"tall" camper shell or "light" trailer?

pluckyew · 01-05-2006, 08:29 PM

"tall" camper shell or "light" trailer? for weekend overnighters for two and a retriver dog with occasional rough dirt roads, 4wd, in the mix?

DeTitan · 01-05-2006, 10:33 PM

Guess you want more possibilities, the other thread did not give the answer needed?

Have you given those roof top safari tents a thought.

It a tent with bedding that stores fully in a hard shell vehicle top pod!

They are very popular in Europe and Australia.

pluckyew · 01-05-2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeTitan

Guess you want more possibilities, the other thread did not give the answer needed?

Have you given those roof top safari tents a thought.

It a tent with bedding that stores fully in a hard shell vehicle top pod!

They are very popular in Europe and Australia.

ya man!, where is that other thread? I must be half blind...better lay off that bong.

i want mo security then a tent, as i'm wanting to install an air cond.

*Mike Up* · 01-06-2006, 10:27 AM

Get a light trailer. Of course what's light to you may be heavy to someone else. Also, what price do want to pay.

Fleetwood, Jayco, and Starcraft all offer Off Road campers that have big tires, high clearance but all between $10,000 - $15,000. The Starcraft 36 RT model is even $22,000.

Starcraft 14RT

Starcraft 36RT

Fleetwood Evolution E1 and E2

Jayco Baja

With our short beds, there's not a lot of choice for caps that offer tall interiors. Even if so, the best your going to do is a 6.5' bed and that's very cramped.

I thought about it with my old crew cab but the bed was just to small. With my Pathy, I can fit a twin size air mattress and sleep 2 on it, TIGHT. It's still a pain in the arse with limited height and trying to crawl from the passenger side door but it's doable.

My Rig

I'm partial to this one. It's a 12' box model and is 18' long when closed and offers 24' 5" of interior area when opened.

If you want a really small, light, none off road model, the Rockwood 1610(Flagstaff 176ST clone) is an excellent camper and offers the most quality and features for the money. That's why I bought Rockwood. However don't go with a LTD models as this is a budget model and they skimp badly on the more important features and quality.

Rockwood Freedom 1610

Good luck and have a good one.

*Mike Up* · 01-06-2006, 11:08 AM

BTW, I would never use the top tents. They're discussed a lot at RV.net but most vehicles can only have at most 220 lbs on their roof. Your asking for trouble with those. Possible roof damage and then possible personal damage if the roof dips causing the tent to fall off. IMO, these things are a bad idea for the very limited space they offer.

Have a good one.

jbt308 · 01-06-2006, 10:54 PM

Kinda a crazy question, but I just bout an '82 Rockwood Popup camper, and I just saw that Baja for the first time, the lifted popups. Was wondering if you think it would possible to put an axle like that under a standard popup camper?

*Mike Up* · 01-06-2006, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbt308

Kinda a crazy question, but I just bout an '82 Rockwood Popup camper, and I just saw that Baja for the first time, the lifted popups. Was wondering if you think it would possible to put an axle like that under a standard popup camper?

Many have flipped the leaf springs over the axle opposed to the factory installed under the axle, to give them more clearance but there's more to the camper than that. Many of the dedicated Off Road Pop Ups have added structural improvements so that they can't handle the vibration and motions of going off roading. That is one of the reasons they are so much more expensive than the standard Pop Ups as mine.

Have a good one.

MuskyHunter · 01-06-2006, 11:59 PM

Wow, that is pretty "cush" guys. Even a grilling deck on the trailer! Don't you miss being hunched over a fire pit with your food wrapped in an aluminum foil pouch and tossed in the coals? Sleeping on the ground with creatures digging underneath your tent to get closer to your body heat? Don't you miss digging drainage trenches around your tent in anticipation of 3 days worth of rain?

I would miss that transitional phase on those winter camping mornings, getting out of the sleeping bag and trying to get dressed in record time. No cup of java can stimulate you quite the same way. You quickly forget about all the liquids consumed the night before.

As a compromise... how about a decent topper and sleep in the back? We have modified a number of friends trucks with a plywood floor that rests just above the wheel well, leaving the bottom compartment area for slide out drawers for rod and gear storage. One was done to access the empty area below with lids on the floor, much like a bass boat floor would be done. The false floor still allows for hauling if needed. The 12V plug in the bed is quite handy back there.

I like the A.R.E. topper with the walk in rear door idea, and thought long and hard about it, but I would be missing so much going that route.