Conquering the Great Divide

[Old_Days]

I just got done reading this article in trailer life magazine. It makes me wonder if you could do this trip in a TC. Living in Colorado I spend a lot of time in the Mountains, but this trip would be a lot of fun.

[fiveeyes]

Sidecar is a true outdoorsman, who appreciates the value of quiet.
carry on

[lakeside013104]

SidecarFlip wrote:
I think probably the best thing about off road camping (I don't like the term boondocking(, I prefer dispersed camping is the fact that you are the only person, maybe for miles. Suits me fine. Don't like neighbors 20 feet away, screaming kids, barking dogs and insecure people that have to leave outside lights on all night, why we don't do campgrounds. When we retire it's pitch black outside, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. You retire and listen to the forest sounds, the animals moving about, trees creaking and an ocassional ember popping in your dying fire. I find all that very restful myself. Always sleep like a log and always get up rested.

Sure you don't have the convenience of a plug in or a water spigot or a dump station but you have serenity and in my view that is more important.

Probably why I like to hunt too.

Self reliance is a good thing. Doing what we do does have a learning curve but a little common sense and being prepared and you'll be fine.

Hey sidecar flip, you paint a picture so perfect, I need to get the camper ready to roll!!! The things you described are exactly as I prefer to camp. You described a perfect place to camp.
Enjoy.
Lakeside

[SidecarFlip]

I think probably the best thing about off road camping (I don't like the term boondocking(, I prefer dispersed camping is the fact that you are the only person, maybe for miles. Suits me fine. Don't like neighbors 20 feet away, screaming kids, barking dogs and insecure people that have to leave outside lights on all night, why we don't do campgrounds. When we retire it's pitch black outside, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. You retire and listen to the forest sounds, the animals moving about, trees creaking and an ocassional ember popping in your dying fire. I find all that very restful myself. Always sleep like a log and always get up rested.

Sure you don't have the convenience of a plug in or a water spigot or a dump station but you have serenity and in my view that is more important.

Probably why I like to hunt too.

Self reliance is a good thing. Doing what we do does have a learning curve but a little common sense and being prepared and you'll be fine.

[SidecarFlip]

Camp woof wrote:
Hi Sidecar, this is really detailed info that engineers like me appreciate! Time and stupidity (mine!) will tell what the difference is between a trail and a forest service road. Although not all FS roads were created equal by a long shot.

The good thing in my case is if the road is that bad then bike riding will be bad there too, so I'll avoid!
Dave

Be careful is all I can say. What may start out as a good road / trail can turn into a nightmare quickly. I'd suggest if you want to explore get USGS topo maps and study them. They usually have roads and trails marked.

My seasonal access road into my property is fair but beyond the property line the trail peters out pretty quick and vanishes into the forest with no place to turn around. Why I like taking the quad along. Allows me to have a look-see before I get in a situation I might regret. The quad will go just about anywhere including right through the woods if need be and mine has a winch on it if I happen to get stuck.

When we bought the place, I spent many an hour on the quad just poking around. Took the truck up with no camper in the bed, just the 4 wheeler and some grub in a cooler.

Never been out your way but I'm sure it's about the same trail / access road wise. They look fine and then end and I'm not a good backer upper.

[Camp_woof]

Hi Sidecar, this is really detailed info that engineers like me appreciate! Time and stupidity (mine!) will tell what the difference is between a trail and a forest service road. Although not all FS roads were created equal by a long shot.

The good thing in my case is if the road is that bad then bike riding will be bad there too, so I'll avoid!
Dave

[ppine]

No one conquers the Great Divide. You just learn to co-exist with it.
I remember sitting in the rain with a string of mules in Colorado one July morning. There was lightning hitting the pass above treeline. The temperature was around 45 degrees. The lightning eased for a while and we made a dash to get over the Continental Divide. Once we were safely on the other side it started up again.

[SidecarFlip]

Camp woof wrote:
One photo in the article showed what look like a few 35' trailers being towed into the area of the photo. I always thought if a huge trailer can get somewhere, my hard-side should get there too?

I may, but again, it may not, depending on the difficulty of the trail / access road.

I see a couple issues with conventional trailers, mainly ground clearance and length. Even a moderate technical trail would cause issues underneath.

Up here (Michigan) we deal mostly with forested camping so overhead clearance becomes an issue. On out 'up north' property, I'm dealing with low clearance (trees) and side clearances as well (I've scratched my sides up a bit negotiating the 'seasonal road' the allows us access to our land.

My old Lance hardside (that I sold) would never be able to access out land, I'd be ripping the top off or spending lots of time cutting branches off to obtain the needed clearance, something I don't want to do.

Out west the trails are more open. Back east (here), they aren't, why we opted for a pop up. Couple other reasons as well, mainly a low Cg. The access road (trail) has off camber uphill (and leaving downhill) turns as well as a water crossing and the road in is strewn with large rocks and frequently downed trees you have to negotiate (why I carry a bow saw and a chainsaw along, plus other equipment like my portable winch, sand pads, fuel for the saw, snatch straps and a tire repair kit.

I run old school HappyJac tie downs (with quick release spring loaded turnbuckles and I do that for a reason. I like the frame mount tie down system but, when negotiating a trail, things can get tight and the sides of the trail can get close ad those frame mount tie down points become points where things (rocks, logs and even the side of a trail can snag them with bad results), whereas the HJ's are up high and snag proof. Even considered removing the jacks from the TC but so far they have not been an issue and I take my time. Taking it slow is a necessary prerequisite. You don't go willy-nilly down any trail or you'll wind up in a pickle real fast.

Never had an issue with the HJ system though I did 'upfit' to their cam action turnbuckles, I'm not fond of turning hex nuts to tension the tie down's to secure the camper. Was a worthwhile 100 buck upgrade.

I'd say 4 wheel drive and aggressive tires as well as adequate ground clearance are necessary too. First thing I do when I leave the pavement is stop and lock in my hubs (I have manual locking hubs) and shift the transfer case into low range. My truck came with limited slip in the back and I added a locker to the front differential as well. You don't want to be in a situation where you need to be in 4wd and you aren't because getting stuck is no fun at all.

Our Palomino already has a low CG and I pack the heavy stuff (like our inverter genny on the floor of the camper and with a pop up, you don't have anything heavy up high anyway, no high mount microwave, no high mount fridge full of food, no high mount anything because the roof has to retract so everything is already low. With the Lance, heavy stuff was up high and I could always feel that going down the road. With the Palomino there is no sway on the road and you never get the 'penduelum' effect, don't even know it's back there unless I look in the mirrors.

That brings me to another point and that is, a dually truck won't work because trails are tight and a dually is wide. SRW trucks only, except for wide open 'trails' and I haven't seen one yet. Wide hips don't work, neither does a wide TC, it's all about clearances.

When I pick out where I want to camp (and I tend to park on the same spot on our land because I have my 'fire ring' and cut wood already stacked up for my campfire), a get situated, release the tie down's and level the camper with the jacks. The forest floor is very uneven and I'm not one to carry levelling blocks (because storage room in a pop up is premium in the first place) so I level the camper with the jacks and leave the truck under it. I'm usually pulling my quad along on it's small trailer so before I set the unit, I unhook the trailer. Toll out the manual awning, lift the top (it's pushbutton, the Reico-Titan lift system is wonderful, takes all of 20 seconds to raise the top after you unlatch it), get the lawn chairs out, set the fire ring, put in some wood and we are happy.

My Palomino has every convenience that a hardside has except an oven. It has a fridge, furnace (for those cold forest nights), hot and cold running water, wet bath and crapper (for my wife as I tend to use the outside shower, getting naked isn't an issue as no one is around anyway, it's not a campground, we are alone other than the forest creatures and they don't care) dual batteries and I carry a small genny to keep the batteries charged. I sleep on a CPAP machine so I need the auxillary power. Only thing we have is an am / fm/ weatherband radio and I have my cell phone (which don't work in the boonies anyway) and a SAT phone (which does). I recommend having a SAT phone if you offroad. They aren't cheap and airtime is expensive but they work anywhere and airtime is pay as you go.

Just go prepared for any situation and that will include a first aid kit and necessary tools and equipment should you get in a pickle and you probably will.:W

How we do it. I realize this post is a long one but you asked so I replied.

In closing there are other 'pop ups' out there besides Palomino. It all depends on you needs and to a certain extent your wallet too. The Palomino works for us just fine and we live close to the factory (60 miles) so if I need something factory related I can get it. I have a 1 ton truck. I'd not recommend any camper on a half ton but then that's me.

Any questions or concerns, just ask and I'll reply....

[lakeside013104]

I will make sure sidecar flip reads this and hopefully he will chime in.

Lakeside

[Camp_woof]

One photo in the article showed what look like a few 35' trailers being towed into the area of the photo. I always thought if a huge trailer can get somewhere, my hard-side should get there too?

[Old_Days]

I agree a hard side TC could get beat up pretty good. My son has a roof nest on a jeep that would work a lot better.

[Grit_dog]

What a fun trip! Agree, I’d shy away from too much off road off camber stuff with a full size TC.
Maybe a pop up on a 250 would work well. Something like sidecar flip has. He might respond, sounds like he takes his into the backcountry quite a ways. But I’ve never had one of those , just the big white whale TCs that require very slow driving off road to keep from twisting up the truck and camper too much.
Low center of gravity is your friend.

[ajriding]

Your profile says, 2011 Ford F-250 FX, Northern lite 811 sportsman 150 watts solar.

I would not want to do it with a regular hard side TC - thats a lot of shaking and rocking. Not sure the hold-down points would endure. I would love to follow your adventures if you try though, online that is…

[Old_Days]

Thank you. wnjj

[wnjj]

Old Days wrote:
Here is the link.
http://www.trailerlife.com/lifestyle/destinations/conquering-the-great-divide/

Clickable for those us of us tablets.