560 In David Crockett Sp

We are camping in David Crocket state park in Tennessee and several people said a camper just like ours left today. Said they were from Wisconsin.

sorry we missed you

 

With a boutique brand like CI -- its pretty cool to have an encounter like that.

It has happened twice for me, though one was at Crossroads of America so it isn't as uncommon since "teardrops" took over an entire loop of a state park that year, the other just last year with a 550 which was a "new purchase" to the owners --- it was a very low serial number...

 

We met the couple at our next stop in Mammoth Cave National Park; Sharron and Doug from western WI. It was nice to meet them. When we started camping in our camp inn it was rare to see another teardrop let alone a camp inn but now it seems we see other teardrops at every campground. Our last campground was a small city campground in Stow, OH and there were 3 teardrops there over the weekend.

This was the first retirement trip when we could go longer than 1 week. A couple of days in VA, 5 days visiting grandchildren in AL, a couple of days in TN to visit our dog's breeder, 2 days in Mammoth Caves, and 3 days in OH to visit friends and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

My wife was ready to be home by the end so I will need to find ways to make her more comfortable if we want to do trips out west. I usually do not set up the side tent unless we are going to be staying a couple of days and she really missed it when I did not set it up. Our top pole broke but I was able to repair it long enough to use it until we got home. Our side poles are defective and I had to tape the ring clamps to the poles so the would stay extended. I have collapsable water bottles to use instead of stakes when on hard surfaces that work OK but I will need a better solution-maybe pvc pipe to hold the bottom of the tent shape. I will see if I can find better side pole replacements but what I see is most are a larger diameter than the ones that come with the tent.

 

I'm usually ready to 'get home' after 2 weeks -- I know the feeling. Although, I'm not sure if it's "get home" or just "get moving" --- I've never been able to really travel more than a week or two at the most my entire life.

We use the water bladders as well in our side tent on asphalt. We got ours from usplastic.com. These are great because they collapse flat, and in an emergency give you a "plan b" for moving water around if you empty your fresh tank. We labeled one and use it to capture the grey water. It gets gross fast.

I REALLY like the suggestion of making a PVC frame. This is a really good suggestion. If weight isn't a problem I would think a horse stall mat would work great too....but those are HEAVY.

Are you finding the poles collapse? We have the same problem with ours, I kind of assumed I messed them up by coating them with Boeshield T-9 (think WD40 on steroids!) which has some lubricity...

 

On our poles, the weight of the tent pushes the clamp down on the lower pole until the friction ring hits the lower pole and the it loses friction on the upper pole. I tried to tighten the clamp with pliers but I cannot get it tight enough. I used duct tape to hold the clamp at the top of the lower pole and it works great but it is not a long term solution.

Two weeks does not give us enough time to get from PA to the national parks in the west. As long as I can get sites close to bathrooms and my wife can get dressed comfortably I think we can get 3-4 week trips. Maybe a hotel stay once a week will help as well. I will start using the side tent unless it is a truly a quick stop where we only stop to sleep. This trip I tried to keep travel days to 4 hours, I do all the driving so that works well for me.

Our collapsable bottles also work as emergency water containers. They work well but I am always pushing them out to keep the tent taunt. Two sprung pin hole leaks this trip. I have been using a hose to empty the grey water tank and used a collapsable 2.5 gal. bucket this time. It is actually faster than using a hose so I am going to keep using it. Also means I do not have to handle a hose after sticking it down the dump station pipe.

One of the best parts of the trip is I finally figured out how to make a great waffle. I tried to practice on our stovetop at home but never got it perfected. We have a heat defuser in the trailer and using that made the difference. Takes longer to cook but comes out crispy on outside and soft inside.

 

I use the larger Kelty poles. I also replaced the top pole with a trimmed to fit bicycle flag pole. For hard pavement I use a pvc frame with a boat mat bottom and two water bladders. I have had leaks in the bladders that flooded the side tent. Because of the importance of the wife factor I made a case for the side tent that lets me just drop the side tent. When ever I can, I get a campsite near the campgroung facilities. For long trips, look into a gym membership as a place to take showers especially if you are going to spend time in National Parks as the NPS doesn’t want you to be too comfortable.

 

I found this to be a interesting solution for the side tent...

Side Tent Platform

 

I think the side tent platform is a great idea but I do not want more stuff to take up space in the cabin. My hope is the PVC pipe can be stored easily with the tent.

 

I'd love to go out west - as far as I've been has been recreationally has been Kasnsas City, unless you count the high plains. beautiful but way too windy and cold -- I want to see Arizona and Nevada, and probably Idaho. Idiaho? Yah...the great redoubt.

Kelty poles defiantely are a nice upgrade. We do not use our side tent frequently --- though the reminder of the platform could change that --- my only concern with it is dirt --- I don't like to put anything that has been on the ground in the camper. BUT...this could easily fit in the back of the SUV. maybe. I don't recall how wide the Jeep Cherokee (SHOULD be done this week!) is.

I've tried all kinds of side tents --- frankly, no one is perfect. Its all about your tradeoffs. To be honset, the best so far is the CI side room. Except its just a touch small for our needs. It definitely is the easiest to contend with when it comes to drying out wet after a rainy trip.

 

As someone else suggested years ago, I cut a sheet of ordinary plywood into two pieces to fit in the side tent interior, rounded and sanded the corners and edges and varnished them. Now, with a small rug I lay over the top, I use them every time as a floor for the side tent and never bother with the stakes. When traveling they slide under the mattress where they stay, even if I'm travelling without the side tent which is generally the case if my wife is not along.

 

Do you recall about how thick the plywood is?

 

I found the post for the plywood base. I am not sure how to link it but I can cut and paste.

Two 19 ½“ by 47” 3/4” plywood sheets are then laid on the floor and covered with a very light in/out carpet. Gear is then placed inside. In very high winds we guy wire the top of the poles to the bumper and hitch. We've never lost a tent.

 

Thanks Steve and Greg!

 

Is 1/2" plywood thick enough, or is 5/8" a better bet?

 

My plywood is 3/4". I think you want some weight and stiffness.

 

I made a PVC frame for the perimeter of the side tent. 1" PVC, solvent welded the 4 elbows to two of the pipes only, so I could disassemble the frame and pack it with the tent. Assembly is just a matter of plugging the pipes into the open ends of the elbows.
Now, I have this all done, taken two trips, but didn't use the tent except on grass, so I didn't use the pipe system yet.

 

3/4" makes sense. A little heavier and a little less likely to warp.
Thanks.

 

I have Froli bed springs so I do not think putting the plywood floor under the mattress will work for me. I do use a pickup as a TV so I can put it there. I am going to try making the PVC frame first and see if it works. I want to try filling them with sand and see if it has enough weight to handle moderate winds. If not, I may add some lead shot. I bought some corks sized to fit inside the pipes to keep the sand in place. If I am not happy with it I will try the plywood or the 3/4 inch horse mat. A 4 foot by 6 foot mat from tractor supply weighs 90+ lbs. so it should have plenty of weight if I cut it the same size as 2 pieces of plywood.

 

Thanks Greg