No More Tent Camping

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Last July, the woman and I sponsored a big UFO Skywatch Party just north of Mt. Rainier in WA. And for that one I blew $450 on a FOR REAL 'instant tent' with a pre-installed frame. Yes, it was as advertised and a whopping 14 feet long by 9 feet wide. I thought it was great...and that was the only time I used it. The truth is, by the time this three day party had ended, I decided against any more sleeping on the ground crap. Enough was enough. I already had a good hitch, so I decided it was time for an RV.

But I had a limited budget, only $3500 to spend on one. I searched for three months and mostly the trailers I looked at were too big for the SeXterra to haul, or they were junk, or half the systems didn't work. Then I ran into a family of Jehovah's Witnesses who sold me this:



I was hesitant at first. It was pretty old, but it was a high-end unit from Jayco with all the options, including a bigger fridge and capacity to hold two larger propane tanks inside a special storage compartment on the side of the trailer, with the ability to hook in two more on the hitch.



Turned out to as solid as they get. It was mostly stored under cover and has never leaked. The original owner took very good care of it and had the roof resealed every couple of years. He installed a new bathroom and new flooring. All the systems worked great. I spent the first three days washing and waxing the body, removing an unnecessary bunk bed mounted above the master bed, and switching the bulbs over to LEDs.





For a trailer that's only 17 feet of living space, it has amazing storage both inside and outside. Up front there is lift-up storage that can carry about half of what a hardbody can do in the bed.







(Stereo and speakers work fine. Radio antenna is a fold down on top. But I will eventually switch out both the stereo and the speakers for newer (see: LOUDER) gear.



We're going to stock it and take it for a shakedown cruise over Easter. And we're going to use it at the July UFO/DB Cooper Party in July.

[PorknBeans]

Good deal!

Looks nice and comfy!

How does the Xterra feel when yanking that rig around?

[Reserector]

Nice!
I know the feeling. I reached a point where I was done with tents. I certainly spent more than my share of time in them.
So, good for you. You just put the joy back in your camping.

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Originally Posted by PorknBeans

Good deal!

Looks nice and comfy!

How does the Xterra feel when yanking that rig around?

I had some hesitancy about all that. I wondered if the X could handle it. My wife Susan spent years hauling her horses around in trailers all over the Northwest. She is a retired professional equestrian. (Barrel racing, training horses, etc) So I let HER drive it home. She said it was no problem at all. That 4.0 liter six banger has torque to spare, and 261 HP. I figure between the trailer and the water/gear load we are at about 3400 pounds against a tow rating of 5,000 pounds. Pulls it without even straining.

Working on a modest solar system and a few other things. Should be ready by Easter weekend.