Extendable Rack RTT Trailer Build

[OcoeeG]

My family (Wife, 10 year old, blue heeler and I) have been adventuring out of my wife's 2015 Jeep Renegade for about the last 3 years. Don't get me wrong, we have gone on lots of nice trips. Most recently this summer we took a month long 4500 mile trip from SE Tennessee to Glacier NP and back, camping 18 out of 30 days. It was time for a more capable adventure set-up. I had been eyeing roof top tents for a while, just so happened my buddy had a gently used CVT Ranier extended version with annex we was trying to sell, I decided to scoop it up. I knew I wanted it trailer mounted and my thought was to tow it with Renegade until I could get something better, so lightweight was the name of the game.

It all started with a rooftop tent, a raggedy ol' 4x6 carry-on and a dream.


The trailer was a piece of shit! In hindsight I probably should have just paid an extra $300 and got a nicer one.

Stripped her down:


Did a bit of reformatting, spring over conversion, 13 inch tires, made sure all the boxes fit, tried to get most of the grinding, drilling and welding done before...


Primed


Now it is time to build!!

 

[OcoeeG]

So my goal was to stay light weight and lower profile. So I knew I wanted my tent rack to extend from a lower driving position to a higher camping position, I envisioned an extendable rack system. I have aspiration to some day find the right linear actuators to raise the roof, but for now this is accomplished by a 30" scissors jack (which is WAY bigger than you think it would be) it works pretty well, need to get it dialed in a little more but it works quite well.



Storage is accomplished by 2 4' side open truck boxes and a 48" top opening diamond plate truck box up front. My goal was to be able to use these boxes when the tent is in the down position. Even the front top opening box opens wide enough to get anything out of it.

Front box has a ho-made 12v power system with a 145Ah AGM I had laying around. The side in the foreground of the front box will carry dry groceries, as the open box will be the kitchen box. Other side will carry jacks, dutch oven, etc.

 

[OcoeeG]

So half way through the build I realized the Renegade was going to have a tough time pulling this trailer very far or many extreme places, so I started looking for a truck. My 85 F250 that gets 7 mpg was not going to be pulling this thing very far. I lucked into this PEACH of an 08 Tacoma DCLB.

If I knew I would have had this truck I might have done this build a little differently. But honestly I think it will be able to handle what I throw at it. I am not a hardcore overlander like you fellas, mostly forest service roads. I really like the light weight of the trailer, the Taco barely feels it at about 1300 pounds. And the lower profile puts it nicely in the slipstream of the truck. I imagine once I get onboard water, propane, 12v fridge the weight might go up to a still manageable 1500 pounds. I am entertaining the idea of throwing a 3500 lb axle on it and putting bigger tires that match the truck, but not until it seems like I am being hampered by this setup.


Finally got her out on the maiden voyage this past weekend. I am very pleased how it performed in all aspects. Towing was a breeze, set-up is getting better, plenty stable with 3 humans and a dog up top. The nomadic 270 awning is sweet. Like the fact it is light enough to use the wheel on the tongue jack to roll it where I want it in the campsite. Looking forward to getting this out in the next crappy weather weekend to see how it performs. The only issue from this past weekend is I had a few too many beers and busted my ass climbing down from the RTT to pee, OUCH!!

 

[OcoeeG]

I am glad it is at the usable stage. I have been ignoring lots of other responsibilities to get it to this point. It is nice the not feel like I have to do something to it to make it useable, now it is all nice extras from here on out.

I want to do a bunch of things to make it even better, but I need to recover financially from the trailer build and truck buying adventure and get some other stuff done.
In the plans are:

1. Onboard water with 12v on demand pump. I think I am goin to go with Ironman 4x4 "rooftop" water tank. 13 gals, thin and just the right size to occupy the front half of the trailer floor. Keeping the weight low and well distributed. Gonna have a sink set up and one day MAYBE a propane hot water heater.
2. Mack out the kitchen box, nice little drawers and organizers. Build a table that attached to the side of the kitchen box for extra counter space.
3. More lights, usb plugs, inside tent and boxes.
4. Onboard 11 pound squatty propane tank
5. I dream of a 12 v fridge, looking hard at the Iceco 50 or 65 quarts

That is all for now. Will update when there is more action. Thanks for reading!

 

[bcmedicxj]

I like it a lot. These trailers are light and great for modification. I'm probably just up the road from you. Give me a shout if you guys want to plan a trip.

 

[danwyandt]

Nice.
How high up is the bottom of the tent after extending?

 

[OcoeeG]

Nice.
How high up is the bottom of the tent after extending?

Right at 6'1 or 2". Perfect height for the 270 awning and tent annex.

 

[OcoeeG]

I like it a lot. These trailers are light and great for modification. I'm probably just up the road from you. Give me a shout if you guys want to plan a trip.

Yeah, it is pretty light, hopefully not too light. Time will tell about the trailer and my welds Yeah, we are in Chattanooga. We head up to the Ocoee and tellico area a lot. Headed up to Tellico this weekend.

 

[Shahn]

That's freaking awesome! Nice work, and the memories will be amazing!

 

[RN J]

I am glad it is at the usable stage. I have been ignoring lots of other responsibilities to get it to this point. It is nice the not feel like I have to do something to it to make it useable, now it is all nice extras from here on out.

I’d love to see more pics of your trailer as it progresses! You’ve given me some ideas, for sure.
Thanks for posting!

I want to do a bunch of things to make it even better, but I need to recover financially from the trailer build and truck buying adventure and get some other stuff done.
In the plans are:

1. Onboard water with 12v on demand pump. I think I am goin to go with Ironman 4x4 "rooftop" water tank. 13 gals, thin and just the right size to occupy the front half of the trailer floor. Keeping the weight low and well distributed. Gonna have a sink set up and one day MAYBE a propane hot water heater.
2. Mack out the kitchen box, nice little drawers and organizers. Build a table that attached to the side of the kitchen box for extra counter space.
3. More lights, usb plugs, inside tent and boxes.
4. Onboard 11 pound squatty propane tank
5. I dream of a 12 v fridge, looking hard at the Iceco 50 or 65 quarts

That is all for now. Will update when there is more action. Thanks for reading!

 

[RN J]

Not even 1 comment on my new rig?

Well, I think it’s awesome!!! Wish I knew how to weld so I could try making one. I think it’s a great idea.

 

[reaver]

Nice build!

I too, am basing my water system off an ironman 4x4 tank, but I'm using the 10.3 gal dual jerry can tank, since I already have it.

I think using a scissor jack is a great solution for the rack. I'm debating on making mine liftable, since I'm going to have to have it custom welded anyways.

I look forward to seeing the adventures you take your trailer on!

 

[OcoeeG]

Nice build!

I too, am basing my water system off an ironman 4x4 tank, but I'm using the 10.3 gal dual jerry can tank, since I already have it.

I think using a scissor jack is a great solution for the rack. I'm debating on making mine liftable, since I'm going to have to have it custom welded anyways.

I look forward to seeing the adventures you take your trailer on!

Thanks!
The scissor jack works well. I think gas struts would be pretty nice too, and if you are going custom I would look into that avenue as well.

We are taking it out for a fun adventure this weekend, will post up some pics.

 

[Viking1204]

I am glad it is at the usable stage. I have been ignoring lots of other responsibilities to get it to this point. It is nice the not feel like I have to do something to it to make it useable, now it is all nice extras from here on out.

I want to do a bunch of things to make it even better, but I need to recover financially from the trailer build and truck buying adventure and get some other stuff done.
In the plans are:

1. Onboard water with 12v on demand pump. I think I am goin to go with Ironman 4x4 "rooftop" water tank. 13 gals, thin and just the right size to occupy the front half of the trailer floor. Keeping the weight low and well distributed. Gonna have a sink set up and one day MAYBE a propane hot water heater.
2. Mack out the kitchen box, nice little drawers and organizers. Build a table that attached to the side of the kitchen box for extra counter space.
3. More lights, usb plugs, inside tent and boxes.
4. Onboard 11 pound squatty propane tank
5. I dream of a 12 v fridge, looking hard at the Iceco 50 or 65 quarts

That is all for now. Will update when there is more action. Thanks for reading!

I have an Ironman 4x4 Fridge/Freezer that's 65 quarts and really nice, made out of metal, not plastic.

 

[OcoeeG]

Trip number 2 went well. 2 nights in the Cherokee National Forest. Added a table to the kitchen, which was really nice. Made a list of to do's and things to buy.
The wife, son and dog LOVE it up there, super cozy. A bit of a pain to get out of to pee in the middle of the night, but not much worse than a tent. I DID NOT bust my butt getting out to pee this time thankfully. Might have to rock the pee bottle.

 

[Bugnut]

OcoeeG,

What awning are you running there? Can I ask how much coverage are you getting over the end of the trailer? My set up is like yours, tent folding out to the left, passenger side and I'm looking for an 270 awning that's not terribly long, but covers the rear. My box trailer has a swing out tailgate that doubles as my kitchen table. Need coverage over that area and having more on the divers side make sense as it's not the entry side of the tent.

Feel ya on the midnight pitstops - motorcycle camping always means a spare 'tank' to lessen the trips to the outhouse. But with the trailer tent, wife is a bit iffy on the side lean to pee! Much less in a jar! To make life a little less hazardous on the ladder, grip tape on each rung helps. As do less libations from the night before, but we all have crosses to bear! And I'm not THAT willing to give up my evening sippy cup!

Thanks. And sweet set up!
Mike

 

[OcoeeG]

OcoeeG,

What awning are you running there? Can I ask how much coverage are you getting over the end of the trailer? My set up is like yours, tent folding out to the left, passenger side and I'm looking for an 270 awning that's not terribly long, but covers the rear. My box trailer has a swing out tailgate that doubles as my kitchen table. Need coverage over that area and having more on the divers side make sense as it's not the entry side of the tent.

Feel ya on the midnight pitstops - motorcycle camping always means a spare 'tank' to lessen the trips to the outhouse. But with the trailer tent, wife is a bit iffy on the side lean to pee! Much less in a jar! To make life a little less hazardous on the ladder, grip tape on each rung helps. As do less libations from the night before, but we all have crosses to bear! And I'm not THAT willing to give up my evening sippy cup!

Thanks. And sweet set up!
Mike

Thanks Mike! Yeah, we are loving it so far.

It is an OVS Nomadic LT. It has good coverage, plenty good to cook out the back for sure. I cannot give specifics though. The awning on the back extends about 1.5' past the edge of my trailer to the passenger side, which is nice as it allows easy access to under the tent on that side. And all that space on the drivers side could be dinning room/hang out area. The nomadic awning is some of the best bang for your buck, IMHO. I got mime for $550. Not exactly sure how, Google Shopping found it for me. The cheapest I found it prior to that was about $750. Def. worth $550 and I would not have had buyers remorse at $750 either.

Yeah, pit stops are getting better. Added a dim light under the ladder. Like the grip tape idea and I was thinking about fabbing up a hand rail out of 3/4" conduit. Bent 90 deg at top to attach to ladder and sticking into ground at bottom. I have the better collapsible ladder need to put that back on when we go out next time, that might help a bit too.

 

[AggieOE]

Where did you source the side boxes you have? I like the idea of storage/prep surace.

 

[OcoeeG]

Where did you source the side boxes you have? I like the idea of storage/prep surace.

FB marketplace. But they can be bought new, they're not cheap though. I did it this way over building the entire trailer into a box because I wanted room to haul stuff on the trailer. Raft, SUP boards, bikes, etc

 

[KonzaLander]

I love the simplicity and functionality of your build!

How has the tent "extender" worked out for you? Care to share some details on the materials and building method you used on that setup? I quickly learned that the high RTT rack on my "Yeller" trailer build is too high when on technical roads and need to find a solution to lower it.