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Jumping Jack Trailer
Part #2 Tent Review and Set-up
Vendor:

Jumping Jack: Jump-up tent trailers

2955 So. Main Street 
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
1-866-461-7001
Email: Info @ jumpingjacktrailers.com

Why have a tent trailer for expedition travel?

There are several sleeping arrangements to consider while traveling remote, including ground tents, roof tents, sleeping in the vehicle (or in an attached camper) and tent trailers. All methods have their advantages, though I have found through experience that a choice which allows for enclosed standing room and a generous sleeping pad provides the best results. Occupant comfort while driving and sleeping goes far to making an extended expedition enjoyable. The Jumping Jack trailer certainly provides sleeping comfort (with 3" thick mattresses) and plenty of standing room. I have now spent several nights in the trailer and have been more than happy with the results!

Another challenge to sleeping in the vehicle, or using a roof tent is the number of people that can comfortably occupy the arrangement. With a trailer, the sleeping quarters can be as large as necessary, with the downside being the resulting trailer size and reduced maneuverability. The Jumping Jack trailer strikes a good balance between the size of the trailer and number of occupants. This unit can comfortably sleep three on the mattresses, and up to six if the floor space is used.

 
Jumping Jack 6x8 Trailer
Part #2 The Tent!
The tent makes a great first impression, as the nitrogen filled struts help to "jump" the tent up, creating a nearly 100 square foot home in a matter of minutes. The rear gate of the trailer also make for the back step and entry platform. As soon as I stepped inside, I couldn't believe the room available. Even with both beds set up there is a large area in front of the table for changing and storing gear. The interior headroom is over eight feet at the center, and you are surrounded by seven large screened windows. The temperatures while we camped were cool, so ventilation wasn't tested. I would expect it to be more than adequate.

The tent has two beds. One bed is a 90" long single and the second is a double bed, also 90" in length. The beds also perform the function of seating benches for the table.

The table also folds up and against the back wall to allow for even more standing room and additional sleeping space. The light wall and ceiling colors and all of the windows make the tent even seem larger. The floor is covered by removable all-weather carpeting, which should be easy to clean if soiled.

When the tent is set-up there is about 24"x100" of storage space available under the double bed extension. I found this space great for stowing bedding containers, shoes, personal equipment bags, etc.

The tent includes several well thought out features that showcase the designers attention to detail. The table and bed extension have assist springs incorporated to ease set-up. There are two small covered ports in the front and back walls that allow extension cords and propane lines to be passed into the tent. All of the interior tent framework is powder coated and is tucked nicely against the walls, which helps prevent bumps and bruises. The bed pads are 3" thick closed cell foam with durable covers, integrated handles and fiberboard backing to ensure maximum comfort.

The trailer feels very spacious inside
Other Accessories and Features
Jumping Jack provides a cooler / bin rack as an accessory The panel used to make the back of the trailer in "utility" mode can also be used as a 6' long table with the available leg kit. There are also fuel/water can holders available. A sink kit is currently being developed. With the tent folded up there is a 100"x24"x10" storage area available. We left all of the bedding and clothing bags in this area, which freed up space in the vehicle.
Set-up!
The real beauty of this trailer is the ease of set-up. To have a nearly 100 sq. ft. cabin tent on wheels set up in just less than 5 minutes is really an advantage. The tent frame incorporated lift assist struts and utilizes leverage to help "pop" the tent up. It really is an easy operation, that is summarized below in four major steps .
1: Unfold trailer top and gate
2. Unzip and roll up cover
3. Secure tent sides to trailer
4. Pop it up!
The summary does not show every step required. We have documented the step by step process on the tent set-up page. Video (1.22mb) of popping up the tent
Video (2.6mb) of folding down the tent
Tent Impressions

We have now spent several nights in the trailer under calm, but cool conditions. The tent has faired well under light wind, with little buffeting; though I would expect the limitations of the tent would become apparent under extreme weather conditions. Having said that, I would not expect the Jumping Jack to fair worse than any large 3-season dome tent. Sleeping and eating in the trailer is very comfortable, which is its strongest design advantage. There are few other solutions available to the expedition / adventure traveler that allows sleeping accommodations for three to four members (on the included matressess) and can still be pulled along rugged roads.

The greatest advantage to the trailer and tent is the overall build quality and the interior space and comfort.

The greatest disadvantage to the trailer in my opinion is the width, though it can easily be pulled along most roads and trails, traversing narrow tracks should be done with caution. I have taken the trailer along miles of corrugated roads, along rocky tracks and across boulder shelf's with good success. Though the width may create some limitations, the sleeping comfort at the end of the day makes it well worth it!

Questions / Comments?