Using Camper trailers with separate tents.

[Campfire]

Simple question,

With a number of camping storage trailers on the market and some home built versions on this site, the market for quick free standing tents will be catered for.

I have a question and chasing opinions on the reasons a person would choose a camper storage trailer ( storage only & no fold out canvas/ bed) with use of  a free standing tent over a conventional soft or hard floor camper coming off the trailer.

With Blackwolf and Oztent ( including Jet Tent) on the market, plus alot of other makers following the trend in instant tent I guess there is another option these days.

I would be extremely interested in the reasons / opinions of why somebody would go down this
path especially if they have used soft or hard floor camper trailers in the past.

I can see the pro's and con's for my own application but would be keen to know other peoples experiences .

Cheers

Campfire

[areyonga]

With my soft floor I like my bed off the ground, its an innerspring and its always made up ready and of course the extra room, just more convenient for me.

Trevor

[LJs GU]

G'day Campfire,
and that is a very good question you ask... what would Chuck norris do?
Anyway, we nearly went down this path.  At the time, the 'pro' side for having a seperate tent was the freedom of setting the tent up in smaller confined areas, like under tree/branches for shade purposes etc, just like normal tent camping. 
The main 'con' was then having a kitchen/trailer that really didn't have any cover for rain or sun, unless you went for a gazebo over the top solution.
Really though thinking about it is, you're still in the 'camping with a tent' scenario but your stuff's in a trailer not the back of your 4wd/car or roof rack.
Don't know if Chuck would agree though?!
LJ

[Mallory Black]

Unless you already have a storage trailer and a tent I would take the jump and go CT, better value for money as well
I've had both and you can't beat a CT for a comfy camp and protection from the elements

[rodsswag]

Unless you already have a storage trailer and a tent I would take the jump and go CT, better value for money as well
I've had both and you can't beat a CT for a comfy camp and protection from the elements

X2 I am in the middle of changing from a trailer with a roof top tent on it to a CT. It has great storage for big items ie motor bikes but I do miss my CT 

Rod....

[dazzler]

Hi Campfire

There is no correct answer.

We did the 4wd thing with tents, a Jayco Swan and currently a soft floor camper.

Your idea is what I am moving to at the moment.  I arrived at it simply by noting down what OUR needs really were.

I wanted a kitchen that was setup all the time so that you can pull up on the side of the road, open a door and there it all was.

I also wanted a really fast setup.  Scrap that, a super fast couple of minutes and your done setup.

Heaps and Heaps of storage space.

A hard floor CT meets most of these requirements however they tend to be pretty expensive and generally dont have lots of storage space.

So this is kinda what I have come up with to suit MY needs;


EXPO with double oztent on trailer by tassie tiger2010, on Flickr

There has been other thoughts along the way;


XIb. Single oztent off side by tassie tiger2010, on Flickr

But are coming back to something similar to the first one.

The oztent is AMAZING!.  I timed my partner setting it up for the first time and it was genuinely 38seconds to erect and completely setup with guy ropes etc within 2 minutes.  I hope to have my trailer on its wheels by next weekend when we can set the oztent alongside it.  We may even look at getting the foxwing awning to go with the two oztents.  Almost went with a roof top tent but not sure about the centre of gravity on mine.

I do understand the idea behind the soft floor having a good base for a bed to sleep on. But the trade off is loss of useable space.  Having everything hidden under the tent is a negative. You are stuck with a space of 500mm in height for storage.

Also, there is a focus on 7 x 4 for soft floor CT's that holds them back which is why you see so many long drawbars with boxes on them to get extra space.   Really inefficient from a design perspective.  An 8 x 5 with a standard drawbar kills a 7 x 4 for useable space.

Check out expeditionportal.com too.

Come on, jump out of the square and join us circle people.......
cheers

[chisel]

I have a blackwolf, an oztrail gazebo and a trailer.  I sometimes take the trailer, sometimes it all goes on the 4wd.
Issues with the tent+trailer setup compared to a camper trailer are:
- Beds are still on the floor.  For single beds (kids) you can go the stretcher but don't think they really work for doubles.
- Bedding can't (easily) be left setup.  At the moment we roll our self-inflaters and sleeping bags which does take a little time.  I'm trying to work out a storage arrangement so I can at least leave the self-inflaters flat when travelling (inside a big bag on a ply base on top of the trailer)

Other than that I reckon it's a good option.  The tents are super-quick to go up (jettent, oztent, blackwolf and others all good) although take a little time to pack up, and the gazebos are quicker than the annex of a soft-floor (no more than 5 mins).  If you have a big awning on the tent then the gazebo isn't needed for overnight - see dazzler's setup.

I still wish I had a camper trailer though !! :-)