Full-time overlanding - to tow or not to tow

[UgotWheelz]

I do lots of extended trips but we're considering going full-time overlanding (my wife and I). I'd like to get some first-hand feedback from current full-timers on their experiences with towing (off-road trailer) vs. rig-only.

I know that forerunner and trailer, You guys have been having some great adventures. I do Eccola concerns about maneuverability especially turning around with a trailer I had a couple utility trailers and I had a tab 320 S before it got stolen and even though there wasn’t a problem I had to be hyper conscious of where I was going with the trailers For fear I wouldn’t be able to turn around don’t lie trailers we’re not what we call Offroad capable even though they were marketed by the manufactures as being off-road bike do you have any thoughts on maneuverability with the trailer and how easy is it to turn around to your patriot campers trailer On the trail?
I currently have a Toyota Fortuner (similar to a 4Runner), fully kitted for overlanding and a Conqueror Companion UEV-440 off-road trailer. My other option is to start over with a rig-only config; a LC78 Troopy with an AluCab Hercules (pop-top) conversion.

Here are some of my thoughts but I'm keen to get some first-hand experience please;

Current setup
Pros
- Base camp; if we're camping in one spot for an extended period of time, we can leave the trailer set up and go exploring with the vehicle. If we're doing one-nighters the trailer does have a minimal config as well (15min) I also have an iKamper mini as an alternative.
- Interior living space; the trailer provides an interior living space which I think is a must-have for full-time in bad weather. It has a 270 awning outside as well.
- More space; between the vehicle and the trailer there is a good amount of space.
- Cost; I already own this setup, no debt.
- Fuel-economy, my current rig gives around 23.52 mpg and 18.82 towing
- Daily driver; the Fortuner is a much more modern and comfortable drive (I've owned a Troopy before)

Cons
- Maintenance cost; Another vehicle (trailer) to service
- Complexity; more things to go wrong on 2 vehicles
- Off-road capability; although this trailer is great off-road, it's still more limited in where it can go as opposed to a rig-only setup. Do still have the vehicle with an RTT so could leave the trailer and go vehicle-only on rough trips.

Land Cruiser Troopy
Pros
- Simplicity and maintenance cost; one vehicle to service
- Quick setup
- Mobility; better off-road capability
- Interior living space; albeit smaller than the trailer, it still has an interior living space

Cons
- Base camp; you have to pack up everyday to go explore (albeit the setup time is very quick)
- Cost; new vehicle and fit-out around $70k (and I'll probably get around $30k for my current setup if I sell it)
- Fuel economy; Troopy (1HZ motor) gives around 14.11 mpg
- Not as comfortable to drive as the Fortuner.

Cheers,
Christoff

Good day to you Christoff.

My wife, our dog & I have been living full time out of our 2015 Toyota 4Runner & 2020 Patriot Camper X1H for about 16 months.

In this time we’ve covered most of the North American Continent! We’ve back & forth across the lower 48 twice, did the entire Baja Mexico Peninsula, Alaska & Western Canada!

Our Patriot Camper has been outstanding! We love living on the road with it! For me the only negative would be is that I’m a little conservative about what trails I’ll hit! My big concern is, “can I get turned around.?”

Other that that we’ve never had a problem and the trailer hasn’t stopped us from doing anything or going anywhere!

 

[John and Mandi]

This thread is old but we wanted to add our experience. After 7 years of fulltime overlanding, 4 were from Alaska to Argentina, we can say...there is no perfect rig. There will always be concessions so the most important thing is to choose the smallest rig you are comfortable living in and the largest you are comfortable driving. We have seen a Mini Cooper with a RTT all the way up to military surplus 8x8s. Each rig was chosen for the preferred lifestyle and not specific destinations. We don't like being longer than 20 feet, 6 meters, so that alone determines our maximum vehicle size. Our living space was more than ample but being a pop top, the extra length allowed for the amount of storage we wanted. We dream of squeezing into a pop top Troopy one day but the truth is it's probably just under our comfortable living size. The importance of comfort cannot be stressed enough. We have many friends that struggled with the traditional bush style rig that required everything to be open and to cook etc outside. Humidity, bugs, and rain should not be underestimated and in the jungles it's usually all three with the occasional local wildlife to contend with. The same can be said for the cold bitter wind and snow/rain. We also have many friends that lived in the back of their SUVs and/or loved the bush style rigs. Again, lifestyle is more important than anything else for full time travel...even 4wd. Every vehicle is limited. We visited places where we were the longest and tallest that could reach it but it was so high in altitude and cold many in RTTs left after one night due to the brutal conditions. Others with tenting stayed for many days as they really love both altitude and the cold. This is true for the hot and humid environments as well. The fully enclosed high top rigs struggled in the hot and humid environments once their habitation heated up over the many days spent in the region. We were able to get our van to the ambient temperature with our pop top, albeit it was still hot and sticky, but friends couldn't ever get their rigs down to the ambient temperatures since the insulated box was working properly...and against them in that instance. It's why we all would run up into the mountains after a period of time to get a reprieve before heading back to the coasts. Also, enclosed boxes and truck campers fight the mildew and mold much more than vans, SUVs, etc. since the standard vehicles can run their A/C to pull the moisture out of the living area. Many today are incorporating an A/C into their habitations to fight against the heat build up, the moisture, and it's something they just cannot live without.

More to the direct question at hand, once we went south of Mexico we met only two rigs that were towing. One was a custom built tent trailer being pulled by a 50's Mercedes sedan and the other was a 5th wheel that was struggling big time. We wouldn't do it but that's just our personal preference. For the US, Canada, and Mexico there is infrastructure for a separate camper so if that is the chosen travel range it should be fine. As for the concern about having to pack up to go anywhere, the only way to exist in a small space is to keep everything put away. It becomes such a habit that we could crack off the van and be ready to roll before she was warmed up. Some friends with the more traditional bush set up took a long time to pack down yet others were just as fast as we were, again...living style. The one thing we were surprised to see throughout our entire trip were class Cs, American and European made. One doesn't need a fancy tricked out over the top rig, off the shelf vehicles and RVs are traveling all over the world. However, we do love hanging out in those fancy rigs with radiant heating and big dinettes that are comfortable for 6! Lastly, it's good to know if you are an inside person or an outside person. When we camped before going full time we were outside 100% of our time until we went to bed. During our fulltime travels we realized we are more inside people than we thought. Having an inside space saved our trip so we strongly encourage everyone to have the same.