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Sub 2k lb camp trailer to tow with Bronco?

Toccoa

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These are cool, but I have a question. Do people not sleep in ground tents anymore? Or are they just not cool? Just curious. I’ve noticed everyone on B6G talks about trailers, roof tents, or sleeping inside, but not ground tents. It’s been a loooooong time since I went camping and was just curious if I’d be the odd man out because I can carry my overnight accommodations.
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tokyo

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We've done ground tents in the past and it is a great and flexible option.

We switched to trailer for a few reasons:

- Hard sided are required in some bear areas
- The packing and unpacking before each trip got old and I always forgot something.. like broom, salt, pancake flipper, matches.. always something missing. With trailer we keep a list and as we are camping and realize we want something else we write it on the list and buy as soon as we can. So trailer is always full stocked and ready to hook up and go
- With a hard sided trailer we actually enjoy when it snows or rains or is otherwise miserable weather. It is nice to be inside with the rain pounding outside. We enjoy sitting around the table playing cards or reading books and eating snacks. After we started camping in a trailer the kids got excited when weather turned nasty.. they enjoyed that time cooped up together. But kids are weirdos so..
- Always have a flat and level bed with big thick foam pad. Importanter the older I get
- A/C is nice in hot weather, heater is nice in cold weather
- Sink and fridge are great and convenient as well

For us and our family and the places we like camping a small trailer works great. But I have looked jealously at others packing light with a tent and heading more remote sometimes I must admit.
 

pan-y-cerveza

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These are cool, but I have a question. Do people not sleep in ground tents anymore? Or are they just not cool? Just curious. I’ve noticed everyone on B6G talks about trailers, roof tents, or sleeping inside, but not ground tents. It’s been a loooooong time since I went camping and was just curious if I’d be the odd man out because I can carry my overnight accommodations.
I still do both. Probably more nights in the tent than trailer

Trailer has its benefits though... Number one being that it's ready to go. All I need to do is hook up. Can leave on a whim. Food, water, fuel,, camp stove, bedding. All in there.

It's also warmer when it needs to be and cooler when it needs to be.

Roof tents still make no sense to me. I always see bears or weather as reasoning. I've spent a ton of nights in grizzly, puma, cougar, jaguar, country in a ground tent with not much worry. Weather can suck, sure, but not enough for me to drive around day-to-day with a behemoth of a tent in my roof.
 
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tokyo

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Roof tents still make no sense to me. I always see bears or weather as reasoning. I've spent a ton of nights in grizzly, puma, cougar, jaguar, country in a ground tent with not much worry. Weather can suck, sure, but not enough for me to drive around day-to-day with a behemoth of a tent in my roof.

Yes, this.

I talked with a guy in a nearby camp spot about his roof tent once and asked how he liked it.

He said he had only had it for a few weeks but was ready to get rid of it. The biggest reason he gave was that you can't go anywhere without putting the tent down. So he couldn't set up camp and then go off exploring the area. He had to explore first and then set up tent when we was done moving.

He also said it wasn't any quicker to set up than a ground tent..
 

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Yes, this.

I talked with a guy in a nearby camp spot about his roof tent once and asked how he liked it.

He said he had only had it for a few weeks but was ready to get rid of it. The biggest reason he gave was that you can't go anywhere without putting the tent down. So he couldn't set up camp and then go off exploring the area. He had to explore first and then set up tent when we was done moving.

He also said it wasn't any quicker to set up than a ground tent..
I always thought they were ridiculous but couldn't put my finger on why. Now I have the words. Being able to set up camp and head off having fun is the exact reason I want this thing to be able to tow a small trailer.
 

reidski29

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These are cool, but I have a question. Do people not sleep in ground tents anymore? Or are they just not cool? Just curious. I’ve noticed everyone on B6G talks about trailers, roof tents, or sleeping inside, but not ground tents. It’s been a loooooong time since I went camping and was just curious if I’d be the odd man out because I can carry my overnight accommodations.
Nope they do. I will admit I do both, travel trailer and tent camp. I cannot understand roof top tents (people have tried to explain their rational, but again it just doesn't seem logical to me).

When I do tent camp, it is with a sleeping cot on the ground and it is actually pretty nice. Just when going with the family for a week it would be really nice to have the travel trailer and some creature comforts to be honest.

Rooftop tents are expensive, take up valuable roof top space for gear, bikes, kayaks, are a b*tch to take off so you will be getting horrible gas mileage with it up there daily driving, and when it is time to take a leak in the middle of the night it would be the absolute worst! Plus, as others have said, it is like having an RV at a campsite. If you want to move, you need to pack everything up just to drive into town or to the trailhead.
 

fergthulhu

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I always thought they were ridiculous but couldn't put my finger on why. Now I have the words. Being able to set up camp and head off having fun is the exact reason I want this thing to be able to tow a small trailer.
I think it really depends on your use-case. I suspect it was mainly popularized by overlanding; since many of those folks are just setting up camp for the night then moving on to another location in the morning it makes a little more sense. They're expensive but significantly cheaper than a trailer and being on top of the car may make it a bit more consistent nightly experience than ground camping.

I'm with you though, for my use, they don't really make sense at all. If I did need something like that I'd probably look to one of the Ursa Minor type solutions that integrates it into the top because then the setup is quick and simple and it looks similar to stock.
 

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These are cool, but I have a question. Do people not sleep in ground tents anymore? Or are they just not cool? Just curious. I’ve noticed everyone on B6G talks about trailers, roof tents, or sleeping inside, but not ground tents. It’s been a loooooong time since I went camping and was just curious if I’d be the odd man out because I can carry my overnight accommodations.
Yep, some of us still tent camp all the time. My living room (aka gear room) mantel (aka tent storage): 3-person 4-season tent and insulated air mattress for winter camping; 1-person 3-season tent and closed-cell foam pad for backpacking; and 3-person 3-season tent and air mattress with hand-pump for car camping...plus ground tarp, tent lamps, and bear canister.

Ford Bronco Sub 2k lb camp trailer to tow with Bronco? 1609971432460


I have a whole wall dedicated to gear, too, and packs big enough to carry everything for a 50-mile backpack. Another reason a two-door Bronco will be plenty big enough for me :) But I do think people camp for different reasons. Some people go camping to go camping. I set up a tent to have a place to eat and sleep between destinations, so the faster and lighter, the better. I can pack for a camping trip in twenty minutes and set up a campsite even faster. I can't imagine dealing with a trailer.

So no - you won't be the odd man out. Lots of guys and gals still tent camping in a lot of places that will never see a trailer.
 

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We've done ground tents in the past and it is a great and flexible option.

We switched to trailer for a few reasons:

- Hard sided are required in some bear areas
- The packing and unpacking before each trip got old and I always forgot something.. like broom, salt, pancake flipper, matches.. always something missing. With trailer we keep a list and as we are camping and realize we want something else we write it on the list and buy as soon as we can. So trailer is always full stocked and ready to hook up and go
- With a hard sided trailer we actually enjoy when it snows or rains or is otherwise miserable weather. It is nice to be inside with the rain pounding outside. We enjoy sitting around the table playing cards or reading books and eating snacks. After we started camping in a trailer the kids got excited when weather turned nasty.. they enjoyed that time cooped up together. But kids are weirdos so..
- Always have a flat and level bed with big thick foam pad. Importanter the older I get
- A/C is nice in hot weather, heater is nice in cold weather
- Sink and fridge are great and convenient as well

For us and our family and the places we like camping a small trailer works great. But I have looked jealously at others packing light with a tent and heading more remote sometimes I must admit.
I love this thread! Thank you for starting this discussion. So much better than looking at jerry cans.

I love camping and I would encourage others to do it. Over the years I found I need to camp in Maine 12 months each year. That required a good “Base Camp One” in the mid-section. For that, I use an Oliver Elite II. The perfect option for when nighttime temps drop below -10 degrees.

My Bronco will facilitate establishing “Base Camp Two” and will be a ground tent equipped with a Hilleberg Staika for rough weather in northern Maine and New Brunswick, Canada.

For me, camping gives me life!

Ford Bronco Sub 2k lb camp trailer to tow with Bronco? Camping in Maine
 

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I still do both. Probably more nights in the tent than trailer

Trailer has its benefits though... Number one being that it's ready to go. All I need to do is hook up. Can leave on a whim. Food, water, fuel,, camp stove, bedding. All in there.

It's also warmer when it needs to be and cooler when it needs to be.

Roof tents still make no sense to me. I always see bears or weather as reasoning. I've spent a ton of nights in grizzly, puma, cougar, jaguar, country in a ground tent with not much worry. Weather can suck, sure, but not enough for me to drive around day-to-day with a behemoth of a tent in my roof.
And dogs. RTT, big dogs don't climb ladders. Ground tents, I'm too old for that unless backpacking. 19' 3klb dry trailer for us, need the furnace and inside bathroom. Tried a Eurovan poptop for two years, had a furnace, sink, stove, water, nice offroadable Class B. But no inside toilet. Stepping outside for #1 or #2 in foul weather is annoying in a Class B, RTT worse since you have to climb a friggin ladder.

Teardrop doesn't work for me, some A-frames have great appeal but we haven't tried one. There's a lot to like about some A-frame configurations.
 

broadicustomworks

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Ran across this one my cousin is trying to sell for payoff (owes about 7k).
2019 model.
I’m seriously considering it!

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Chuck_Ruck

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Well I was going to suggest taking a look at the Eureka line up, but apparently they are out of business. My uncle had gotten one of their trailers in a trade, and I had a peak inside. Two bench bunks, and a spartan kitchenette. No dining table but i could see a couple tray tables in the middle working. Toilet was a self contained aftermarket unit. Its the white unit in the back ground. Check your local FB marketplace, craigslist...etc. Personally I miss my Da's old Scotty by Shasta, but that thing was 30 years old, 30 years ago probably.

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