Your thoughts on my future camping setup

[Vids]

I've been doing more solo trips the last few years, that trend is likely to continue. I usually truck camp and strike out with my ATV from there.

My current setup is F-150 truck with trailer and ATV, that part works fine for the most part. My issue is the camping setup. I have a 12x17 wall tent w/ 200 lb wood stove, it's awesome but a pain to put up by myself for a 3-4 day trip. I also have a 3 man tent that is fine in warm weather. I do like a shower every day or two so I want a few more creature comforts.

I keep debating on what I want to buy so I can quickly set up camp and have decent accommodations with shower and heat.

My thoughts so far:
1. Pop-up toy hauler so I can still bring my ATV. Leaning towards this option since it would be nice for family camping trips too.
2. Get rid of ATV, buy a jeep and get whatever camper I want. Downside here is I like my ATV and I can get more places than with a jeep.
3. Buy an enclosed trailer and modify it so I can use it as a camper.
4. Buy a lighter weight tent and wood stove, something like a 4/6 man tipi.
5. Hard-sided toy hauler RV, but these seem to be more expensive than pop ups.

Your thoughts? I'd like to hear about experiences with pop up toy haulers as well, I've heard mixed reviews with some saying they fall apart over time.

 

[deerhunter628]

Could also look at a smaller wall tent and a lighter weight wood stove. I use a big buddy heater in my wall tent. I have a 10x12 wall tent that would work great for solo.

 

[elkduds]

http://www.kodiakcanvas.com/

I got this in place of a wall tent. Easy for 1 guy to pitch, wall tent aesthetics but w straight walls, put in stove or propane heater. Had a pop-up, liked tents better for hunting season.

 

[Vids]

http://www.kodiakcanvas.com/

I got this in place of a wall tent. Easy for 1 guy to pitch, wall tent aesthetics but w straight walls, put in stove or propane heater. Had a pop-up, liked tents better for hunting season.

Any reason you liked a tent better than a pop up, or just personal preference?

 

[timberlinehunter]

I have been looking at those tents too. They look really well built. I also like the taller doors too. Can you get them with a stove jack?


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[elkduds]

The pop-ups I used felt small, you can only stand up in the central part. Little sink, little stove, little heater. Anybody moves, everybody moves, meaning the whole camper rocks. Putting them up and down was tiresome, took longer than expected. Screens and vinyl/canvas, zippers, velcro all took a beating from being stored folded, and from setting up, taking down. Pop-ups get colder than you think, especially the beds b/c they have cold air under them. Harder to store than a tent! Have to license, insure and maintain it, including winterizing. Overall more complicated than a tent set-up. If you want a better heater, or cot, or cooler in a tent, you just upgrade or fix that item, not the whole trailer. Tent cost $300. Wife wanted the pop-up instead of tent, then hated it. Camp trailers depreciate in value faster than Cadillacs.


I'm really impressed by the quality and durability of my 10x10 Kodiak, which is a great size for 1-2, doable/tight for 3. The floor is tough, and makes the structure strong enough for high winds. Unsure if the factory installs stove jack, though lots of Kodiaks have stove jacks.

Deerhunter, this option is one I like.
Converting a enclosed vs a travel trailer for hunting camp?
Roll an atv or 2 out the back door, fold down the cots and you are camping.

 

[30338]

I hate dragging trailers and all of the tent options mentioned would have merit. Have a Davis with Cylinder brand stove and I sleep 5 comfortably in there and can set it up by myself. Also have a Seekoutside with titanium stove and it is especially easy.

No axle, no flat tires, no insurance, no licensing, no storage issues, no depreciation to speak of, and you can get in more places.

 

[cnelk]

I have 2 Davis wall tents and love them. Been using them for many decades.
And I hunt very similar as you do [ and I love my ATV]

But...

Last month I came across a smoking deal on a small toy hauler.

Ive been doing some mods inside to make it just the way I need it.

I cant wait for next year

Sure Ill still bring one of my 10x12 wall tents - just because

 

[Vids]

I have a Davis tent as well. Love it for elk hunting with 2-3 guys in it, and also had no problem setting it up by myself on my goat hunt but that was worth it for a two week stay. I could buy a smaller Davis w/ lighter stove, but not sure how much that helps me. With all the poles, stove and such it is still a lot of tent to pack and set up for a 3 day trip which is usually what my solo hunts are. Then you still have lanterns, kitchen gear, firewood, etc.

Customizing an enclosed trailer is the way I was originally going to go, but a big concern I have is that it would be much harder to sell once I'm looking to get rid of it. Takes a special buyer to want that.

Regarding the maintenance costs of a pop up, I was thinking about renting it out. Looks like there are several RV rental services online where I could make a little $$ to offset operating costs. I wouldn't use it much during the summer anyways, which is when people would want it. That might be a hassle, but it's worth a try.

Part of this is due to my last trip where I chose to stay in a hotel, just because I was wondering how I'd keep myself occupied from 7 pm to 7 am when I'm not hunting. Don't get me wrong, I like solitude and peace/quiet, but sitting in a cold tent and reading a book every night for 5 days didn't sound fun this time. Some amenities in a camper would have been nice - TV or satellite radio to watch the world series, inside toilet so I don't have to go out to pee, kitchen to make a quick meal, don't have to re-stock stove at 2 am, etc. I guess I'm just getting old and soft, LOL....

I guess I'm looking for convincing reasons to talk me out of the pop up idea. I can see the negatives, but I see negatives with every option. Might just be one of those deals where I buy one and if I don't like it after a year or two I can always sell it and try a different plan.

 

[Titan_Bow]

How does a pop up fair in gnarly weather and high winds? Being in Colorado, the places I car camp are usually fishing in Wyoming or deer hunting in Nebraska, or trips to Montana, etc. Most places you will eventually have to deal with high winds. A good quality tent, such as the Kodiak, is probably going to fair better than a pop up in that scenario. I went the route of a large tent for family trips and hunting from the truck. I went with a Black Pine Sports Turbo tent. I’ve got the 10 man, which is huge. I think it’s a 10x20 footprint. I can set it up by myself in just a few minutes. It does t have a stove jack but I have been considering putting one in. A large Mr. Buddy heater heats it nicely though. I went this route because it seemed a little easier to deal with than a wall tent. Plus, I have weathered some pretty serious weather in this thing with no issues. Here’s a link to a YouTube vid off the tent I have. This is just a random vid,it’s not mine, but same tent.

YouTube




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[gwl79902]

I am about a year from retirement and I plan to do the cargo conversion then. You can make it what you want. You could go all out and have a 40 gallon black water tons of storage or what ever. For me I am going to go simple and hold to the KISS rule. I have a travel trailer and they are built like crap. The pop ups I have been around are just as bad. Plus it is a tent to you have to set it up to dry out. I also have a 14x16 wall tent with a 4 dog stove. I love it and I got it all used so not a ton of money invested. I use it once a year and really enjoy it. I am looking for a small tent as well like a 10x8. Just for my solo trips

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Had a small popup and loved it!Took it up to the Kiabab and it was great All I used was a small propane heater and it warmed right up.Only drawback was the wind,it blew right through that sucker.Lost it one day at the lake.A big monsoon came through and took the bed from one side and launched it through the whole setup.Cost more to re-canvass than I paid for it.Looking to purchase another.Plan on staking down the pop out beds this time!

 

[Mark]

My thoughts so far:
1. Pop-up toy hauler so I can still bring my ATV. Leaning towards this option since it would be nice for family camping trips too.


Your thoughts? I'd like to hear about experiences with pop up toy haulers as well, I've heard mixed reviews with some saying they fall apart over time.

I've had a pop up for about 6 years now that will haul an ATV. It's small and only sleeps two comfortably. It has a propane RV heater that keeps it plenty warm.

The one I own is called a Haul Tent and is made in Fallon NV. These don't fall apart and are designed to go places most pop ups won't go. This thing is beast with full size tires, a full size spare and construction is all aluminum so it's really lightweight. Tows nice and sets up in under 10 minutes.

I'm selling mine if you're interested.

 

[cnelk]

Vids

Have you looked at the Jumpin Jack trailers? Tent Trailers | Jumping Jack Trailers

 

[tdhanses]

Buddy of mine has a popup trailer with a utility bed to haul his utv, pretty slick setup for hunting. Used the utility bed like a deck and set it up as a cook station/sitting area, used an easy up canopy over the deck to keep the elements off and provide shade.

I just put my atv in the bed and pull a 24ft camper. All my gear is in the camper and really if your camper is small enough the payload isn’t too bad this way, probably be similar to all your gear and an atv in the bed. Just have to have a bed big enough.

 

[Vids]

I'm looking more at something like this:

https://www.thegreatoutdoorsrv.com/rockwood/282txr

The smaller ones that are basically a tent on top of a trailer wouldn't fit my need of having it work for the family as well. We have three little kids and the Rockwood in the link could easily sleep all of us. That's also why I'm not looking at hard sided trailers, you have to get pretty big to get a toy hauler that can sleep 5. I'm not worried about being able to get the trailer into difficult places, that is what the ATV is for. The amenities are what I'm really after - kitchen, heat, etc, in addition to being able to set it up pretty quickly.

 

[tdhanses]

This would be pretty cool and do what you need other then family camping. New 2019 Forest River RV No Boundaries NB10.6 Travel Trailer at AC Nelsen RV | Omaha, NE | #15492

 

[Vids]

This would be pretty cool and do what you need other then family camping. New 2019 Forest River RV No Boundaries NB10.6 Travel Trailer at AC Nelsen RV | Omaha, NE | #15492

I saw those and they're pretty sweet, but my family of 5 isn't sleeping inside that very well! It would be great strictly for solo trips though.

 

[rbljack]

watch randy newbergs bison hunt, part 6, second half of the video. Might steer you towards a smaller lighter rig for the backcountry hunts. They end up doing damage to a truck and fifth wheel trailer trying to get out. I think those jumping jack trailers look pretty cool for a light set up, but at the same time...ive always wondered if they would be top heavy with atv loaded on top.

But at the same time, they look pretty light and easy to set up in a hurry.

The pop up with a bed area is another good option I think. They make some single axle versions with decent ground cleareance that might fit the bill pretty good. That double axle model with the slide out might be a bit long though. All of this really depends on how far back you want to camp....and how good road access is to your chosen location. Because you have the ATV, you can camp where there is better access and strike out on the atv from there, so that may allow you to move up to the larger enclosed trailers. Good luck in your choices. Less set up time is certainly a driving factor for you im sure, and that means enclosed trailer Id say .

 

[Vids]

One factor is I don't like my ATV when I have a buddy with me on a trip, so I've been considering getting a two seater OHV, something like a Polaris RZR. I'd have to go with the dual axle pop up toy hauler so I'd have a bigger payload capacity up front. But yeah, the longer pop-up then restricts my access even more. Just no good way to accomplish everything at once...