We still use the Kelly Tail Gator that came with our 2008 CI 550 when we bought it used. As the original post mentions (so many years ago now!) this is a pretty minimal shelter. But it has some very nice features to it including that it is pretty airy and light inside even when fully closed. It provides great shade when the sun is beating down and even some relief from wind and rain.
But like so many such shelters it doesn’t provide a very big footprint of dry area and it gets kind of low at the back. And as the OP notes, it has to be supported by the open hatchback and when one closes that it collapses downwards onto the back of the trailer. This is irritating and it also means that if it rains all the water from the canopy drains onto the hatchback and this can be a real challenge for the seals. In our 2098 we have had issues with this and the a tail Gator has compounded them and meant lots of water entering the bin on the passenger side where the battery is located. NOT GOOD!
So I have made two modifications to the canopy installation.
1) the two feet at the rear that are meant to sit on the ground get elevated by a pair of aluminum work benches that I always bring anyways to put stuff onto. The feet get nicely captured by the slots in the bench seats.
Elevating the back end makes the space underneath a lot more inviting. And easier to walk around in. But if that is all one does then it makes the top of the canopy nearly flat and water pools there.
2) i modified the two loops at the front corners of the canopy so that they would accept the pointed ends of a pair of poles (I use the new style aluminum poles that CI sells for the side tent). This involved a tiny bit of hand sewing on the loops to make a narrower slot for the pole tips to slide into.
I put the poles as high up as possible which gives about a 6” space above the open hatchback. This height pitches the top of the canopy back a bit to allow most water to drain off. But there is still a bit of pooling. (If I had lower benches this would be better.)
The poles mean I can just leave the canopy in position when I close the hatchback. And that means it isn’t dumping extra water down the back of the trailer:
In addition, the poles mean that we can set the canopy up independently of the trailer. This is nice because on a lovely day we might not want to be under the canopy at all. So we can set it up to the side and then just move it over to the kitchen if the weather turns bad.
I thought I had a pic of the full set up. But I can’t find it. So I offer an image showing one rear foot coming down onto a bench. And another showing the front edge of the canopy set up freestanding with the poles visible.
In both set ups the sides are rolled up and stored. For those unfamiliar with the Tail Gator it has sides that can be rolled down and guyed outwards. They are part screen and part solid nylon.
I think the next modification I would make is an added rollup piece at the rear of the tent. We put our eating table under the canopy and the person sitting in that location (generally my spouse because I do the cooking) tends to get dripped on from that rear edge.
I tend to do my modifications while camping and my spouse reads a book or something. I just have to remember what mods I am planning and bring the right materials with us.
I was thinking that the curve at the rear might be challenging to make a flap for, but I think I just figured out a work around…
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These are GREAT for off season use!!!!
