Tent Trailers

[Chester Taje]

I have been following the discussion on WDH and TV.In all my camping time i have never seen a WDH on a tent trailer.I must admit that some of them look pretty heavy and some TV too small.
I wonder what the comparrison would be too FGunits.

[pjanits]

My son in law has a Jayco pretty large size, I guess it's a 15 ft box.
3500 lbs.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Some are very heavy (3-4,600 lbs) and some are not (I had a Coleman Colorado which weighed 600 lbs and I towed it with a Saturn). Some can use WDH and some can't (manf deems the frame or axle or both can't take the stresses and/or weight shifts).

Here's a link to the Fleetwood site; their tent trailers range from 950 dry (GVWR 1,500) to 3714 dry (GVWR 4,600), so that's equivalent to a stripped 13' at the low end and off the FGRV scale on the high end.

[Brian B-P]

I agree that the weight ranges overlap, so it would make sense to expect people to use WD systems with some tent trailers; at the same time, I'm not sure I've seen this combination.

I can think of a few reasons why WD systems would be less common with tent trailers than with travel trailers:

• many tent trailers are starter units owned by people who don't know yet what they want or need - they're often sold after one or two uses, and may be too heavy for the vehicle even with WD
• many tent trailers in this area are rentals - it is unlikely that a renter will setup a WD system (apparently they usually don't even hook up the electric brakes)
• compared to the same weight of travel trailer, tent trailers when folded for towing have much less side area (to catch wind) than travel trailers, and concentrate their mass into a shorter package, so they should be easier to control

Despite that last point, an acquaintance of mine bought a Nissan Pathfinder (massive tow rating, but mushy tires, not a lot of wheelbase, and too much overhang) and mid-sized tent trailer (tiny tires, lousy suspension), and finds the trailer sways. I wish I were surprised...

[Lee Hillsgrove]

I recall seeing a WDH for a pop-up, I thik it was on this site, that had just a single arm rather than two.

[Brian B-P]

I recall seeing a WDH for a pop-up, I thik it was on this site, that had just a single arm rather than two.

The Cequent (e.g. Reese) single-bar is for lighter trailers. It is often recommended for tent trailers, but just because they - like our eggs - tend to be relatively light compared to the majority of RV trailers. It's a good point, though: if this particular product is recommended for tent trailers, then some people must be using a WDH on their tent trailers.

[Gina D.]

I recall seeing a WDH for a pop-up, I thik it was on this site, that had just a single arm rather than two.

That would be mine. It has a 4000 lb capacity and they were designed mostly for smaller trailers, with less than a 400lb tongue weight.

I believe most of our eggs would qualify. Except for Roger.. who has everything If Pers is in the 2800 range, I doubrt I am much more than his.

Pete! I had a Colorado too! I could move that thing by myself. I could sort of point it into a campsite then push the rest of the way by hand. I don't think a wdh would have been needed for that one! A back brace for me, maybe..

(I sure don't miss snapping that cover back on!)

[Roger H]

Ahhh... the tent trailer. (to quote without attributing to the author 'cause I can't remember who wrote it here...) "All of the inconveniences of a tent with none of the attributes."

Roger

p.s. And Gina, I do NOT have "everything". I've just amassed an interesting pile of hitch parts over the years from various trailers!

[Bob Cupp]

My family and I used a Starcraft tent trailer for 18 years without any complaints. We camped in spots with 8 inches of snow, ankle deep mud, rocks, and assorted slithering wildlife. The Starcraft always gave us a nice warm dry place to sleep. As a young (always broke) family, we could either use a tent, tent camper, or stay home. With 4 kids and wife we could not afford a hard side trailer large enough for all of us. They offer an affordable way for families to enjoy the outdoors in comfort within a tight budget.

By the way, we travelled from Wisconsin to the east and west coast, Canada to Mexico, temperatures from 0 degrees F to 100 degrees F, 2 or 3 weeks every year and the wife and kids always looked forward to the trip. Please don't be like the bulgemobile people and look down on others.

[Roger H]

Bob, I think of all of the on-line camping communities, this group is least likely to be snobbish. Many of us have suffered through the inconveniences offered by tent trailers over the years. I've had three of them, a Combi Camp, a Venture, and later a late model StarCraft (I was a slow learner... ) and I bought the first two of them, years apart, for $300 each and later sold them for about the same amount. They were old and raggedy, but they (more or less, and with liberal applications of duct tape and/or vinyl swatches glued on with weatherstrip adhesive) kept us dry and sheltered.

As far as "affordable", new ones rival hard-side trailers for expense now. The real 'deals' to be had are typically on older used trailers, and those come with their own unique sets of problems. Many of them are as heavy or heavier than our trailers, and even some stickies of the same general size. They offer some amenities like large beds and I always had more of a feeling of "sleeping under the stars" in a tent trailer than a hard-side which is preferred by some. They can also typically be opened up more in good weather which is nice.

All-in-all though, I'll take one of our FG trailers.

Roger

[Gina D.]

Bob, I had two of them as well. At the time, they served thier purpose, just as yours did, and I both enjoyed and cursed them simultaniously.

Rogers quote was from me. Thats how I looked at them after a few uses. Set up was not so bad, strike on the other hand... UGH!

My Colorado seemed pretty spacious to me, much more so than my 13. It was open, and the bed was hige!