Thanks for the head's up.  The E-track has 4 bolts running through a 48" piece through holes that I drilled (instead of using the pre-drilled 1/4" holes that are  every inch or so).  The bolts go through the drilled hole in the E-track, through the mesh floor, through a cut piece of 1/4" steel plate which is about 1.5" x 1.5" for each bolt, then a washer and nylock nut.  It should be good for tying a bike down to, and it has already been used without any signs of bending, but I am definitely going to keep an eye on it.  If I have any bending/flexing, I will beef it up.

I know what you mean about the mesh floor though- I am learning to dislike it the more I am exposed to it.  The wheel chocks are bolted in in the same way, but they aren't really structural- the bolts are mostly to keep them from moving/sliding.

Thanks for all the additional comments.

My plan has been to get to Colorado in about three days and grab hotels those nights to avoid nightly setup and takedown.  Once in Colorado I will insist on three to four nights per area so I don't have to do too much setup and takedown.

Tent camping is still an option, especially if I can find a place with showers.  

NC

Does anyone make a bike shoe that attaches to E-Track??

DirtRiderDad, on 10 May 2012 - 07:51 AM, said:

http://www.trailerou...heel_chocks.htm

Right hand side of the page, in black.

Thanks CH... i did see those while google surfing the topic... i was hoping for a bike shoe that actually holds the bike so the tie downs are just to stop the lateral movement.

on a side note... have you guys bought from that vendor??  never heard of them b4.

Chickenhauler, on 10 May 2012 - 09:49 AM, said:

Edited by DirtRiderDad, 10 May 2012 - 11:54 AM.

DirtRiderDad, on 10 May 2012 - 11:53 AM, said:

Never heard of them either, just a quick googlage.

Done lots of business with etrailer and http://www.newhaven-...talog/index.cfm

The base area of a chock that attaches to E-track is pretty small, and the E-track is a thin narrow strip, add to that the play in the chock-etrack attachment point, and I'd think the shoe would actually be pretty sloppy compared to a conventionally mounted (bolted to solid floor or through a frame member) shoe setup.

Something to watch for in the larger pop ups is the slide out dinnette.  I have the Starcraft 13RT and love it once set up but when loading the thing the dinnette slides back in and takes all the floor space up and leaves no room for storage!  So all your gear and bedding needs to be packed into the truck once the minimal cupboard space is used up.  Something I would never have thought about when buying and in theory works well, just a space and time sucker when it comes to setup, take down and travel.  A canopy is a must.

Rawperformance, on 10 May 2012 - 06:32 PM, said:

I have a hybrid travel trailer (hard sides with ends that pop out like a tent trailer) and run into the same exact thing-with the slidout in, there's maybe 12" of space between the dinette and couch.

What we do is fold down the dinette like it's going to be used for a bed, and then pile all our bedding, blankets and pillows on there for travel.

Just got back from spending our second weekend in our Baja and I am liking it more and more.  We do learn something new every time out and this weekend, despite being a lot of fun, was full of lessons!  The biggest one was one that I was already aware of, but we got a good (BAD) example of what it is like to camp in wind in a pop up.  In an ill-advised move we decided to set up camp Friday night in a spot right on the edge of the lake so we could enjoy the lake view.  The problem with that was later in the night when a storm rolled in and there was absolutely nothing to block the wind coming off the water.  We toughed it out until about midnight, at which point my paranoia about damaging the camper got the best of me and we went ahead and closed it up to save it from getting hurt.  We had to spend the rest of the night sleeping in the cab of the truck and the next morning we immediately moved to a different side with some trees for wind protection.  Lesson learned!

On a good note, the cargo deck has come along well and is working out perfectly.

Here's a couple pics of the deck ready for the bikes.  You'll notice in the photos the chocks are all set up, tie downs in place and all I have to do is roll the bikes up and tie them down:





Here they are a few minutes later, tied down and ready to roll:



Overall, I love this setup.  When we get to the campsite I untie the front bike and hold it while my wife pulls the pins out of the wheel chock and moves the front piece and the wheel cradle out of the way and I just roll/ride the bike forward down the ramp. Then we just re-assemble the chock and put the ramp on the trailer and the whole setup is ready to have the bikes reloaded at the end of the weekend.

Ramp storage is no big deal- they just go between the bikes with a bungee cord holding them down:

Wow that is awesome!

I looked at one yesterday, a 2006 Fleetwood Evolution E-2 and the dealer wanted $7k for it.  It looked pretty used so I'll pass on that one.  I hope to get one for $5k tops.

Do you worry about someone stealing your bikes off the cargo deck those times you don't have them unloaded?  I suppose it is a moot point as they are easier to steal when off the deck than on.  I have always taken comfort in leaving my bikes in the back of my truck as I can back up to a light post where they can't get the tailgate down and get my bikes.

Still looking for one of these guys.

NC

NumberCruncher, on 15 May 2012 - 06:32 AM, said:

I'm a pretty paranoid person when it comes to having stuff stolen, so I try to do everything I can to not put myself in situations where it might be likely.  I tend to not really go places with my stuff that would be typical of getting things stolen.  That being said, anything can happen at any time and in any place, so there really is no way to totally prevent it.  If I were to have a situation where I had to leave the bikes I have a disc lock and a cable lock that could lock the bikes to the trailer.  Plus, when we stop to eat or take a break, I make sure I can see the rig from where we are sitting.

Good luck in your search.  I love ours so far and don't regret anything about buying it since it works perfectly for our needs.

Edited by kendall_smith, 15 May 2012 - 08:03 AM.

This trailer hauls the big bikes too- if anyone was wondering.