Canvas tent, tear drop or ?

I went from using either a Springbar 7x10 Campsite model canvas tent or a Mountainsmith 4P backpacking tent, to upgrading to a Runaway Campers Rangerunner "squaredrop" style camper. It was worth it. The camper makes long road trips much easier as camp setup can be as quick and simple as putting out a camp chair and dog bowl and dropping the truck tailgate for service as the kitchen table. I don't routinely track MPG but when I did with the new camper I got around 19 mpg in what I think could be considered optimal conditions.

 

Thats what I was thinking as well that other than setting up screen room that this would make set ups a breeze. Can you sit up inside your model ?

 

Check out a Slingfin Portal 3--a pretty bombproof tent. I have a Slingfin Portal 2 that has gone through 60 mph thunderstorms. Lighter and cheaper than a bunch of mods. The photo is about 5 minutes before a storm blew in.

 

I would prefer something that I can stand inside of is all, this would be a great bike packing tent though

 

If you are wanting a tent…my brother in law who lives in Colorado uses a Cabelas Alaknak tent. That thing is tank of a tent. Wind, snow, rain, he has even ended up with a stream of surface water flowing underneath the tent and he still stayed dry. It’s not a quick set up but gives you room to stand and move around. Cost between 800-1000.
Cabelas also has their guide series geodesic domes. Which is another option. $600

 

I can sit up in a low chair, use a porta potty, even crouch-stand to pull pants on. I'm 5'7" and the interior peak height is around 46".

 

Snugpak has a few tent models to choose from. For getting off the ground I went this route.

 

I’m building a similar trailer. What size tires are you running and what kind of axle? Do you know your tongue height from the ground by chance?

 

15" wheels, 225/75 tires, 3500lb. dexter axle, ground height is approx 19" when level, axle is mounted under the springs too. Dry weight (no tent) is just under 500lbs.

 

Thank you! Looks a lot beefier than 225/75!

 

Ok thank you !

 

Looks like Bloody Basin Road in AZ?

 

Those two came from various parts of Big Bend Ranch state park.

 

I have used both of these with work. They both have their ups and downs. The guide series has a seem-sealed floor which keeps the bugs out. When packed up it fits in a duffle bag which can be worn like a backpack - still heavy.

The wall tents like this pictured are great for extended stays, however they take up a lot of room when packed up - and unless you have pack mules (or utv) they are are not going up trail very far.

I have the northface wawanoa 6 as my personal/family tent which I would be comfortable in for weeks at a time.



I want a scamp/boler/castia one day because they are so lightweight - and fiberglass clamshell construction which is tough as a boat

 

Hey RL, how long have you had that? I've thought about a pop-up but I've been hearing that the canvas on those tends to degrade after about 5 years. What has been your experience? Did you buy used or new?

Also, watching set-up videos they seem as involved as a ground tent or even more so. I've been using a Kodiak Tent, but even though set-up isn't that bad, hammering and pulling stakes everyday for a road trip is not appealing so I've been looking at these popups or maybe a GFC or similar.

 

Bought it new in March 2017.


Here is it's latest outing, taken last Saturday in 102 degree weather :




Aside from a dire need of a good pressure washing (I'll probably do that this Saturday) the canvas is still in tip-top shape. There are no leaks or tears. There are no outstanding major repairs needing to be done. Earlier this year I did rebuild the lifting winch (the pawl gear was stripped). Aside from that plus the normal trailer maintenance stuff of trim, bearings, brakes, and battery, (and mods) I really haven't had to wrench on it all that often.

Most sales guys will claim 20 minutes set-up and tear-down, about the same as a tent. In reality, it takes me about 30 minutes to set, about an hour to tear down, which is also on par with what I did with a tent. (Unless its an overnight travel stop, then I do a 20 minute minimalist setup, and about the same to tear down.) I state that it takes longer because of the real world stuff of sweeping the floor, cleaning countertops, and wiping down the canvas before putting it away, plus all of the little accessories that take time to pack and stow. If you're the type of camper that wads up a tent and stuffs it in a bag without brushing the sand off first, then I'd say you probably won't get your money's worth out of a pop-up. Put them away clean however, and they'll last a very long time.

The one thing I don't like is that you almost always have to unhitch it to raise the roof. Unlike a teardrop or hardside, a pop-up really should be level before using it, and its a rare day to find it perfectly level on the hitch.