Uprading from tent to travel trailer

[HotCoffee]

We are long time tent campers but age is starting to catch up. Sleeping on the ground is not as easy as it used to be. We also would only camp in the winter to avoid the heat. We live in Mississippi so winters are mild and summers extremely hot and humid. We are looking to upgrade to a travel trailer sometime in the next year. Our tow vehicle is a Ford Expedition so we are limited as far as what we can tow. The options are pop up, small (under 20 foot) travel trailer, or a hybrid. Our work schedules make camping during the cooler months difficult. My question is how well does the A/C work in a pop up? It looks like it would be fine at night but could get hot during the day. Another question, how well does the A/C cool the beds in a hybrid? Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[plutotek]

We are long time tent campers but age is starting to catch up. Sleeping on the ground is not as easy as it used to be. We also would only camp in the winter to avoid the heat. We live in Mississippi so winters are mild and summers extremely hot and humid. We are looking to upgrade to a travel trailer sometime in the next year. Our tow vehicle is a Ford Expedition so we are limited as far as what we can tow. The options are pop up, small (under 20 foot) travel trailer, or a hybrid. Our work schedules make camping during the cooler months difficult. My question is how well does the A/C work in a pop up? It looks like it would be fine at night but could get hot during the day. Another question, how well does the A/C cool the beds in a hybrid? Thanks for any advice you can give.

A/C in a pop-up works very well. We would shut the curtains/panels leading to the beds to keep it a little cooler, but it worked well cooking the whole trailer. That said, if you go w/a pop-up/tent trailer, you might consider an electric winch to raise the roof.

We went from pop-up to 5th wheel a few years back. It's so nice to be able to just pack the groceries and go, get to your site, then be sitting down to dinner/drinks within an hour.

 

[mikeymouse1]

We just sold our pup after 11 years and tugraded to a 19 foot travle tralor. Our A/C always worked great. We would even use it it the mild winters of north and central Florida and use small plug in space heaters. There is a product made to go over the bunk ends called Pop Up Gizmos its a insulated blanket that is fitted over the canvas and they make a big difference in temp,control. I wish we still had our pup but my wife wanted to be able to stop and go with out setup and tare down, but to me a pup is the best of both worlds!

 

[5Days]

We have a Jayco popup...12 foot box..sleeps 8 or 9....yes, a big one! A/C on it keeps it plenty cool, even in the Florida heat. We do have the gizmos on the bunk ends and that helps a lot.

Our next rv will be a hybrid. Love the "pull in, plug in, and go". We too are finding it time consuming to set up and tear down. Hybrid is best of both worlds!

Good luck in your search!!

 

[mnsprk]

GIZMOS (bunk covers)

http://www.popupgizmos.com

 

[HotCoffee]

I'm losing the pop up argument with the family. I like the open feel that I get in the pop up but they like the bath in the small travel trailer or the hybrid. But I find those so closed in. It feels like we are on top of each other and we are standing at the dealer. What's going to happen when we add the dog and stay a week somewhere? Maybe I need to just buy a bigger truck and a 5th wheel. Don't think that is going to happen with a $15,000 budget for this project. This has been a fun process. We'll keep looking. Thanks for the advice and help.

 

[plutotek]

I'm losing the pop up argument with the family. I like the open feel that I get in the pop up but they like the bath in the small travel trailer or the hybrid. But I find those so closed in. It feels like we are on top of each other and we are standing at the dealer. What's going to happen when we add the dog and stay a week somewhere? Maybe I need to just buy a bigger truck and a 5th wheel. Don't think that is going to happen with a $15,000 budget for this project. This has been a fun process. We'll keep looking. Thanks for the advice and help.

How about a trailer w/a slideout? Those tend to add to the space. It's amazing what a foot of space does. Don't know if you are looking at new or used, but you can usually find a decent used travel trailer under $15k.

 

[2goofycampers]

With a dog you might want a hard sided TT. I have heard of them chewing/scratching their way out of canvas.

 

[ghester]

We tent camped for years. When I was pregnant with our last baby we wound up with a little bity scottie. Great for keeping things dry, a bed to sleeep in and ac. A few summers later 27ft tt oh boy what a difference!! One summer after that we purchased a good used 31ft tt with a slide!!! The slide makes all the difference. When we tent camped I loved it, but once you get a tt you may decide you want to have more space then you first thought. All of the campers we bought were used in great shape and a great deal. The only camper that we lost money on when selling it was the scottie and that is because my husband ripped out the bathroom to put in a little bed. Go look at new ones to see what you like and then check craigs list. The one we have now has plenty of room. we have 14, 11, and 5yr old.

 

[stefa70]

We too started in a tent, went to a p/u for a few years, finally a hybrid. I loved the p/u, but really enjoyed the idea of my own bathroom. We bought the hybrid 1 year used so got a good deal, has a lot less set up time, and a lot more room. As for the bunkends, they can get hot in the florida sun if there isn't much shade, but we also have the gizmos which helps a bunch. The ac runs most of the afternnon hours but keeps it cool. I also take my beloved golden retriever (75lbs) every trip and he could care less about the canvas ends, he usually lays on the tile floor where the air duct blows! We purchased the "add a room" so that takes an extra 15 minutes or so to put up but is a wonderful addition for lounging, cooking, shoes, games or any junk. Ours has a slide out which brings the whole dinette out and makes for plenty of room for me, DH, DS, DS's girlfriend, and of course Mason (dog). Hope that helps answer any questions. I LOVE the hybrid as I, like you, liked the open air feel of the tent or p/u. Now I have the best of both worlds (and a potty )

 

[BradyBz12]

We've had our 21' Kodiak hybrid for 5 years and have camped with it weekends here in New England (including all the way into late Oct) and for 2-3 weeks at the Fort the past 4 years in a row. Ours doesn't have a slide and we camp with 3 40-ish pound dogs. DH and I get one end (no kids) and 3 24x36 dog crates *just* fit side by side in the other for the dogs.

We've camped in temps from below freezing to 90. A/C definitely works harder to keep the tent ends cool during the day. We found that it helps to get a shade/tarp thingy and put that over the end if you're in the sun. On cold nights the heat does run a bit, but we also have heated mattresses and that keeps us plenty toasty.

We've been pulling ours with a v-8 Explorer with the "big engine" and and extra trannie cooler without any trouble at all.

With the tent ends we don't leave the dogs loose when we're not there - 3 border collies would be hatching an escape plan in about 4 minutes - hence the crates. We actually only had 2 dogs until last spring, and I must say 3 weeks at the Fort with 3 dogs in a hybrid was a bit squishy. That's part of the reason we've just gone up to a bigger TT and are selling the Kodiak.

Hybrids aren't for everyone (in laws bought one and hate that it's so noisy when they camp in group settings) but we've loved the heck out of ours.

Good luck!

 

[BradyBz12]

With a dog you might want a hard sided TT. I have heard of them chewing/scratching their way out of canvas.

And I know more than a few dogs that have just plain fallen out of the tent ends - including 2 separate occasions where 2 different dogs were sleeping on the bed and just moved a bit too far to the edge.

 

[HotCoffee]

LOL, "3 border collies would be hatching an escape plan in about 4 minutes". One husky can break out of the crate. Her brother, who we gave away to another home, watched me build an outside pen. He followed my steps backward and undid the chain link. We are looking at possibly a hard side now. I underestimated our tow capabilities by about 5000 pounds. But that opens up several options to us.

 

[BradyBz12]

LOL, "3 border collies would be hatching an escape plan in about 4 minutes". One husky can break out of the crate. Her brother, who we gave away to another home, watched me build an outside pen. He followed my steps backward and undid the chain link.

And people think it's a good thing to live with a smart dog!

We are looking at possibly a hard side now. I underestimated our tow capabilities by about 5000 pounds. But that opens up several options to us.

We just moved up to an Open Range roamer. They have one floor plan with a side slide "bunk" that just perfectly fit 3 crates across. And I'm pretty sure we could fit the hybrid IN this one! Plus at about 7100 lbs dry, we didn't have to invest in a huge truck to pull it.

 

[HotCoffee]

The added room that stefa suggested looks really convenient. It would be nice to have a place outside to leave shoes to keep any unwanted smells outside. Plus, a nice place to enjoy a meal outside without being carried away by mosquitoes and other multilegged wildlife.

 

[Lyndria]

The added room that stefa suggested looks really convenient. It would be nice to have a place outside to leave shoes to keep any unwanted smells outside. Plus, a nice place to enjoy a meal outside without being carried away by mosquitoes and other multilegged wildlife.

We bought an add-a-room when we got our Pop-Up and we love it! It sure is nice when it rains. It is also nice to keep our outside chairs and stuff from getting too dirty. We can close the whole thing off and open our camper door and air condition it as well, so it's like an extra room, hence the name. Hehe.