Tent trailer

[Jeep or Tacoma]

of all the brands that are common, jayco, fleetwood, dutchmen, coleman, starcraft, etc. etc. what is the best brand model for mild to mod offroad travel that combines the best amenities? ( porta potty, frig shower,) weather prep, and groundclearance etc

 

[TheThom]

A good synopsis when this same question came up a couple of weeks ago HERE

 

[HenryJ]

Adding "amenities" adds weight and size.
I will assume that from the brands you have listed you are looking at "pop-up tent trailers".

IMO, a few details on what you plan to do would be helpful. The terrain, length of stay, occupants (Family including pets), your needs and what you plan to tow it with.

Mine is a base camp plan. We are three plus a mid-size dog. We can rough it with the best, but like some luxury. "L" wanted a real sink and a table to sit at inside in the rain. I wanted a shower. Growing child needed his own bed.

We ended up with a Evolution E1

I considered the Jayco Baja , Starcraft RT and the Fleetwood Evolution (discontinued). The Somerset camping trailers took over production of a very similar series. I think you will find them all very similar. We opted for what we could find locally.

My shower is outside and our PETT system potty as well. Works well for us.

For a Jeep or smaller tow vehicle the Neon and Cobalt may be the best choice if the going gets rough, altitude gets high , or the hills are many and steep. We needed a bigger tow vehicle with the growing boy so we moved from a S-10 crew cab and RTT offroad trailer to an Avalanche and E1. A trip over the Steen's spurred us to make the move to bigger and a couple more cylinders. A trip to Twin springs pushed us into the larger trailer. Very happy with the move. Just about have everything set up the way we need it now

 

[Vantage]

I went through this a little bit ago and ended up buying a Kamparoo to its "better" construction. A lot of the tent trailers use staples and glue, which help them fall apart on rough terrain.

This was my list.


Kamparoo: Great Ground Clearance, onboard water and faucet, tons of room for 2-3 people (4 if some are kids), roof rack, Slide out kitchen option.VERY LIGHT


VentureCraft Trailblazer: Hard to find, great ground clearance, Storage in box of trailer.


Fleetwood Cobalt: Smallest 2 sided tent trailer ever made. More ammenities than others in category. Pump faucet, power, heater, stove ect.

Lifted version


Fleetwood Neon: Small and lightweight. Sleeps 3. Some have options for heat or ac. Has power.


Fleetwood Evo E1: Largest trailer here. Full ammenities. Heavy.


Jayco Baja: Roughly same as above with the quad rack on front. Fleetwood makes a similar model (E2,E3).



Chalet LTW Trailboss: Light, Full ammenities. Sleeps 2. VERY fast setup. very expensive.


ALiner Sport Offroad: Same as above.


Jeep Camper/ Livin lite 6.0,6.1: Ultra light weight. All aluminum, no rust. No ammenities.

 

[JPR4LFE]

Great post about the different camper models. That is entirely the list I had come up with in my searches for a tent trailer. If you are leaning towards a Fleetwood/Coleman, be aware that the are not making new trailers at this time, but there are a lot of nice used models. Here is a 2007 catalog I found in my travels that has a good comparison of the element vs evolution series fleetwood/Coleman.

http://www.rvusa.com/specbase/pictu...C7F28E6F0A8}_FleetwoodFoldingBrochure2007.pdf

 

[Land Bruiser]

Coachman Clipper V-Trec?

I notice nobody mentions these...am I missing something?

 

[wingysataday]

lifetime tent trailer. Awesome!

 

[MarlinVX]

lifetime tent trailer. Awesome!

I second that. I added a Lock n roll, welded/lifted tool box, solar power, got rims and 31" ATs, just need to order a new axle. Best built kit trailer ever! It is tight, well designed and the tent is very nice. We have used it several times going to Uwharrie National forest. I painted it to match my truck Carpeted the floor, added an AC port under the wing, microwave mount, more lighting. Just waiting on the new axle for the lift, that will put it up on 31s, and it will sit >= the height of the truck. I would like to add that the lock'n'roll is awesome as well.

 

[highlandercj-7]

I have a 2005 Aliner I am considering selling. $4500

 

[MarlinVX]

Finally done with the axle. Damned near killed myself trying to get that axle under there by myself. Stacks of 4x4s to get it high enough off the ground to roll the axle underneath it. Still need to wire up the brakes,and add some mudflaps. Very sexy, matches the VX height perfectly.

 

[dnellans]

don't forget the jumping jack!

 

[jonnyquest]

I was going to mention the Jumping Jack. They were at Overland Expo. The X4 version they make is impressive. Absolutely unbreakable. The trailer is super solid, heavy duty. You could rock crawl with it and not break it. BUT, when you fold up the trailer, there is only room for the mattress cushions. You can't even leave bedding inside the trailer. Everything but the cushions has to be stored on top of the pod. Note that you can store an ATV on top of the pod. Then you have to unload the top rack before you can set up the tent. It's a VERY roomy tent though. Plenty of standup room and two 4'x7' beds. There is a flat storage area on the tongue that can accommodate extra water jugs, maybe a PortaPottie. Nice setup that will last a long time. $6000.

 

[fubar]

We saw the Jumping Jack as OEX too. Initial reaction was very positive, but we noticed the same thing. It's basically just a tent on wheels with lot's of unsecured
storage. Great quality and good price tho...

 

[jonnyquest]

The Jumping Jack X4 would work if you: Set up your tow vehicle as if for ground tent camping, put extra water jugs, a toilet and shower on the tongue, and bedding in water proof duffles on top of the pod. The trailer is VERY solid and the tent is huge.