I like it!

Side entry is great for when you want to have a bike rack on the back. Although I recently installed the Yakima Back Swing so you unlatch and pull the safety pin and the bikes swing out of the way for my rear steps.

I don't want to trade in for a side entry as I have so much custom work into my current camper, it would be hard for me to give it up.

towpro wrote:
We used to put the ramp from my 7x14 motorcycle carrier down and sit it on 2 milk crates for our camping deck. this also kept you out of the sand and by being a little off the ground with wood between yourself and ground helps fight off the evening biting bugs.
than if it starts to rain you just move into the trailer and leave the door open.

I used a spare wheel and a 2x6 this past summer, worked for the kids and dog.

We used to put the ramp from my 7x14 motorcycle carrier down and sit it on 2 milk crates for our camping deck. this also kept you out of the sand and by being a little off the ground with wood between yourself and ground helps fight off the evening biting bugs.
than if it starts to rain you just move into the trailer and leave the door open.

I can see the benefit of a deck like this:



First, you can open your camper door and let the toddler or dog out onto the enclosed deck while you fix lunch, etc.

Second, if there was a major rainstorm and the ground is a swamp, you can still sit outside.

Third, with the raised deck, you can have a better view of the lake, ocean, etc.

Fourth, you have a covered space to store firewood, etc, while camped.

Is it something everyone wants or needs? No. But is it something that will cater only to people who "want to be in nature, without being in nature"? No.

mellow wrote:
A rear Deck/Porch is awesome to have with a rear door down to the beach, it gives you a place to put stuff (firewood/grill) and to be able to stop the trafficking of sand into the camper, however this design can not be left down while traveling so it severely limits the good use of a rear deck for me.

Example of a useful rear deck:

I could definitely see the advantages of having a deck especially someone like me who wants nothing to do with the outside world other than the beach and the nature in the vicinity of the beach. I will never go to the mountains again as it's been done for me. Sand flees and Sqeeters are a problem every where but The real advantage of the deck I think is the ability to just totally avoid something I've been in all day long, Nature! The dogs would also be at home on the deck with nothing to worry about. I do however see a problem with getting in the only door that's on my camper without deploying the deck. Problem? No clue. You did a really nice job on your deck but also the weight will have to factor in as I've sworn off white knuckle driving ever again. As with anything with Rv and campers, Especially truck campers is that there is always a trade off.

towpro wrote:
any engineers here?
if you put 600 lbs of people on the outer edge of that tech, now many lbs are transferred to the cable mount on the wall? because its a 45 deg angle, does it amplify the weight on the wall?

The COG of 11' TC is about 7 feet from rear jacks (pivoting points).
So assuming camper weight 4000 lb, it would take 4000 lb of human load on the rear of the patio to start tipping it over.
Manufacturer rated it at 1500lb, so we have safety factor of >3.
As for the cable tension, it is 1500 lb x (sin of 45degree) 1.41 = 2115lb for 2 cables, assuming all people stand on the edge of the deck.
For 600 lb of people each cable tension will be 423 lb.
The site says each cable is rated at 1200lb, probably with safety factor of 3 as well.
I assumed cables are mounted at 7' distance length at height, when the shorter mount will increase cable tension, but then not likely you will have 1500 lb of people sitting on the rear edge.
Realistically I think the wall mount will be the weakest point, but they reinforced the beam there.

We've never been pinched on our side entry in regards to egress or extending the passenger slide, however the awning has been limited at times.

mkirsch wrote:

HMS Beagle wrote:
I wonder, on this and other side entry campers, if it is ever an inconvenience needing to have a fair amount of free space on the curb side to deploy the stairs. Both in a campsite and in the grocery store parking lot.

I've considered a side entry but this worry has always made me wonder. What are peoples experience?

It's no different than any other class of RV. They're all side entry. I'm sure there is a rare rear entry travel trailer floating around out there but TCs are the only ones commonly rear entry.

Thanks to people for sharing their experience. I believe a TC is different than other RVs, because the floor is normally quite a bit higher, so more steps, so more room required. A typical trailer for example will have 2 steps, my Bigfoot TC has 6. Also, you don't typically park a trailer or 5th wheel in the convenience store parking lot or parallel downtown - which is one reason I have a TC.

But it sounds like owners of side entry TCs don't experience much inconvenience.

With the popularity of toyhauler ramps used as patios and outdoor "entertainment" areas, this seems like a great addition and good marketing to set yourself apart form the competition.
One of the reasons I honed in on a toyhualer when switching from the TC to a pull behind was to be able to use the the ramp as a patio.
Do we "need" the extra space? Not really. But I like the concept and for me, it was like a $30 option (cost of chain and a couple tie down brackets from the hardware store).
If someone don't like it, the good news is EVERY other TC produced is not offered with a patio, so shouldn't be an issue finding one without this unwanted feature!

Deb and Ed M wrote:
I can see where the rear deck makes the whole camper "feel" more spacious, just like my deck at home is an extension of our living area. But realistically, we don't sit in one place long enough to make deploying the deck worthwhile. And if we ARE going to sit in one spot for a long weekend, we take the 20' TT, simply because it's a "palace" compared to the TC....LOL!

Well, I wouldn’t say a 20’ TT is a palace compared to my TC, but it might be to yours.

However, I do agree that if I was going to stay parked in an RV for days at a time with the RV being the only activity, I wouldn’t be taking a TC. My Class A was much more comfortable but also not anywhere near as manuevable.