Modern Convenience

Another reason given for preferring tent trailers is the desire for a tent camping experience-for sleeping under canvas-but with none of the imagined inconveniences of using a tent alone. There is probably an underlying fear here of reptiles and ground insects which isn't justified.

Most people have never considered it a great advantage to be able to cook inside in those tent campers which contain built-in stoves. There is always the danger- though slight, if the cook is careful-of igniting the fabric roof. Also, cooking odors tend to cling to the canvas and are noticeable on damp days for a long time. I have always cooked meals outside the camper when weather permitted. With the screened and canvas awnings or porticos which zip onto the fronts of most campers, it is seldom that all meals cannot be cooked outside.

Although the latest units are well sealed up for travel, road dust is still more of a problem than with other types of rec vehicles. Somehow, a certain amount of dust manages to filter inside. It isn't serious enough to bother most sportsmen, however.

Except for a tent, no other sleeping accommodation can be taken into so many remote and off-the-beaten-track places. A 4-wheel-drive vehicle can tow the camper into most places the car can go alone and that is of inestimable value to explorers and big-game hunters. At the same time, the tent camper also fits into tight places, perhaps even by a bit of manhandling, in crowded public campgrounds.