delving into the collective wisdom of ST. Thoughts?
looks like my options are to
mount a roof rack on the camper,
mount a fork mount on the front of the trailer
put a hitch on the back of the trailer
use a ball-mount rack
I think 4 is the safest option? It would shelter the bikes and wouldn’t put stress on the camper shell. However, it would require a new extended hitch (and probably longer safety chains). From what I can tell, 4 is probably the least expensive option too.
delving into the collective wisdom of ST. Thoughts?
looks like my options are to
Generally not a good idea as it will cause roof leak issue regardless of how careful you are.
Never seen something like this but could present same issues.
Definitely not a good idea. People do it but it throws off the balance of the rig and many report creates a freaky speed wobble on the highway.
Yes, probably the safest of the options you presented. However, there’s another option you haven’t considered/presented.
Depending on your vehicle another option to consider is a front hitch. When we were heavy into the pop-up scene we had three kids and two adults and associated bikes. I considered all of the options above but didn’t like them for various reasons. I ended up having a standard 2inch receiver hitch mounted on the front of our Suburban. Then I used a 5 bike rack to haul the bikes. Worked great and had zero issues with about 10,000 miles over the years with that setup. Of course, these were just cheap tool around campsite bikes. I’d never put one of my expensive bikes up there. Those got buckled into the third row passenger seat.
It’s gonna be my tri-bike, my wife’s mountain bike and “possibly” my mountain bike. Unfortunately there won’t be room inside the minivan, unless I strap the dog to the roof.
unless I strap the dog to the roof.
Don’t be so extreme. There’s always the kids.
Had a pop up camper for a few years and also looked at numerous options. Finally settled on something like this
It worked reasonably well. I didn’t buy that brand, don’t remember the brand, but the rack had just a bit of sway which I didn’t like.
I looked at that, but I don’t think it will work with my configuration. I have to run the hitch in a “rise” configuration rather than a “dropped”, so I don’t think there will be sufficient clearance between the hitch and the bottom of the rack.
I’m considering one of these , which would double as a workstand while we’re on the road…
Would something like this work?
just to be clear, you’re talking about tent trailer, right? not a pop up camper. because, if you want to talk pop up campers, you talk to monty and me.
Is that picture representative of the #2 option? Doesn’t look like anything is drilled into the roof of the pop-up but rather attached to the tongue of the trailer. Seems like a decent option without the risks of roof leakage.
Is a roof rack for the van off the table?
I gotcha. I have a 1up rack that has a slight rise to it so I could attach the pop up to the bottom of that and the rack to the top and I had plenty of clearance and and turning radius. My only complaint was despite all of it being straight 2 inch the rack would wiggle. I guess not a tight enough quality control on the hitch manufacturer.
just to be clear, you’re talking about tent trailer, right? not a pop up camper. because, if you want to talk pop up campers, you talk to monty and me.
forgive my naivete (I’m new at this), but what’s the difference?
Is that picture representative of the #2 option? Doesn’t look like anything is drilled into the roof of the pop-up but rather attached to the tongue of the trailer. Seems like a decent option without the risks of roof leakage.
Is a roof rack for the van off the table?
yeah, but still have to tie down the rear wheels with “something”, and to set up the trailer that bar needs to come down. Plus they’re more expensive than a hitch mount, and a hitch mount I could use even when not towing the trailer.
bike racks aren’t recommended for the roof rack on my van. It’s really just for light cargo.
look closer, they are tied down
.
just to be clear, you’re talking about tent trailer, right? not a pop up camper. because, if you want to talk pop up campers, you talk to monty and me.
I looked at a Taxa Cricket. Know anything about them? Matches my fondness for bay window Westys (or I might get a Vanagon Westy).
There are straps there. I don’t know that I trust how well the rear is tied down, based on where the attachmentpoints are relative to the fork clamps.
just to be clear, you’re talking about tent trailer, right? not a pop up camper. because, if you want to talk pop up campers, you talk to monty and me.
Never mind, I figured out what you were on about. I’d like to get one of those eventually as well. Or maybe a Winnebago.
just to be clear, you’re talking about tent trailer, right? not a pop up camper. because, if you want to talk pop up campers, you talk to monty and me.
Never mind, I figured out what you were on about. I’d like to get one of those eventually as well. Or maybe a Winnebago.
to me, a pop up camper is like a northstar (the one i have) that goes on the back of a pickup truck.
I’ve been in the market for a camper… I always immediately ruled out a pop up camper… I am concerned about the security, my bikes will be worth more than the camper and while I’m out riding my dogs will have to be locked up inside… I always just assumed that the screen windows immediately made the pop up camper not a option…
just to be clear, you’re talking about tent trailer, right? not a pop up camper. because, if you want to talk pop up campers, you talk to monty and me.
Never mind, I figured out what you were on about. I’d like to get one of those eventually as well. Or maybe a Winnebago.
to me, a pop up camper is like a northstar (the one i have) that goes on the back of a pickup truck.
maybe that’s a regional difference then? that’s a camper truck. it can be a pop-up, or a camper van can be a pop-up (like a westfalia). or a trailer can be a popup. At least thats how I’ve always understood it. But then, like I say, I’m new at this and usually wrong.
I’ve been in the market for a camper… I always immediately ruled out a pop up camper… I am concerned about the security, my bikes will be worth more than the camper and while I’m out riding my dogs will have to be locked up inside… I always just assumed that the screen windows immediately made the pop up camper not a option…
My working assumption is that any camper is going to be easy for a potential thief to break into. I’ve never had anything stolen from a tent (or campsite, for that matter) while camping before, and nothing of value gets left inside the tent (or camper). Valuables get locked out of sight inside my van.
We wanted the pop-up because anything bigger would be harder for the vehicle to tow. Popup tows pretty nicely behind the minivan.