Campers?

[Predator_SD]

Ditch the camper and shoot for some discomfort. You’ll have such a better experience.

 

[wytx]

Tons of folks use large campers for elk hunting and have no issues.
Depending on the state you may well find roads close enough to the hunting that a camper is really nice and convenient.
Not all elk are way back in the back country.
Our forests have plenty of spots to pull over and set up, many camping spots are well used with established fire pits.
You may also find a campground in the forest near your hunting area, they will have flat parking and most times potable water.

Smaller 2 tracks in the forest will be narrow though and a big camper may not go down those roads.
Weather is another factor , not hard to skirt in your camper for freezing weather or just not use the water tank.

Slide in would not be my recc. we've watched many bounce and look tippy on rough roads. get something with some clearance for rougher roads and a double axle.

 

[trevvamos]

There are levels to RVs, most are mass produced junk. Check out outdoors RV, made for rough roads and boondocking.

 

[SHTF]

or skip the camper all together and do like Im doing now. build out a truck topper camping setup with Onboard water, kitchen to make meals and a place to lay your head at night for your basecamp. Warning, this will send you down a very expensive rabbit hole if you go this route but its a super fun project. Mine is not done yet so till I get done with it, I will hold out on photos. but this should give you an idea of what I am talking about https://www.instagram.com/truckbedliving/

 

[Pony Soldier]

For elk hunting, look carefully at where you are going. I have a 2 horse, 3 horse and stock trailer. The trailer length decides where I am going largely because of the ability or inability to turn around. I have a main road that goes past my house. It is a loop road but in 20 miles there are only 5 spots I can turn around a 16 ft trailer. With a bunch of snow I have to drive 30 miles to return to the house without chaining up.

Camping in a campground and driving to your departure site is a gas/fuel decision. On a narrow remote rarely maintained road you may find you can get there but you may not be able to return.

 

[11boo]

I see some big rigs in places I would never try. I also see some undercarriage parts from them on the trail.
There are also a ton of roads in elk country that you could pull anything in on.

 

[Gmr777]

Completely new to Elk hunting and also looking into getting a camper for the family. I’d like to get something that could satisfy the family’s needs and use during elk season as a base camp.
What is the general parking areas like for public land hunts? I am aware this can vary greatly.
Can I get a 5th wheel into these areas? Should I be looking at a slide in?

What state(s)?

Guess it depends how you want to hunt and how deep you want to get your camp. Hiking from camp, tanking a quad or truck deeper.

 

[Wrench]

I have a 26x arctic fox and it's been all over north Idaho and has probably 200 miles in 4 low. They are heavy and well built. Mine is brush marked and I love it. If you buy one and expect to keep it perfect, you'll want to camp on the low country and travel a lot daily. One thing you better master is backing up around blind corners and watching overhead. I've had to back out miles before after a slide....that's super scary for some and just driving for others.

 

[cnelk]

For elk camp, I pull my camper and also set up my wall tent.

2 guys sleep in the camper, 2 guys sleep in the wall tent.

Coffee is hot at 4am and we all gather in the camper and discuss the day’s upcoming hunts.

 

[Ultracarry]

It’s really tough when you go hunting and have to walk into the trailer, take off your shoes, turn the water heater on, take a nice shower, tell the wife you want dinner by the time you get finished and have ice cream for desert… then sleep on a nice mattress.
Wake up in the middle of the night to 65-70 degree temps to take a leak, turn the coffee on in the morning and get dressed before going outside … plus nothing beats a porcelain toilet !
Yea and it’s also great for the wife and dogs that I bring everywhere … she just shoots her gun at camp, picks up trash, take the dogs for a walk and drinks beer so with that camper I say I have a tag and she goes.
Tank capacity is important, a good Honda generator, no matter the length I would get two axles and make sure you have good ground clearance.

 

[RocketRob16]

My last two Colorado hunts I stayed in a camper. Archery elk in September, stayed in a pop up camper at a primitive forest service camping area. Got cold at night and was fairly uncomfortable but it was just me and my cousin. We were basically able to step out of the camper and start hunting. This past November did a 3rd season mule deer hunt. Stayed in a campground with hookups in a 28 foot camper. We were about a 20 minute minute drive to get to any trailheads. Had a great hunt, 5 guys total. Just had to day hunt but the comforts of the camper were very nice. If you’re bringing along any princesses with you, a camper is a must in my opinion. Find a campground with hookups in your unit and day hunt from there. The good part of that system is that it allows you to hit vastly different areas if you’re not finding game but you’ll be limited in how far you can hike each day. I’m in the process of dialing in a hot tent system so that I can spike in for up to a few days at a time if the game is too deep to get to in a days hike.

 

[Wrench]

Pay attention to the insulation if you're going where it's cold or hot. My fox will use about 1.5 bottles of propane in 30 days in the woods during September. Avg night temps of 40-45 and days of 60. My friends trailers all seem to have a much heavier thirst for propane.

 

[Elite7]

I would hunt your first year without one. Then rent a camper locally for a couple trips. I love our camper and family memories but the fuel mileage prevents me from wanting to take it west every fall. Cheaper to do hotels or buy a nice wall tent

 

[timekiller13]

32 hour drive pulling a trailer sounds miserable.

This.

Plus if it’s 32 hours NOT pulling. It will be more like 36-38 pulling. You lose about 7-10 mph towing. Plus more stop due to decreased gas mileage.

I’ve owned travel trailer and 5th wheels for about 15 years now. Longest one way haul I’ve done is about 750 miles. That drive normally took 13 hours not towing. It took 17.5 hrs towing my 5th wheel. Never again. Now, any trip over 500 miles we get a house or hotel room.

 

[Elkmeadow]

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[Elk97]

I take our pull trailer to MT every year and it's worked well for us. It's been in some pretty nasty places and hasn't been a big problem anywhere. I usually know where I'm going so I know I can get turned around. With family, especially in griz country I'd really recommend one. Makes the trip enjoyable for the whole family. As others have said, get dual axle with good ground clearance. We have an Outdoors RV 21' (25' tongue to bumper) with a slide out and it's been great. Your gas mileage will be 50% or less of your normal mileage, so a big gas tank (36?) helps a lot when the gas stations are few and far between.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

In one area that I hunt, with success, I have a camper as the base camp. We start walking from there. It’s just a brutal climb in and pack out so we don’t get a ton of company.

 

[pcrossett]

If you do some pre-scouting on either OnX or Google Earth use the measure tool to see what the parking areas look like. On the aerial photos you will see some folks in campsites with their campers and you can measure approximately how long those are and see how they fit.

 

[CMF]

Totally dependent on where you are hunting.
We've been full-time in a 42' 5th wheel for the past 18 months, and have hunted NM, MT, and CO. We have been at least an hour, sometimes 1.5 hours from where we hunt.
There definitely are some areas in the mountains you will not get a big camper into, but a 20-footer maybe. And then there are lower areas in all the states that will accommodate any size camper.
If you go with a 20' your limitation will then most likely be water, especially with princesses. We can usually only make it 4 days or so on 64-gallon tank. So consider an aux tank or bladder to bring extra water, plus transfer pump, etc. depending on usage and tank size and how long you want to make it. What's worked best for us is finding a park at a lower elevation with full hookups and keeping backpack tents in the truck if we decide to stay out. FYI, having a washer and dryer is really nice if you have the option.
Another consideration is if the wife will be fine out in the mountains if you're out hunting all day. You may not have cell service.
Also depends on how long you're out for, If you're only out for a week, the benefits would hardly override the cost vs a vrbo.

 

[Lytro]

Don’t do it. You’ll get there. Probably. Lots of places to park. 2 days into the hunt you’ll be relocating to lower elevations wondering if you’ll have to come back for it in the spring. There’s a reason Lewis and Clark didn’t pitch in on a camper.

This ^. Season and weather should play a big factor in your decision. Snow drifts and 40mph winds this past year during CO 2nd season pushed me lower. I barely made it out and was only pulling a 3,000 lb offroad toy hauler.