Transporting auxillary camping equipment

[Schnooglebug]

How do you transport your auxillary camping equipment eg. canopies, side tents, shower tents, folding tables etc. ? Do stow them in your tow vehicle or carry them on or in your trailer/tongue box?

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Usually in the camper or tow vehicle, or on the vehicle's roof rack. But sometimes you have to get creative.

11150195_10100125903006882_69811193837528361_n.jpg (174.11 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

[Don L.]

I noticed a difference if I didn't keep some weight in the tow vehicle, a Nissan Xterra. The trailer would sway some when a semi would pass me. So the weighty things go in the Xterra and on the floor in the front of the trailer, that pretty much eliminated the sway.

I can fit a couple of 10x10 canopies under the bed at the rear of the trailer but I avoid that. Instead I keep lighter things like a rollup plastic rug there, chairs, chocks.

I also try to keep the heavier things low and lighter things on top, a lower center of gravity makes the handling of my vehicle better which is safer and more controllable.

[working on it]

• I'm trying to load everything in simple stages, for camping at a moment's notice, as opposed to my life-long habit of packing up everything (including the kitchen sink) over a two day period prior to any trip (whether a two day trip to a race, or a week at a beach). I've reduced prep time, and continue to pare it down more, by pre-loading as many of the essentials (no kitchen sink, now!) as I can, to be already in the truck bed, or in/on the trailer. I really need to get an SUV for my camping, or at least a topper for my open truck bed (to be kept away from thieves and weather), but for now I just throw sealed storage boxes in my truck bed (tools and EDC supplies, locked and cabled to the truck) and have the remainder of my gear sitting in the garage bay where I keep the trailer. I have divided compartments in the bed, to hold coolers, porta-potty supplies, extra fuel, on/off road jacks/stands, hi-lift, shovel, truck ladder, and extra tools for any occasion. All these are quickly set into designated spots, strapped down, in just minutes. My compartmentalized, open storage is shown here: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=60546#p1088093
• Other equipment is stored either inside the trailer, or on a front rack I recently added to the trailer, shown in this thread: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=68441#p1203547. The canopies, and extra (bagged) chairs are kept strapped on the rack, while in the garage, and a folding camp chair, side-tables, and side-tent(s) all ride inside, strapped on the mattress (which is folded in half, allowing two Aquatainers to be strapped to an E-track on the inside front wall).
• Only items not kept ready to go, are
• 1) the canned food items kept in my "pantry box" (which I store in the house, in controlled temperatures, until I take it out to the trailer,
• 2) my semi-frozen perishables, which I only pack just prior to departure, in the galley cooler,
• 3) my two beverage coolers, which I put in the truck , the night before leaving (packed with ice, then topped up next morning).
• I always have two spare jeans, several changes of underwear/socks, toiletries, spare boots always packed in the trailer (and similarly in all my cars/trucks), so I only need to grab a few fresh shirts/pants from my closet for extras, at the last second. All-in-all, I think my next trip should only take me 2 hours to pack, 30 minutes if I were younger, since I have a place for everything, and everything in its' designated place makes a visual checkoff very easy.

• 

  TRUCKBED COMPARTMENT SCHEME 7-17-17.png (654.32 KiB) Viewed 1101 times

  quick to load up, secure for travel

• 

  pantry box & canopies secured for travel.png (339.59 KiB) Viewed 1101 times

  latest configuration (subject to change)

[Shadow Catcher]

All three,
The Refrigerator goes in the back of the Subaru 12V supplied by a line run from the battery. AC also in the car.
Tarps etc in the tongue box with all the cords hoses tools batter...
In the tear chairs.

[Cosmo]

Fun to see how everyone manages their gear. Mine is working for trips up to 10-14 days (my limit for now). Next year I plan on doing much longer trips and will adjust the "system".

I try and balance the load in the car for the suspension. Fridge goes in the trailer galley behind the trailer wheels. But I can put the fridge anywhere if I need to. Bicycles on top of the car. I put some gear in the trailer but not much since I am near the car suspension tongue weight limit which is only 150 pounds on the Subaru Forester. I am scheduled to purchase a new car Q1 of 2018 so I will factor that in. Outback has a 200 pound tongue weight limit and the gas mileage I am looking for. I am open to other choices too.

Overall I am taking less gear this year and packing it into smaller spaces. I have owned he trailer 2.5 years and have more experience now. But If I am taking the kayaks and bicycles it’s a very tight squeeze.

I am using see thru plastic tubs which are waterproof. I can take the tubs out of the car and leave them in the rain. For me the square tubs utilize the space in the car effectively and help me categorize my junk easily. See thru tubs help me find stuff when I have "vacation mind".

=Cosmo

[lrrowe]

I realize this issue is probably more of one for smaller TV's and TD's. But a least one benefit of going biger with a full sized truck with cap and a 14' CT conversion, is that space is not an issue. But I still have to be aware of weight distributions and pack accordingly. Trailer sway in a large trailer is no fun.

Now if I only could get my packing and planning down to a better science, camping life would be much better. I have to almost reinvent the wheel each time. And I take way too much stuff and try to prepare for too many things....guess that is the old Boy Scout in me. I need a "Packing Whisperer".

[dancam]

Trailer sway is caused by the trailers axle to near the center of the trailer if you can build your own trailer move the axle to the back like a semi trailer this cures trailer sway and you no longer have to pack luggage to avoid it..slow.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

Thats a problem for people with 150 pounds max tongue weight...

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[dancam]

With my tow vehicle i can change rear springs pretty easily and have a good selection of spring rates and bump stops available. Just got heavier ones for towing.

Most any tv's except larger pickups ride pretty poor when the max weight is on the rear axle.
I load the trailer to max tongue weight the hitch is rated for and put a bunch of heavy stuff in the back of the car, but dont go over the axle rating of course.

When loading the trailer i put all the heavy stuff above the axle or as close to it as possible. Even If you have 10-15% tongue weight like you should but all the heavy stuff is at the back and front of the trailer and the tv is not heavy in comparison your trailer can become a see-saw over bumps and pick the tv's rear axle off the ground.

Its nicest to have auxillarys easy to grab from the outside. Roofracks on the tv catch a lot of wind but are convenient for bikes, canoes and rooftop carriers with eating or shower supplies.
Bike racks for the front of pickups are handy as are ones for the back of the trailer.
However that depends on where the axle is. The photo in the second post looks like sway city to me. Or at least the see-saw thing i mentioned.

I think it comes down to what is easiest to acess on your setup but still safe.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk