Noise from the outside

heyingaj · 02-08-2014, 11:18 AM

How is the outside noise when in the expandables? We have been looking into the expandable trailers and really like the space that you get along with being lighter for towing. One of our concerns is the noise we will hear from outside being the bed area is made out of canvas. We are wondering others experiences with this that have used their hybrids at campgrounds. We are leaning towards the shamrock 23ikss. Have seen great reviews.

wrvond · 02-08-2014, 11:36 AM

No camper is going to be as quiet as a house, and campers with canvas are going to be loudest of all. You'll want to pull into the site with bed furthest from the drive whenever possible to minimize noise. Also invest in a white noise machine.

**dcheatwood** · 02-08-2014, 11:37 AM

One step up from popup and two steps up from tent.

Triguy · 02-08-2014, 11:41 AM

Welcome to the forums!

Its like in a popup or tent if you have those experiences as a reference.

You certainly will hear more than in a TT when in the bunks. More of both wilderness (like birds) and also more neighbors.

I think the type of camping or campgrounds you camp at are important considerations and boondocking without neighbors or in the quieter state park sites are our preference.

FourWheelers · 02-08-2014, 03:21 PM

I've gone from a tent, to a pop up, to our 233s. When in the bed area, not much different than the tent.

KMP44 · 02-08-2014, 04:10 PM

I think Triguy pretty well summed it up. If you mostly camp in state parks or other places where campsites are spaced out, the tents can be an asset. In a lot of RV Parks where sites are very close, you are going to the neighbors more than you would in hard sided trailer. We stayed in some tight KOA's and a Jellystone on a trip this summer and you do notice the noise a little more, but wasn't really an issue for us.

And if you are looking at the 23IKSS we would give it a big endorsement. As long as you are comfortable with the tent ends. The floorplan, the living space, the storage, and the fact that we can fit it into almost anywhere made it perfect for us. We camp in a lot of state parks with lake front, wooded sites. They are usually listed as 20 or 25 ft max size, but we can get in there no problem, where bigger tt's won't. And the Roo is great for dry camping, but it also worked really well for those times when we were in an RV park with full hookups and the TV and the AC going.

rbq · 02-08-2014, 04:27 PM

We have a 233S, having gone from a PUP that we had for 27 years. Noise can be the noisy obnoxious type like loud neighbors, traffic, etc. On the other hand you will hear night noises in the hybrid that you won't hear in a TT, like owls hooting, coyotes yelping, crickets chirping & other of the great nature sounds which is one of the reasons that we get out camping. Even love the sound of rain lightly falling on the roof of the canvas overhead knowing that we are dry & protected.

Kaadk · 02-08-2014, 04:27 PM

We started out with looking at the hybrids but the concept of the tent ends didn't sit well with us, so we looked at the 23RS instead because it had the same floor space offerings of the hybrids, but the bunk being on a hard slide avoided the tent problems. In the end we just ended up with our 29' Flagstaff because it was the best fit for our needs, but I do still wish I could have swung the 23RS sometimes.

**bikendan** · 02-08-2014, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyingaj

We have been looking into the expandable trailers and really like the space that you get along with being lighter for towing.

this feature is how many are drawn to a hybrid trailer, without considering some of the issues that come with the canvas ends, noise being one of them.
you're a step ahead of many by asking this.

hybrids are great RV's if you consider the negatives, along with the postives.
a common question asked of prospective buyers is: "Do you love the idea of sleeping under canvas? if you are so-so about it, DON'T buy a hybrid.
you have to really want this experience, to put up with the few cons of the tent ends. many new hybrid owners don't take this into consideration before they bought their hybrid and end up selling it after only one season.

the vast majority of hybrid owners, are former popup owners and want to continue the tent end experience, but with more amenities and less setup hassle.

there's no way to minimize the noise level at night, anymore than a popup or tent. unless you decide to "turtle", which is closing the bunk doors and sleeping on the sofa and/or dinette. this is a great option that only hybrids can offer.
temp control is much more easily solved, by using Popup Gizmos(or the generic versions) and Reflectix.

heyingaj · 02-08-2014, 05:35 PM

Thanks for all the thoughts. It gives us a lot to think about. We bought a destination trailer last summer but it was not the right fit for our family (we have 2 teenagers and a 2 year old). We recently sold it and are looking at options for having something we can pull.

heyingaj · 02-08-2014, 05:36 PM

Those of you that do have hybrids how does it do for cooling and heating? We live in Mn and wondering how the canvas works when we have a 90 degree day and put the air on.

Rrickim63 · 02-08-2014, 05:57 PM

Actually works fine. Heat and heated mattresses work well. Recommend a ceramic heater as you Will use a lot of propane. Recommend pop up gizmos over tent ends to help with heat loss in colder climate and gain in summer.

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**bikendan** · 02-08-2014, 05:59 PM

i addressed that in my previous post.

most of us use Popup Gizmos and Reflectix to keep the tent ends cool or warm.

you can buy the generic 5x7 solar/sportsmen/all-weather blankets instead of the PUGs. Reflectix is used in the tent end windows.

suggest you visit PUG's website.

also with two teenagers and a 2 year-old, might need to consider the 233S, instead of the 23IKSS.
unless your teens don't mind sleeping together or they'll outside in a tent. making up the sofa or dinette every night, can get old.

Rrickim63 · 02-08-2014, 06:05 PM

I realized that. Sometimes it's nice if 2 recommend the same things to reinforce their value. They work!

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Camping Buddys · 02-08-2014, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyingaj

Those of you that do have hybrids how does it do for cooling and heating? We live in Mn and wondering how the canvas works when we have a 90 degree day and put the air on.

We have never owned a hybrid, but after two pup's and tent camping we won't go back to that, the noise was a killer for us! The tents did attract birds at 5am!

And barking dogs, diesel engines at 6am to go and get the milk they forgot, and more!!!

For the heat, we did use reflectix cutout's on all sides of the pup's. (Worked great in the Florida sunnny and hot summers) and the pop up gizmos keep the pup up nice and cool inside all day. At the end, it's your choice and what works best for you!

KMP44 · 02-08-2014, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyingaj

Those of you that do have hybrids how does it do for cooling and heating? We live in Mn and wondering how the canvas works when we have a 90 degree day and put the air on.

One of the main reasons we upgraded last year from our popup was that we were planning to visit our friends in St. Paul. We didn't want to make a 2800 mile trip with a popup. We were there in late August and it was 95+ most of the week. The popup gizmos, reflectix, and upgrading to 15K btu AC all get a lot of good comments on here, but we didn't have any of them.

One night we went out to a baseball game and my son decided to put the A/C on about 60 for some reason. When we got home the outsides of the windows were covered in condensation and it was freezing inside! From our experience, the AC had no problem keepig it cool even in the MN heat wave. The ducted AC is really nice.

**bikendan** · 02-08-2014, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rrickim63

I realized that. Sometimes it's nice if 2 recommend the same things to reinforce their value. They work!

my post was directed to the OP, not you, because they were asking questions about cooling and heating, which i had already discussed and posted solutions for, at the bottom of post #9.

Rrickim63 · 02-08-2014, 07:30 PM

Fair enough. Hope that they have all the information that they need. I don't mind repeating things as the mobile application sometimes makes it hard to follow through all the pages of posts

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FourWheelers · 02-08-2014, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

i addressed that in my previous post.

most of us use Popup Gizmos and Reflectix to keep the tent ends cool or warm.

you can buy the generic 5x7 solar/sportsmen/all-weather blankets instead of the PUGs. Reflectix is used in the tent end windows.

suggest you visit PUG's website.

also with two teenagers and a 2 year-old, might need to consider the 233S, instead of the 23IKSS.
unless your teens don't mind sleeping together or they'll outside in a tent. making up the sofa or dinette every night, can get old.

Bikendan- could the reflectix also be used on the top of the bunk ends instead of the solar blankets or does the blankets work better on the roof?

**bikendan** · 02-08-2014, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FourWheelers

Bikendan- could the reflectix also be used on the top of the bunk ends instead of the solar blankets or does the blankets work better on the roof?

the Reflectix isn't strong enough to even handle a light wind. it's basically bubble wrap with a foil coating.
plus, since it's not very wide, you'd have to tape sections together to cover the bunk end, which wouldn't hold up either.
go look at some, at Lowes or HD and you'll see why.

the blankets are much much more sturdy. that's why PUGs can sell the High Wind versions.

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