What are the pitfalls of camping in a Hybrid?

[RVhavingfun_]

Versus camping in an enclosed TT?
I just want to know what I'm getting myself into before we decide what to purchase.
We are leaning heavily toward the hybrid as of now because I like the idea of still having that tent feel as well as the space for a family of 5, but I'm sure there are issues I haven't considered because I don't know enough about hybrids.
I'm no stranger to tent camping, but I've never camped in a camper of any kind.
Thanks!

[mdcamping]

On Our old TT which was so small we slept on the u shaped dinette which every morning we had to break down for the day and in the evening re set up for sleeping. So going to a hybrid where we just set up our bed once and break down once was a huge bonus... yup for us it is glass half full! :C

Mike

[drenjoey]

I do agree when you say "to each their own "

I guess it all comes down to how you like to sleep / the condensation / outside temperature / interior set up / where you go camping / how long is your camping season / and probably a lot more.

Here in Maine, the season is four to five months....and I forgot to mention in my previous post that here in Maine, and since our first hybrid (2007), we used the AC only once (in 9 years)

[Cocky_Camper]

Wavesprite wrote:
I think that it depends on if you are say a couple setting up, or a person with a older kid, etc. We are a couple, and we have 2 kids (14 and 11). We all have a "job" when we get to the campground, and basically we end our setup jobs at around the same time. I think that it takes us about 10 minutes to be setup, beds made, etc from the time we unhitch. Tear down, maybe 20. I do the inside, making up the beds, handing stuff to the guys outside that needs to go out. We have a bucket for shoes, and a bucket for wood, etc.

We use a sheet on the mattress, the kids each use a sleeping bag and blanket, my DH and I have a memory foam topper with xlarge cotton sleeping bags zipped together, and blankets.

If we're moving campsites we just pulle our bed (we sleep in the front) into the middle of the camper made up (like a bed), then I throw the kids bedding on top and put their mattress in the hallway for the day.

If we're folding up for a long time, everything gets rolled up and put in it's place.

If you had a hard side, wouldn't you have to tear down the bedding anyways to wash it after each trip? I'm not sure how having a hard side would save you any time (maybe 5 minutes) for folding in the bunk ends?

Yeah, we will strip beds still after each trip, but they will be premade for arriving. That is one pro for us. As I just mentioned, we have a U-shaped dinette in front of hte front bunk and the rear bunk has about a 2 ft opening to get into the read bed, and it is aggrevating to make due to that.

We ran across a great deal on a TT that we can't pass up.

[Cocky_Camper]

drenjoey wrote:

hybrid_camper wrote:
We moved up from a hybrid from a pop-up about 8 years ago. We used our pop up one week a year to camp at the beach. We purchased the hybrid thinking that we would use it more by taking long weekend trips. The first year we used it maybe three time and used it twice two years and then once a year after that like the pop up. I hate the hybrid for short weekend trips. When you arrive, you have to set the beds up, put sheets on the beds, make the beds, etc. We also place tarps over the beds for one, to help keep it cooler, and to keep the ends clean. When you get home, you have to open the beds to air them out if it rained or if the A/C was on due to condensation. We love the hybrid for our week summer vacation, but it is to much for a short trip. We have been talking of getting a new TT. We found a great deal on a used one, so we are looking at purchasing it this weekend to see if we will use it more before purchasing a brand new one.

Since you've owned popups and hybrids, you are used to sleep under tents...... You might not like to sleep in a confined area.

We're on our third hybrid, and nowadays, 5 minutes is all it takes to make the beds. We used to put sheets on the beds, and found out quickly that sleeping bags is the way to go.
As for the tarps over the beds, we never saw the need to install those in Maine. Where we camp, there are no issues that makes us want to install tarps....No condensation and even sap is not an issue at the campgrounds we go to.

You may be right, I'm sure that I will miss sleeping under the tent ends, but we could really hear to much on the outside due the the blasting A/C though.

I'm not playing devils advocate here, but sleeping bags are not for me. I have to beable to stretch me leg from under the covers, so a sleeping bag wouldn't work for me.

We camp in SC, which has a lot of pines and humidity. If we pack up in the morning, there is condensation on the exterior of the canvas most of the times.

To each their own when it comes to different camper types. One of the cons about our hybrid is that I really don't like the layout at all. The is a U-shaped bench/table in front of the front bunk, and the back bunk only has a section about 2ft wide to get in and out. Some Pro's for us is that you can sleep under the tents, they are smaller in size while towing compared to TT, but sleep as much if not more than a TT.

We just have a deal that it is awesome, so we are jumping ship

[Wavesprite]

I think that it depends on if you are say a couple setting up, or a person with a older kid, etc. We are a couple, and we have 2 kids (14 and 11). We all have a "job" when we get to the campground, and basically we end our setup jobs at around the same time. I think that it takes us about 10 minutes to be setup, beds made, etc from the time we unhitch. Tear down, maybe 20. I do the inside, making up the beds, handing stuff to the guys outside that needs to go out. We have a bucket for shoes, and a bucket for wood, etc.

We use a sheet on the mattress, the kids each use a sleeping bag and blanket, my DH and I have a memory foam topper with xlarge cotton sleeping bags zipped together, and blankets.

If we're moving campsites we just pulle our bed (we sleep in the front) into the middle of the camper made up (like a bed), then I throw the kids bedding on top and put their mattress in the hallway for the day.

If we're folding up for a long time, everything gets rolled up and put in it's place.

If you had a hard side, wouldn't you have to tear down the bedding anyways to wash it after each trip? I'm not sure how having a hard side would save you any time (maybe 5 minutes) for folding in the bunk ends?

[drenjoey]

hybrid_camper wrote:
We moved up from a hybrid from a pop-up about 8 years ago. We used our pop up one week a year to camp at the beach. We purchased the hybrid thinking that we would use it more by taking long weekend trips. The first year we used it maybe three time and used it twice two years and then once a year after that like the pop up. I hate the hybrid for short weekend trips. When you arrive, you have to set the beds up, put sheets on the beds, make the beds, etc. We also place tarps over the beds for one, to help keep it cooler, and to keep the ends clean. When you get home, you have to open the beds to air them out if it rained or if the A/C was on due to condensation. We love the hybrid for our week summer vacation, but it is to much for a short trip. We have been talking of getting a new TT. We found a great deal on a used one, so we are looking at purchasing it this weekend to see if we will use it more before purchasing a brand new one.

Since you've owned popups and hybrids, you are used to sleep under tents...... You might not like to sleep in a confined area.

We're on our third hybrid, and nowadays, 5 minutes is all it takes to make the beds. We used to put sheets on the beds, and found out quickly that sleeping bags is the way to go.
As for the tarps over the beds, we never saw the need to install those in Maine. Where we camp, there are no issues that makes us want to install tarps....No condensation and even sap is not an issue at the campgrounds we go to.

[Cocky_Camper]

We moved up from a hybrid from a pop-up about 8 years ago. We used our pop up one week a year to camp at the beach. We purchased the hybrid thinking that we would use it more by taking long weekend trips. The first year we used it maybe three time and used it twice two years and then once a year after that like the pop up. I hate the hybrid for short weekend trips. When you arrive, you have to set the beds up, put sheets on the beds, make the beds, etc. We also place tarps over the beds for one, to help keep it cooler, and to keep the ends clean. When you get home, you have to open the beds to air them out if it rained or if the A/C was on due to condensation. We love the hybrid for our week summer vacation, but it is to much for a short trip. We have been talking of getting a new TT. We found a great deal on a used one, so we are looking at purchasing it this weekend to see if we will use it more before purchasing a brand new one.

[captnjack]

For me it's noise and colder nights. Heated mattresses make a big difference though.

[JimNH]

We have a KZ 16RBT and we love it. We can tow it with our Tacoma so we don't need a huge truck. We also found that our favorite campsites will let us onto the "tent or popup only" sites that are on the waterfront, where normal TT's don't get to park since our trailer is small enough. We also were able to get a seasonal site when there was no availability becasue we were small enough to fit on the only site available. With the ends open, it is much like a 23 or 24 foot trailer, albeit with a lot fewer storage areas.

[gwh1bass]

We Cant Wait wrote:
The BIG ISSUES the DW and I had with our hybrid were, 1) when cold out the canvas was cold on your back if you rolled up against it, 2) having to sleep cross wise required the the person sleeping next to the front canvas to climb over the other person in the middle of the night to go the bathroom.

This is my major issue!

[bisaacs]

I do a lot of dry camping and would not be comfortable on a warm summer night if I didn't have screens on three sides. Hard side trailers can get pretty hot if there is no A/C.

Usually when you pack up in the morning the tent ends are wet from dew; rain has never been a problem. I simply open the ends up in my driveway when the weather is clear--don't even have to prop the canvas up.

When we camp in cool weather we insist on power. Electric mattress pads keep us toasty at night with one small electric heater running. I could see problems in extreme weather.

My biggest problem is lightning storms. You don't get that warm and fuzzy feeling in a tent end!

[bikendan]

Bobbie Cat wrote:
Yellowstone does not allow canvas in some of its campgrounds due to bears. Yosemite probably should ban soft sides. Big bear problems there. Outside of that I don't know of any restrictions.

we've camped, with our hybrid, in Yellowstone, Glacier and Yosemite.
NEVER had any problem with bears but we always follow bear policies.

Yellowstone has only ONE campground with a permanent ban on soft-sided campers, Fishing Bridge CG.
but you can camp with soft-sided campers, at all the other campgrounds in the Park. including Bridge Bay CG, which is a short distance from Fishing Bridge.
camped in California for over 30 years and have never heard of any bear issues/incidents with soft-sided campers.

[Bobbie_Cat]

We bought our first hybrid used in 2008. Loved it so much we bought a new one in 2012. We live in Colorado and that means bears. We camp 30 to 45 days a year in state parks and NFS hosted campgrounds. No problems with bears. We've only seen one bear in a campground and it left quickly with the host right behind it. If you plan on doing dispersed camping (public land no campground) you might have a problem especially if you leave food out or hang humming bird feeders. Bears love humming bird feeders. One came in our back yard in town after a humming bird feeder. Yellowstone does not allow canvas in some of its campgrounds due to bears. Yosemite probably should ban soft sides. Big bear problems there. Outside of that I don't know of any restrictions.

[3LittleDucks]

We love ours, but spend a lot of time 'turtling', once night stays, noise, weather etc are the usual reasons. The set up time is negligable if your use to tenting, or PUP camping, but it's still there.

We made sure to find an HTT that could comfortably sleep all of us (5) without having to 'pop out', when we do, the space is an added bonus and we enjoy the airy feel (particularly if we're by any water, or somewhere with a great view).

[Wavesprite]

captnjack wrote:

Wavesprite wrote:
I haven't read all the responses, but I think for us, it's the "possibility of rain".

Here's the thing. We don't mind camping in the rain in the hybrid, if we're setup and ready to go, rain all you want! BUT, the possibility of having to setup in the rain and more importantly put the tent ends in wet is something that steers when we camp or not. If there is imminent weather, we don't do a spur of the moment trip like we might if we had an enclosed trailer.

Opening the tent ends constitutes a small fraction of the time involved in setting up the trailer from the outside. Unhook two latches and swing em down. Literally takes less than 30 seconds per tent end. Positioning mattress and putting up support pole is done from inside.

If you have to put the tent ends away wet you just open them back up when you get home. They will dry on their own.

Full disclosure: My hybrid is newer (two years old). Older ones may be more of a problem.

Yes, I failed to mention that ours is a 2003, so everything is from the outside except the poles. We have the bungees underneath. When we set up in the rain the bed floor comes down starts getting wet, then the tent goes over, hubby climbs up to put on the gizmo's, etc. It's not a HUGE hassle, but it is a hassle. We don't have anywhere to park ours at home, so if we come home wet, we have to setup at the storage lot which is frowned upon.....we've done it, but it's not fun to sit there while things dry out...