TT When Solo....OR Truck Camper?

[Baja_Man]

Currently have the TT listed in my sig.

Retired last year at 58 and soon to be turning 60!

I camp with wife and two sons....one in grad school (23yo) and one with Autism (17yo) who will always be with us. He loves to camp!

Older son and wife do not want me to sell the trailer, regardless of how often we use it. They love the floor plan and always want the ability to take it camping when we travel as a family. Ok, I can live with that.

That being said.......

There appears to be opportunities when not everyone wants to go on longer adventures (2-4 weeks) or as often as I want to go. Therefore, I am considering traveling solo. Although after a few days, I may feel lonely without them (as we have always traveled and camped together since the kids were little). Local 3-5 day trips are the wife/older son's preference and maybe 3-4 times per year.

I would like to go on 1-3 week adventures where fishing is involved. Both fly and conventional.....coast, mountains, rivers, and lakes.

I have considered purchasing a truck camper (TC) and use it when traveling solo. I am excited about these solo trips, just not sure I will fully commit and do it very often. Maybe I can aim for 2-3 times per year.

I already have the TT but I feel as it may be too big for solo travel. Parking, RV parks, overnight sleeping while on the road, etc....appear to be easier in a TC.

Questions:

1. Is traveling solo in the TT too much of a hassle and not worth it? I do prefer the comforts of the TT, over a TC.

2. Does anybody here do something similar to what I am thinking?

3. Other options, ideas, etc?

Thanks!

[big_jeff1]

Baja Man wrote:
Currently have the TT listed in my sig.

Retired last year at 58 and soon to be turning 60!

I camp with wife and two sons....one in grad school (23yo) and one with Autism (17yo) who will always be with us. He loves to camp!

Older son and wife do not want me to sell the trailer, regardless of how often we use it. They love the floor plan and always want the ability to take it camping when we travel as a family. Ok, I can live with that.

That being said.......

There appears to be opportunities when not everyone wants to go on longer adventures (2-4 weeks) or as often as I want to go. Therefore, I am considering traveling solo. Although after a few days, I may feel lonely without them (as we have always traveled and camped together since the kids were little). Local 3-5 day trips are the wife/older son's preference and maybe 3-4 times per year.

I would like to go on 1-3 week adventures where fishing is involved. Both fly and conventional.....coast, mountains, rivers, and lakes.

I have considered purchasing a truck camper (TC) and use it when traveling solo. I am excited about these solo trips, just not sure I will fully commit and do it very often. Maybe I can aim for 2-3 times per year.

I already have the TT but I feel as it may be too big for solo travel. Parking, RV parks, overnight sleeping while on the road, etc....appear to be easier in a TC.

Questions:

1. Is traveling solo in the TT too much of a hassle and not worth it? I do prefer the comforts of the TT, over a TC.

2. Does anybody here do something similar to what I am thinking?

3. Other options, ideas, etc?

Thanks!

Seems exactly like me! We had a Keystone travel trailer for our camping excursions. The family out grew it! Camping was out.. but not for me. Still loved going out. I never liked towing the trailer and knew that maintaining it would be too much for me. I decided it was not worth keeping so I sold it and bought a used lance truck camper. Best decision I ever made.

I take the camper out at least twice a month on the weekends, places that the travel trailer would never make it. I'm more relaxed driving it because I don't worry about places to get gas, making turns, busy areas.. etc. The camper has more than enough room for me and my boys have spent time in it as well. Never looked back, loving my camper and can't wait to go out again..

[Samsonsworld]

Baja Man wrote:

I was thinking of a pop up TC....like a Hallmark Guanella or FWC Hawk.

My first trailer was basically a hi-low with canvas sides like a pop-up. I loved that trailer for boondocking. You could open the sides up to get a breeze and stay pretty comfortable inside up to around 80 degrees.

The downside is I found the plastics around the windows get really brittle in cooler weather < 45 degrees F. After a few cracks, I swore I'd never have another.

[profdant139]

I think that keeping your existing TT, at least for now, is a wise move. See how it goes and then maybe splurge on a TC.

For whatever it is worth, we use our little TT (12 foot box!) as a base camp for boondocking. Each day of the trip, we leave the trailer in place at the campsite and use the truck as our back-country vehicle to take us to remote trailheads. Many of these trailheads would be difficult to reach with a large truck camper due to overhanging branches and very rough terrain. That is especially true in the Eastern Sierra and Colorado.

A small pop up truck camper would be more agile but would be a little more cramped.

So if you want to go exploring and to visit a lot of different fishing spots, a TT/TV combo may give you more options.

On the other hand, if you want to actually camp right on a remote creek or lake, then a small TC may be the way to go.

[Baja_Man]

Samsonsworld wrote:
This thread caught my eye as I'm contemplating going from a 32' 5th wheel to a TC. Its usually just me and the dog and the trailer is huge to clean and haul around. I don't like going through gas stations with it and the 5-6mpg doesn't help that. Its 50 amp and 3 slides. I can't cool it in the summers with 2 a/c's, making boondocking impractical. I miss pulling up next to the water and doing some real camping.

The cons would be the size of the holding tanks and lack of ammenities in the TC's I can haul in my F250. Looking at a Palomino HS-1803. Not sure about a wet bath, no bathroom sink and no closet? But maybe you have more than a 3100lb payload.

I was thinking of a pop up TC....like a Hallmark Guanella or FWC Hawk. My older F350 SRW Cew Cab, V10, 4X2, has a payload of approx. 3500#....That is too heavy of a camper for my comfort. 2000#-2200# WET would be my comfort level, hence the soft side preference. I also prefer the lower profile.

There are sacrifices as you mentioned. As mentioned in the posts, using a TT/5er solo can be done.

In your case, your trailer is much larger than mine. A TC may be more practical for you since you always travel solo and with a furry friend. I also camp with my family so keeping the TT is a MUST for me.

[Samsonsworld]

This thread caught my eye as I'm contemplating going from a 32' 5th wheel to a TC. Its usually just me and the dog and the trailer is huge to clean and haul around. I don't like going through gas stations with it and the 5-6mpg doesn't help that. Its 50 amp and 3 slides. I can't cool it in the summers with 2 a/c's, making boondocking impractical. I miss pulling up next to the water and doing some real camping.

The cons would be the size of the holding tanks and lack of ammenities in the TC's I can haul in my F250. Looking at a Palomino HS-1803. Not sure about a wet bath, no bathroom sink and no closet? But maybe you have more than a 3100lb payload.

[Baja_Man]

Thermoguy wrote:
Camping this past week the people nearest us had a van camper. Every morning, they made breakfast, packed up their van and drove off, coming back that night. Until the 3rd night when someone else parked where they had been camping (not a reservation location). They drove in the area, drove around, then left to go somewhere else. Having a truck camper, if you went fishing, or just drive around the area, you could lose your camp spot having to find another one possibly every day. The advantage to a TT is you leave it, take the truck and come back to your camper after a day of fishing...

So true! After a day, fishing the last thing I want to do is to be searching for a camp/RV spot!

[Thermoguy]

Camping this past week the people nearest us had a van camper. Every morning, they made breakfast, packed up their van and drove off, coming back that night. Until the 3rd night when someone else parked where they had been camping (not a reservation location). They drove in the area, drove around, then left to go somewhere else. Having a truck camper, if you went fishing, or just drive around the area, you could lose your camp spot having to find another one possibly every day. The advantage to a TT is you leave it, take the truck and come back to your camper after a day of fishing...

[StirCrazy]

Grit dog wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:
I have both a 40 foot 5th and a camper and to be honest it depends what I am doing at the destination on which one I take if I am buy myself. if I have some where to park the beast I'll take that and then the truck is free for driving around visiting and in smaller areas. if I am going places where parking the 5th is not the best then I take the camper. for fishing it would come down to do I have to 4x4 from the campground to the lake, then I take the 5th , if I can drive into where I want to fish easily, I take the camper.

Lol

I read it again to see if I made a joke, whats amusing to you?

[shelbyfv]

Sounds like the best plan for now. If your wife still has to work, she may not be too happy about you traipsing about unless you take the kid with you. The trailer will be more comfortable for two.

[Baja_Man]

Thank you to all who have provided advice from your personal experiences. That makes it easier for me to determine the best path forward. Many times, it just takes listening to the experience of others to see things from a different perspective.

It sounds like using my current TT is the best option for me at this time. I'll give it a go a few times and see how it works out.

Thanks!

[Grit_dog]

StirCrazy wrote:
I have both a 40 foot 5th and a camper and to be honest it depends what I am doing at the destination on which one I take if I am buy myself. if I have some where to park the beast I'll take that and then the truck is free for driving around visiting and in smaller areas. if I am going places where parking the 5th is not the best then I take the camper. for fishing it would come down to do I have to 4x4 from the campground to the lake, then I take the 5th , if I can drive into where I want to fish easily, I take the camper.

Lol

[Caveman_Charlie]

I love my short 22 foot TT. It's so easy to unhook and go places if I want to.

You may find that when you are by yourself there is much less stuff that you need to bring with. That makes going places easier.

As much as I love camping with the girlfriend, her grand kids, kids, and extended family I also love just hooking up to the TT and going out with a couple of changes of underwear.

Just use what you have without all the extra stuff that a large group need to bring with.

Just hook up and go !!!!!

[StirCrazy]

I have both a 40 foot 5th and a camper and to be honest it depends what I am doing at the destination on which one I take if I am buy myself. if I have some where to park the beast I'll take that and then the truck is free for driving around visiting and in smaller areas. if I am going places where parking the 5th is not the best then I take the camper. for fishing it would come down to do I have to 4x4 from the campground to the lake, then I take the 5th , if I can drive into where I want to fish easily, I take the camper.

[mosseater]

I'd love to go solo sometime. I def would do it. But then, I can sit in a tree all day waiting for a deer too. LOl.