Talk me into/out of an A-Frame

[Maineguy]

Had an A-liner for 10 yrs. Loved it. BUT, no toilet, no shower. Got an r-pod and after an 8000 mile trip out west, think it's the greatest. Consider the r.pod, you might just go for it. Believe it or not, my wife agrees.

[Pooneil]

One problem with an R-pod is the 74 inch beds instead of the 80 inch bed in the A Frames. Too short for many people.

[Loneeagle]

After camping in a tent for many years, I finally got tired of packing up wet decided it's time to move on. I had a Flagstaff "A" frame for three seasons and really really liked it. It was a breeze to put up. I could have it put up in about 45 seconds. It had a lot of storage particularly because I had the front storage section on this unit. All my lawn chairs, tarps, gas grill and everything would go in that front storage. It was very lightweight and easy to pull. For the three years I had it, I never had a problem. I really think you would like it if you're looking for something lightweight, easy to tow and easy to put up and down.

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by jeshoffstall

....And we can keep this in a garage.

Other than lack of floors space, any other downsides we need to consider?

Your happiness with an A-frame will depend a lot on what I call your camping style.

Like a PUP, the one sleeping on the outside has to crawl over the one sleeping on the inside.

Fitting in the garage - if the camper takes the full length of the stall, you have to open the garage door to get to the far side of the camper. That was unacceptable to us in Colorado, so we bought the smallest (17ft long) A-frame to fit our 19.5ft garage. Even then, its width is an issue for storing in a normal garage stall. It just barely fits through a standard single car garage door - I back it in and pull it out by hand because of the tight door clearances. Measure your garage carefully before you buy.

That said, garage storage is very important for our camping style. The A-frame is completely stocked except for food and normal clothing, and kept ready to go. The night before (or 2 nights before) we plug the camper in to charge the batteries and pre-cool the fridge. The day of we pack the food and drink into 2 medium coolers, and our clothes and personal stuff into one medium duffel each. These go in the minivan, along with the EZ-up and 2 chairs. Hitch up and go. Minivan is a nice TV, and is good for tourist drives during our camping day.

Because we weekend camp, quick setup and take-down is also very important to us. Total campsite setup is about 1 hour, and the only part that needs DW help is the EZ-up.

On the downside, the lack of floor space would probably get old if we stayed in a campsite for more than a long weekend. The lack of an awning and floor space causes us to cook, eat, clean, and lounge at or near the picnic table - which is OK with us.

We also don't bother with the Portapotty. We use the campground restrooms and showers, although we have done without showers for a long weekend.

Bottom line is that we think of the A-frame as deluxe sleeping while camping (putting a mattress topper on top of the stock mattress is needed to make it deluxe), and a dinette where we can sit and lounge while waiting out thunderstorms.

If we were staying at a campsite for longer periods, or we still had the kids and their friends, we would go back to our PUP roots. Despite the A-frame having more ventilation and windows than most TTs, it still doesn't have the out in the woods feel of a PUP.

just our thoughts and experiences, yours may differ
Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122
2008 Hyundai Entourage (minivan) with Equalizer 600/6000

[WWTTA]

We have a V Lite, and love it, and believe it to be very good quality for the price point...great amenities...everything we could want. That being said...if I were looking for a small camper, but one with room...I would actually be looking at SOB. My first choice would be a small, probably 2619, Trailmanor....which may, or may not fit in your garage, depends on the garage stall, the optional swing away hitch makes them fit most garages, and if it doesn't have one, I think one can be added later. The numbers stand for approx. 26' open and 19' closed. It has two bunks, just like a pop up, which it is...but the bunk ends are solid, not canvas, a small, but functional bathroom with hard side walls (except for about 6 inches on the top, which is heavy vinyl) small, full kitchen with refrigerator, and a dinette with two bench seats and a fold up/down table are standard in the 2619; the back bunk, the bathroom and kitchen are standard on all models, but the front can vary, as can the size up to at least 30' open, 24' closed, which would not fit in a garage, which change the bunk sizes from full to queen to king. It can sleep up to 6, although 4 or 2 are more comfortable. Biggest problem...hard to find, and very expensive new...but second hand and well maintained, very affordable, easy and quick set up and take down (our daughter and son-in-law can open or close theirs in 10 minutes, even in the rain). Just a thought.

[Bwofford]

At 5'6" and 5'10" we are happy with our A Frame. We have completed 9 trips in past 13 months, so far so good. We are towing with a 4 door Jeep Unlimited. Yes, It is small, intimate and not enough room. But coming from tent camping it is great!

[mickrock]

personal, and camping activity factors.

To make it more interesting, those factors can change every couple of years, or so.

The A frame is the best for us, for now.

[Cattledog]

A Frames aren’t for everybody personally I don’t think most people would be happy with them on a recent trip I was asked numerous times about mine. Several people asked me about floor space I immediately told them if that is a first concern this isn’t the trailer for them. I bought mine because I was a tent camper and I still tent camp but I wanted the convenience of quick setup and takedown a bed off the ground and place to be out of the rain on trips when the weather wasn’t cooperating. The big plus is I can still camp on nice scenic sites that tents fit on which is very important to me as I have no interest in RV Parks or wide open ugly sites. Satellite TV, WiFi, a kitchen, a shower and a toilet just aren’t my thing the fire pit, a book, my Coleman stove and the facilities the Provincial Parks provides work for me. It comes down to knowing what you can live with and what type of camping you want to do.

[toxophilus]

The difference between a Classic and a High Wall is very noticeable, we sold our Classic and now when sitting we don't worry about bumping our heads on the front wall. We've also upgraded the Queen size bed by putting in a gel topper. As another post alluded to, it's how you look at things (vertically) for organization.

There are things that are not important to us as we spend more time outside than inside, we removed the microwave, folding table and have stored the outside stove.

[Richard Cunningham]

Jack, all your concerns were my concerns, but since buying the A192Highwall I have never been happier. We have the dedicated queen bed which is very comfortable for my 6' frame. It tows very well and stows in my garage perfectly. My 5'9" wife can even set up the sides by her self. It is perfect for the person how does not want to enter the full blown RV world but still likes camping and wants a few extra comforts.

[prairiegypsy]

I always wanted an A-frame, and I love it more than I thought I would. Love the easy set up, take down and towing. Ours has a 14-foot "box" and is 20 feet long. High wall. Feels very spacious. Love the 60" x 80" bed. I put a simple mattress topper on it and it's extremely comfortable -- better than our real bed. With a little ingenuity we've dealt with the lack of toilet/shower issue, even storage issues. We looked at R-pods and liked them too, but went with the Flagstaff T21QBHW as it just felt more comfortable and spacious to us. I think either are great depending on your preferences.