5 person 2 dog rig suggestions

[Kibou80]

We are slowly starting the process of looking for an overland/road trip rig for our whole family. We are 2 grownups and have 3 kids in age 5-10 and two labs. What kind of rig would you look for in our situation? We are considering rig plus trailer if we can't find a rig with enough room for everyone and equipment.

 

[Billiebob]

I'd be looking at a Class A/B/C with bunk beds. Smallest and lightest I could find.
OR a JKU plus an off road trailer. And keep ALL the travel stuff in the trailer. Or a bigger SUV with a trailer.
If size is no option, any full sized Quad Cab pickup with a bigger trailer. Something to sleep 2 plus 3 plus 2 will not be small.

The challenge is being comfortable with 2 adults, 3 kids and 2 dogs as everyone gets bigger while driving. I'd lean to a motorhome.

 

[Kibou80]

I'd be looking at a Class A/B/C with bunk beds. Smallest and lightest I could find.

Are they any off road capable at all? We realize we probably won't get around everywhere with the whole crew but it would be nice to do mild off road...no rock climbing stuff.

 

[Plasmajab]

Maybe a suburban or expedition, depending on the size of the dogs of course. I mean you could get a huge top basket for it, put all your gear up there and have the back for the doggos, and room for 5 easily. A used one would be pretty cheap given the cost of gas.

 

[Kibou80]

Maybe a suburban or expedition, depending on the size of the dogs of course. I mean you could get a huge top basket for it, put all your gear up there and have the back for the doggos, and room for 5 easily. A used one would be pretty cheap given the cost of gas.

The dogs are labs... currently 55 and 68 lbs... probably not fully grown just yet. In our explorer they take up pretty much all the cargo space...3rd row are theirs. The tiny behind third row room cargo space won't let us pack much equipment for 7 travelers

 

[Dilldog]

I would say Suburban or Expedition. I dont have any experience with either (at least any made in the last 20 years) but those are where I would start looking.

 

[MMc]

A 4 door truck with a shell with a trailer or a popup camper. Suburban with a trailer. Both will get you offroad better than a Moho. The kids/dogs will need a tent.

 

[EXPO_D1]

ford excursion or sprinter

 

[Kibou80]

Cool! Thanks for all the suggestions! We have thought about full size truck with shell and trailer... We had not thought about full size SUV and trailer or not, but I like the idea... One challenge is tents..can you put two rtt's on a full size truck? Having all the traveling equipment in a trailer means the rig could be someone's daily driver... Now my daily driver is the explorer that we use when all 5 or 7 is going anywhere.. our other daily driver is a small car that doesn't fit 5 comfortable.

 

[Jason Shelby]

I have a Jeep JKUR, I have 3 kids (18, 16, 13) and a 100 lb Great Dane. I’m building a offroad trailer for all stuff.
@jeanklaudethejeep
@AdventureAwaitsTN

 

[Boostpowered]

Used schoolbus

 

[MidOH]

Crew cab fullsize truck. Expensive nice stainless steel dog crate in the bed. Toss some stinky bedding in and big dogs love it. Make sure truck has front jump seat, not center console. Not uncommon for one of the kids to want to ride up front sometimes.

I avoid SUV's and caps anytime a trailer is involved. The trailer covers all of that. I need a place for dirty gear, motorcycles, kayaks, firewood etc. I'm going to loath that problem, when I move up to a slide in camper and lose my bed space.

A CCSB Ford F250 Fx4 would be perfect. A small 23' travel trailer would be my camper choice. Drop it as a base camp. Sure it's not a harcore overlanding trailer, but for those rare uses, you can leave it home and tent instead.

 

[MMc]

A van is also a great option, 4X4 would help, remember the 70's van thing. I would stay away from a road trailer and use a "overlanding style". Ground tents are great for the kids and dogs. RTT are overpriced, IMHO. You'll work out what works for you and your family, just get out there!

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Baskets, both roof and hitch style will help a ton starting out. A trailer might be something to consider in the future, but you can find a cheap hitch mount cargo basket for not a lot of money to suffice. A roof rack or cargo carrier is a good option for the roof. I've traveled in my Jeep with 4 passengers and 2 dogs for 10 days at a time on the tail end of winter/beginning of spring in the mountains. We had all our gear in the back under a platform that I built to hold the dogs weight, as well as in cases on the roof basket and on a hitch mount cargo basket I built. That was more than enough space for everything, but it was needed when we ended up packing up in the middle of the night during a snow storm. Super easy to throw things where they need to go and strap it down. Good thing about the hitch basket is that you can drop it at base camp. I chained it to a tree so we could leave it without worrying about someone walking off with it, but I doubt they would have since I overbuilt the thing. Probably weighs over 100lbs! But that still makes it easy to shed it like a trailer at camp. Hope this helps!

 

[Dilldog]

Used schoolbus

If you really wanted to go the "motorhome" rout I would totally build a schoolie. School buses are cheaper, easier to work on, and more durable. And thats from a guy who works on both, you couldnt pay me to own a diesel pusher motorhome.