Camping Trailer

[Stephen]

I'm taking a month off this year to explore the western part of Canada & the US (Jasper, Banff, Waterton, Glacier, Yellowstone, southern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Yosemite, etc.

Just got a nice Cycle Mate camping trailer from a friend for $300. It should keep the costs for lodging down.

It's an older model but it's in darn good shape. Of course, me being me, I tore it all apart to paint the chassis, replace all the hardware with stainless, some re-engineering of parts like mattress, interior lighting & a table, wash & fix the canvas part, replace the Velcro pieces, & new LED lights. Running gear is perfect.

Next up a hitch.

I love winter projects.

 

[LagerHead]

Looks great Stephen. I hope I can do this someday too. I'll give you $400 for that trailer as it it sits. :lol:

 

[FastJoyRide]

The folks at Dauntless in Enumclaw will fix you right up with a hitch - costs about the same as that trailer though! I just picked one up in November on our way back from FODS. They need a few weeks lead-time to fab it for you though.

 

[Canadian FJR]

How about a pic or two of it fully opened. Seems like a hell of a deal.

Canadian FJR

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

How about a pic or two of it fully opened. Seems like a hell of a deal.

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[Stephen]

I'm going with the Dauntless hitch. I'm calling them next week.

Pictures are coming. I've got it all in pieces at the moment.

The picture shown above is a newer model. The older model has jacks at all 4 corners. The I have also has a removable section on the tongue that can be used to carry a cooler.

Note: The fibreglas on top is a bit dull but will rub our very nicely.

 

[Stephen]

Here's a picture of a trailer that is very similar to mine. My tent material is yellow.

 

[NightShine]

I'm going with the Dauntless hitch. I'm calling them next week.

Hi, Stephen. Nice looking trailer there. You should have lots of fun with it.

When you talk to the folks at Dauntless next week, keep in mind that they redesigned their FJR hitch in 2008 (I think) to accommodate the Gen 2 bikes, and so they have two hitch models.

I bought their earlier Gen 1 hitch for my '05 and found that they must have prototyped it using an FJR that was not wearing its saddle bags at the time. After mounting the hitch as per the installation instructions, I noticed that the hitch hardware would rub against the inside face of the bags, leading to paint and plastic wear. I believe I ended up having to find some shorter bolts, and also reverse the mounting brackets adjacent to the passenger seat, which then allowed threading the bolts with the heads facing the inside of the wheel well.

Talk to Jim Giese at Dauntless, if you anticipate using your saddle bags while towing, and perhaps he can advise you.

 

[Stephen]

Thanks, all, for the kind advice. Although a bit spendy, I ordered the Dauntless hitch. I'll put up pics when it's installed.

I completely disassembled the trailer. I found some bad spots that I have to redo. I located some very nice flush mount LED tail lights. I'm spraying the entire inside with bed liner, then recarpeting the top. Lots of little mods to reduce weight. I'm reducing the bed size so I can add a nice table with room to stand & dress.

Cool beans!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Off topic, but when I camp in bear country, I get nervous. I want to learn more from other campers like you about food storage.

Do you haul your food in your trailer? I presume so.

Where do you stash it during the day? During the night? Do food smells accumulate in the trailer/tent?

 

[exskibum]

Off topic, but when I camp in bear country, I get nervous. I want to learn more from other campers like you about food storage.

Do you haul your food in your trailer? I presume so.

Where do you stash it during the day? During the night? Do food smells accumulate in the trailer/tent?

A bear barrel is the way to go in bear country. I've got two -- a bigger one and a regular sized one, and have typically used them while backpacking.

bear barrels at REI

The black Garcia in the above link is like my small one.

 

[Stephen]

I don't usually carry food, however, on this trip I will. Basically, I tie a rope on my little cooler & hoist it up a tree limb. I do wrap & seal everything in 'green' bags.