Here are some of my thoughts about using a tent trailer. You've read my bragging about how versatile my trailer is, and it is. But I'm inclined to not use it after this year. And why is that?
Storage convenience is, in my experience, a serious downside. It just is not convenient to access the storage area while I'm in the tent, or even when standing outside of it. I fold up my bed and the two hatches I have in the floor give me really good access to the trailer storage area, but it's cramped in there. I don't see where the commercial units linked to above are all that much better than my setup.
It doesn't look to me like access to the storage in the commercial units is all that easy, if possible, while the camper is folded up. On mine I have a gate in the back and a zippered flap in the bed liner so I can access about 1/2 to 2/3 of the storage area while the tent is folded up. This access to my duffle bag, CPAP machine, etc., makes it easy to stop at a motel for a night without needing to open up my tent. It doesn't look like the commercial units have this same ease of access, but I could be wrong.
Mine does take more than a minute to set up, but only about 10 to 15 at most. Not a big deal, but that is an advantage of the commercial units.
I'm coming to the conclusion that campground restrooms and showers just ain't as comfortable as a motel room! In a motel room one has ready access to the internet for keeping up with email, SL, etc. With a camper trailer you have to go to Burger King, McDonalds, or wherever, to do that.
The overwhelming benefit of using a camper is money savings. I saved at least $50 a night by staying in the campground while at SF. But, I lost a good chunk of that with lower gas mileage towing the trailer for 3900 miles. My travel pattern is not conducive to using the tent for a one night stop. I tend to stop for the night only after about 6 pm or so, and I'm slow to get moving in the morning. For two or more nights at one spot the tent works well, but for me not so well for one night at a time.
Tent trailers are great, and can be a great way to travel, but they do have their downsides. Go ahead and get a tent trailer if you want, and enjoy the heck out of it, but realize they aren't the end all to be all we may be romantically inclined to think! If a tent trailer fits with your style of traveling, then go for it. But don't get one if your travel pattern isn't going to mesh well with the limitations and advantages of one.
