Tow camper vs slide in camper

[patrickfinley]

I wanted to see what you're opinions/suggestions are on the matter. I have a family of 4, with two young girls age 3 and 4. No current trip in the books, but I'm trying to sort out the best build up. Trips would probably start out in the US West for a few weeks at a time then progressively get longer as the girls get older. Eventually Alaska, Canada and Mexico, Central America. Putting a 4 person RTT on the top of my 100 series does not seem practical, comfortable or safe. Plus there just won't be enough room for gear with 4 people in the vehicle.

1.) For a family of 4 do you think it's best to do a vehicle like a 100 series towing an AT trailer with 4 person RTT or some sort of 4wd pop-up.

or

2.) Get a pickup and put in a slide in Camper.

I would not be doing very difficult off road stuff, but don't want to be scared of an unpaved road. I may be hitting colder weather at times.

1.) Tow Camper
Pro
Keep my current vehicle.
Many choices of tow camper from AT Chaser to 4wd pop-up to Airstream.
Still have all the room in my truck for gear.
Easily removed
Because you are towing you are not limited only by the vehicles payload. Seems like you could bring more gear with you.

Con
Long length a pain to navigate.
Hard to park anywhere.

2.) Slide in Camper
Pro
Shorter length easy to park
Easily removed
Good variety from pop up to hard side.

Con
Living and storage the same space. No more rear cargo area for storage.
Need to get new vehicle.
Hard to find a good slide in for Toyota lineup with limited Toyota payloads.
Might mean switching to a 1 ton truck.
Bulky width and height.

Anyway, for those who have traveled with a family in either, what do you think, what would you recommend?

 

[roscoFJ73]

With a family of 4,I would definately be taking a trailer. Slideon campers are great for 1 or 2 people on the move ,staying in one spot for short periods.
But when you want to set up camp for few days ,its good to have a trailer where you can throw the bbq ,the outdoor chairs and tables inside for the day and come back again later.

Its get real tiring setting up camp ,only to find that you have to go back to the store for something for tonights dinner.

And with the trailer back at camp,you are free to do a few of the more adventurous trails that you would not tackle with a slideon strapped to the back.


You already have the 100 series,so just choose a trailer and away you go. Kids grow quick ,so you need one that can accomadate them for a few years.
The 100 series is going to be a better vehicle to travel in than a one ton truck.

 

[Corbet]

I prefer the trailer option personally.

 

[Gumby]

Trailer. Slide ins are a pain unless they stay in the truck full time, and then you're stuck at the campground.

 

[patrickfinley]

I have been leaning towards the trailer idea myself. I wouldn't want to go with a Tundra, or Ford, Chevy or other pickup. I'd prefer to stay with my LC.

You can leave it at a campsite which seems nice, but is towing it all over the place frustrating?

- A big RTT on an AT Chaser would be perfect but that's about 20k all in, kinda pricey. Downside with this setup is no heat for the cold days and it'll flap like crazy in the wind. Plus when not in the tent you are mostly exposed. I don't mind exposure but might be hard for the women and children.

- An "off road" pop up seems good. Still connected to the outdoors but with heat, bathroom and rain coverage. I know these aren't really for the off road, but it would probably suit my needs trail wise. I won't be abusing it too much. Is the setup and take down a pain with these?

- Small enclosed trailer, least outdoorsy but would do best in cold weather. I guess this would be the option if I was going to spend a lot of time in cold weather. Otherwise the pop up might be better. My fear is that these would rattle apart quicker than the off road pop up.

Does this seem like sound thinking?

 

[Gumby]

Travel trailer if you plan on using it a lot. Just so you can pack it once and be done. I love hooking up to mine, putting groceries in it and rolling. No packing and crap, or putting a ton of stuff in the truck because it doesn't fit in the folded pop up.

 

[roscoFJ73]

You can leave it at a campsite which seems nice, but is towing it all over the place frustrating?
?

If you are leaving it at campsites during the day,you will only be towing it on the highway.
Taking trailers offroad is another story ,and I would prefer a slide on to that.

A nice long draw bar makes towing and reversing easy.

With 3 females in your entourage you are never going to break camp in record times. Might as well make them comfortable,otherwise pack up times will be longer and grumpy

A used Jayco Penguin might be the ideal camper for you. My friend had one and he liked it because of the fast pack up time. I mentioned used because the aussie models are more offroad oriented on the older models.

 

[titanpat57]

Trailer for sure...I'm trying to find a slide in for my flat bed trailer....possibly mounted up backwards. My thought on that is I could put the camper up on jacks, and pull the trailer out to still use it for supply runs, or mulch, etc. I like the slide ons that have the pop top roofs.

There are some nice Teardrops that offer RTT's as well, although I do believe I would stick with a hard sided with the tykes.

 

[Mace]

Trailer for sure...I'm trying to find a slide in for my flat bed trailer....possibly mounted up backwards. My thought on that is I could put the camper up on jacks, and pull the trailer out to still use it for supply runs, or mulch, etc. I like the slide ons that have the pop top roofs.

There are some nice Teardrops that offer RTT's as well, although I do believe I would stick with a hard sided with the tykes.

This tends to be harder than you might think. Most campers are not designed to clear trailer width axles on both ends

 

[titanpat57]

This tends to be harder than you might think. Most campers are not designed to clear trailer width axles on both ends

I hear what you're saying.

The trailer is 6' wide on the outside, and I cut the wheel wells to allow 48" in between.

I thought something similar to say a Sun Lite, that was less than a 1000 lbs or so, had jacks, and I could back under. My only thing is I don't know if it will hit the rear of the 4Runner, have to measure that yet (but it is supposed to fit over a truck cab)

 

[Mace]

Why not just get one of the small tow behinds then? Once that camper goes on, there will not be many reasons to take it off. And a small tow behind will most likely have more room than that setup

 

[Fast Eddy]

A reasonable size slide-in is still small and will turn a 1-ton dually into a lumbering POS. I liked our trailer much better in every circumstance except that you can't drive in the carpool lane and you're supposed to be limited to 55mph.

 

[Corbet]

- An "off road" pop up seems good. Still connected to the outdoors but with heat, bathroom and rain coverage. I know these aren't really for the off road, but it would probably suit my needs trail wise. I won't be abusing it too much. Is the setup and take down a pain with these?

If all you want to do it run down a dirt road then you'll be fine with this. Takes about 15 minutes to set one up plus the leveling time. Skip the bathroom feature unless requested by the Do you really want to do that in your "tent". Better off to bring a PETT system to set up a little ways away from your camper. The heaters work OK, they will take the edge off but don't really provide a warm interior unless you run it constantly. I kick mine on in the morning just to get dressed.

I wanted the full off road set up but the wife wanted more space. Best to just keep her happy. If I got my way it would have been this. http://www.adrenalincampers.com or a used Kimberly.

 

[Mace]

Reasonable slide inns are actually pretty big, but will make anything but under a 1 ton truck wallow badly.

Personally, I'm not a fan of pop ups. They make to much noise when it's windy. Hard side is better.

 

[Camino]

I love my Bigfoot slide-in. I tow an offshore boat and stay in the camper in parking lots while fishing. I also tow an enclosed 16 foot enclosed trailer full of dirt bikes and quads. That said, now that my grandson is 16 years old and 200 lbs, the camper is way too small of living space for the 3 of us.

 

[Mace]

Campers with slideouts are a wonderful thing...

 

[Truck Camper Porn]

I would have to agree hard-side campers with slide outs are a thing of beauty.

 

[patrickfinley]

So the consensus is a hard side trailer. Are the ones with slide outs drafty? How is the seal around them in the cold weather?

Are there any brands of smaller hard side trailers that can withstand moderately bumpy trails? I'm guessing it should be under 16 feet correct? I'm not talking about the Rubicon by any means, but a long bumpy fire access road or trail.

 

[Bogo]

Are there any brands of smaller hard side trailers that can withstand moderately bumpy trails? I'm guessing it should be under 16 feet correct? I'm not talking about the Rubicon by any means, but a long bumpy fire access road or trail.

When I've been out west I've seen most makes at camp sites and doing distributed camping along the forest service roads. Main thing is to not go to fast on the washboard. The washboard can show up anywhere so don't fly down the roads.

I'd read the RV/travel trailer sites to see who makes strong ones.

 

[AdventureToolCompany]

Truck Camper -

I've had several Lance brand truck campers and enjoyed everyone. They gave use the nice option of a comfy truck, 4wd and our own bed at the end of a long day. I've carried motorcycles and towed our Sammy behind them to use as our exploration vehicles once we reached our destination.

Good luck.