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Lets talk all things camping........I've got questions

Julian

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What is the advantage of this roof top tent? Seems like a PITA to me since it fixes your vehicle to the spot??? Why not just have a nice big pitchable tent (s)?

Another option....buy a motor home that can tow the boat? Tons of used ones out there!
 

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What is the advantage of this roof top tent? Seems like a PITA to me since it fixes your vehicle to the spot??? Why not just have a nice big pitchable tent (s)?

Another option....buy a motor home that can tow the boat? Tons of used ones out there!
With a motorhome you will have the same issue. When you get everything leveled out and you need to go somewhere it is a huge PITA.
 

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Here's what we take. This was going to the Shelbyville gathering last year.

20190720_061429.jpg
 

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2kwik4u

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What is the advantage of this roof top tent? Seems like a PITA to me since it fixes your vehicle to the spot??? Why not just have a nice big pitchable tent (s)?

Another option....buy a motor home that can tow the boat? Tons of used ones out there!
I like the idea of being up off the ground with a legit mattress under me. Keeps the bugs from crawling in, keeps the water from running under the tent, keeps from sleeping on a root, and you don't have to find a flat/semi-level spot to pitch it.

I'm considering the idea of a custom frame to remove the tent from the vehicle once on site. It would have to work with the existing roof bars, fold down easily, and be sturdy enough to support the load and not sway much. Would also have to be detachable and removable by a single person. I'm thinking something along the line of "saw horses" that I could lift one side of the tent up onto on each side of the truck, then drive the truck out from under it. Would be made of some heavy gage sheet metal, and formed to fold/collapse when not in use. Or perhaps some tubing for the legs. Then supports to go from side to side once I drove out from under it. I have some ideas in my head, just need to get them on paper to confirm they actually work, and aren't too heavy.

The "drive away" feature would be nice for camping with the family and the boat. I can see some other uses for this setup as well that wouldn't require the removal of the tent, like camping for bicycle rides, where the truck is a home base of sorts. I can also see using this for scouting events with the boys in the future.

i could also be overthinking it since most of these tents fold down and stow in less than 10 min or so. So a "normal" day of camping and setup would be to place a canopy and the boys tent out at hte campsite, setup camp, then setup the RTT. Next morning when we want to head out to the lake, leave the remainder of camp in place, then just fold away the RTT while prepping the boat. It's another 10 minutes to that portion of the day, but I'm unsure if that is really that big of a deal. I usually end up sitting around waiting to get all the people in the truck anyway.
 

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@jcyamaharider I'm pretty sure your budget is substantially larger than mine. However, if my wife was comfortable towing, that is a helluva setup to have.

How many times a year do you get all 4 vehicles out and go somewhere? Any issues with the logistics of having two vehicles along for the trip? When you do take it out what's your feel on how long you need to be somewhere before it's "worth it" from a setup time vs usage time perspective?

Thanks!
 

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Well the camper came about while we were building. If we didn't need it too live in then we wouldn't have one this large. Other then that last year we took this setup out atleast 6 times last year. Stays ranged from just a weekend trip to a full week. Setup on the camper is super easy and the dually gets parked in overflow for the weekend. The other tow vehicle stays on the trailer for a simple in and out at the ramp. We have been doing this for a few years so we have perfected the process. Advantage to having 2 vehicles is a quick trip to the store isn't a huge ordeal. I get that budget comes into play but a small pull behind camper will net you the same thing. If I could pick what I wanted for a fifth wheel it would be much smaller and probably half ton towable.
 

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With a motorhome you will have the same issue. When you get everything leveled out and you need to go somewhere it is a huge PITA.
So you get one of those motor homes with a garage on the back and drive out your mopeds/bikes/ATVs/Side by Side/Smartcar! Its only money! LOL

I just can't see the advantage of being on top of one's truck. Looks cramped, pita to climb up to etc. A big ass inflatable king size mattress in a big tent would be more comfy!
 

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Dixie Highway

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Idk guys, for the money spent on two vehicles, driving hours away, setup, takedown, upkeep, etc etc. does it make more sense to just get a hotel room? I realize you don’t get the outdoors experience and everything, but the hassle factor has to be lower.
 

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Hotel? You mean sleep in someone else's bed and linen? Not if I can help it !😉 I'd prefer a tent...

We camped 20-30 nights a year in our travel trailer for the last 5 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything. No luggage to unpack, no lengthy check in, food is ready to go when we want it...

Best deal around is states and provinces that allow towing a boat trailer behind a 5th wheel.
 

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I guess the hotel thing doesn’t bother me, I travelled 100-150 nights per year as a field rep (got a promotion, so don’t travel as much now). Checking in and unpacking is much faster than setting up a trailer, especially if towing a boat too. Unhook the boat somewhere, back in the spot (unless pull thru), leveling, hook up electric, water, awning, oh and if it happens to be raining during? I do get the appeal of camping, grew up doing it. But I promise by the time a camper is set up, I’ve checked in, got unpacked, and arrived at dinner lol!
 

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@Dixie Highway You are 100% NOT wrong. I travel a lot for work as well. Getting to a hotel, getting checked in, unpacked, and "there" is FAR faster and less expensive than a camper. You're right.

I'm going to lump camping into a single "pool" here. Wether it's in a tent off the beaten path, or in a $250k Class A in a luxury resort, we'll assume that the setup, cost, and time is all the same. SO when I say "camping" I'm including whichever level one might want to consider it as, even though there are countless different ways to experience it.

The benefits of camping for us are multi-faceted. We get the "outdoorsy" feelings of being out of the house, and being more "rugged" than just staying in a hotel. We're essentially outside for an entire weekend, or longer. This is HUGE for someone that gets cabin fever quickly and easily, like my wife. The change of scenery, pace, and feeling of being outdoors is a monster boost to her attitude in general. This is 100% a "lifestyle" type choice. There is no logic or reasoning to it, it's just kind of a "feel" thing. We're more comfortable in general in a campsite, than a hotel lobby. Just more "our speed" if that makes sense. No real good way to explain it.

We have something the kids can do. If we check into a hotel with two boys, we're immediately inundated with "I'm bored". When camping we can just point them the other direction and say "go play", and they'll figure something out. Sure the time to get to that point is longer, but once there, the possibilities of what the boys can do are far more open. Go ride a bike, take a walk around the campsite, find a stick and make it a sword, all kinds of stuff. They both love being outside, so just tossing some monster truck toys in the dirt will keep them from being bored for an hour or so. These possibilities are endless here, and the benefits cannot be understated. Having taken the boys on trips to hotel based stay, and a cabin based stay. The level of work required by the adults to keep the kids from going insane, and then driving the adults insane, is far less for us with an outdoor base location.

Typically camping is a little easier to deal with loading/unloading the boat. We can take our time with being right there with it. No elevators, stairs, lobbys, or parking lots to deal with. We can hang out our towels, and let them air without leaving the boat in the parking lot and being concerned about security. I typically don't have to lock things quite as tightly in a campground as in a hotel parking lot, I acknowledge this has nothing to do with location and everything to do with my comfort level and prejudice of what caliber of people will be around the boat where it's located. Overall, with a campsite, boating is easier than in a hotel. The only time it has been easier in a building than a campsite was when we rented a cabin with a private dock. Once the boat was in the water, it was there for the week. We don't have the budget for that on any more than once a year.

Speaking of budget, it's somewhat inherently less expensive to camp than hotel. If we consider lodging a wash on money (which honestly hotels are probably less expensive than a moderate camper/truck combo, and campground fees), food becomes less expensive very quickly. A family of 5 is easily $50 for decent food. We've spent $30 on McDonalds. That's $450 for food ($75 meals for 2 days) for a two day trip. We can camp for $100 for the weekend on food, and that includes drinks for the adults at night. While total cost over the course of a year is probably a wash, camping comes in smaller more frequent hits, which are typically easier on the budget in our experience. Sure there's an argument that we should be able to budget for a whole year, then pull from that pot, and all the discussion that comes from that. It's for another thread though, and the end result is that cashflow is a thing, and camping is easier on tighter budgets from a monetary aspect.

Again, you're not wrong. There is certain appeal to just showing up, unpacking and being done with it. Shelly and I take the boat and do that once or twice a year as a "date weekend" or similar. We've done it for our anniversary, as well as just to get away. I just don't think it's the right fit for the whole family, although we will undoubtedly give it a try at some point or another. Honestly the appeal of just showing up, is why we're even considering a permanent, or semi-permanent campsite. We just show up, unlock the door, and all our "stuff" is there. Just need to bring food and some simple clothes with us for the weekend. The boys would even develop friendships with other campers in the grounds, and that would even add to the lack of resistance to going, and "I'm bored" portion of the weekend.

A happy medium between tent camping, and hotel stays is what we're really after. Where that is, I'm not sure we've decided yet.
 

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I definitely see the appeal, hopefully you can find a great solution for you and your family. Maybe trade the Yammy on a cabin cruiser? Lol
 

2kwik4u

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I definitely see the appeal, hopefully you can find a great solution for you and your family. Maybe trade the Yammy on a cabin cruiser? Lol
You know, you're not far off there. Before the second boy, back when we still had the Rinker, I was on the rinker message boards. A lot of those guys had 30+ foot cruisers. I thought for quite some time that having a 19ft jet and a 30+ cruiser was the ticket to "camping" on the water. Have the cruiser as a base station, and then do watersports off the smaller jet. I've already got the jet, and it's still not a terrible bad idea.

We've even considered a house boat as a base station for long weekends. All the "fun" of camping without the PIA of cutting grass and maintaining another site. Biggest detractor is locking ourselves into a single lake. We used to like to roam quite a bit. We'll see if the family hampers that adventurous spirit much or not.
 

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I guess the hotel thing doesn’t bother me, I travelled 100-150 nights per year as a field rep (got a promotion, so don’t travel as much now). Checking in and unpacking is much faster than setting up a trailer, especially if towing a boat too. Unhook the boat somewhere, back in the spot (unless pull thru), leveling, hook up electric, water, awning, oh and if it happens to be raining during? I do get the appeal of camping, grew up doing it. But I promise by the time a camper is set up, I’ve checked in, got unpacked, and arrived at dinner lol!
I think there's a difference between business travel and traveling with the family and dog.... our unhook or hook up routine was under 10 minutes. With the family and dog, it always seemed like 3 trips to the car. Then there's the dog asking to go out....

After backing in the trailer, First thing connected was the bbq to the gas then we leveled. I was cooking while others were still backing up or leveling.

I think part of my issue as well is having spent 4 months in hotels in the past year for work, I dont want to do it for my vacations as well!
 
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