Lots of opinions on Canopies

Re: Canopies (once again)

So Charlie, get a tent then....

I just remember the days when pulling into a spot... and compare it to now where it takes a little longer than getting out of the car,3 unlocks and hatch lift and i'm ready for a beer....

same setup when it raining too....and WARM and DRY..

If you're second guessing.... well then get the tent and all the gear that you would need and I'm guessing you'd be a "Happy Camper" then... they don't suit everyone... or do the motel route...$20k would certainly pay for a few nights...

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

I have a great talent or a great curse depending on where you're coming from, called an imagination. I can imagine different scenerios or out comes based on the gear you take to camp with or tools you take to the job site or beverages you bring to the party. For instance if it's pouring down rain I can imagine sleeping like a baby in my warm dry teardrop trailer. If it rains the next morning too, I can imagine lounging around inside on a nice warm comfy bed with real sheets and blankets reading a book or watching a movie on the built in TV/DVD. I can also imagine camping in hot sultry weather when you break out in a sweat just breathing, but I'm cool dry and comfortable because my fantastic fan is blowing down on me, bringing the cool night air into my tear drop trailer. I don't have to imagine what it's like in a tent because I've been there many times and it sucks, it ain't fun, it can be down right miserable. I don't want to be miserable when I camp, that's why I am patiently waiting for my 550 with a furnace. My advice to you is order a CampInn, but if you still want to go the tent route I'd be more than thrilled to sell you my practically new 4 season tent.

Michael

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Hi Michael,
I guess you were totally serious at NW camp out when you said you are never putting up the tent again.I'm looking forward to being done with that too except if the grand kids are along.I am down to about five months to wait. Pat

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Just about 3 weeks for us, still can't wait, same feeling I had when I was 8 years old waiting for Halloween to arrive. That cool cot tent will be perfect for the grand kids.

Michael

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Look, I am not at all advocating in favor of the tent, okay? I'm merely saying that don't you find it ironic that you purchase a state of the art trailer for camping and still find it necessary to put up a tent or screen house, that is the topic of this thread.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Well, Bear calls it the 'popcorn effect'. And, of course, it's a matter of personal preference. When you live in your tear, canopies may be too much work to hassle with every day. But, if you only get a few days a year to camp, you want to spend those few days in style. To each his own. We generally always pack the 10x10 for the kitchen (especially in the NW), but on our road trip to the CICO we were popcorn free. Bear would have been proud.

Choosing the right canopy is kind of like choosing a spouse. You make your choice, but you don't expect everybody else to pick the same one...

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Maybe not so ironic, Charlie. When I previously had a large travel trailer (aka house-on-wheels) I also brought along a screenhouse and most of my home contents - or at least it felt that way. Granted, it is not very commonplace for house-on-wheels owners to set up a screenhouse or shelter. Usually, if the awning or screenhouse didn't cut it, I would head indoors.

Now, that I have the Raindrop, I spend more of my time outdoors (rather than heading inside to escape the elements/get away from the pesky critters) than I did when I owned the house-on-wheels.

From the perspective of someone thinking about buying a CI, it probably does seem ridiculous that after shelling out $$$$$ for a CI, we not only find it necessary to have a shelter but that we also devote so much time weighing this shelter versus that shelter. It is possible that we spend more time talking about canopies, then we actually do putting them up! As Evan mentioned, it is typical for canopies to primarily be used for longer stays. Finding the right screenhouse or shelter just makes time spent outdoors that much more enjoyable.

In some respects the forum is sort of like a shopping channel for CI owners - it is full of previously unknown/unheard of, can't resist, and gotta try it temptations. Earlier this Fall I told a friend of mine that I was going to get my spending habits under control. In response, she asked what I would be doing differently (perhaps she was hoping to get some useful tips for herself). Judging by the perplexed look on her face, my answer must have been a disappointment for it went something like this: "I have to stay away from the trailer forum - it is way too hard on my wallet."

Kelly

P.S. Oh yeah, gotta go, I am not supposed to be here!

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

I did buy a canopy. I got the one Jenn had at NW Camp Out. Kelty. I liked the way it fit over her hatch and the fact that it was light.I have Sunbrellas. A large umbrella that is flat on one side to rest against the ground and can also be upright. I hope for short stays I will be able to use that over the kitchen for a little shade or rain protection. Maybe bungee it to the bumper?? The forum has been a great resource for information. There are so many things I would never have thought of if it wasn't for all of your suggestions.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Well said, Bear!

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

I follow the same principal as Evan. If I am going to be somewhere for a couple of days I will put it up. The exceptions are wet or really hot weather. Being a ginger girl, I combust in the sun and need the shade or it gets ugly. Cooking in the rain is just no fun either, so protection is necessary for me. I am also one of these odd people who is allergic to mosquito bites (a relatively new situation for me) and a screens work great, although I have just started using a Thermacell insect repellant device, so screens might not be as needed with that. I seldom use the canopy when I am staying one night somewhere and prefer cooking and enjoying my outside time. It is why I camp. Longer trips, I take it, but don't always use it.

Different strokes for different folks!

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Thank you everyone for your post about canopies. Based on all the post and also since our car is so small and we only have room for one, we went with the Northern Breeze. We figured that if we have a nice shady spot and the weather is nice and no bugs, which is often the case here in the far west, then no canopy. If it's hot and no shade, throw up the NB with the flaps up, buggy screens down, rain or nosey neighbors flaps down. The NB is about half the weight and bulk of a pop up. We got ours for under $400 from Dom's outdoor. Thanks again for all the great posts and priceless insights.

Michael

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

To be fair, some folks live in places where the best (only) months for camping are the same months that the skeeters and other pests are at their peak. I can see putting up a tent so that you can get some peace without slathering on the DEET.

Living in California, bugs are less of an issue for us (though skeeters carrying bad stuff have been detected even on our home turf, so it looks like DEET is pretty much mandatory no matter where you camp, now - with or without a tent/canopy)

17 pages on canopies!!

-Al

 

Here's a follow up on the SUV tent. Excellent!! I can go 12 months now. No hatch "over heating" or "asphyxiation". With a little modification, you can use the side table.

 

Jenn,
Here is a YouTube from the manufacturer that really shows the interior.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5wy-uHBtx8
George

 

A reason for two shelters:

We thought two shelters might be over-kill, but went ahead and bought both the Northern Breeze and the Alcove just to have maximum flexibility. We've found each to be very useful and we're glad to have both. One camp site was too small to put up the NB, but the Alcove was perfect. When it got windy, the wind wall were great. We have two sets, so we can cover all three sides. In the picture below, we kept one side 1/2 open for easier entry. But yesterday, we found the real reason for two shelters: the NB in camp, with 3 awnings up, and the Alcove at the beach!

 

Nice set up. I have the Alcove but have not pulled the string on the NB yet. Don't think I'll find a better fit than the NB though. Was the photo at lot 118 Ft. Myer?
MDP
Mike & Denita

 

My two favorites are the Northern Breeze and Paha Qua 12x12 cottonwood.

Jean

 

M&D, the Alcove pic with the side wall up was at Ft. Myers Beach. The spot was too small for the NB. The NB pic was at Sunshine Key RV park on Big Pine Key. The Alcove pic on the beach was at the nearby Bahia Hondo State Park.

 

>Kelty inflatable tents
Not really a good idea. We have a Mach 6 AirPole tent and it collapses under the weight of an afternoon summer rain in Florida. Three days in a row. We finally figured out that if we add a pole at the center to keep it from pooling it doesn't collapse. Not yet ready for prime time

 

Too funny Mattster sounds like something I would do. Welcome to the forum.
MDP
Mike & Denita