m00n Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 I know this is sooooo totally unrealated to audio, sorry for that but I know some of you must have some great input. So summer time is approaching, we like to camp, however I personally hate packing everything up in the transport mobile, getting there, unpacking everything, finally getting to relax for the trip, packing everything back up, driving home dreading the fact that I have to upack it all, getting home and having to do just that... Unpack it all... *BLEH* Enter tent trailer. Who makes the best? From what I understand Coleman has great little units? I would like to stay $5000.00 and under. Should I stay away from trailers over a certian age? Are used ones good? All that kind of stuff. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juba310 Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Won't you still have to pack up a tent trailer anyways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted April 11, 2004 Author Share Posted April 11, 2004 no... leave everything in it.. Pots, pans, stove is already built in, sleeping bags... Na man... Last year we went camping with some friends. They arrived at the spot before we did. When we got there they were sitting on lawn chairs having a beer. I asked how long had they been there, oh about 45 minutes he replied. We 2 hours later are still setting up tents, chasing kids, finding crap in the dark blah blah blah blah blah... As I said before *BLEH* Now, end of weekend. THey are packed up ready to roll in an hour. We are left behind and still packing up 2/3 hours later. Nope.. I'm 37 years old. My tent camping days have come to an end. I've earned a little comfort when camping and durring the whole trip experiance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruinsrme Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Coleman or Jayco!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted April 11, 2004 Author Share Posted April 11, 2004 What about fleetwood? Isn't it made by coleman, or is it the other way around, fleetwood makes units for coleman? Or are they not the same company at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Tent trailers are fine but don't ignore the possibility of a used older model motorhome or truck camper. My wife and I bought a 1owner 1984 Class C in superb condition ( admittedly high mileage as these things go ) for C$6000.00 last summer. Storage can be an expense but the extra convenience is worth the C$250.00/yr for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted April 12, 2004 Author Share Posted April 12, 2004 Hey thanks lynnm... I did decide on used. Actually used was the only way I was going to go. I've actually decided to buy one my great ol high school buddies tent trailer. It's like a 94 colman. I've seen it and I know him. he is very maticulous about his stuff. This thing is in great shape. Coming in way Way WAY under what I was thinking about spending which makes the wife very happy. Looking forward to this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFinco Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 ---------------- On 4/12/2004 12:12:25 AM m00n wrote: Hey thanks lynnm... I did decide on used. Actually used was the only way I was going to go. I've actually decided to buy one my great ol high school buddies tent trailer. It's like a 94 colman. I've seen it and I know him. he is very maticulous about his stuff. This thing is in great shape. Coming in way Way WAY under what I was thinking about spending which makes the wife very happy. Looking forward to this summer. ---------------- Some free maintance advice for you, seeing as I use to work in a store that specialized in this sort of thing... I'm assumeing that this is a "pop up"-- Get yourself a bottle or two of "TEAR MENDER". its a fabric cement that is specifically designed for heavy weight canvas, and poly-cotton blends. ONLY TEAR MENDER--accept no substitutes. Then get some PRESHRUNK pieces of canvas, cut them in a CIRCLE, put one on the inside, and one on the outside of the tear or hole, and then glue them together with the tear mender. once dry you will have a fix that is stronger than the original material. if you want to sew this material ever, and don't have access to an industrial grade sewing machine, you can get a hand sewing tool called a SPEEDY STICHER that will go through 10 oz. canvas and sew a lock stich with waxed cotton thread. very handy "in the field" If you wash it use WOOLITE, as it will get rid of any mildew yet, is gentle on the fabric sidewalls and such. Canvas, especially old canvas is very suceptable to UV damage and dryrot--woolite is gentle enough that it won't further break down the material. If you do wash it, you will need to rewaterproof it which is a lenghty process, so your best bet would be try to brush it off and make sure its clean when you fold it up. if its wet when you fold it up, make sure you open it up to dry properly or it will mildew. If you need to re waterproof it DO NOT go with any of the spray on canned stuff. it doesn't work. its only a surface coat, and it will crack and flake off--then you just spent money on a product that is merely a temporary solution. if anyone tells you otherwise they are wrong. I've worked in an outdoor supply store for 13 years, and I know my gear. rewaterproofing....the BEST stuff out there was this stuff called "WEATHER MASTER" in a orange square can, that you applied with a brush. it was great for that heavy 10 oz fabric that they use for campers. Unfortuneately WEATHER MASTER is no longer being made as its production violates new corporate polution standards. The next best thing--THOMPSONS water seal. when in doubt--don't use silicone, use Urathane. Silicone does not penetrate, it coats. Urathane adheres to the fabric itself, and it penetrates to the fibers. This holds true for Nylon as well. Once you re-waterproof the sidewalls and such, and let it dry you then have to "season" the canvas by spraying it down with water. this time--it will leak. the canvas will then expand to get rid of gaps and such, and the NEXT time it gets wet, it will remain sealed. It will smell, so be prepared for that--but it will be waterproof. Many a time I've had angry customers because they didn't season their canvas products, even after we told them this process was crucial to any new waterproofing or new product. getting wet can ruin your trip, yet its very easy to avoid. You will also need to seal the seams on the product, as the thread holes are too big for the canvas to block completely (Unless they used non-synthetic thread to sew it, which will expand like the canvas fabric, but its more than likely they did not) for seam seal you want to get K-KOTE or Sevlor SEAMSEAL. the other thing that works temporarily is a wax stick, or residue, but for a semi permanent solution you need to seal the seams with the products I mention. seal the seams from the inside, as the seal seal product will darken the material slightly. if you do it from the outside, you will "stripe" your material. If you do these things, you will be guaranteed to be able to cope with any surprises along the way that may arrise in your shelter. HAPPY CAMPING!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted April 12, 2004 Author Share Posted April 12, 2004 RFinco, Dang man! That is OUTSTANDING advice! I would have never thought about it. That's owners manual grade advice there. Going to print it, laminate it and keep in tucked away in a drawyer! . BTW you said treating the fabric would cause it to smell, how long will it smell? Is it something that I can just apply it, and keep the tent trailer setup for a few days to air out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFinco Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 ---------------- On 4/12/2004 10:53:10 AM m00n wrote: RFinco, Dang man! That is OUTSTANDING advice! I would have never thought about it. That's owners manual grade advice there. Going to print it, laminate it and keep in tucked away in a drawyer! . BTW you said treating the fabric would cause it to smell, how long will it smell? Is it something that I can just apply it, and keep the tent trailer setup for a few days to air out? ---------------- First, Thank you-I'm glad you find it helpful. My being able to rattle stuff like this off the top of my head got me quite a bit of repeat and referral customers...and I hate to see people have a bad time simply because no one gave them some facts to work with.. airing it out: yes, the smell will fade away, but do keep in mind that you just used a high grade urathane, and this does have a chemical smell to it (by the way, waterproof from the outside of the tent or the fumes will suck all the oxygen out of the camper and you will pass out!!--if you need to do the inside, make sure you're well ventilated). Get some good odor control products and after it dries, then try to control the smell. it will go away eventually...the more you use it, or air it out, the quicker the smell will fade.... Good luck, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 http://www.newrver.com/popup.html?OVRAW=folding%20camper&OVKEY=folding%20camper&OVMTC=standard Coleman is OK, but the crank and cable mechanism was a problem. TowLow is an older brand that is much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 m00n: I like Jayco. They seem to be built about the best in my opinion. -Picky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Hey m00n - Why not look for a used one of these and forget the pop-up camper: http://www.hilotrailer.com/ Chances are you guys are gonna enjoy camping and wanna move up. Pop-up campers don't hold their value very well for all the reasons that RFinco stated - lack of decent maintenance. I guess I'm one of those "why buy something twice?" people. BTW - I've used a pop-up camper (not mine, but a friends) several times and I've done the pull behind thing and the motorhome thing. All have their pluses & minuses, but if I were in the market for a camper, a pop-up would be last (if at all) on my list. It won't be as comfy as a pull behind or motorhome. And if you really look hard you can find a decent used pull behind for the same price as a pop-up. Anyhow...that's just my humble opinion. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 Tom, interesting. Do you have any idea what some price points would be? Right now we are on tap to buy my buddies tent trailer for $1,700.00. A price my wife is much more friendly to than the $5000.00 I was thinking on spending. I agree with you, I'd rather have something a tad nicer, however there is another concern. Here Mitsubishi is only a 6 cylinder. Not sure how much it can pull before it really starts to huff and puff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 ---------------- On 4/11/2004 6:45:44 PM m00n wrote: Enter tent trailer. Who makes the best? From what I understand Coleman has great little units? I would like to stay $5000.00 and under. Should I stay away from trailers over a certian age? Are used ones good? All that kind of stuff. Thanks all! ---------------- This is something I was thinking of getting for myself. A Chalet camper. I like this idea, plus for myself, I would not need anything bigger, plus my little Mazda pickup should be able to tow this with no problems. I wonder how much one of those goes for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 Steve my old manager has one of those and loves it. He and his wife use it all the time in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 "Why not look for a used one of these and forget the pop-up camper: http://www.hilotrailer.com/" Their TowLite series looks exactly like the TowLow that my folks have. These are what I would call a pop-up, hard sides, no canvas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 On 4/13/2004 4:34:03 PM m00n wrote: Tom, interesting. Do you have any idea what some price points would be? Right now we are on tap to buy my buddies tent trailer for $1,700.00. A price my wife is much more friendly to than the $5000.00 I was thinking on spending. I agree with you, I'd rather have something a tad nicer, however there is another concern. Here Mitsubishi is only a 6 cylinder. Not sure how much it can pull before it really starts to huff and puff. ---------------- Jeez....it's been some time since I seriously looked at campers, so I'm not sure about pricing. What I'd suggest you do is maybe borrow your friends pop-up and use it for a weekend. Then find a dealer that would rent you a pull behind and use that for a weekend. Who knows, you may be one of those folks that is a happy camper (pun intended) with the pop-up. Or...your wife & you may conclude that a pull behind is the way to go and the investment you want to make. In that case, go to several dealers, look at what they have on their lots both new & used, and pick their brains. Most dealers I've spoken to are enthusiasts. They've BTDT with everything from pop-ups to class A motorcoaches. And believe me - I understand the money issue. But here's something for both of you to consider - a camper or motorhome can be considered as a second home and therefore the interest on the loan you pay is tax deductable just like a mortgage. My point is that you might be able to justify spending a bit more since you can write off the loan interest. As for towing...you mentioned Mitsubishi and 6 cylinder, but not what kinda vehicle it is. That's important because the vehicle's chassis plays a major role in tow capability. I can help you there, but I need to know what the vehicle is. skonopa - That's the first time I've seen that Chalet thing. That's kinda cool. It reminds me of this hard-sided pop-up camper (can't remember the name) my ex in-laws had. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 Now, THIS is the way to go! I struggled tents and sleeping on rocks for YEARS until I scored this 1962 Airstream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 Hey Allan....will the wife's Studebaker pull that thing? BTW - did you re-polish that thing? Man...that al-u-mineeum looks good. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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