My *slow going* M416 camping trailer build.

[jeepfreak81]

Holy $$ Batman!

Henry J mounted a pair of Hi-Lift's on his trailer to use as leveling jacks. Maybe you could do something similar as a lift mechanism? They would make it a two person process to lift the tent though.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/27168-BLT-Offroad-trailer

The push button option would be more convenient, for sure. I'm just cheap I guess, and I like mechanical simplicity. But you certainly have the room in your electrical system. :bowdown: Would you mount them upside down? To center the front lift, would you have to remount the tongue box forward...? I don't remember you having a tailgate on the backside that you would block...

Dan

I'm generally pretty cheap too, which is why I have not bought them yet. 2 hi-lifts would probably be ok, as I never camp alone but was really looking to make it even simpler. Hi-Lifts would work well as well, I would just have to make the lift post removable so it didn't stick up all the time.

I had some ideas to mount the front one as to not have to mess with the box. You are the second to mention using the Hi-lifts here, and the more I hear it the more I am thinking it is a good idea, it really wouldn't add any more weight than the electrical option.

 

[Wallygator]

This is a great build that has given me many ideas. Thank you for posting this. Can you give some more detail on how you moved the hand brake and how you fixed the linkage for the move please? Thanks and you are going to have great times with the family in that thing. :ylsmoke:

 

[jeepfreak81]

This is a great build that has given me many ideas. Thank you for posting this. Can you give some more detail on how you moved the hand brake and how you fixed the linkage for the move please? Thanks and you are going to have great times with the family in that thing. :ylsmoke:

It was just unbolted and rebolted on the bottom of the tongue box using a couple washers for spacers. I made a new linkage using 5/16 bar (IIRC) that I bent and threaded.



This picture is before I put the nut back on.

 

[Wallygator]

Awesome, thank you.

 

[tyc221]

Could you give us a review of your cascadia?? They are one that I'm interested in especially since they come with the annex room, and now that figured out how to mount it to a trailer and still get the annex room on there all I need to do is convince the wife. (So be sure to tell me how comfy and warm it is) LOL.

 

[jeepfreak81]

Could you give us a review of your cascadia?? They are one that I'm interested in especially since they come with the annex room, and now that figured out how to mount it to a trailer and still get the annex room on there all I need to do is convince the wife. (So be sure to tell me how comfy and warm it is) LOL.

When the weather gets nice I can take pictures of zippers and seams. I need to repack the trailer anyway, I have wayyy too much crap that is of no use.

I like the tent, it seems durable and well made. My only concern and it is a RTT thing not a CVT thing is the condensation that forms under the mattress. There is a thin ventilation material meant for boats someone in the camping forum used under the mattress and that eliminated the condensation.

The annex is actually kind of a pain, but once it is up it is nice and adds loads of room. I have went through 2 storms in it, and the only issue I had was some water in the annex. If you were sleeping on the floor you might have had wet feet as it was only in the corners, but I think some bees wax on the zippers would help with this, they were some pretty forceful rains too. We stayed completely dry up top. We had some travel trailers and motorhomes in the one campground we did a shakedown run in offer to let us come in their campers but we refused and rode it out. We had no issues whatsoever. We plan on using it a fair amount this year, only almost none of it will be overland just due to circumstances. With only 2 weeks worth of camping on it I would say I would buy another, but I want to see how the longevity is. I have a $70 Gander Mountain tent that is 17 years old, that I have taken to hell and back. If this tent doesn't last that long I will be pretty upset.

 

[jeepfreak81]

Could you give us a review of your cascadia?? They are one that I'm interested in especially since they come with the annex room, and now that figured out how to mount it to a trailer and still get the annex room on there all I need to do is convince the wife. (So be sure to tell me how comfy and warm it is) LOL.

Pre mounting, the cover is nice and thick, but you will need two people to move the tent, the cover is damaged if you scrape it on concrete.

The bottom side, rubber nipples not included.

The cover thickness

Setting up:

Cinch straps hold it closed

The material and thickness seems quality

Both the cover and annex slide into this track, the edges are sharper then they look and can snag the fabric covered plastic that slides into it - that fabric is thick too...

Initial opening

This part is a *****, especially if you are alone and it is windy. You have to slide the bar out from under the mattress and hook it onto plastic connectors.

Inside at initial opening

Putting on the annex - this is also a PITA with one person, especially if windy and your vehicle is tall enough to use the full height.

The blue strip needs to slide into a track on the tent.

Slide it into this track

Now you have to zip it around, another PITA due to height, and the weight of the annex. Some clips to hold the outer wall up to the bottom of the tent until you get it zipped could go A LONG way here. The weight of the annex has started to tear my zipper loose and I have only used it a few times.

Wind catching it, I have found it hard to stake in place until it is all together because of the ladder on the floor. The other side door was open so I could go in and out and not helping.

Staking it

Putting on the window awning hooks

 

[jeepfreak81]

The doors, they roll up, which due to the length is a PITA as well, I wish they just had a thing to pull them to one side. The side doors I often just sling over the window awning supports.

The ladder that came with mine, this thing sucks. Bobby sent me a new one to put on that is upgraded and seems like it will be better. I just have not had time to install it yet.

Height adjustment velcro inside the annex. It works, but not real well. We had to use it when we had the tent mounted on our H3. It kept coming loose.

All windows in the annex can be rolled up and secured

More angles

Door for accessing vehicle or trailer

The floor, see the daylight through the zippers, in heavy rains I have had water seep through. I think bees wax on the zippers would help and minimize this.

Up top, it has vents as well to minimize condensation on both sides

Seams all taped

If you look at my foot, I am ~ 6'1 and I laid in the tent as I would if I were going to sleep, then sat up to take the picture. I did that for this angle to show the room in the tent the best I could.

One thing to note when zipping the cover back on watch out for the skirt, it is easy to zip into the zipper, and it took well over an hour to get it out without harming the tent, you can still see where I did it.

The tent comes with the flimsiest tent stakes you can find, basically the same 1/8" stick ones that come with cheap ground tents. I had to upgrade all of mine as the others bent just trying to set it up in my yard the first time

Both actual tent entrances use a bar on the bottom of the door to keep it in place, I wish the annex had this instead of velcro like it has as it would be MUCH easier to roll up the doors of the annex, and simpler entrance and egress. However, it would be much harder to pack up the annex with bars in it.

Overall I am happy with the tent, other than the stitching on the zipper for the annex, and the difficulty at which my annex goes on. Most of the stuff the other manufacturers do is very similar. Is there stuff I would change, yes... definitely, but at the smae time it wasn't built just for me and I know not everything will be perfect.

The other thing I have found is the insulated (foam sandwiched by aluminum) tent floor collects moisture under the mattress even without rain. Another member found the solution, and it was as simple as a mat underneath that was designed for boats. I can't recall the name of the stuff though.

If I had to rate it on a scale, it would be a B+ because of the annex issues and the door issues (roll up, rather then tie to the side) as those drive me insane.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Good writeup, and great detail shots. I agree with you, snagging the skirt in the cover zipper is the suck. I have done it twice, the last time was when we were packing to leave...sucks. The matt for condensation you were talking about is Hypervent or similar. I too had the same issues with condensation under the mattress, a common issue in all brands of tent I understand.

http://www.hyperventmarine.com/products.html

I am picking up some of this in the next week or so for my Mt Hood.

 

[daninghram]

Thanks for this write up. It is great to see how it bolts to the rack and sets up. Would would you think the best height off the ground for the annex to work ,77" ?

 

[DonBeasley]

Great write-up and pictures.

Looks just like my ARB with some minor changes. So what do you think of the foam mattress. I am finding the ARB to be lacking. Of course I am old, and not very skinny. Anyone have any ideas for more cushion but still being able to leave it in when folding the tent.

 

[jeepfreak81]

Good writeup, and great detail shots. I agree with you, snagging the skirt in the cover zipper is the suck. I have done it twice, the last time was when we were packing to leave...sucks. The matt for condensation you were talking about is Hypervent or similar. I too had the same issues with condensation under the mattress, a common issue in all brands of tent I understand.

http://www.hyperventmarine.com/products.html

I am picking up some of this in the next week or so for my Mt Hood.

That is the stuff, I need to order some too.

Thanks for this write up. It is great to see how it bolts to the rack and sets up. Would would you think the best height off the ground for the annex to work ,77" ?

I have my rack set at about 6'6" to the top of the rack, the tent then sits on that. This works in most cases, but I need to drill some holes so I can lower it an inch or two in case I have a slope like seen in the pictures I took for the write up.

Great write-up and pictures.

Looks just like my ARB with some minor changes. So what do you think of the foam mattress. I am finding the ARB to be lacking. Of course I am old, and not very skinny. Anyone have any ideas for more cushion but still being able to leave it in when folding the tent.

The mattress is a bit hard for my liking, but better than the ground. Cabela's and other camping stores have a soft rubber mat that is rollable, I would put that on and put a sheet over it to hold it in place. For our last trip we just slept on top of the sleeping bags, it was too warm to use them anyway.

 

[jeepfreak81]

So in actual use I have found a few things:

1. I need to lower the rack by at least 3" - or have a setting at that position rather. More adjustment holes on the height would allow for more variation in terrain when setting up.

2. I need to brace the rear shelves to the trailer tub. When on uneven terrain with the trailer loaded the rear shelves flex when the weight of the trailer is put on the supports rather than the wheels.

3. POWER LIFT is a must. Even using the scissor jack with the drill is just a PITA. Mostly because the jack is not hard mounted to anything, so it has to be held in place so it doesn't hop all over until pressure gets put on it.

4. A larger power invertor would be nice - if I continue to carry the 750w mini microwave.

5. A longer tongue needs to happen. Not that it pulls badly or anything, but I need the leverage to lift the tongue to move the trailer around the camp/yard.

6. It needs to be blasted and bedlined inside.

7. I may have to make something to help take the weight of the annex off the zipper during the initial hookup. It is frustrating and a PITA when the tent is already raised, which has caused damage to where the zipper is sewn on. Once a power lift is on it would be easy enough to put it on with the tent lowered, then raise it.

 

[Bonked]

7. I may have to make something to help take the weight of the annex off the zipper during the initial hookup. It is frustrating and a PITA when the tent is already raised, which has caused damage to where the zipper is sewn on. Once a power lift is on it would be easy enough to put it on with the tent lowered, then raise it.

What I have found out about attaching/detaching annex (the hard way) is to set up the entire tent BEFORE I extend my rack. This way I can attach all the window tension rods, zip the annex on while it is chest-level, and stake out the annex, THEN I extend the rack with the tent opened and assembled for use. To depart, I lower my rack first, then unzip annex and remove all tension rods and annex support rod.

Hope this can help you, too!

 

[jeepfreak81]

What I have found out about attaching/detaching annex (the hard way) is to set up the entire tent BEFORE I extend my rack. This way I can attach all the window tension rods, zip the annex on while it is chest-level, and stake out the annex, THEN I extend the rack with the tent opened and assembled for use. To depart, I lower my rack first, then unzip annex and remove all tension rods and annex support rod.

Hope this can help you, too!

I would have been doing that already, but I have to raise my rack to get in the trailer to get the annex, and other things. I have grown to hate the scissor jack method so using it as little as possible has been my status quo. Some linear actuators appear to be in my future.