Anyone RV'ing ?

[Chin_Lee]

OK a little off topic but still on the RVing trend: i've been eyeing up tent trailers and does anybody have any pros and cons to these things? I read many pros but not too many people posts the cons.
And what brands are considered good? I've seen some used ones for sale such as Starcraft, Jayco, Fleetwood, Palomino, Rockwood. The used ones that I see are 2006-2007 are priced around 8000-9000.
If I plan to use it only 2-3 times per year, are they worth the money compared to renting them?

[Murminator]

Ok the cons are humdity in the mountains when it get cooler at night with the furnace going the canvas can get damp if you are camping real late in the year condesation drips on you, but only when sleeping in seems
Setting up and taking down in the rain sucks
The best advice I can give you if you have powered site get electric blackets those are the best thing every invented to a tent trailerist
Make sure it has a fridge and not an icebox, and a hot water tank is nice....well to have hot water


When we shopped around we looked at them all and the best we could find was Coleman/Fleetwood built strong good warranty the wood they use is heavy duty no cheesy stuff, and this is the only brand I would buy.
I have the Coleman Bayside it has 2 king beds dinette slide out tip out and a couch we have had it for 7 years and it has been awesome for us could ask for a better tent trailer. The only reason we are replacing it is we do a lot of ramdon camping and quading and it would be nice to have a bathroom rather than the great outdoors and a sponge bath

Here is pics of one the same as ours except it has different colors inside
http://homepage.mac.com/wkharris/PhotoAlbum41.html

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Chin_Lee

OK a little off topic but still on the RVing trend: i've been eyeing up tent trailers and does anybody have any pros and cons to these things? I read many pros but not too many people posts the cons.
And what brands are considered good? I've seen some used ones for sale such as Starcraft, Jayco, Fleetwood, Palomino, Rockwood. The used ones that I see are 2006-2007 are priced around 8000-9000.
If I plan to use it only 2-3 times per year, are they worth the money compared to renting them?

if you are camping they are awsom, if you are traviling not so much, I had it down to 15 min to set up (I hade a 2002 with electric matterices) but when we are traviling it would be 1 to 2 hours to get up, get the kids fed, cleen up and get on the road again. we upgraded to a 29.5 foot 2007 wave. one other option you could look at is a smaller light weight trailer. easier to store, move, ect and no set up. asided form the traveling issue the bigest problem I had with the tent trailer was keeping battery power in the fall when it is cold at night ands was running the furnace. you are heating a tent so the furnace runs over 50% of the time.

one thing you should do on any thing you buy is look at the electrical system. I upgraded my converter to a 3 stage electronic unit and built a custom rack to hold 4, 236 AH 6 volt batteries. in the winter with the furnace running 24/7 I am self suficient for 5 days, in the summer who knows.

Steve

[Zylumn]

Looks great. Nice trailers. We have pulled around trailers for 20+ years and we have finally settled on a permanent location.

Camping is similar to Reefing. You start with a tent (20 g) then a tent trailer (65g) then a 19 ft with a new 3/4 ton truck (120 with MH and decent skimmer) then a 30 ft with a 1 ton dually diesel. (6' 230g with 400 mh's and that big Deltec and some nice Tangs).

When you get tired of pulling a trailer you get this
http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u...t=trailer1.jpg
Kevin

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Zylumn

Looks great. Nice trailers. We have pulled around trailers for 20+ years and we have finally settled on a permanent location.

Camping is similar to Reefing. You start with a tent (20 g) then a tent trailer (65g) then a 19 ft with a new 3/4 ton truck (120 with MH and decent skimmer) then a 30 ft with a 1 ton dually diesel. (6' 230g with 400 mh's and that big Deltec and some nice Tangs).

When you get tired of pulling a trailer you get this
http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u...t=trailer1.jpg
Kevin

darn, I missed the 102. went strait from tent trailer to 3/4 ton diesel with 30 foot.

Steve

[Murminator]

Oh I forget something Chin here is a RV message board I assume you like message boards you can cruise there for info I know myself and Stir Crazy are members there also

http://www.rv.net/forum/

[Doug]

Sounds familar Kevin. We headed to the dealer for a tent trailer with our wagon. Ended up buying a 23ft 5th wheel. So then went and purchase a 1/2 ton.

The after a year or so, traded it in for a 28ft. but higher quality and heavy. Pulled it for a bit with the 1/2 ton and relized it was not enough, so purchased a 1 ton dually. Fully loaded to the hilt for $32000, by the way. Of course it was in '93.

Then after a few years, decided to sell it all and get a permant place. But we purchased a 2nd. home, near the National Park. First as a vacation place and then as a home after retiring. Of course thats all sold now and moved to the city.

We had full intentions of full timing but as medical costs, fuel, exchange rate and so on got higher, we changed our mind. Even had plans to buy a permant pad in an RV park on the Island, to use as a home base in the winter, in case we did not wish to go to the USA.

Still go to all the shows though and dream of days gone by and still think about selling it all and full timing.

[Redrover]

For myself I have gone from tenting to the soft top trailers, both these are a royal pain when it's raining. This came to an end when we stoped overnight at the summit on our way back from Vancouver to Calgary. Got up to 4ins. of snow...put everthing away wet, that is when I got my first travel trailer from there I have had four. Chin Lee this is my first 5th wheel...no trips yet, it's a 97, paid 10 grand..most the time it will be on my property up country, but will do some travelling.