Simple dual purpose trailer with tent question

[IdahoLJ]

Hello,

I have a simple home built trailer I purchased on CL for $300. Purchased mostly to tow my sons ATV but Ive been turning it into a camping trailer for our back county flyfishing trips. The box pulls right out when acess to utility is needed.
I purchased the poor mans roof top tent from Kamprite but Im blanking out on how to mount it. I would like it to be sturdy for hwy pulls when folded with a cover but also would love to be able to remove it for bikes etc. I have a set of Yakima bars that i have removed in these pics. I have seen some other posts utilizing these tents but not much info on how folks have actually mounted these up. Im thinking of mounting it to a piece of plywood but dont love the idea. Any backyard engineers have a great idea!

 

[calicamper]

Could you rig some type of bracket on the top of the deck which the feet slip under or into to hold it while set up? In road mode my guess is you would need to rig some type of strap system to strap it to your bars. Nice find on the $300 trailer!!! I'm sorta keeping my eye out for the same thing for my dad. His old Explorer is near death at 240,000 miles and his nice car can tow a very small light trailer which case his camping capability would still be possible with a trailer set up like yours. Nice trailer!!! I like it

 

[IdahoLJ]

Thank you. i dont know if it apperant in the pics but I ran two pipe racks down the length of the box and the tent ended up being wider than the box so the legs sit atop the rack. I have been trying to not drill more items into the box top to try and preserve some water resistance but i like the pipe clamp idea. Its what I was considering if I mounted to a plywood deck. Id prefer to have it mounted securly as opposed to straping it down. Picking up matching wheels to the Jeep to prevent the need for a spare and some gas struts for the box top.

 

[calicamper]

I did see that though my worry would be wind loading on the tent rig while going down the road. Some type or strap and good cover will help keep it all happy and reduce stress on the legs at their mount points. I would think some type of pipe strap / clamp idea would be Ok. It gets tough when you want to retain a quick release option so you can pull the tent easily for bikes and say boat hauling etc. Snoop around Thule and Yakima they might have some type of fitting that could be incorporated into this use? Worth a snoop to see if anything might already exist with possible minor mods you might find a slick option.

 

[swashbuckler]

Yakima Mighty Mounts might do the trick. But I'd cut those legs down and rework the supports to get that tentcot hugging the deck to reduce leverage on the mounts.

Have you used the tentcot yet? I've almost pulled the trigger on one of those a couple times, but I can't justify the cost for the Cabelas version and I'm not sure I trust the Kamprite to be waterproof.

 

[Mark Harley]

Take a look at what Quickfist clamps has to offer.

 

[IdahoLJ]

Thank you for the replys. I'll check them out. My dad works in film and mentioned Speed-Rail which has Awsome connectors but I'm unsure if the size will work. I could modify the legs but I was hoping not to. I like having all options available should we have a trip where the tent needs to go on the ground. No I have not slept in the Kamprite tent cot yet. Amazon has the double for $214. Good price when compared to the $376? of the Cabelas I checked out the Cabelas in store, honestly it seemed the same size wise and the lifted roof of the Kamprite is much nicer. As far as rain is concerned, I agree. I've read many comments on breath ability so I have planned on utilizing adjustable tent poles with tarp as part of the trailer set up

 

[IdahoLJ]

Well, here is what I came up with. Simple, cheap and rock solid. I made no peramantent changes to the Kamprite tent cot; I can bolt the legs right back on should the tent need to be removed and used on the ground. I utilized 3/4" galvanized pipe cut into two foot sections, a couple 90 degree and tee fittings. 3.5" legs with holes drilled fit into the original brackets and bolt or pin in place. this set up is attached to Yakima brackets and attached to my permanent rack. I left the tent cot end legs in place and utilized hooks fitted to the trailer to hold them in place. Setup takes less than 30 seconds, minus the tent poles in the top. I think I will have a cover made here locally and should be set. Hopes this helps some one out.

 

[libarata]

I would make a little Plexiglas fairing to help redirect some windloading. Great job though!

 

[calicamper]

Wow old yakima rail grab home brew combo! I like it nice work! Looking forward to reading some trip reports now HA ;-)

 

[libarata]

Another idea. Could you increase the height of the piping, and invert the mounts? Would that help reduce the overall height of the RTT?

 

[IdahoLJ]

I would make a little Plexiglas fairing to help redirect some windloading. Great job though!

I can certainly fashion up a simple fairing. I Have one sitting on my Yakima Load Warrior next to me. I haven't put that much thought into wind loading. The tent itself will be strapped down to the cross bars when closed as the straps are apart of the closure system. And I imagine the cover I come up with will be strapped down pretty securely as well. Do you think the fairing should extent to the top of the folded tent or just enough to cover the empty space below it? I imagined most of my trips would be in the local mountains out my back door but I suppose I could see some trips at fwy speed. Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[libarata]

I can certainly fashion up a simple fairing. I Have one sitting on my Yakima Load Warrior next to me. I haven't put that much thought into wind loading. The tent itself will be strapped down to the cross bars when closed as the straps are apart of the closure system. And I imagine the cover I come up with will be strapped down pretty securely as well. Do you think the fairing should extent to the top of the folded tent or just enough to cover the empty space below it? I imagined most of my trips would be in the local mountains out my back door but I suppose I could see some trips at fwy speed. Thanks again for the feedback.

I would end the fairing just enough to cover the empty space. If the fairing extends past, you could create a little eddy for dirt and grime to accumulate underneath. I doubt wind loads are extreme in your case, but every little bit can help save an mpg or two. I would also look at inverting your mounts if possible, that would reduce some drag too.

Glad you did this though, I have been thinking of doing this on top of my roo!