# Jumping Jack Trailers - Yea or Nay?



## Fishhuntthendie

A lot of my hunting is done with a backpack and light weight gear so I have not had much need for a base camp, camper, etc. in the past However, I have 2 young boys that have started hunting with me (4 and 6) and they are not yet up to the 5-15 mile wilderness back pack trips so I am looking for some type of mobile base camp, nothing fancy, but dependable and something that will last for 10+ years so I can take my kids camping and hunting with me on a regular basis. I do like to take a quad or two with me...to avoid destroying my truck any more than I have to...so this is an additional reason I am interested in the Jumping Jack. I have looked closely at the Jumping Jack trailers and they look like they are well built, though possibly over priced for what you are getting. However, I have not found a better alternative. I do look the ground clearance on the trailer and the ease of setting up camp and moving to new areas in a hurry if needed.

I am hoping there are a few of you on this site that have some actual experience using a JJ trailer in the hope that you will share your experiences, positive and negative, regarding the Jumping Jack trailers. Any personal experiences you are willing to share would be greatly appreciated. If you have found a better alternative, I would also be very interested in hearing about that.


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## Rspeters

I've known a few people that have had them and they've all loved them. I've thought about getting one in the past but the price is really what keeps me away. They're definitely a good option for getting a bit more off the beaten path while still carrying a quad.


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## Huge29

Do you need two ATV's? If not, just put one in the bed of the truck and get a tent trailer at about 1/4th of the price. Seems like it isnt much more money to get a much nicer trailer like this style. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=29165231&cat=436&lpid=&search=deck&ad_cid=2


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## Fishhuntthendie

I have seen the pop ups and you have a good point. I have looked at them closely but have been leaning against going this way because of a couple of concerns..they are significantly longer than the JJ, and have significantly less axle/frame clearance, and as a result, they can't really be taken anywhere a traditional camper can't usually be taken and this limits the ability to get off of graded roads. In an ideal world..I want to be able to take 2 quads..one for me and one for my sons, and be able to take my "camp" on some moderate 4X4 roads/trails. I would obviously be getting a much nicer trailer with this set up...but I am afraid I wouldn't be able to get it to the trail heads where I would start hiking on my hunts. My friend and I looked at this exact same trailer (2013 model) at one of the local RV shops in SLC and our big issue was the length of the trailer/lack of clearance. The bigger tires give it a few more inches of clearance than a traditional trailer but the overall length will get it hung up on most dips/stream crossings, big ruts, etc. I do appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.;-)


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## Fowlmouth

I agree with Huge about the tent trailer. A lot more comfortable having a heater, fridge, stove and maybe a toilet/shower. Rockwood makes some nice tent trailers that haul ATV's and have plenty of ground clearance. We have used Jayco's for years and they have served us well. It's not too tough to put a new axle and springs under them to get more clearance. I wouldn't discount the tent trailer because of the ground clearance thing.


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## Fishhuntthendie

Thanks for the info. I will take a look at the Rockwoods and Jaycos.


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## MWScott72

My Bro - in - law has a JJ and has loved it. They are very well built and yes...pricey. There is a company out of Cache Co that makes a similar product...maybe cheaper? I'll have to ask my brother as I've forgotten the name.


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## swbuckmaster

Too Expensive. Buy a regular trailer for wheelers and buy a spring bar or Kodiak tent for camping


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## DallanC

Been there, done that. I usually tent camp once a year to remind myself why I don't, and why I love my 18.5' full trailer so much. Furnace, Hot water / shower, toilet, microwave, flatscreen tv, AC, full size bed. Oh yea... love it.


-DallanC


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## Bax*

DallanC said:


> Been there, done that. I usually tent camp once a year to remind myself why I don't, and why I love my 18.5' full trailer so much. Furnace, Hot water / shower, toilet, microwave, flatscreen tv, AC, full size bed. Oh yea... love it.
> 
> -DallanC


Dallan, you wimp :mrgreen:

Honestly, it would be nice to have some of those things when camping. I'm not too big on the idea of having a TV in my trailer because it detracts from the real reason I am out there, but man it would be nice to have a quick set up instead of all of the work putting a tent up and getting camp in order...

I drive a Tacoma so my trailer options are limited. I keep looking for a decent little trailer that I can pull that would sleep 4 but cant find many options outside of [email protected], Scamps, and Casitas.


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## DallanC

Heh, it ain't all hunting trips my friend. I find we actually spend more times outdoors now than before.

As for tents, I spent a week out on the Mulchatna Drainage in Alaska hunting Caribou... we had +70mph winds across the tundra at night flattening tents like they were nothing. The "D" rings on the corners of the tent bent and were pulled out. Imagine standing inside a tent with what seems like a giant trying to swat you like a fly. It was a pretty scary situation which is hard to describe to someone not being in it. Talked to another group later from Utah that were out there in the same storm... one of their tents used for cooking was blown away... they never did find it (I expect it is somewhere in the middle of the bearing sea... perhaps those deadliest catch guys will snag it with a crab pot). That was the last time I did what people would consider "roughing it" with a tent.

I'll do a simple 1 night'er with my boy and scouts as long as I got a cot... but my days of truely "roughing it" are over.



-DallanC


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## Nambaster

I have always wondered if maybe this would be better bang for the buck than a jj. 
http://www.buylifetime.com/products/blt/pid-65047.aspx you save a significant amount of money and the tent seems to be lighter. You can't park your machines on top of the trailer like a jj but with the size of the small tent bag you could just lop that sucker on top of a machine during transport.


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## LanceS4803

The Jumping Jack looks great, until I saw the price: $6,000!
I liked the trailer on ksl, a lot.
I've been considering using one of the truck bed tents. I could haul the ATV in the bed, pull it off and then set up the tent.


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## lifes short

Other than being up off the ground how is the JJ or or the lifetime product mentioned above any better than a tent? Don't you still have to pitch it set up the beds etc. just like a tent. I personally have run the gauntlet of hunting camps. I started with a 8'X10' Springbar 36 years ago then moved up to a 19' Nomad trailer for years then a 30' motor home, truck and camper. In between all of that got a 10'X16' wall tent with a woodstove. Last year on the muzzleloader hunt i used the 36 year old springbar to sleep in ang the wall tent to eat and hang out in the evenings in.
No matter what you get there are drawbacks. Dallan mentioned some with the tent. The 19' trailer you can't bring the 4 wheelers. A toy hauler you can't pull the boat. Got the motor home great for parking on the beach up at the Gorge for Mac fishing but can't take it up on the mountain for deer and elk hunting. Truck and camper can park on the beach have the showere etc. but is limited on sitting around space and gear packing area. Honestly a good springbar tent and 4 wheeler trailer works out pretty good. It is not much more work to pitch a tent than it is to get a trailer ready. It takes about an hour to set up both tents put up the cots and put the heater in the tent. Coming home with a wet tent is really the biggest hassle but not that hard to lay it out to dry. I miss the flush toilet when tent camping but anyone that spends much time on the mountain hunting allready has that worked out.
I guess the moral to the story is figure out what you like to do and get those boys out and use whatever you get enough to wear it out and then it is money well spent.


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## Dodger

Jumping Jacks are great. They are way easier to set up than a tent, have a very convenient table inside and you are never going to get stuck with a rock in your back. If you're taking ATVs out anyway and you get a place to sleep out of the deal, I'd say life is pretty good at that point.

I will also say that those lifetime pop-up trailers are a total waste of money. They are built chincy, have paper thin tents, and the axles on them aren't even rated for their own weight. It's not a Ford versus Chevy versus Dodge comparison with the lifetimes and the Jumping Jacks. It's Ford/Chevy/Dodge vs. Subaru. You don't need a car or a pop up tent whose only selling point is that it that runs on "love."

Jumping Jack is also making a high-clearance version of the classic trailer with bigger wheels. They'll be doing a demonstration with a certain well known Salt Lake Jeep company at the Easter Jeep Safari in a couple weeks. I've seen the new high-clearance trailers and they are pretty sweet.

If you really need some space, there is a new 17 foot model as well. I have one sitting in my back yard right now. It's been a real life saver for me.

All the hunting I do is out of a Jumping Jack. They are a little expensive but 1) everything outdoors is, 2) you need to haul a trailer anyway, and 3) you need to haul your ATVs.


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## Fowlmouth

Another option to think about:
Enclosed Utility trailers work great for hauling wheelers and for sleeping in. You can easily set up cots in the trailer, there is a lot of open space to store extra gear, you can have a heater installed that is thermostat controlled. I have spent a few nights in friends snowmobile trailers and they are quite comfortable using cots and having a heater. The structure is a hell of a lot stronger than any tent trailer ever dreamed of being. The other nice thing with an enclosed utility trailer is that you have a multi-purpose trailer that can be used for everything. (hauling wheelers, decoys, yard trimmings, camping gear, you could even store your wheelers inside year round).

Something like this: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=29236475&cat=101&lpid=2&search=&ad_cid=12


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## middlefork

Fowlmouth said:


> Another option to think about:
> Enclosed Utility trailers work great for hauling wheelers and for sleeping in. You can easily set up cots in the trailer, there is a lot of open space to store extra gear, you can have a heater installed that is thermostat controlled. I have spent a few nights in friends snowmobile trailers and they are quite comfortable using cots and having a heater. The structure is a hell of a lot stronger than any tent trailer ever dreamed of being. The other nice thing with an enclosed utility trailer is that you have a multi-purpose trailer that can be used for everything. (hauling wheelers, decoys, yard trimmings, camping gear, you could even store your wheelers inside year round).
> 
> Something like this: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=29236475&cat=101&lpid=2&search=&ad_cid=12


+1 They work great and can be as simple or fancy as you want to make them. A small 8' one will go just about anywhere you want to go. Although it won't handle 2 wheelers.


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## dkhntrdstn

JJ are nice. they will hold the heat in great they are just like the spring bars tents.But the price tag for what you get is steep. I have been thinking about getting one and now I have changed my mind and im wanting a camper trailer. Then I dont have to worry about setting it back up when I get home if it raining when I pack up to come home. then I got a shower for those week ling hunts and a nice place to sit and talk to my hunting buddy droning the rain storms.


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## swbuckmaster

Do you have to register a jj trailer? Or is it considered a tent


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## Huge29

One nice thing with a lot of the lower priced trailers is that they hold their value very well as the depreciation has already been depleted. You can buy one, use it for five years and sell it for the same as what you paid five years ago, but will certainly need to make some repairs along the way. NOt sure that the JJ's fit this description.


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## dkhntrdstn

swbuckmaster said:


> Do you have to register a jj trailer? Or is it considered a tent


no you dont. It classified just as a trailer. not a camping trailer.


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## KineKilla

We used a pop-up trailer 2 seasons ago and while it was quite comfortable for 3 guys once set up, I vowed to never use it again. No ground clearance whatsoever, thing bounces off of every pebble in the road, you have to haul along a generator or solar charger for your batteries or you won't have any heat...just not worth it to me.

Now, it is Wall Tent all the way. I can drag it into anywhere I can get a quad, and once set up, as long as I have wood, I have heat. Yep...wall tents are the only way for me to go.


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## Dave Adamson

*Jumping Jack*

I thought I'd chime in with my humble opinion. First off I've been an avid tent camper all my life but back in 2009 I told my girlfriend that I was too old to keep sleeping on the ground and wanted to invest in a camp trailer and we finally compromised on a Jumping Jack. I found a used year old trailer in great shape with all the extras for a killer deal ($3800) and our love affair with JJ began. Over the next 3 years I think we had a total of 50+ nights camping with the only drawback being no toilet which we didn't have tenting so it wasn't that big a deal. The great thing about the trailer is all the storage you have on top when not hauling atv's which you don't have with a tent trailer, I had plenty of room for all our coolers, camp boxes, firewood etc leaving the back of the truck open for my dog kennels. We only hauled our atv's a couple of times since we prefer to hike over trail riding most of the time. It's a piece of cake to set up and take down and almost as much room as my 30 year old springbar 10x13 family traveler and like the springbar they're a local Utah company. Last June I talked her into buying a travel trailer and sold JJ on KSL for $700 more then I paid. They are a little pricy but easy to take care of and like the springbar tents will last a lifetime. Bottom line it's a great way to jump up that next level from a tent but still be roughing it.


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## klbzdad

There is something to be said about watching television in a heated / insulated travel trailer during hunting seasons when outside it is pouring, snowing, hailing, thunder, lightning, or my least favorite, windy. I've turned my mobile man palace into a rolling Fort Knox of luxury and will never apologize for it. Plus, it gets my dainty anti-camping wife to spend time with me in the trees.


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## KineKilla

klbzdad said:


> There is something to be said about watching television in a heated / insulated travel trailer during hunting seasons when outside it is pouring, snowing, hailing, thunder, lightning, or my least favorite, windy. I've turned my mobile man palace into a rolling Fort Knox of luxury and will never apologize for it. *Plus, it gets my dainty anti-camping wife to spend time with me in the trees*.


Hmmm, one more reason to NOT get the comfy trailer! -BaHa!-


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## Fowlmouth

Here's a homemade one for $1500
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=29321459&cat=&lpid=&search=erda&ad_cid=1


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## Dodger

Fowlmouth said:


> Here's a homemade one for $1500
> http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=29321459&cat=&lpid=&search=erda&ad_cid=1


Looks like an excellent job of infringing a patent to me. -O,-


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## swbuckmaster

Looks like a spring bar on a trailer. Its not a patent infringement too many things that are different.


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## Dodger

swbuckmaster said:


> Looks like a spring bar on a trailer. Its not a patent infringement too many things that are different.


It doesn't matter how many things are different. It matters how many of them are the same.

I know a thing or two about this.


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