I am in the preliminary stages of planning a cross-country trip for my son and me for Spring 2015 (or maybe even 2016). I thought we'd get a cabover camper for our truck, but apparently Tundras aren't made for those. So Plan B is to buy a popup trailer. I am thinking that it would be easier to tow than a travel trailer (which we have). We'd be driving upwards of 10,000 miles over three months, so I am wondering if anyone has done this, towing a popup. We are going to head south from Northern California and stop in Las Vegas, Carlsbad NM, New Orleans, Orlando FL, and head up to Connecticut to Nova Scotia, then back to Buffalo, up to Canada and drop down to Glacier Nat'l Park, Mt Rainier, and back down to Nor Cal. Looks fun on paper, but I am thinking I may be under-thinking the towing part of the trip. I know it'll be tiring, but we'll be staying at least 3 days at most stops. And I fully intend to get a decked-out popup - with AC, toilet (for the boy who needs to pee in the middle of the night!), etc. Probably a high wall I'm thinking. :)Any suggestions, comments, innuendos? ;)

Sounds like a lot of fun. Only suggestion, have contingency funds in the event of mechanical failure. You could plan water parks, and theme parks along the way, zoos, historical landmarks, ghost tours, sporting events, quite a variety of activities along the way.And yes, you will get tired. Also plan some good "down time" to just sleep in long, and stay up late. A pop-up camper would work very well for your situation as opposed to a truck camper. You can park the camper and still get around in your truck without having to break camp every time you need to run to the store or visit a site.Have your tow vehicle checked out well before heading out, get new tires, or plan on having them replaced while en-route. Plan on oil changes for your truck also. A good average for driving (after reading hundreds of posts on RV.net, is about 200 miles a day (4-6 hours of driving). Any more and it gets real tiring, real fast.Hope your plans work out well for you. Happy planning!

We've done three week trips in the past with a popup. I've also done lengthy trips with just a tent. You should have no worries at all. Have fun!

Having owned both Lance TC's and tent trailers (2 each) I have a few comments:I think if you check, you will find that Lance does indeed make a TC specifically for a TundraBoth the Tent Trailer and TC are great ways to camp. As you would expect, both have limitations.A tent camper is roomy, but you need to literally unpack and pack at every stop. Also no access to the toilet on the road and tough access (if at all) to the reefer.A TC doesn't have the room that a tent trailer does, but it's available instantly when you pull into a spot and you should be able to get to both the reefer and toilet.I would find a XC trip in a tent trailer troublesome because of the packing/unpacking and setup issues. It would be OK if you were going to spend a few days at each location, but as far as setting up and tearing down every day -- not for me. I would consider a small TT first such as a Casita. If yo can pull a tent trailer then there will be a Casita that you can pull.Good luck with it.

I like popups so don't mean to discourage this choice, but FYI in case you're considering other towables:I was actually looking for a PUP when I stumbled over my present trailer, which is a standy-uppy molded fiberglass unit. Amenities are pretty much the same as a PUP, but you don't have to "pop it up" to use it. I've done a lot of traveling with it (much with my grandkids) and I can tell you that having the freedom to just stop/walk in/eat/sleep/p**/ WHATEVER is huge, convenience-wise.I've towed it over forty thousand miles with a '97 4-cyl Kia Sportage, if you can believe it. Your Toyota pickup wouldn't even know one of these little trailers was back there!

Thanks for the replies! You guys are right, I need to look into Casitas and Scamps. We *almost* bought a used Scamp four years ago, but ended up with our 18D Terry TT instead (which in hindsight was the best choice because we have 2 dogs now and they wouldn't have fit in the Scamp). I looked at the Lance campers, but ended up poopooing the idea because I don't want to max out the payload on the Tundra. Payload is 1600-ish, and the lightest Lance was the 825 model. We looked at the pop up truck campers as well, but the issue was the weight again. The Four Wheel campers were our best bet, and those were still pretty heavy - 900 lbs dry. I figure with my son and me and maybe a passenger at times, our clothes, food, bikes, etc., not to mention the added features on the camper like water (20 gal at 8 lb per gal), AC unit, etc., we'd be maxing out the payload.One thing I am worried about re. the PUPs is the quality. I have been reading other threads on RV.net and on other websites; folks have commented on rips in the canvas on new PUPs, doors that don't open properly, and floors that slope, etc. Particularly the Somerset E2. :( I really like those. Darn it!

XC Trip with Tent Trailer? | Good Sam Community

23 Replies

jmcgsd
Explorer
May 01, 2014
Having owned both Lance TC's and tent trailers (2 each) I have a few comments:
I think if you check, you will find that Lance does indeed make a TC specifically for a Tundra
Both the Tent Trailer and TC are great ways to camp. As you would expect, both have limitations.
A tent camper is roomy, but you need to literally unpack and pack at every stop. Also no access to the toilet on the road and tough access (if at all) to the reefer.
A TC doesn't have the room that a tent trailer does, but it's available instantly when you pull into a spot and you should be able to get to both the reefer and toilet.

I would find a XC trip in a tent trailer troublesome because of the packing/unpacking and setup issues. It would be OK if you were going to spend a few days at each location, but as far as setting up and tearing down every day -- not for me. I would consider a small TT first such as a Casita. If yo can pull a tent trailer then there will be a Casita that you can pull.

Good luck with it.
TucsonJim
Explorer II
May 01, 2014
We've done three week trips in the past with a popup. I've also done lengthy trips with just a tent. You should have no worries at all. Have fun!
DutchmenSport
Explorer
May 01, 2014
Sounds like a lot of fun. Only suggestion, have contingency funds in the event of mechanical failure. You could plan water parks, and theme parks along the way, zoos, historical landmarks, ghost tours, sporting events, quite a variety of activities along the way.

And yes, you will get tired. Also plan some good "down time" to just sleep in long, and stay up late.

A pop-up camper would work very well for your situation as opposed to a truck camper. You can park the camper and still get around in your truck without having to break camp every time you need to run to the store or visit a site.

Have your tow vehicle checked out well before heading out, get new tires, or plan on having them replaced while en-route. Plan on oil changes for your truck also. A good average for driving (after reading hundreds of posts on RV.net, is about 200 miles a day (4-6 hours of driving). Any more and it gets real tiring, real fast.

Hope your plans work out well for you. Happy planning!

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XC Trip with Tent Trailer?

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