trying to work out how to Jeep camp with my 5 year old and 8 month old

[ZONE ZERO]

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELPFUL RESPONSES!
I think one of my issues is , I’m so use to traveling externally light (I lived out of a back pack for months in Africa) . My wife on the other hand wants a toilet/sink, Which to me means camp ground.
I think I would have to be realistic I’d have some trips just me and my oldest daughter for now and others trips at camp grounds With the little one and my wife.
looking at it more critically I could probably get away with a roof type box for light dry stuff and a 6 person tent for ground camping this season see how they all manage and go from there. I like deep woods off the trail camping, I’ve never been interested in going out and having someone 20 feet from me blasting music at 7:30am.
both of my kids are already woods babies they love nature.
with all that the home built trailer thing is very interested and definitely something me and my daughter would have fun doing.
I found a company called warndertears that sells complete prints for trailer builds with the full punch sheet for around $150-200 but it’s hard to tell if it’s legit or more of something you drags behind a car .

 

[ZONE ZERO]

Here's what I did to my JKU. It sleeps four, but I've got an Ursa Minor so I'm kinda cheating. It probably won't work for you but it will maybe give you an idea or two!

I did something similar in my Jeep Cherokee and land rover discovery but it was just me and my dog then me and my wife at the time.

 

[pith helmet]

As a pretty antisocial personality, I happily found that on a two week loop around Colorado in late 2020 where we stayed mostly in full capacity campgrounds, interacting with my neighbors became the most memorable part of the trip for me. Camped a few days with one couple, sharing food and firewood.
If your kids get a taste for what you love, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to get way out with them in the coming years. Our daughter is planning a kayak trip with friends for this summer, first time she is doing it on her own as a young adult. Excited to see her doing the things we exposed her to.

My wife loves camping and roughing it but has some health problems and limits due to persistent Lyme issues so Amongst other thoughts, I am looking at building a slide in for my 6x12 utility trailer to pull behind a 1/2 ton pickup. I have it figured for a full size bed, simple 2x2 wet bath with a simple toilet and a 2x2 closet for clothes. Also thinking of other things I never wanted before so we can enjoy getting out together more. When we met we were canoe camping all the time and I would fuss about stupid things when it came to packing. Learning to adjust.

 

[NatersXJ6]

[QUOTE="ZONE ZERO, post: 3017392, member: 21908"

others trips at camp grounds… …, I’ve never been interested in going out and having someone 20 feet from me blasting music at 7:30am.
it’s hard to tell if it’s legit or more of something you drags behind a car .
[/QUOTE]

I haven’t camped in New England in 25+ years, but I can tell you my west coast camping experiences have been that you are far more likely to run into unruly troublemakers in popular dispersed camping areas than in campgrounds. Campgrounds, outside of major holiday weekends, seem to be filled with parked RVs and you never or rarely see the occupants outside of an occasional evening campfire. When people are actually staying in tents, they sort of studiously avoid one another, respecting everyone’s desire to have manufactured solitude.

On a major party weekend like July 4… all bets are off.

In popular dispersed or trail areas, that is where I’ve seen loud music, people driving all manner of vehicle everywhere. Raptors racing (and crashing) in the dark between campsites, people drinking and shooting while their kids run around down range with no idea who else is in the woods, huge piles of trash, chainsaws, side by sides…. wow, writing this is making me sad.

Anyway, rules and rangers aren’t all bad things to have when you are near huge population centers and paying for a campsite does something to keep a bit of a standard among the clientele, in addition to reservations ensuring you have a place to land when you pull in late at night.

I’m a huge fan of totally open and dispersed, but I think we have to be honest and admit that the internet in general, and sites like this in particular, are pushing the popularity of this to a point where you are rarely alone anymore … anywhere.

and another thought. Don’t discount trailers made to drag behind a car. Trailers take massive abuse, overloaded, over speed, over rough roads. Highly loaded hitting a pothole at 75 is far worse on components than reasonably loaded bumping over rough ground at 15.

 

[billiebob]

A few of my best trips with my son were skiing, winter camping trips in the Honda Wagon. We left Barrhead at 6am, drove to the winter campground south of Jasper, he slept.... I drove. Set up the tent and were in the Marmot Basin line for lift tickets as the hill opened. Breakfast on the hill. Lunch at the mid chalet and I had a beer. Ski till the lifts closed......

Jasper for a swim, sauna, shower, steam and water slide. Clean clothes and out for dinner at Something Else, the best Greek Restaurant in Canada... a movie at the town cinema, Dairty Queen for desert..... and it was 10pm..... back to the winter campground after a stop for gas and a washroom break and sleep like there was no tomorrow.

Except tomorrow was a rerun..... with dinner in Edson and home by 8pm......

The very best trips adapt to the conditions. Don't say I'll never stay in a campground. You will kill way too many opportunities to be a family.

 

[billiebob]

The best National Parks have or had great evening programs on the park, wildlife, ecosystem, forest, plants....... don't let your personal hatred of camp grounds get in the way of your kids education and experience. Every trip should be a balance. Some wild off grid stuff and the opportunity to connect and socialize with others PLUS the experience of listening to those who earn their living by living wild.

On our Lake O'Hara trip we connected with a mountain guide, geologist who gave us a tour of the historic fossils in the Rocky Mountains. Stuff we would of walked by suddenly caught my sons eagle eye.

 

[nwoods]

For those interested in building a trailer, there is quite a lot of gear available through e-trailer.com

 

[ThundahBeagle]

so I’m slowly building my 18JKU.
I’m sure most of you jeep nuts want to know it’s a gobi sport, arb bull bar with a 12 k winch 255/85r17 tires on stock wheels with open difs. I’m holding out on suspension at the moment until I have a final weight. it will be getting 456 gears and Mopar winter wheels this summer.
im trying to avoid a rtt and I’m cautious of a trailer .
the interior is basically taken up by giant car seats and the back ends up full of extra cloths and baby stuff. I’m struggling to figure out how to do a multi night trip with out adding a rack to the top or pulling a trailer. I’m fine with ground tenting .
what are some of you guys doing with families?
do you find a trailer as a good option?
or is a rtt reasonable with a wife and 2 little kids?
we don’t do the camp ground thing and 99% of our camping is in New England .
also Im Not apposed to a trailer but it has to be off road capable and reasonably small

The simplest, least expensive, most effective solution is a nice ground tent with a ground tarp and sleeping bag pads. RTT with an 8 month old and a 5 year old, you do not need. It's a long way down and just asking for injury.

Baby stuff, you need. Bunch of extra clothes? It's very easy to over pack clothes. Reduce the amount if clothes you bring for yourself and fill that space with a 4 person tent.

If you dont already use them, get quick dry and multi use stuff like LL Bean Cresta hiking pants that zip off to shorts. Or for lower $, Wrangler has some cheap hiking pants. Columbia Performance Fishing Gear shirts or LL Bean's version. Since you are Jeep camping, maybe you dont need that big backpack. Perhaps a Chico Bag? Point is, all that stuff is light weight, packable into a small bag, and dry very quickly after a hand wash. Could be a space saver if only going on a multi day adventure bring only 2, mabye 3 sets?

If you really arent adverse to a trailer maybe that's the answer. It just seems to be the most expensive answer.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I wouldn’t take another tacoma or 4 runner if it was given to me for free. they were with out question the most maintenance expensive vehicles I’ve ever owned and I’ve had 2 Land Rover . But I get your point a small truck would solve some of the problems.

If you are partial to Jeep, the Gladiator is nice

 

[billiebob]

With a wife and kids I think number one is maintenance and reliability. On the reliability thing think stock, follow the manufacturers maintenance schedule and use a bonafide shop, not yer driveway..... AND on reliability understand your vehicle was engineered to be very reliable stock. Once you start modding it you start stressing all the stock engineering. Lifts, bigger tires, exceeding the GVWR all KILL reliability. There is a reason the JEEP anacronym is Just Empty Every Pocket and it has nothing to do with a stock Jeep.

If you mod yer overlander..... regardless of what it is..... you add stress.. PERIOD.
Been there... Done that for 40 years. I now run real close to stock spec. Even under stock spec to gain a few miles per gallon and a smoother ride. lol.

On a trailer..... if you can drive, are not threatened by backing up a trailer, you can buy a compact 4x4 to haul a family.... think a 2 door JK plus an EXPO trailer. Nothing is more manueverable or compact for a family of 4. The only negative of a trailer is intercontinental travel. The trailer adds exponentially to shipping costs due to the added length. But if you are never shipping and if backing up for a mile is not an issue. A SHORT SUV plus a SHORT trailer are the most flexible, maybe the cheapest option....

And that JKU or ????? is a fabulous beach vehicle, grocery getter when stuck at home.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

As a pretty antisocial personality,

I fit this bill as well. But, I find most people generally keep to themselves in the camp grounds we stay at. Just nod and smile as you walk by type of thing.

Sometimes a conversation strikes up but not often. Most are lights out by 10:00 we find.

We can sometimes hear the odd site chatting away later than that...because we are also up. But, we observe the quiet after 11:00 rule.

The sites we choose are quite treed (no field type camping here), have power and water.

 

[rnArmy]

Getting a small trailer to pull behind a Jeep doesn't have to be expensive.

Example (simplified): Find a used 4x8' HF type trailer (with the title). Some of them were rated at 1700lbs. They come with a 5 on 4.5" bolt pattern on the axle (very common trailer bolt pattern). They came with 12" rims.

Narrowing the frame has the same effect as getting a wider axle. I'm thinking the axle measures 56" hubface to hubface. In this scenario you'll be reusing the original HF axle. So no electric brakes.

Look for some used tires and rims 15" with this same 5 on 4.5" bolt pattern (lots of Jeeps, I think Ford Rangers, etc.). Make sure the center hole is big enough for the axle hub to go through. Steel rims usually have a larger center hole. The less backspacing on the rims, the better. Ideally a 6-7" wide rim for tires between 205/75/15" & 235/75/15". I think my 205/75/15" tires were on 5" wide rims.

Figure out how much narrower you need to make the trailer frame so the tires will clear with about 1.5" to 2" space between the inside edge/bulge of the tire and the trailer frame. It'll probably end up somewhere between 42" or 44" wide.

Here's how to do the measuring: Mini Harbor Freight (type) Trailer Ultimate Build-Up Thread | Page 22 | Jeep Enthusiast Forums (jeepforum.com)

Shorten the frame length also to somewhere between 5' and 6' long. 8' is too long. Mines only 4' long, and sometimes I wish I had an extra foot. The WWII trailers had a tub of 6' long.

Swap out the slipper springs for regular eye-to-eye springs with a shackle in the back (parts listed earlier). You'll need to relocate the springs and axle anyways since you're shortening the trailer's frame length. This will help keep your trailer from shaking apart and damaging gear in the tubs. Mount the axle under the springs for additional height.

Finish with plywood base and wood stake sides - nothing fancy.



Use plastic containers of your choice to keep stuff dry in the trailer when it is raining.

Trailer pictured above has 205/75/15" tires. I still had a few more inches under the trailer's axle (I believe it was 3") as I did under the Jeep's rear Dana 44 with 285/75/16" tires.

 

[pith helmet]

I fit this bill as well

How did I know this?

 

[ZONE ZERO]

If you are partial to Jeep, the Gladiator is nice

I don’t mean to hate on Toyotas my wife’s toyota camerey is flawless I’ve only done brakes since 2010 . My experience with Toyota trucks in New England has been poor, the salt on the roads kills them so fast. And the 2 i had were money pits.

 

[ZONE ZERO]

As a pretty antisocial personality, I happily found that on a two week loop around Colorado in late 2020 where we stayed mostly in full capacity campgrounds, interacting with my neighbors became the most memorable part of the trip for me. Camped a few days with one couple, sharing food and firewood.
If your kids get a taste for what you love, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to get way out with them in the coming years. Our daughter is planning a kayak trip with friends for this summer, first time she is doing it on her own as a young adult. Excited to see her doing the things we exposed her to.

My wife loves camping and roughing it but has some health problems and limits due to persistent Lyme issues so Amongst other thoughts, I am looking at building a slide in for my 6x12 utility trailer to pull behind a 1/2 ton pickup. I have it figured for a full size bed, simple 2x2 wet bath with a simple toilet and a 2x2 closet for clothes. Also thinking of other things I never wanted before so we can enjoy getting out together more. When we met we were canoe camping all the time and I would fuss about stupid things when it came to packing. Learning to adjust.

I don’t know maybe I’m just hung up on old memories of waking up at sunrise in the Kalahari, With elephants walking around my 110 wagon with not a human in site just brings me a warm feeling.
life’s changed , A loving wife and 2 little girls, they all love the outdoors, and I want to spend as much time as I can with them hiking and camping, the vehicle or set up ”is“ less important. But if it can make the experience a bit more comfortable for them that’s all I’m aiming for. All of us world traveler’s on here have had amazing experiences I want to pass the torch to my girls, in a meaningful way.