Kamp-Rite Midget Bushtrekka
Bicycle Campers

Kamp-Rite Midget Bushtrekka was one of the best models of pull-behind bicycle campers; lite, eco-friendly design for off-road adventures promised new camping experience...

        Kamp-Rite Tent Cot US (Sacramento, CA) was founded in 1999 with an ambitious goal to bring the traditional tent-based camping gear to new dimensions. 

The result was a rule-braking “Tent Cot” – a combination of an off-the-ground bed protected by a tent.  Well, the tent-cot took the market by the storm. 

       It did not take long before the company brought new product to the world of the camping gear raising the level of “refinement” to the higher level. It was the Midget-Bushtrekka Tent Cot – a camper designed for aficionados of bicycle adventures. This lite, pull-behind travel trailer with about 4.3 cubic-feet of cargo capacity and tent-cot (sort of very popular these days soft roof-top tent) addressed needs of bicyclists exploring the Mother Nature located “a bit” farther than city’s parks. 

Kamp-Rite Midget Bushtrekka pull-behind bicycle camper provides shelter for one person

     The Midget -Bushtrekka Tent-Cot was really an innovative (sort of “ahead-of-its-time) design that hit the market still not ready for mass-biking adventures. Made of lite aluminum it met the fundamental requirement to be lite (last thing you need on your biking trip are excess pounds to haul). However, to make the metal box more “nature (and touch)-friendly”, the aluminum was covered with 600-denier rip-stop nylon. It nicely blended with nature enhancing the tent-camping experience. For waterproofness, the nylon was coated with polyurethane.

Obviously biking on asphalt roads may be a compromise you have to make to reach an unspoiled nature. At the end however (or at the beginning of real adventure if you wish) it will be an off-road experience. And here you will have chance to see ingenuity of Midget-Bushtrekka trailer’s design. Four independent pivoting wheels will individually negotiate terrain’s obstacles not only making movement “smooth”, but also efficiently suppressing the transfer of shocks (and stress) over to the bike. But this is not all – the trailer’s suspension is adjustable (from 20” to 29”) so you can match the size of your bike for better (and safer) biking experience. 

It's small compared to the bike

     The Tent-Cot is pretty much one of the standard Kamp-Rite products (for which the company is actually well-recognized). Attached on the top of the trailer it matches its footprint adding (when folded) some 6 inches to its height. Unfolding the tent is an effortless process taking seconds to finish (for experienced folks). Before you proceed with setting-up the tent, the trailer must be stabilized using 4 adjustable pads.

More good news – the access to the cargo space is possible in both camper’s configurations. In other words, you can move up the trailers lid regardless if the tent-cot is still folded or already set-up for sleeping.

The Tent-Cot coming with the camper is designed for sleeping ONE person. It may seem to be a downside of the design, but let’s face it – it is easy to add pounds to the overall design, but it is difficult to pull them behind. Keep in mind that the camper was designed for off-road experience what makes it even more challenging. Some people complained about it, but hey, why not buying an extra Tent-Cot and carry it on the top of the camper if this is your wish and physically you are ready to pull behind extra pounds!

The tent is fully waterproof providing protection from weather elements. Mesh-protected windows offer ventilation and chance to enjoy the beauty of starry sky before falling asleep.

Lite, compact design in travel configuration 

       Note that the concept of “Roof-Top-Tents” (RTT) brought big changes to camping adventures. This is because sleeping above the ground offers several advantages over the traditional ground-based tents. It makes it safer (out of reach of many “crawling” creatures) and more weather tolerant (you will not wake-up in the sea of rain water or mud), not even mentioning the easiness of setting-up/folding down process.

See: --> Review of Rood Top Tents

More than 4 cubic-feet of trailer’s cargo capacity offers a lot of storage space. But don’t be too excited, it is not your car’s trunk that you can stuff with whatever you wish. You will certainly feel each extra pound of cargo so think 3-times before you use the capacity.

        Now time for bad news – the Kamp-Rite Midget-Bushtrekka Tent-Cot is discontinued (you may still be able to buy it on Amazon, but nothing from the factory). It’s difficult to say what really contributed to such decision. Be it “pioneering times” (in other words too early on the market so lack of interest) or apparent design flaws? Some users were reporting problems with bushings holding the wheels (apparently braking, falling apart…). Indeed, if this was a systematic problem, it was kind of catastrophic failure making you feel miserable, especially when in the middle of nowhere. 

You may ask why, (given the fact that the production of Midget Bustrekka Tent-Cot is discontinued), we decided to make this presentation? The answer is simple: The Kamp-Rite Bike Camper was a great concept bringing new dimensions to the biking experience. We hope that the company will fix the weak-spots of the design and bring it back on the market. And we are almost sure that it will be greatly appreciated by growing community of bikers. If not, et it be an inspiration for others!

May be one more important note: the Kamp-Rite Midget-Bushtrekka Tent-Cot was offered at very affordable price (below 1k$). Quite a lot of fun and opportunities for little money.

Ample storage of more than 4 cubic-feet 

  .... is accessible even when the tent is unfolded!

Specifications

1. Exterior dimensions L x W x H (note that this is not trailer’s height above the ground level but just the depth of the box). 

2. Trailer height is adjustable

Construction:

• Frame: Aluminum covered w/600-denier rip-stop nylon (polyurethane-coated for water resistance)
• “Suspension”: Adjustable (20” to 29”) to match size of bicycle wheels
• Wheels: 4 independent, pivoting alloy wheels
• Tent: HD 190T waterproof fabrics w/No-see-Um mesh on windows and door, HD aluminum frame, taped seams, corrosion-resistant zippers, interior storage pouches, waterproof cover…)

Standard features

• 4.3 cu. ft readily accessible storage
• 4 stabilizing jacks
• Safety signs (light reflecting marks and tape for night-time visibility)
• Locking hitch

let's see it now with our own eyes :-)

Go back to: --> Bicycle Pull-Behind Campers

All pictures courtesy of Kamp-Rite and Newatlas.com

Note:  Check with the manufacturer and / or authorized RV Dealer for the up-to-date list of features, options as well as latest specifications. These written above may not be accurate and certainly are subject to change by the factory. We are not responsible for any inaccuracy, the above text is provided only for the general information.

This review was written based on publicly available information for the benefits of the community of RV-ers. We do not receive any gratification or financial benefits from RV manufacturers, dealers, and any other promoters of RVs. 

We are NOT involved in sale and/or retail of RVs!

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