Swag v Rooftop tent v Camper trailer poll
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Single - swag.
Add partner - swag.
Family man - camper trailer.
Swags are too easy.
Roof top tents are too hard to get in/out when you should've gone to bed 6 beers ago.
Camper trailer if u can afford it is logical. Being a family man means you can leave it all packed except for perishables leaving more time to get the kids ready. Otherwise tent.
Add partner - swag.
Family man - camper trailer.
Swags are too easy.
Roof top tents are too hard to get in/out when you should've gone to bed 6 beers ago.
Camper trailer if u can afford it is logical. Being a family man means you can leave it all packed except for perishables leaving more time to get the kids ready. Otherwise tent.
thanks for posting this...didn't even know what a swag was till this and I keep thinking roof tops are a PITA unless on a pull behind trailer. Anyone posts their favorite 2 person swag that would be great. So in regards to the poll, I'd have to agree with CazzaW!
What's swag?
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
Solo, just a ground cloth. Unless there is rain/snow or mosquitoes then I use a backpacking tent.
Partner, Camper
I want to love the idea of a Swag but just can't justify the cost compared to a plain old canvas ground cloth big enough to double over my bag.
Partner, Camper
It's the car camping version of a bivy bag. Same principle just made out of canvas instead of nylon.
I want to love the idea of a Swag but just can't justify the cost compared to a plain old canvas ground cloth big enough to double over my bag.
Solo I sleep in the platform in the back of my 80, wife 'n kids then we drag our M101 with RTT and a ground tent for the kids.
Solo - Sleep in the vehicle
With Wife - Sleep in the vehicle
Now that we have kids - really want a teardrop - hate tents, including RTTs
With Wife - Sleep in the vehicle
Now that we have kids - really want a teardrop - hate tents, including RTTs
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
Borrow a cabin tent from somebody and take the kids camping. Play games with the flashlight on the tent walls, tell ghost stories, listen to a portable radio. It's actually a lot of fun to have the whole family in one small fabric room for a few nights. IMHO it's one of those things every family should do.
Then go out and buy a trailer. If the kids are little get one with a potty and outside shower.
I guess I could have elaborated a bit. I have a few tents, they have their uses, and can be fun, like you said - especially lazy summer base-camp style camping. If it was just me and the boys going camping(when they're older - they're not even 1yo yet) we would make do with whatever: tent, ground, roof rack, hammock, etc and have a blast (love the ideas, btw ).
Most of the camping I do however is either on a trip that isn't about camping - climbing, hiking, skiing, festivals, road trips, etc. I just need to be able to set up a place to sleep quick, comfortable, quiet, warm, often in the wind, and often at rest stops, parking lots, trailheads, etc where a tent would be cold, difficult, impractical, or even against the rules. I don't want to mess with breaking down a tent in the morning because we're moving on, or going climbing or skinning before sunup and don't want our stuff stolen or whatever. Being able to crawl into a small trailer that already has a bed set up, is insulated, and is quiet, would be perfect for me. The
enjoys the security of hard walls and lockable doors, so there's that too. It would also save us lots of money and time on road trips not having to deal with hotels. Unfortunately, the break even on a minimum $12k offroad teardrop would be after the kids are grown up....
And like I said, tents are fine or great for some things, if it is three-season camping, a cheapo one does just fine. Part of what turns me off about some of the more fancy options like RTTs, tent trailers, and pop up tent roofs is no matter how much you spend and how fast, convenient, and comfy they are you still just have a tent - thin walls that flap in the wind, let sound and cold through, and make my wife think she's gonna get raped by a mountain lion.
Anyway, just my views on what works for us. Others have totally different needs, wants, cares, and checkbooks. Some think this hilarious truck is the answer:
Most of the camping I do however is either on a trip that isn't about camping - climbing, hiking, skiing, festivals, road trips, etc. I just need to be able to set up a place to sleep quick, comfortable, quiet, warm, often in the wind, and often at rest stops, parking lots, trailheads, etc where a tent would be cold, difficult, impractical, or even against the rules. I don't want to mess with breaking down a tent in the morning because we're moving on, or going climbing or skinning before sunup and don't want our stuff stolen or whatever. Being able to crawl into a small trailer that already has a bed set up, is insulated, and is quiet, would be perfect for me. The
enjoys the security of hard walls and lockable doors, so there's that too. It would also save us lots of money and time on road trips not having to deal with hotels. Unfortunately, the break even on a minimum $12k offroad teardrop would be after the kids are grown up.... And like I said, tents are fine or great for some things, if it is three-season camping, a cheapo one does just fine. Part of what turns me off about some of the more fancy options like RTTs, tent trailers, and pop up tent roofs is no matter how much you spend and how fast, convenient, and comfy they are you still just have a tent - thin walls that flap in the wind, let sound and cold through, and make my wife think she's gonna get raped by a mountain lion.
Anyway, just my views on what works for us. Others have totally different needs, wants, cares, and checkbooks. Some think this hilarious truck is the answer:
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
I totally agree with what you say. We had a hard side travel trailer for years and want to go back to that.
The tear drop would be okay for a couple but I think it would be tough with small kids. Once you get past the initial depreciation RV's hold value, why don't you consider buying a used trailer? Say less than 20'. In recent years there have been a lot of companies selling light weight trailers aimed at the mid size SUV market. Try it for a season and sell it if it doesn't fit your need.
The tear drop would be okay for a couple but I think it would be tough with small kids. Once you get past the initial depreciation RV's hold value, why don't you consider buying a used trailer? Say less than 20'. In recent years there have been a lot of companies selling light weight trailers aimed at the mid size SUV market. Try it for a season and sell it if it doesn't fit your need.
Yeah, there's no way the whole family would fit in a teardrop, but there's plenty of space in the 80 to sleep as well, so we can split up.
Most the offroad teardrop trailers are too big for my taste - The Socal Teardrop Buzz Off is the only one that is small enough for me to want to pull around and go offroad in. So a 20' travel trailer would be out of the question. We don't need amenities, we need four walls and a bed.
I'm looking into buying a small uhaul type trailer and putting off road susupension on it. I think that would be the cheapest way to go for my needs.
Most the offroad teardrop trailers are too big for my taste - The Socal Teardrop Buzz Off is the only one that is small enough for me to want to pull around and go offroad in. So a 20' travel trailer would be out of the question. We don't need amenities, we need four walls and a bed.
I'm looking into buying a small uhaul type trailer and putting off road susupension on it. I think that would be the cheapest way to go for my needs.
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
That sound pretty cool. What if you could set it up like an old school Alaska Camper?
My favorite quick and comfortable.
LAMBCRUSHER
SILVER Star
spoiler...
Showoff! 
Josie'sLandCruiser
Stop calling it a "FJ."
Hi all,
I have camped for the last 15 years out of ground tents. Generally O.K. but occasionally have gotten wet and/or cold.
Like the idea of the Class C RV
but the CFO 
won't go for it! 
In April 2015 had the chance to camp out of the back of my Tacoma 4wd P/U in SE Utah. The truck has a canopy and I attached a tent over the open end of the bed/canopy to protect against bugs/rain. This worked out O.K.
Pretty low-tech and highly mobile.
Roof top tents look to me to be expensive and cumbersome. Don't really see the advantage in using these tents.
Regards,
Alan
I have camped for the last 15 years out of ground tents. Generally O.K. but occasionally have gotten wet and/or cold.
Like the idea of the Class C RV
but the CFO won't go for it! In April 2015 had the chance to camp out of the back of my Tacoma 4wd P/U in SE Utah. The truck has a canopy and I attached a tent over the open end of the bed/canopy to protect against bugs/rain. This worked out O.K.
Pretty low-tech and highly mobile.
Roof top tents look to me to be expensive and cumbersome. Don't really see the advantage in using these tents.
Regards,
Alan
Solo, I use a tent when motorcycle camping or using the FJ40 (currently undergoing refurb). With wife along we take the 37' Mobile Suites fifth wheel and the 3500 Crew Cab Diesel GMC. Wife loves it and so does the grand daughter. Just got back from three weeks in Colorado and it was a great trip.
Personally, I like tent camping with the Honda XR650L or the FJ40. Can get into some very nice places, quiet and peaceful. Been looking at RTT but thinking about a small trailer with adventure mods.
Personally, I like tent camping with the Honda XR650L or the FJ40. Can get into some very nice places, quiet and peaceful. Been looking at RTT but thinking about a small trailer with adventure mods.
For my use (1 person or 2 max), a hard shell RTT is close to perfect. Sets up in about 2 minutes, take down in 5 min. Can leave sleeping bag or bedding set up and ready to just jump into bed. You don't have to re-arrange or move anything inside rig when hitting the sack. Stays on top of rig and virtually impervious to weather and dust. Holds up extremely well, set up, in any weather except of course, tornado or hurricane. Don't need to worry much about bugs, critters or flash floods. I only am in it for sleeping, so lounging around while camping is done outside, for me.
Close to perfect, but not perfect. Need a ladder to access, which means negotiating this ladder getting in and out. So physical fitness must be considered if you're seriously interested. If you have small bladder or need to urinate frequently, you'll want a pee bottle of some kind to keep from going down & up the ladder in the middle of the night. As for where you can stay with this setup, that's purely perspective. You could stay almost anywhere you can park the rig. Lock the rig, pop up the tent and pull up the ladder behind you (mine is telescoping so I can just retract it and bring it in the tent with me) if in a questionable spot.
Close to perfect, but not perfect. Need a ladder to access, which means negotiating this ladder getting in and out. So physical fitness must be considered if you're seriously interested. If you have small bladder or need to urinate frequently, you'll want a pee bottle of some kind to keep from going down & up the ladder in the middle of the night. As for where you can stay with this setup, that's purely perspective. You could stay almost anywhere you can park the rig. Lock the rig, pop up the tent and pull up the ladder behind you (mine is telescoping so I can just retract it and bring it in the tent with me) if in a questionable spot.
We don't like camping at designated campgrounds and want to go where the LC can take us. The roof top tent has made it possible to camp at place where it was not really possible, even with a couple of kids. It sets up fast and we usually leave our pillows and blankets up there. I would say in 10 minutes you are ready to sleep, if need be. It take a little longer for me to set up because of my lift and because our tent is huge with two ladders. We slept very comfortably in the back of the LC before kids. It was a much faster set up and we could move almost immediately if we wanted to, but kids do slow you down. I would opt for a camper trailer if you don't mind camping at camp grounds or places where other folks or more folks are present.
