I'm with Manycats.....It will give you the basics but it would not be in my opinion good for long term with a child...but would make a great experience for the summer


That being said , I prefer to sit on the fence than go either way

I've had a "soft-top" tent trailer in my teenage days. It was fine for that, as it was a weekender party unit just to crash and have a sleep. As I grew older I lost the desire to have one as you always have to set up and take down(real crappy if it's raining). I bought a little 17-1/2' Frontier cabin trailer and that was handy and fun. Pull over and no set up......Just open the door. Mind you, you need a larger tow vehicle to pull the cabin trailer than the little old soft-top tent trailer that I could tow with a small car. In my opinion a tent trailer for "Full Timing" lifestyle would be very close to "Roughing It".......Not very secure for bear country or other wildlife.

You can also get some great deals on truck campers. Add some jacks to drop the camper to drive the truck separately and you are set. Don't look at new, you are trying to save money.

Well, unfortunately the camper van didn't work out...they didn't want to sell at this time so it looks like I'm back to the tent trailer as this seems to be the most affordable option at this time. Any additional feedback and suggestions regarding tent trailers is appreciated.

A little additional info. We will be in Idaho most of the summer where it gets hot...100 degrees not uncommon in July and August. With those temps come thunderstorms and high winds.

Thanks again!

Sent you a list (PM) of a few coaches in the area your in and up near Boise.....tried to keep them in the middle of what you wanted your budget......a tow bar would allow you to tow your tracker

thanks Terry.....found a couple there and a couple on the route back to Boise....hopefully they fit the bill for him

Dannick - have you considered a used "A Frame" type trailer? No heavier or harder to tow than a tent trailer, but hard sided all around which means that yes, you can camp in areas like Glacier Park that require hard sided trailers in some campgrounds, but some also come with A/C / heater options. That was our first TT and we used one for 8 years for weekends and summer trips from TX to WA and many, many places in between. Aliner and Chalet are a couple of brands to look at used, our Aliner held up well for many, many years and we sold it for more than blue book value when we finally upgraded. Not a lot of luxury, but for a summer and a step way up from tent camping, it worked wonderfully for us. We had several 1-3 week trips in our Aliner and if vacation time had allowed, could have easily spent an entire summer in it. I will say, it was very chilly at Mt. Rainier in Feb. for a snow shoeing trip, probably wouldn't do that again, but now we're older and only slightly wiser, maybe.  We had also considered "HiLo" or "Trail Manor" brands  for long term summer trips, might be towable with what you have and a little more room.   Not ideal for long term, but for a summer?  Probably "doable".

I don't think that camping in a pop up will give you an experience of fulltiming, it will give you an experience of a long camping trip.  Some years ago, we decided to rent a pop up & spend a week in the Grand Canyon.  Unfortunately, the weather that week was horrible.  We had rain, freezing temps, howling wind & snow.  After 3 days, we ended this "vacation", packed up & went home.  Experiencing bad weather in a pop up convinced me to never camp in a pop up again! (My apologies to pop up fans!)  So if that's what I thought fulltiming was like, we never would have made the leap to fulltiming. 

I think camping with your son for the summer could be tons of fun & you'll make memories for a lifetime.  But it won't be the same as if you were living fulltime in a mortorhome, fifth wheel, or travel trailer.  A pop up just doesn't give you the living space or the protection from the weather that a large hard-sided RV does.

But whatever you decide to camp in, I hope you & your son have a fantastic summer!  

Dan, please take those comments to heart. A pop-up tent trailer is fine for a weekend close to home. It may be fine for a week or two if the weather is good. It definitely isn't fine for long-term use.

If you are going to be in bear country there is no difference between being in a pop-up and being outside. We spent a few nights in a tent between Yellowstone and the Tetons, and I was rather nervous. When we had the mpg I felt a little better about being in bear country, although we didn't have the opportunity to go back. Now that we have our MH I'm much more comfortable with the idea. I suspect that a determined bear could get into any thin-skinned coach, but a solid-sided coach would probably make the bear decide to go elsewhere.

Thanks so much for all the feedback...especially regarding weather and bear issues. I own a small SUV (Suzuki XL-7) that can't tow a great deal of weight which is part of the reason aside from costs that I began looking at tent trailers. With the information you've all shared I am looking at a different possible option. The living space would be tight but I am looking at used Class Bs on CL. I could sell my current vehicle and apply the proceeds though likely not much to the Class B.
Getting around and finding spots in the Class B I suspect would be easier and would better protect us from the elements than the tent trailer option.

Your thoughts?

Dan,

Not that you need to look at this specific model, but someone brought up the idea of an A-Liner.  I did a quick search and found a new one, but I looked at it mainly because the ad has one picture showing the weight of the trailer.  I have no idea of what your current vehicle would tow in weight, but it might be a place to start looking.

2014 Aliner Scout

I also wouldn't rule out a Class B either.  You have options; you just have to do the research.

Terry

I was going to suggest the TrailManor. They are light and open up to quite a bit more space than their towing size. I have no idea what your budget is, but I know there are some used ones that pop up on eBay and Craigslist on occasion. Here you can see the various floor plans:
trailmanor.com/wordpress/