April Camping in Utah?

[sunny16]

I just asked my co-workers here who have hunted in the Henry's and they say that you can see elk there. There isn't a large herd but they are there. The Henry's are better known for their buffalo herd as they have permits there. Just FYI...

[MOKI SEAKER]

Thank You, now I feel better.. jim g

[jmtk]

Joanne – Thanks so much for your kind words. It means a lot to me since you were one of my sources of inspiration when starting my build. Thanks to Sunny and Steve, too, for your nice comments, too.

Regarding my take on teardrop camping now that we’ve done three trips, 3800 miles, and about 25 nights in the trailer… I love it! During our tenting days, by the end of a longer trip (ie, a week or more) I would be getting anxious to take a motel for a night. I haven’t felt that way at all on our two longer teardrop trips. Our teardrop bed is incredibly comfortable and I sleep very well in the trailer. In the tent, even with a big, thick Camprest mattress by Thermarest, I’d toss and turn all night and wake up with a sore back. Camp setup is a breeze – just park and pull out the camp chairs. We’ll unhitch if we’ll be spending a couple days in the same place. Cooking is pleasurable with a functional galley. Insulated walls keep us much warmer on those cool nights, and also keep out some of the noise from adjacent campers or nearby road traffic. The trailer is especially nice on those less-than perfect weather nights – we’ve experienced strong desert winds, heavy rain and some snow – and enjoyed it all. Our little Subaru manages to pull the trailer quite well, only slowing on long uphill grades. And you certainly can’t be reclusive in campgrounds anymore. You have visitors all the time. Since I haven’t gotten around to making curtains yet, whenever somebody wants to change clothes in the trailer, we have to station another person outside to stand guard for visitors

On the flip side, towing a trailer is generally more hassle than not towing anything (we never towed anything before the teardrop), but it’s not bad. Backing up is still a challenge for us, although I’m sure it’ll get easier with practice. It’s also a bit hard on our clutch (we have a 5-speed manual). There’s more large junk you have to haul around – spare tire, jack, lug wrench, hitch lock, chocks – which take up precious room in our little car, but I’m planning on making a tongue box to hold it all. Gas mileage drops (from 25-27 mpg to about 20-22 mpg), so we’re stopping more often to fill up, especially in the west where gas stations can be few and far between. I don’t think I could hitch/unhitch myself since our tongue jack has a little wheel on it that comes off, and when hitched, it doesn’t crank up far enough for the wheel to slip off. My husband has to lift the tongue off the hitch and I’ll pull the wheel off. We still don’t have a decent place to store the trailer when not in use.

Is it worth it? You bet! The benefits far outweigh any negatives. It’s really a lot of fun and very cozy.

Jeanette