BajaNomad

New trailer

jimgrms - 10-29-2006 at 08:15 AM

Just took delivery on a new fleetwood element neon ,Seems like i have been looking forever it is the smallest narrowest and lightest model that fleet wood makes , and is almost unnoticable when towing , the dealer in denver even let me take it off road and i had no problems towing it. even on a snowy road . it has no shower or kitchen , but has a gaucho that sleeps 2 and a slide out bed
and not much more i had a waer tanka hand pump and one more awning installed and i have enough gear that i won,t need much else ,I wanted to keep this rig simple for no problems . i plan on moving the axel to below the springs for more clearence and putting my yakima roof rack on it also a gravel guard, I t has 2 batteries and a spare and the wide tires and bearing buddies so i should be good to go to baja. will stay kind of close to the border because of mo oxygen problems but have a liquid ox dear that lets me stay gone for up to 1 month, so look for me south of san felipe for the race . red jeep ckerokee grey trailer and lt tan tent

Diver - 10-29-2006 at 08:21 AM

Here are a few suggestions we did to our old old pop-up;

Mount a propane bottle on the trailer yoke and pipe the gas to location(s) for a coleman stove or heater. Extend the water line to an exterior fitting so you can connect a shower hose outdoors. One 60-85 watt solar panel and you are outa here !!

.

Baja Camp trailer

dean miller - 10-29-2006 at 10:47 AM

Jim good for you!

A dear departed traveling compainion who had visited 130 plus countries prior to his passing gave us this advice:
"Keep it simple, easy to maintain and repair."

We also have a very small trailer which has undergone a complete medimorphis in the 20 years we have owned it and bounced around Baja it it.

We keep it simple; it is Easy to pull, Easy to park, Easy to live in and Easy to clean.. What more does one need?

SDM

Jumpin Jack trailer

Summanus - 10-29-2006 at 11:21 AM

Here's a photo of a good, lightweight, camping trailer. Very easy to pull and set up. It's called the Jumping Jack trailer. Versatile and comfy. You can buy them at Sportman's Warehouse stores. I know they are available at RV sales in Manteca and Sacramento also.

-105-.jpg - 43kB

meme - 10-30-2006 at 07:46 AM

Summanus, Do you have a Jumping Jack Trailer?
meme

Al G - 10-30-2006 at 08:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Diver
Here are a few suggestions we did to our old old pop-up;

Mount a propane bottle on the trailer yoke and pipe the gas to location(s) for a coleman stove or heater. Extend the water line to an exterior fitting so you can connect a shower hose outdoors. One 60-85 watt solar panel and you are outa here !!

.

Diver...would a 85 watt panel charge 2- 6 volt golf cart batteries 30-40 % in a full day?

Jim...the trailer sounds great...I sure you know about solar showers, but just in case...1 for each person has worked for me in the past. Water maybe the issue in Baja. I done alot of camping, but not in Baja. I am going to rig my Motorhome with solar shower just to be conservative. I seem to use much less water with them.

Diver - 10-30-2006 at 09:00 AM

Depends on what you want to use.
We take one of our 85 watt panels to Baja.
For lights, water pump a little TV or computer and occasional heater fan or superfan use it is plenty to fully recharge each day that is sunny or hazy.
When we winter camp or plan to run other appliances such as blender or TV very much, we bring our second 85 watt panel and the 700 watt inverter.
You can mount panels on the camper or like we do, wire them via a pigtail so you can plug them in via an extension cord and place them facing the sun anywhere around the camper.
.

Diver - 10-30-2006 at 09:01 AM

Oh yeh, we seldom get below 60% on our batteries in Baja and the single panel more than recharges on any sunny or hazy day.

Al G - 10-30-2006 at 10:25 AM

http://wholesalesolar.com/products.folder/controller-folder/...
http://wholesalesolar.com/products.folder/module-folder/kyoc...
Diver... I am considering the above.
130 Watt Kyocera and (7.5 amps)
Xantrex C40 charge controller (40 amps) Capacity for expansion
Cost $720
I don't know what else I need, but this much is with-in my price range.
What do you think.

Diver - 10-30-2006 at 10:48 AM

Sounds like a decent selection and price.
Is this for a fixed mount ?
Or tilt-able roof mount ?
Some panels do better than others if not pointed directly at the sun.


I paid under $500 for one 85 watt kyocera and 15 watt controller over a year ago. Before that the other 85 was plugged in directly to the batteries with no controller, just the camper battery indicator.
Your set-up is all you should need if that is all the power you will need.
An additional panel could be wired to a plug-in and set outide when you need it. That way it could also be connected to your truck battery or to charge someone else's batteries in a pinch. My wife made some padded bags for ours and they store standing in the shower with a strap. I have them rigged on 25', 10ga extension cords so we can put them in the sun, bungied anywhere against the camper or truck.
.

Summanus - 10-30-2006 at 12:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by meme
Summanus, Do you have a Jumping Jack Trailer?
meme


No, meme..wish we did, though. We saw one like this on a recent camping trip in Montana. It had all the goodies you need for boon-dock camping. I would think it would suit Baja to a 'T' for the same type of adventure in the outback and beaches.

meme - 10-30-2006 at 04:01 PM

My daughter just bought a Jumping Jack & has brought it to San Felipe so we might(3 of us) take it on a camping trip south soon. I'm sure she will be happy to tell ALL how well she likes it especially after a couple week trip in it! We had heard that someone else here in SF has one but so far unable to find out who that is?? I thought you might have one and could tell us some of the things you liked & disliked about it so we could be prepared a bit more? If she don't I will post again after our trip.

BajaWarrior - 10-30-2006 at 04:06 PM

Jim, you mentioned it has wide tires. Even though they are new wide tires and you have a spare, you may want to consider an extra spare. Trailers are notorious for blowing tires.

BTW, what tire size are they?

Curious

jimgrms - 10-30-2006 at 07:17 PM

Baja warrior the tires are 205-65 10, i also have 2 new tires and rims that fit but are a bit larger and i mayjust move the fenders up , but i don,tplan on going on that much rough roads i also am going to make a trip along the gulf coast next spring also some of the lakes in the south,, and key west ,, the military has a lot of camp grounds with showers and bath rooms and laundrys and retired military can stay for 7.00 a day so i plan on wearing out some tires next year,, it funny that i have been to 14 different countries but have traveled very little in the states so gonna do it jim

bajaguy - 10-30-2006 at 07:28 PM

Jim....the campground at the Key West (FL) Naval Air Station is great, also the Navy Lodge there. You might also want to try the US Coast Guard Station at Marathon Key (FL). Corpus Christi Naval Air Station (TX) also has a great campground and Navy Lodge right on the beach....try it on your way to Baja (just to be legal with the board rules).

BajaWarrior - 10-30-2006 at 07:30 PM

Hey Jim,

well if you have those spare spares, your set then. That 10'' tire would be impossible to find in Baja, and special order only at a tire store stateside. Boat supply stores would have them though, usually mounted.

Good luck in all your travels!

Chuck