT! The only thing wrong with buying a brand new trailer is that we really babied it. So when we sold it 2 years ago, the new owners got the benefits of a great trailer for 2/3 the new cost.

It was a 10 foot Jayco. Bought it new for $6900+tax, sold it for $4500 in excellent condition.

We bought a permanent trailer with a lovely Florida room two years ago and just sold it last month to become Gypsies again!

LOVE CAMPING! LOVE TRAVELLING!

Have a great time! Blessings, Sandra

 

[great white north]

Most important thing to think about first is what will you be pulling with. Previous post said 3450lbs. Remember that is dry weight. Add your contents in trailer and vehicle and the # of people. What is your vehicle rated to pull? All 12fts will require electric brakes, some 10fts also. You will require a brake controller installed in tow vehicle. We have a 10 ft, 1 king, 1 double, couch that folds and table goes down to sleep 8. Remember with having all the powered options you will have to have electricity to use them. We have a closed in screen room that walls attach to awning. We have only used it 2 times. Pain to set up. We use a dining tent if bugs are bad. Furnace that we only used a few times. Again hydro for fan and uses propane for heat. We use a small micro furnace too, instead of furnace. I find it easier to book late or not prebook and look at the weather before we head out. You will not get an electrical site if you don't prebook months ahead for weekends in the summer. We use 12volt battery for lights and make sure you have a 3 way fridge that you can run on propane. Models newer than 1995 approx. now use vinly, and not canvas. Stay away from canvas. Buying used will be your better option. Buy something newer. Dealer is not as important as the brand you buy. Some of the big names have gone bankrupt in the last year in the states due to economy. Buy quality and you should have few problems. We bought ours in 99, 2yrs old for 5000, could sell now for around 3500. Good investment. Good luck.

 

[Tantor]

A couple of things. We liked to have the fridge right across from the door opening so you can put stuff in before you leave so it will stay cold.
We also had a awning with a sunroom (and covers for the screen) so when it was crappy out we had an extra room. Made a HUGE difference. Worth the extra money.

 

[mickeywho?]

Well we got one! It ended up being about what our car could pull so that ruled out a lot of them! I've spent the last couple of weeks going through craigslist and kijiji and we ended up finding a dealer and buying new after all.
We are now the proud owners of a Viking Epic 1906. It has one double, one full and one bed that converts from the seating. A little stove, sink, furnace, ceiling fan and awning with bug screen. I think it will suit us quite well and we'll enjoy it for the next few years. I think when we are looking at a new car in 5 years we'll take into consideration whether or not we want a larger tent trailer then. Although my 11 year old has already said - "I'm still sleeping in a tent! I'll see you guys at breakfast"

 

[dis_guy]

Congratulations! Have a great summer enjoying it!