My jeep patriot has a 2000 lb towing ability. Are there any tent trailers, etc. that could be safely towed with the vehicle?

M.

There are so many holiday trailer manufacturers it is a bit of a hard question to answer.

There are some tent and dome trailers that would fall under 2000 lbs, most are quite small. (13ft or less)

http://www.aarp.org/community/Oldkayaker/photo/Flamingo_campsite/17162 is my Aliner Scout. Go to Aliner.com for specs. The Patriot handles it with no problems. Earl

you can google all of the manufacturers of "pop-ups" (starcraft, fleetwood, coleman, forest river, etc) they speak mostly in terms of the size of the box, you will find that you can easily tow most of the 8" or 10" boxes that will have a dry wt of 1500 or less but that the 12" boxes will be too heavy for the Patriot.
Remember you have to include the wt of the gear.

For those of you who tow camp trailers, do you wait to fill the water tank until you arrive? The whole pint is a pound, can add up fast and exceed the towing capacity.

I often fill a trailer with gear. One piece at a time it is no big deal, but it all adds up.

Has anyone pulled a "Scamp" ?
http://www.scamptrailers.com/

Just to let people know that a gallon of water weighs 8.35 pounds. So, a 12 gallon tank which is on the 13' scamp only weighs about 100 pounds added to the 1200 lbs. (weight of trailer) leaves you some room for you gear.

wherever possible, wait till the last possible moment to buy the drinks or fill the water tank, or add anything that adds extra weight, etc. (unless of course you are going national forest service dry camping and have no choice)

There are alot of options out there. Do a google search for "lightweight pop-up camper"

Here's one that someone posted on here awhile back, that I've had my eye on:

http://www.livinlite.com/8.0-overview.php

Dry weight of 865lbs. Max weight of 1500lbs (635lbs of gear). Still well under the Pat's rating.

And it still has room for 6 to sleep.

Thanks a million. Visited those web sites and found several different options that would
work.

M.

Talking about trailer towing, it would be nice to know how you guys are equipped for towing. Does anyone use a sway bar and/or weight distribution bars?

I had a fixed hitch installed along with the oil cooler. I also plan on using the weight distribution bars incase the tongue weight is slightly above the posted weight(150 lbs).
As far as sway bars go, looking at trailers that will already have that feature. But if not,
will look at them. At no time will I exceed the 2000 lbs limit on my jeep.

M.

it would be nice to know how you guys are equipped for towing.

Basics: full size spare, factory installed towing option which required dealer installed wiring harness and a hitch receiver from eTrailer installed by me.

Extras: Adaptor to connect Mopar harness flat 5-pin connector to trailer's round 7-pin. Extra wires are for charging trailer's battery but I don't use them because I added solar panels. Prior to getting the trailer I had noticed the rear of the car sat a bit low when loaded with all my camping and kayaking gear. While researching safe towing practices I learned the weight in the trunk counts toward the tongue weight limit. In my foolish youth I would probably have loaded all the heavy stuff in the rear of the trailer and let it lift the hitch to level the car. Fortunately for the motoring public the wisdom gained during my many years convinced me to add a weight distributing hitch. I knew nothing about them but now think they are one of the best uses ever made of the old lever & fulcrum principle. I would rather have used the chain type because you can adjust the lift but they were only available for larger trailers. The bar type keeps the Jeep sitting level but you have to be sure you have it adjusted properly. The fully loaded and hitched measurement from top of hitch to ground must be equal to or less than the unloaded measurement. I took everything out of the car, measured hitch height, reloaded car and hitched up the trailer. The hitch was 1/4" lower. I am well under the towing limit and the gross vehicle weight but like having the car nice and level. I have usually had air shocks or coil over shock load levelers but decided not to mess with the Patriot's suspension until I know more about it.
Earl