Jumping Jack Trailers

[Customweld]

@jrfred I'm wondering how your Jumping Jack fared during winter storage??
For other owners: When the tent is folded in the trailer and an ATV strapped on top what is there for storage both inside and outside the trailer? I keep coming back to a cargo trailer as being a better option because I can keep my gear out of the elements when traveling and locked up when at a motel, trailhead, etc.
Any insight is appreciated.
Thanks.

I use a 16' enclosed cargo trailer . The JJ's are intriguing to me, bit I just couldn't spend that kind of money on one.

 

[Voyageur]

I use a 16' enclosed cargo trailer . The JJ's are intriguing to me, bit I just couldn't spend that kind of money on one.

I agree, the money asked for a JJ is reason to pause and consider.

 

[brimow]

Find a used one and save a few grand. We got a 12' model this past year and love it so far. Haul 2 quads and have about 4.5' left on the deck for coolers and such. There is not much room inside the folded tent for gear. We keep our heater, double propane camp chef, dog bed, and mattress topper inside. If we are going back to back weekends then I will keep some of the bedding stored inside as well. Haven't had to deal with much weather yet but did handle some solid winds pretty well.

Only nock I have so far is that the powder coating on the actual trailer does not hold up well. Ours is 4 years old and really could use to be sand blasted and redone.

 

[jrfred]

@Voyageur: Sorry for the delay, need to turn on my notifications. It fared well over the winter. Not speaking of the zipper cover, but the overall outside cover to protect the whole trailer (with the exception of the Y-tongue) is very robust, covers over the whole unit, and about 50% down over the tires to block the UV sun (the lower half tires protected by the grass in my pasture). The 4 corners of this cover have built-in synch-able bungie with hooks to tighten the whole thing down so the wind doesn't blow it off; mine is in Wyoming and the wind did not affect it. There is no protected storage options when the UTV is loaded other than to strap 'not very tall things' to the top of the camper (that which fits under the clearance of your UTV), or up in your UTV dump box. With ATV's you'd have more room to strap things. Also when traveling in a snow storm, there is no diamond plate deflector, yes UTV ride high above most snow slash, but I learned last fall to not have my ratchet straps exposed to the outside, as I could not take them off; frozen shut underneath that 4" ice blob, might have to cut your straps in a pinch (see pic). My front plate space on the tongue is occupied with a propane tank and house battery. Buying a Trailer Tray would buy you a little more strap-down space. Also at 80 MPH on the highway, you'd want to take off your polycarbonate windshield probably. I see your point about security when traveling; I use mine strictly out of my WY farmhouse home base, so as much an issue.

As @cbstewart mentions above, a small robust toy hauler/sleeper would be a great option as well and eliminate a lot of fussing. The pitch with the JJ is being able to tow these things deep off road where some campers and haulers can't go, and to be able to move camp quickly as compared to extensive wall tents. The standard JJ would be good for 2 offensive linemen, or 4 adults easy if everyone just weighted 190 lbs.

@jrfred I'm wondering how your Jumping Jack fared during winter storage??
For other owners: When the tent is folded in the trailer and an ATV strapped on top what is there for storage both inside and outside the trailer? I keep coming back to a cargo trailer as being a better option because I can keep my gear out of the elements when traveling and locked up when at a motel, trailhead, etc.
Any insight is appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[jrfred]

What make/model 16' hauler do you have?

I use a 16' enclosed cargo trailer . The JJ's are intriguing to me, bit I just couldn't spend that kind of money on one.

 

[Voyageur]

Thanks for the detailed response, @jrfred Just the type of info I was looking for.

 

[mavinwa2]

I see the advantage for the weekend hunter in faster set up, take down.
Being retired last 2 years, 90% of my trips are longer, at least a week. This past January 2022, I was out for 20 consecutive days. This was unusual as the AZ plan was for 14 days, but the 2nd rut kicked in big time. So, I extended my hunt.

Been intrigued by this Jumping Jack trailer. Fast set up of tent, but expensive rig.
And peeps are replacing the canvas in <7 years. Of course, depends on how cared for & stored.
Observed JJ up close, canvas isn't comparable to my wall tent. More like my Kodiak tent. On checking used JJ's, often find wear spots on the canvas from internal frame.
Another concern are the wing-sleep bunks being elevated off ground, cold air swooping underneath. Could install DIY insulating foam boards, floor liner too. However, for that price, ?.

Instead, I purchased a new brand 6x10 utility trailer w/gate ramp, on goes ATV, camping gear in storage boxes, extra gas, water containers, etc. Solo, the Kodiak camp set up takes me <2 hours, complete set up including kitchen area, separate shower tent etc. So, more time to set the Kodiak tent camp than JJ.
Add another 30 min if I put up 10x10 self-standing awning over UT trailer. This makes a nice kitchen area, sitting or storage outside, and in bad weather to park ATV on trailer under canopy.

At today's prices, just Kodiak tent & UT trailer, probably around $3K new.
Cost me $1700 new and stored in my garage.

 

[Customweld]

What make/model 16' hauler do you have?

Interstate Trailer with the extra height model.

 

[wapitibob]

I looked at them hard and finally opted not to buy. $10,000 for a tent, 2 cots, and an atv trailer just didn't make sense.

 

[jrfred]

@jrfred I'm wondering how your Jumping Jack fared during winter storage??
For other owners: When the tent is folded in the trailer and an ATV strapped on top what is there for storage both inside and outside the trailer? I keep coming back to a cargo trailer as being a better option because I can keep my gear out of the elements when traveling and locked up when at a motel, trailhead, etc.
Any insight is appreciated.
Thanks.

It's been a couple years and my Jumping Jack tent trailer is doing just fine. I read about one guy where the mice chewed through that thick zip-up cover and started nesting in his tent, but I've been lucky, and mine is in a horse pasture with lots of field mice. I should put a poison black box below it for insurance. The only thing I store inside is 30 degree sleeping bags where I don't worry about them being flattened (would not do that with a more $$ and puffy 15 degree bag); but suffice it to say you can't store much of anything inside it all packs within itself with no room left over. You can strap other items on top the trailer depending on how large your ATV(s) are. This thing is the opposite of a locking cargo trailer, I think it's advantage is lower cost and to be able to tow it deep off road, light weight, (they have these Blackout models with even more clearance) giving you more access options.

 

[Weldor]

They seem like they would get pretty squirrely with a side by side sitting that high off the axle? Pricey for sure , One for sale down here was a tandem $10,000 used. I would look for a aluminum enclosed, lightweight and don't have to worry about moisture.

 

[Kyle C]

They seem like they would get pretty squirrely with a side by side sitting that high off the axle? Pricey for sure , One for sale down here was a tandem $10,000 used. I would look for a aluminum enclosed, lightweight and don't have to worry about moisture.

I thought the same thing, but once I got one I was pleasantly surprised. I pulled a S×S from Washington to Utah this year and it did fantastic. Also, it was pulled with a Tacoma so fuel mileage was very unpleasant though. With the limited bed room it's also nice to be able to strap meat coolers or extra gear totes on top of.

The tent itself also held up to the winds and storm that washed out highway 6 this year outside Salt Lake. The winds had to of hit 60-70 on some of the gusts and it didn't budge. Not saying I wasn't nervous though.

 

[mtnrunner260]

I slept in a buddies a couple years ago.
Was better than bed of pickup but the zippers rattled all night in the wind. Kept waking me up.
Probably get used to it or put tape on them if using long term.

 

[helidriver72]

My buddy has one, it’s ok but seriously you could buy a really decent tent and an ATV trailer for 1/4 the price.
And the only reason my buddy bought it was a guy sold it to him for $1000.

 

[UpTop]

Right with everyone else on the price completely shutting down any desire to own one. They definitely look useful and fill a niche, but there’s a lot that can be done with that kind of money that would make way more sense. Even with all that said they still intrigue me when I’m at an outdoor show that has them setup.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Buy used. Got mine for $2500 6 or 7 years ago. I love it for base camp. With a propane heater I’ve used in single digits comfortably, as well as heavy rain and snow.

 

[taskswap]

We owned one of the older models and sold it about 18 months ago for half what we paid. You can definitely find deals but they also hold their value well.

They're expensive but not super over-priced IMO. Remember, most tent trailers are only designed to carry things like storage bins on top - some can't carry anything at all. This has a very strong top deck for carrying UTV's and there's a lot of extra steel and welding there, plus a bigger axle to carry it all. And you can get them with electric brakes which is great if you're going to use them like that.

Finally, although in practice this is kind of a pain to do regularly, unlike most tent trailers you can actually slide the whole tent package out of a JJ and use it as a heavy duty cargo trailer. We needed a cargo trailer maybe once a month, enough to not want to have to rent one but not enough to justify another $2k for that. This thing fit the bill for us for 3+ years and we were really happy with it.

If you're buying used, if it's an earlier model you're looking at pay close attention to the zippers and also damage to the outer/upper floor areas where the slots are for the bed/seat supports. We had a lot of wear and tear on ours, and while it was still good enough to sell, I could see issues starting where it might have trouble in a few years...

 

[jrfred]

We owned one of the older models and sold it about 18 months ago for half what we paid. You can definitely find deals but they also hold their value well.

They're expensive but not super over-priced IMO. Remember, most tent trailers are only designed to carry things like storage bins on top - some can't carry anything at all. This has a very strong top deck for carrying UTV's and there's a lot of extra steel and welding there, plus a bigger axle to carry it all. And you can get them with electric brakes which is great if you're going to use them like that.

Finally, although in practice this is kind of a pain to do regularly, unlike most tent trailers you can actually slide the whole tent package out of a JJ and use it as a heavy duty cargo trailer. We needed a cargo trailer maybe once a month, enough to not want to have to rent one but not enough to justify another $2k for that. This thing fit the bill for us for 3+ years and we were really happy with it.

If you're buying used, if it's an earlier model you're looking at pay close attention to the zippers and also damage to the outer/upper floor areas where the slots are for the bed/seat supports. We had a lot of wear and tear on ours, and while it was still good enough to sell, I could see issues starting where it might have trouble in a few years...

Salt Lake City company, makes me think of the covered wagon repair stories and how expensive it was back then having to travel through town! I contact JJ to, when taking the tent out, to convert their rear gate to a typical loading ramp for easy in and out with ATV, lawn mowers, etc., so you don't have to carry loading ramps. Often times I'm just hauling the side by side and not using the tent and it would be MUCH quicker (and less hectic) to load/unload on the lower wood deck. Another great mod would be to have one of the tent companies (like Seek Outside) sew in a stove jack such that when you are over 8000' and Mr Heater Buddies get sketchy, you'd always have sure warmth.

 

[taskswap]

... Another great mod would be to have one of the tent companies (like Seek Outside) sew in a stove jack such that when you are over 8000' and Mr Heater Buddies get sketchy, you'd always have sure warmth.

A stove jack would be nice but in our 5x10 it would have eaten up a lot of floor space. A poorly advertised feature is that their tents come with a sewn-in flap for a propane line. Throw a 20' extension line on a 20lb cylinder and a Mr Buddy will last you a week. That's what we did.

Having cut/split/stacked/carried/stacked-again/burned 12 cords (FULL cords, not "face cords") of wood in long Northeast winters for a few years, I still love wood heat but sure do value propane when I can get it. I only burn wood in the field when I'm packing-in. If I'm somewhere a trailer can go, propane is it for me.

 

[jrfred]

A stove jack would be nice but in our 5x10 it would have eaten up a lot of floor space. A poorly advertised feature is that their tents come with a sewn-in flap for a propane line. Throw a 20' extension line on a 20lb cylinder and a Mr Buddy will last you a week. That's what we did.

Having cut/split/stacked/carried/stacked-again/burned 12 cords (FULL cords, not "face cords") of wood in long Northeast winters for a few years, I still love wood heat but sure do value propane when I can get it. I only burn wood in the field when I'm packing-in. If I'm somewhere a trailer can go, propane is it for me.

Totally agree except when you're in your trailer is at 8000'+ and your Mr. Heater Buddy won't stay lit, had a cold night to learn that one. Their directions say 7000' max. I like the safe Zodi heat exchanger unit that could run off my house battery but it's never in stock.