MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Jakster1 on August 04, 2014, 06:59:28 PM
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Hello all,
In the quest to find and buy my (new to me) camper trailer, I started looking at the soft floor models, then decided hard floor was the go but discovered the $$$! Of a good one that I would want to suit my needs.
So now I'm back to a good quality second hand and fairly new soft floor with pretty much everything we will need to keep the family comfortable and happy.
Now being a newbie to the world of CT my question is how long does it take for a basic overnight setup when out touring and is it a PITA to setup just for one night, pull it down drive for a few hours setup again......
I'm talking basics tent and awning sort of thing only.
The hard floors look ideal for this type of touring but the extra 10g+ I can't justify right now.
And before anyone suggests it... no, I don't want an import. (Looked into that)
So what do you reckon?
Not worry about it?
Save more for a hard floor?
Is it a PITA?
Thanks for the feedback guys
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How big a tent, 9ft, 12ft, 15 ft, makes a big difference! Some 9 footers can be set up roughly in 10 minutes. Our 15 footer takes about 45 minutes fully set up.
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How many people are you accommodating and what age?
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We have just returned from 9 weeks of travel around the Big Island.
Our Downunder Campers soft floor took my daughter & I about 15min to setup.
Lay down a mat to protect the floor
Unfold
Peg 4 corners
Go inside & fit 4 poles & stretch tight.
Tighten up the 3 hoops
Lay down mat to walk on
We only bothered to put up the annex if we were expecting rain & that took about another 1/2 an hour.
When we were in van parks we could pack up & go quicker than most of the caravans.
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Hiya Jaskter
I too am new to camper trailer and jumped in and brought a soft floor camper for $3500 and am very happy with it.
We hve put it up and down 4 times so far and have set up without awning down to around 5 mins with the wife helping me. Awning if we use it is a quick zip on and 5 poles and a centre pole, not long at all. We havent put up the awning walls yet and since its just the 2 of us I dont think we will use them as if it turns wet we would retreat into the teat, but you never know.
Take down takes us maybe 10 mins. What we did with awning is leave it attached now and just pull it back over the tent before take down.
So no, its not pita, its awesome :)
Cheers
:worthles: ok ok lol
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t35.0-12/10586960_695521730496665_1600724641_o.jpg?oh=7403a42d461aac5d61f17abe12eb482b&oe=53E0DA4E&__gda__=1407263198_5e6d8188a730063a8786358d5a1ef7ef)
set up in our back yard this weekend sorting how/where we are storing stuff and adding a few things that our couple trips have raised "hmmm this could be handy"
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You need to explain 1 or 2 things ??? ???
ls it raining ???
Are we sober ???
ls it we or am l doing it myself
so lf its raining /not raining & or Sober/ not so ber & or not alone
Oh Yes & how many times you have done a Set with or with out help of cans or not
:cheers:
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Set up times is not the concern, it's the pack up time. I have two kids 7 &3 with 13 foot tent, from when I wake up to on the road is 2 hours without messing around. Best I did was 1.5 hrs.
Regards
Angus.
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You need to explain 1 or 2 things ??? ???
ls it raining ???
Are we sober ???
ls it we or am l doing it myself
so lf its raining /not raining & or Sober/ not so ber & or not alone
Oh Yes & how many times you have done a Set with or with out help of cans or not
:cheers:
Therein lies the meaning of life. One man against the world!
:cheers:
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The more you do it the quicker it get. Work out the system that works and tweak bits here and there. We found its quicker to setup when you have your own jobs to do and not help each other (less yelling/fighting!!). We could get ours setup in probably 10min for just the tent, plus 30min for the awning (bit extra with walls). First setup though nearly started WW3, ant took a loooooooong time, but we got a lot better the more we used it.
Pack up can take a lot longer, but for an overnight trip we wouldn't setup everything. Biggest thing is when the floor gets wet and you have to dry before putting the cover on, bit paper towel usually sorts that out.
Yep they are not the quickest, but all in all I don't think they are too bad.
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Looking at a size tent, probably 9 foot as I don't want a huge setup
Myself, wife and young son
Setup with help from the misso as well as she is looking after the little fella
Raining: hopefully not but probably will be
Sober: probably to begin with but working on that
From what I can tell the hard floors look quick and easy as to setup.
It's not a problem for when we setup for a few days but just the quick overnighters on the way to where we are going
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It's not the tent, it's all the other crap that we all have to take, that takes the time.
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Looking at a size tent, probably 9 foot as I don't want a huge setup
Myself, wife and young son
We are also a family of 3 and have a 9 foot tent. It is a compromise of speed vs. storage. Sure the hard floors are quicker but with a young one in tow you pack a lot of stuff. This is where the soft floor will win out. How many overnighters will you do vs. base camping?
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Have a look at the video by Customline camper trailers on setup and packup on youtube, there isn't many videos that show the pack up of a soft floor in good detail, customlines system works well.
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My trailer 9ft, one person up and inside in 5 minutes.(basic).
Pack up one person under 20 min.
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You need to explain 1 or 2 things ??? ???
ls it raining ???
Are we sober ???
ls it we or am l doing it myself
so lf its raining /not raining & or Sober/ not so ber & or not alone
Oh Yes & how many times you have done a Set with or with out help of cans or not
:cheers:
:cup: Damn straight!
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Thanks for all the replys gents.
Setup and pack up time and ease is the only thing I am a bit hesitant on when deciding on a soft floor camper over the hard floor.
I do believe for the price that soft floors get so much more everything like features and storage except the setup and pickup time.
We do plan to do a bit of touring all over the place so there will be a few 1, 2 nighters as well as longer stays.
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Basic tent, under 10 min. Annexe roof 10 min, sides 10 min, other items 15. Always drinking beer in under 60 min with a full setup, under 15 for overnight stops
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How big a tent, 9ft, 12ft, 15 ft, makes a big difference! Some 9 footers can be set up roughly in 10 minutes. Our 15 footer takes about 45 minutes fully set up.
I have a 16foot tent and it takes 15mins max. But what takes longer as with all campers is packing up.
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I don't have a soft floor, or hard floor, but I know it takes at least 5 mins.....
To get a beer, survey the site, move the car, get the dogs out, after that I don't care how long it takes, I have a beer. :)
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I don't have a soft floor, or hard floor, but I know it takes at least 5 mins.....
To get a beer, survey the site, move the car, get the dogs out, after that I don't care how long it takes, I have a beer. :)
You related to speewa? >:D
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Ours is the 9ft tent already mentioned by the other half lino6 above. And he is right have your own jobs we choose the site and whilst he gets it level I start to get the trailer cover undone, we put those foam mats under the floor these are stored on top of tent so I usually set them up and help him open it up then leave him to peg the floor and do the inside poles, whilst he does this I set up the ozpig, chairs, table etc and then we do the awning. If we have the dogs then last time we just tied them to the bullbar so we knew where they were and they could see us still. (you cant do that with your son but depending on how old he is will depend on if he can go in the pram for a bit to keep you both free to do a quick set up.) In the 9ft tent we have enough room for our bags and the dogs sleep inside the tent part as well.
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Our Downunder soft floor 9ft takes 10 mins, 15mins with two fold up beds on the soft floor and 15mins 30seconds with open beer and bum on folding chair.
Cheers Mike :cheers:
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You related to speewa? >:D
Lol. God I hope not :worthles: but we could be distant relatives, does he like beer?
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Lol. God I hope not :worthles: but we could be distant relatives, does he like beer?
Speewa doesn't do pics, but have a chat to scarps about the best missed photo opportunity from the weekend!
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I'd say 10mins without the annex ... and 40mins with the annex (Lifestyle extenda)
BUT ....
There's also the 5-20mins to get the trailer onto the site, or find the right spot if you're not in a van park. Might also be extra time putting down matting if the site is rough.
and has been mentioned earlier, packup is a lot longer. The trailer itself might only take 15mins to pack up but getting all the gear back in its rightful spot takes a lot longer depending on how long you've stopped for and how much has been strewn across the campsite and tent by the kids. 1.5 to 2 hrs is a good estimate I reckon. Drop it to 1 hr if you've spent an hour the night before (after kids in bed).
I reckon just getting the tonneau on takes an average of 10mins for us - it's always a bit of a nuisance.
Of course it depends on a lot of things.
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It's not the tent, it's all the other crap that we all have to take, that takes the time.
Just back from 10 days of continuous overnighters (Melb to Birdsville and back). After 3 years owning a soft floor, the tent is no problem - now looking at how not to have to unload / load all the other crap - lido cooker, pots / kettle / pan, clothes, etc. Looking at a sliding drawer for all the crap, traveller awning for overnight stays, cooker built into the kitchen bench, 12v power sockets flush mounted next to bed, etc.
You'll get a great soft floor for much less than a great hard floor - I have one!
My 2.2c :cheers:
Tony
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Ours can take up to 5 or 6 hours to set up
It is very difficult to do too, as i'm often cowering under the CT while Mrs Jeepers stalks around it trying to poke me with a tent pole whilst calling me names.
Its funny too ya know, it will all be going so well until I say, NOT THAT FARKIN POLE, YA DOPEY WOMAN, THE OTHER FRIGGEN POLE.
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It's not the tent, it's all the other crap that we all have to take, that takes the time.
Spot on !
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I think the first thing you need to accept is that it takes a little time to set up, when you have accepted it, it will go up faster each time.
I think the key to gettting it set up quicker is a little refinement to the process each time you do it, until you have a process worked out for you and your wife to rip thru it.
Ive just done 7 odd weeks on the road with my 2 kids, 7, and 3, and other swaggers on the cape trip, we had occasions were wouldn't get into camp until late arvo and the race would be on, so you can imagine 8 odd CT going for it.
Don't rush the set up initially take your time and develop a procedure that works, and while it might sound corney to develop a procedure, if you stop and think about it that's what we are doing while setting up.
The other area to refine is what you need for the overnight stop, but also were it is in your CT, I went with minimal gear for an overnighter, sometimes we would compromise on tables and chairs for the kids to a seat for them, maybe bugger all lighting gets set up etc, also for us we wouldn't set up the awning, just to much extra stuffing about for an overnight stop, think about how your CT is set up, have it set up in such a way that you have the overnight stuff at your finger tips, which is really no different to setting up for an extended stay, again this needs to be developed by going camping and seeing what works.
The other thing is get the kids involved if you can, it serves 2 purposes, 1 keeps them busy and gives them a focus, which gets them from under your feet, 2 whilst they maybe little and not able to set up larger items, anything they can do is a help to you and your wife, which helps set up a touch quicker.
You'll be right in any event, have fun.
Swanny
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lts easier to understand the Good Woman when she slows down their talking speed so l can concentrate on each word .
Usually it ends up directing me to a place with short clear instructions on what to do upon arrival . Even l cannot F#$% that up . Though l have come close :cheers:
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can agree with everyone here in regards to extraneous gear that has to be packed away...
one thing i have found useful (for us, anyways), is making up 'kits' for different parts of the setup:
pvc pipe with screw on ends for annex ropes and pegs, main ropes and pegs, tarp ropes and pegs.
poles with coloured spray paint for different parts of the setup also work wonders.
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lts easier to understand the Good Woman when she slows down their talking speed so l can concentrate on each word .
Usually it ends up directing me to a place with short clear instructions on what to do upon arrival . Even l cannot F#$% that up . Though l have come close :cheers:
buy Fe a couple of spray cans of builders line marking paint - flouro orange. If you get Fe to spray the ground where the CT is to be placed, you'll be in even less trouble.......maybe
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It's not the tent, it's all the other crap that we all have to take, that takes the time.
This!!!! The more stuff you don't take the quicker the setup pull down.
Still working out how to leave the kids behind...
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Agree with the extra crap is what takes all the time. I have a cage on top so have to unpack that first and remove, then get all the stuff (chairs, food, BBQ etc) out of the trailer prior to actually rolling the tent out. On saying this though we can basically be sitting down and having a drink in 2 - 3 hours. :cheers:
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This!!!! The more stuff you don't take the quicker the setup pull down.
Still working out how to leave the kids behind...
lol, we just drop ours to the kennel ;) ;D ;D
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lol, we just drop ours to the kennel ;) ;D ;D
Yep, I can leave the kids there no worries but then I'm still stuck with the mutts. :angel:
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There is a thread with a heap of setup videos in it which will help you see the time and process.
Some tents are a lot easier to set up than others.
The thing I have found is that it doesn't matter if your setting up a 5 minute kmart tent, roof topper, camper trailer or caravan, after 20 or so setups and pack ups in the one holiday your just about over it doing it regardless how long it takes ;)
Most camper trailer tents as you are reading don't take that long, its probably more important to be more organised and good systems in place for everything else you use.
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I have just sold my 9' soft floor for the exact reason that it is all too much for short stays. It's easier with more than one person but would still take me 15-20min to do the basic tent. Our annex was left connected to the main tent so it's another 10-15min to get out all the poles and ropes and put up the annex roof. Add another 10-15min to put in the floor and the walls. Then you have to get out your fridge/esky, stove, gas bottle, utensils, table, chairs....the list just grows. It used to take me about 2hrs to set up properly including tarps over the top of everything.
Fine for week long stays but too much for short stays. I went with the Jayco
rob
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We are on holidays with our hard floor cub ...30 seconds to put it up .. Extra 15 minutes for the floor and verandra ..
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Honestly no matter what camper you go for it is all relative
For example the goldstream is 10 mins to setup HOWEVER
This can be come 45 to 50 mins if
I roll out pole and peg the bedflys
Put the sunbuster shade on the kitchen side and peg it down
Connect the other sunbuster shade to the fiama awning
Now you might say why would you do that for an overnighter well when you pull up at port hedland and it is 42 degrees outside those bedflys make a hell of a difference in internal temps
So in the end it is all relative i have rented a few and owned one soft floor and the only rule of thumb i have found is the bigger the tent the longer the pack up is. If you can go a smaller tent with just 3 bows that concertena out and no upright poles and an annex that can either be zipped on and off or left folded over the top you will do allright.
As other have said if you pay a little more for a proper kitchen this also helps reduce time as everything is in its place but once again this is all relative using the above example at port headland in 42 degrees our dinner for that overnighter was a salad sandwich and water
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Or 12ft soft floor can be up in about 15min including the annex, roof only. Maybe another 10min for the end wall included in the annex. The annex roof is left on and flipped over the top, all the poles are sorted into pole carriers on the front of the trailer. The tent has been modded so there are three hoops on hinges, not the normal two. The fourth just needs pushing out and slotting into the pockets on the floor.
It probably takes another 1/2hr to adjust everything after that including putting out a few spreader poles. I haven't put up the full pole setup yet, and don't intend to after the previous owners said they never did.
I packed it up solo in about 30min one trip while our friends took near twice as long with three of them with the same size tent and a gazillion poles etc. they were also amazed how quickly it went up, I didn't see theirs go up as they arrived a day before us.
As plenty before me have said it's all the other stuff that takes the time to pack away and if we were to be travelling with our camper I'd be spending some more time working out how to pack most efficiently. Things like at the moment our table is on top of everything, and must come out first so I t needs to change. Finding a more permanent spot for chairs etc.
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Set up times is not the concern, it's the pack up time. I have two kids 7 &3 with 13 foot tent, from when I wake up to on the road is 2 hours without messing around. Best I did was 1.5 hrs.
Regards
Angus.
I'm with you DP..........set-up can be spread out depending on length of stay and the amount of daylight left. It's the pack up and getting on the road which is the killer.
We have three 10,13 and 14 who have their own tent and we have the camper......for overnighters we allow 2hrs to get on the road from wake up, generally come under this time.
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I'm with you DP..........set-up can be spread out depending on length of stay and the amount of daylight left. It's the pack up and getting on the road which is the killer.
We have three 10,13 and 14 who have their own tent and we have the camper......for overnighters we allow 2hrs to get on the road from wake up, generally come under this time.
True I think the big thing that effects this is if you are free camping or caravan park I think if caravan park you do more the night before but free camping unless you have to be somewhere the next day can seem to take longer as no time limit.
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Recently returned from the Cape towing the Trackabout. As others have said, it's not the tent, it's the additional stuff which takes time. If I had a Hard Floor, I would still need all these additions anyway.
Buy a good quality tent and cut back on the crap. That's my tip for the day. :cheers:
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Some great reply's.
:cheers:
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Tonight took about 10 mins including the kids room on our Cameron Concept soft floor not going too hard at it.
At the risk of repeating others pack up is the issue. 90 mins after the alarm had gone off (3 of them aged 6, 7 & 10) SWMBO may have risen to help get the day underway and this morning took about 25 mins to get packed away. Not bad given the -6.5c at Yunta overnight!
I don't see these times as excessive, just part of the journey.
Sent from my GT-N8020 using Tapatalk
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I don't see these times as excessive, just part of the journey.
Sent from my GT-N8020 using Tapatalk
Couldn't agree more, sometimes that's what you do to go camping, particularly with kids....!!!!
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I know my camper is getting easier each time I set it up, My method, open beer, :cheers: press button, 8) drink beer, :cheers: finished. :cup:
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" Show off " :cup: and job bloody well done too JC.
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By myself around 5-10 mins for the main section, add 20 for the awning and sides. 9 foot tent.
With the usual help around 30 mins for the main part and two hours for the awning and walls...
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About 2 beers
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Just wondering if a rear fold soft floor would be a good compromise. I asume it would be about the same time as a hard floor. You could avoid the awning if weather permitted.
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Just wondering if a rear fold soft floor would be a good compromise. I asume it would be about the same time as a hard floor. You could avoid the awning if weather permitted.
I would suggest a rear fold soft floor would be more similar to the standard set up time of other soft floors.
You still have the floor to peg out, poles to set up etc etc.
The original question was a bit vague in my opinion. I have seen a well designed soft floor (trackabout I think) set up in about 10 min. (main tent) however I have seen others not as well designed take nearly 45 min to an hour. But most well designed are the same in set up. Tent size dependant obviously.
Each style of camper has its own pros and cons, A rear fold soft floors pros to me are you still get the same storage as a normal soft floor, however you get the rear fold layout, north/south bed etc etc.
Cheers
Evo
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Yep agreed, evo. It also depends on the site you are on and how pedantic you are with your set up. Some people are , yeah that'll do, others want every crease to be perfect with every stitch running the right way, but only when the wind is blowing this way.
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Yep agreed, evo. It also depends on the site you are on and how pedantic you are with your set up. Some people are , yeah that'll do, others want every crease to be perfect with every stitch running the right way, but only when the wind is blowing this way.
I don't recall you camping with me, but it seems you know me:-)
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I don't recall you camping with me, but it seems you know me:-)
More than you will realise ;D ;D ;D
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One thing I have noticed with a lot of imports with really big annexes is the number of poles, so many! Too many!
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First time setup took about an hour for two people - that included the awning (annexe, whatever).
Nailing it down to the concrete and brick paving was the hardest part .... ;) .
Packing it up took me less than 15 minutes by myself, including folding the awning back over the tent, putting the poles back in the bags, etc.
Setting up should not take me longer than about 15 minutes now that all the poles are adjusted (on mine, the tent just folds away like an accordion - only one pole needs to be collapsed, all the others stay where they are set during the initial setup).
I expect that packing up will take about 10 minutes when I am more practised at it.
That doesn't count breakfast, another coffee, shower ... ;D .
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I have a MDC Tbox v3, it takes me less than 10 minutes to put just the tent up. to include the awning its another 10 minutes.
My awning is always attached and when i pack up i fold it over the top of the tent. makes for quick set ups. I can set this up quicker if i dont bother with the horizontal poles for the awning. just have the uprights tight.
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I have a MDC Tbox v3, it takes me less than 10 minutes to put just the tent up. to include the awning its another 10 minutes.
My awning is always attached and when i pack up i fold it over the top of the tent. makes for quick set ups. I can set this up quicker if i dont bother with the horizontal poles for the awning. just have the uprights tight.
Hi Neilsk,
Do you have the MDC-05, 12ft Tent as shown below:
http://youtu.be/GdyNNRzu3c4?list=UUMjoehlkYGZ2VqW7vLfMujg (http://youtu.be/GdyNNRzu3c4?list=UUMjoehlkYGZ2VqW7vLfMujg)
Happy Camping ;)
MDC Insider
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Just wondering if a rear fold soft floor would be a good compromise. I asume it would be about the same time as a hard floor. You could avoid the awning if weather permitted.
You cant compare the rear fold soft floor to the hard floor, not the same thing.
My rear fold soft floor takes 10 mins to set up and that is the extended type. That is 10 mins from when I figure out the parking spot and unhook. The wife helps with the travel cover then sorts out the 3 x young kids and I set up on my own. The end of the 10 mins is the 2 x bunk beds set up inside to. Then ontop of that is my annex which can be 20 mins as I can't leave it attached, and still on my own when doing it, sometimes I get a pair of 5 year olds sorting the poles out which ads 30 mins ;D
I recon my set up time is same as other aussi made side fold soft floors. On last trip I offered help to the family next to us who has import and they were at it for an hour when I went over, never seen so many poles before, and the floor space was less then mine when done.
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A good little vid from OooowTube of a Vacation Camper being set up. Keep in mind the poles, ropes and pegs are in and are all set at the right length so add some time for that of course but you get the picture. Some handy tips for any camper being set up if you watch the procedure carefully - set at 10 times speed so some pauses may assist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMaK-nkGefU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMaK-nkGefU)
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Hi Neilsk,
Do you have the MDC-05, 12ft Tent as shown below:
http://youtu.be/GdyNNRzu3c4?list=UUMjoehlkYGZ2VqW7vLfMujg (http://youtu.be/GdyNNRzu3c4?list=UUMjoehlkYGZ2VqW7vLfMujg)
Happy Camping ;)
MDC Insider
Hey MDC
yeah i do, i include the time it takes to unzip the cover and hammer the pegs in. and make sure the legs on the back are down.
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One thing i like about our dingo is that although its a 12 footer, the internal poles make it quick to set up the basic tent. Remove the cover flip the tent over then just pull the canvas out, chuck in a few pegs and adjust the poles, add 2 pegs for the end guy ropes and the basic tent is up.
Probably 10mins for that and another 10 or so for the full awning with poles, we dont have any front for our annexe but i would say 30mins total if it did.
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I know my camper is getting easier each time I set it up, My method, open beer, :cheers: press button, 8) drink beer, :cheers: finished. :cup:
Looking forward to seeing the button which sorts the beer out for you..... ;D
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Gidday Dave
Found this U-Tube video from Kulkyne Kampers, setting up an Oztrail Camper 10 (the tent that I have on my CT is much smaller - an Oztrail Camper 6. But then, I'm much smaller and less fit than the guy in the video, too ... ;) )
Setting up an Oztrail Camper 10 (https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/yZY5I4Av6Ik%26hl=en_GB%26fs=1%26rel=0) I reckon it shouldn't take me more than about 8-10 minutes to set mine up, including the annexe, now that the internal poles are adjusted.
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Looking forward to seeing the button which sorts the beer out for you..... ;D
It has been suggested I should buy one of these. :cheers:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dual-Drinking-Can-Holding-Hat-Helmet-Beer-Coke-BLACK-/270558509516 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dual-Drinking-Can-Holding-Hat-Helmet-Beer-Coke-BLACK-/270558509516)
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Hi Jakster1
We have a 2010 Modcon Imperial rear fold soft floor with all the bells and whistles.
For a quick overnight stop it only takes a couple of minutes to pull the tonneau off, unload the chairs, ensuite tent, solar panel and awning and wall bags from the top of the trailer and flip it out.
We have the 9 ft tent which is big enough for the 4 of us.
We either use the bunks for the kids,(which concertinas down flat and slides under the main mattress when packing away) or self inflating mattresses side by side on the floor.
To add the awning takes about 15 minutes. If we were to hang the walls, that would take about 10 more minutes but you wouldn't put these on, nor the awning for a quick overnight stop.
To pack down the camper after a quick overnighter is only about 5 minutes.
It really depends how much extra "stuff" you unload as to how long the total pack up time is. At least with this style of camper, everything has it's place.
It could be for sale !!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Just set my OzTrail Camper 6 up for the second time to do a reccy on removing the part of the lid under the trailer bed access hatch, and to drill some marker holes through so that I can attack this from underneath.
Set up time was 3m15s, but as it was set up in the driveway (bricks on concrete ... ), I didn't put pegs through the floor loops.
It is also good to know that I can set it up here at home after organising some concrete blocks to tie it down to.
Pack up time was about 8 mins, but that's only because I forgot to put the pole and peg bags back on top before I had put the travelling cover back over it, so includes the time to remove it, put the poles on top, then replace the travelling cover. Stupid mistake on my part, but I expect to get better at this as time goes on.
Neither of the above times counts putting up/packing up the annexe, (left it folded back over the tent roof). This is pretty simple with this tent and model. I gather from some reading here that this is not always the case.
Both of these times were done solo, with no help at all - how it will be in the field for me.
My SWMBO saw it erected for the first time today, and was quite impressed with how easy it was to set up/take down, and how commodious and airy it was.
So am I ... Just as well after spending all that dough on this project!
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Hi Jakster1
We have a 2010 Modcon Imperial rear fold soft floor with all the bells and whistles.
For a quick overnight stop it only takes a couple of minutes to pull the tonneau off, unload the chairs, ensuite tent, solar panel and awning and wall bags from the top of the trailer and flip it out.
We have the 9 ft tent which is big enough for the 4 of us.
We either use the bunks for the kids,(which concertinas down flat and slides under the main mattress when packing away) or self inflating mattresses side by side on the floor.
To add the awning takes about 15 minutes. If we were to hang the walls, that would take about 10 more minutes but you wouldn't put these on, nor the awning for a quick overnight stop.
To pack down the camper after a quick overnighter is only about 5 minutes.
It really depends how much extra "stuff" you unload as to how long the total pack up time is. At least with this style of camper, everything has it's place.
It could be for sale !!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
Just curious, does your look like mine here, I'm thinking could be very similar.
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Just set my OzTrail Camper 6 up for the second time to do a reccy on removing the part of the lid under the trailer bed access hatch, and to drill some marker holes through so that I can attack this from underneath.
Set up time was 3m15s, but as it was set up in the driveway (bricks on concrete ... ), I didn't put pegs through the floor loops.
It is also good to know that I can set it up here at home after organising some concrete blocks to tie it down to.
Pack up time was about 8 mins, but that's only because I forgot to put the pole and peg bags back on top before I had put the travelling cover back over it, so includes the time to remove it, put the poles on top, then replace the travelling cover. Stupid mistake on my part, but I expect to get better at this as time goes on.
Neither of the above times counts putting up/packing up the annexe, (left it folded back over the tent roof). This is pretty simple with this tent and model. I gather from some reading here that this is not always the case.
Both of these times were done solo, with no help at all - how it will be in the field for me.
My SWMBO saw it erected for the first time today, and was quite impressed with how easy it was to set up/take down, and how commodious and airy it was.
So am I ... Just as well after spending all that dough on this project!
We had the oztrail 6 before our current camper and just had it on everday type 6x4 it was super quick set up and stood up in some windy conditions I did love how easy it was. We wanted a more offroad trailer with more storage and the oztrail 6 didn't have a lot of room for the dogs in on the floor so now have a 9ft tent. I would buy an oztrail tent again if I was in the market for one.
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Thanks for that info, Nay-D. I don't expect it to be made like a $2,000 suit or a ball gown, but good to know that the brand make good serviceable products. It appears to be that way to me, but as I have said elsewhere, ask me after I have been through an inch an hour storm in it ...
This is an absolute minefield for someone like me. It has taken me 2y8m to re-build my trailer so that it is off-road worthy. Fortunately, I haven't make any really expensive mistakes, so far! I don't call $212 to fix a few things up after the tent was fitted "expensive", specially when the amount included adding two gas bottle holders ...
There are still a couple of things to do yet.
One is to complete the fixing of the tent to the trailer lid - one bolt is in the wrong place (to be moved), and another two 3/8" bolts need to be put in. Then rivet a piece of aluminium angle around the lid framing and screw it to the tent base board. Plenty of silicone, of course ... ;).
Next will be cutting the hole through the lid for access to the trailer bed (the lid, complete with tent attached, is removable, and I have a tiny little ratchet winch that should be good for the 150 kgs it all weighs). The edges of the sheet steel that I cut through will be screwed to the edges of the base board access panel hole.
After that's done, I can work out the final position of dividers (etc) in the trailer bed so that things don't wander about too much.
It's getting there, I feel, and I was very surprised at how quickly and easily I could put this up by myself today. My Crusader tent takes me longer to put up, and is harder for me to do!
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Thanks for that info, Nay-D. I don't expect it to be made like a $2,000 suit or a ball gown, but good to know that the brand make good serviceable products. It appears to be that way to me, but as I have said elsewhere, ask me after I have been through an inch an hour storm in it ...
This is an absolute minefield for someone like me. It has taken me 2y8m to re-build my trailer so that it is off-road worthy. Fortunately, I haven't make any really expensive mistakes, so far! I don't call $212 to fix a few things up after the tent was fitted "expensive", specially when the amount included adding two gas bottle holders ...
There are still a couple of things to do yet.
One is to complete the fixing of the tent to the trailer lid - one bolt is in the wrong place (to be moved), and another two 3/8" bolts need to be put in. Then rivet a piece of aluminium angle around the lid framing and screw it to the tent base board. Plenty of silicone, of course ... ;).
Next will be cutting the hole through the lid for access to the trailer bed (the lid, complete with tent attached, is removable, and I have a tiny little ratchet winch that should be good for the 150 kgs it all weighs). The edges of the sheet steel that I cut through will be screwed to the edges of the base board access panel hole.
After that's done, I can work out the final position of dividers (etc) in the trailer bed so that things don't wander about too much.
It's getting there, I feel, and I was very surprised at how quickly and easily I could put this up by myself today. My Crusader tent takes me longer to put up, and is harder for me to do!
Yes we sold our camper top only to friends when we got our new one so good it is still getting used, if we had the space to store it off the trailer I would of been tempted to keep it for overnighters lol. The space and storage in the new one is good but the oztrail was so simple to put up etc. I think the other half (lino6) would like the new one a bit better as the bed is bigger and I do like the queen innerspring mattress we have put in this one. Good luck with the rest of the build
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G'day again Nay-D
Yes we sold our camper top only to friends when we got our new one so good it is still getting used, if we had the space to store it off the trailer I would of been tempted to keep it for overnighters lol. The space and storage in the new one is good but the oztrail was so simple to put up etc. I think the other half (lino6) would like the new one a bit better as the bed is bigger and I do like the queen innerspring mattress we have put in this one. Good luck with the rest of the build
There's just the one of me, so the bed is unbelievably commodious ... ;D . My SWMBO loathes camping, I suspect that our cats wouldn't like it either ... ;D 8) . Having slept on crappy air mattresses or nothing at all for all my previous camping life, having a queen size bed to spread out on is just the lap of luxury! The mattress in the Camper 6 is exactly the same size as our Queen size bed at home, just a bit thinner. We have a spare woollen underlay that will fit nicely.
I also bought the (optional) sun room for mine. It comes with the three walls that can be used in any combination as infill panels for the annexe, and has a separate floor (same stuff as the trailer tent), and a modesty panel for the back of the trailer so that the wind doesn't blow up my kilt ... ;). I can't see myself using it all that much (but who knows?), but what I do know is that if one doesn't buy this sort of thing with the main part, the day after you have got the main part, the design will change, and the new one won't fit any more ... It's called "experience" and comes from living for quite a long time (so far, so good ... ;D ).
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G'day again Nay-D
There's just the one of me, so the bed is unbelievably commodious ... ;D . My SWMBO loathes camping, I suspect that our cats wouldn't like it either ... ;D 8) . Having slept on crappy air mattresses or nothing at all for all my previous camping life, having a queen size bed to spread out on is just the lap of luxury! The mattress in the Camper 6 is exactly the same size as our Queen size bed at home, just a bit thinner. We have a spare woollen underlay that will fit nicely.
I also bought the (optional) sun room for mine. It comes with the three walls that can be used in any combination as infill panels for the annexe, and has a separate floor (same stuff as the trailer tent), and a modesty panel for the back of the trailer so that the wind doesn't blow up my kilt ... ;). I can't see myself using it all that much (but who knows?), but what I do know is that if one doesn't buy this sort of thing with the main part, the day after you have got the main part, the design will change, and the new one won't fit any more ... It's called "experience" and comes from living for quite a long time (so far, so good ... ;D ).
Sorry to OP for bit off topic maybe the info will help others when choosing.
When we had ours we had the sunroom also and when we had ours it was one piece so all walls on we actually put it on most times as it gave us more room to sit out of the weather came in handy on hot days and when it was very windy. It didn't take us long at all to put the walls on really. I don't recall having floor or the part for at the tailgate. I love camping and so does the other half I probably ask him more when we are going camping than he asks me, pets do make it hard though we take the dogs whenever we can but have cat and horses to worry about.
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Check out my ad in camper trailers for sale, there is a video of the set up
2009 Johnno's Off Road Grand in excellent condition $8,000
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First time would have been around 5 hrs (initial set up on a myswag weekend @ Eildon back in Feb) this was mainly due to everyone coming up and introducing themselves and we stopped and chatted, received a lot of advice on that particular afternoon around different little things. As it was the first time we had actually set up, took all the poles and all the canvas pieces and kept on picking up and putting down every pole at least 3 times as we had not done the annex roof before.
Last time out took 2 hrs, as all the poles that are not needed and extra canvas room are now sitting in the garage as well as all the tips we received from our original outing are now well and truly ingrained in memory
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If it is not taking 3 hours to setup then I don't think you are taking enough stuff.
First need to get tent open and pegged annex on plus all walls, then move on to the kitchen setup coffee machine have cappuccino then setup Bbq kettle microwave toaster lights etc.
Before relaxin need to setup kitchen table and chairs recliners for the home theatre TV dvd and aerials take fridge out and position close to recliners so as no need to get up to get beer.
If I get quicker at it I will need suggestions as to what else I can take to extend my set up time
Hope this helps
:cheers:
Damo
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First time would have been around 5 hrs (initial set up on a myswag weekend @ Eildon back in Feb) this was mainly due to everyone coming up and introducing themselves and we stopped and chatted, received a lot of advice on that particular afternoon around different little things. As it was the first time we had actually set up, took all the poles and all the canvas pieces and kept on picking up and putting down every pole at least 3 times as we had not done the annex roof before.
Last time out took 2 hrs, as all the poles that are not needed and extra canvas room are now sitting in the garage as well as all the tips we received from our original outing are now well and truly ingrained in memory
yep, tip 1 was to ensure you tighten the clamp on the Jockey wheel before going to bed:-)
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yep, tip 1 was to ensure you tighten the clamp on the Jockey wheel before going to bed:-)
Scarps, was one of life's "learned lessons" that and making sure I triple check the beer before we set off !!!!
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Scarps, was one of life's "learned lessons" that and making sure I triple check the beer before we set off !!!!
lol.....yep:-)
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Three minutes 15 seconds ... ;) ;D 8)