OT _ Sort of...Camping - Page 1

I am thinking of buying a tent trailer for some off road camping. We have a 29' travel trailer that is just to big for back mountain roads. Do any of you guys have a tent/pop-up trailer and how do you like it for camping with the dogs??

You guys going camping again,,,,no room service...lol

LOL! Actually I was being devious, thinking , its off season, just before Christmas.... maybe I can get a good deal on one before next spring/summer (tent trailer).

My parents used to have a pop up and we loved it.  IDK about GSDs inside though.  If you've been looking into them you probably know that there is very limited floor space.  As far as cheap camping..they are very light and tow great which means you can haul more misc. stuff without overloading your vehicle.  You also get a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to sleeping space (most sleep 5).  I guess I'd to yes to a pop up, but not sure about with the dogs.  The walls of the slide outs are vinyl and screening which could easily be damaged by an excited pooch.  Good luck and good comping.

lol,   Ok,,,i was going to call you nuts---to cold !!!!  lol

I bought a used Forest River Flagstaff for $3000 U.S. in August of last year.

The first trip I took with it, the overhead lights shorted out, and the fabric tore out of the riviets along the left side. My dogs took immediate advantage of this to follow me whenever I left them alone in the trailer.

The next trip I took, t he zipper jammed on the awning, and the pull broke off as I was trhing to fix it. I still can't use the awning. A new one is $400 bucks. The fabric also tore out along the left side of the trailer.  I also had trouble getting the stove connected, but a bit of WD 40 solved that problem.

I did have an uneventful trip or two when nothing went wrong. However, I had to tie my dogs to the trailer when they weren't inside, and this meant I had to watch them carefully, as people are such idiiots. Had my back turned once, and my male started barking. I looked up just in time to see a kid waving a toy sword, and firing a toy gun at my dog! I later explained to him, in front of his parents, just WHY this was not such a good idea! 

This spring, I decided to put my new Ontario plates on the trailer. The trailer license plate holder was so poorly designed that I couldn't access the screws, and eventually broke it right off trying to bend it out so I could get to them, with a small screwdriver bit held between my fingers. Then, when my friend was cranking the trailer up, the lift cable broke. Luckily, she had her trailer there, too, but we decided trying to sleep 5 people and 3 dogs in it wasn't such a hot idea. Since rain was forecast, and the mosquitoes were horrendous, her kids and her hubby went home to sleep, while she and I shared her trailer with my two dogs. (They were only 20 minutes from home.)

Okay, what else...hmmm...hit a speedbump too fast in a campground, and the countertop fell off. What a job it was re-attaching that...lousy cheap chipboard!!!  My overhead lights still don't work, though the repairman at the trailer place had them working. He and I have become good friends, and he did a rush job for me when I unexpectedly needed the trailer for the weekend. That involved fixing a jammed stabilizer (the support was broken) re-attaching a section of fabric, and installing a new license plate holder.

ON the plus side... I have premium heated mattresses in the main beds. They are well worth the extra cost, believe me! Between them and the propane heater, it's definitely a three season trailer! The dogs like to lie curled up on the extra bed, the one where the table goes. I don't bother with the table, as the campsites almost always have picnic benches. As I camp alone, I take my bitch's crate with me, and put that on top of the pull out bed I'm not using, as she loves her crate and sleeps in it at night. It also gives me a place to secure her when I take my other dog for a walk. She's not very good at the separation thing, and tears at the windows and screens if I leave her alone. So far, she hasn't damaged them.

I find that backing the trailer up is a bitch. They are so light, that the slightest bump or rut tends to throw them in the direction you don't want to go. I've also put two dents in my SUV when I jack-knifed the trailer against my vehicle. Live and learn...won't do that again!

It tows like a dream, and I can put it up by myself in about 20 minutes, if the camp site is level, and I don't have to fart around leveling the trailer out. If you don't have it level enough, the screen door tends not to fit.

Would I do it over, having had all these problems with it? Hmmm....I love the freedom, and there's more privacy than in a tent. It's certainly a LOT more comfortable. I wouldn't get a Forest River, though. I don't think they are very well made. I'd also check out the amount of floorspace, to make sure your dogs would have a place to lie withou

Wow, Sunsilver, sounds like more bad than good!!  I ran a want ad and got a few hits, one was interesting but the people are in Oregon right now. It is a 1998 Jayco for $2200.00. All the others have been much older and more money. What I was figuring is they are light and easy to take on back mountain roads because of their compact size. The roads into the mountains can be kinda switchback. I figured the space would be limited but the dogs could share a bed or the table made into a bed. I have 3 dogs but my old girl might stay home and get babysat by my son, at least sometime if it was an extended trip, I think it would be hard on her. I figured they would be nicer than just a tent, in that you could walk around and cook in them, especially if the weather turned. I will have to re-think the leveling for the door to fit. My thoughts are to go where there aren't people :) so not to worried about having to contain the dogs with tying, I could put them in back of the pickup, it has a topper, if necessary. But you have given me alot to think about. I figured the canvas would be tougher and not tear out so easy... Anyway thanks.

Traveltime thanks too!

Wow Sunsilver, sounds like you got a "Lemon".  I don't mean to be rude, but it sounds like you could use some practice backing trailers if you have "jackknifed" it more then once (ouch!).  Also our pop up (a starcraft) said to be sure to level before cranking up.  Not doing so can cause damage to the lifting mechanism (slides), door won't fit right, ect.  Think about it, if you are cranking up four corner posts that support the walls and roof wouldn't it need to be level?  We used for small adjustable jack stands for leveling and stability, one for each corner of the camper.  Trailraider, do you homework and I think you'll be fine.  Just like getting a GSD, know what  you are getting into.  We used our pop up in New Mexico and Colorado several times.

Trailrider, my tent is made of some fabric (canvas, most likely) covered with a waterproofing substance, not sure what it is. Maybe some sort of vinyl. I think whoever made the trailer either didn't measure it right when installing it, or somehow it shrank, causing it to rip free from the rivets where it attaches to the sides of the trailer. I really don't think this is something that happens to every trailer. The fabric is very tough, and so far, no problems with leaks, except due to the fabric flapping in the breeze when it pulled loose. I did an emergency repair with duct tape (good ol' duct tape...don't leave home without it when camping!) which lasted until I had to make a trip to the washroom. Then, one of the dogs pushed their way out through it!

Travel Time, backing a trailer up is not easy at first, but these little 2 wheeled jobs seem to be very prone to veering off to one side or the other, due to hitting a bump as you're backing. It can be VERY frustrating. And the second ding happened while backing it up a snow-covered slope (my driveway). I got caught short by the weather here in my new location, and didn't get it stowed away for the winter before the snow hit!

[sigh]  Live and learn!  I still like it, in spite of all the hassles.

A few bits of info I forgot to mention. It's a 2004, and I got it for $3,250 U.S. on E-bay. It sold cheap, because the owner damaged one of the screens and window when putting it away. He duct taped the damage, and so far, it hasn't leaked. Due to this damage,I was the only person brave enough to bid on it. It has a 3 way fridge, 2 burner stove, heater, heated beds and a sink

lol get a tent is cheaper and more fun :). I take my females camping with me they love it :) last time there were some black family camping next to us, and my female didn't let them approach her next thing I heared was: "your dog is racist, thanks to people like you Obama will not win" lol what does my dog has to do with politics lol :).